Tag Archives: London

Rolling blog: HS2 engineering adventures around the capital…

13 Tuesday Jul 2021

Posted by in Hs2, London, Railways, Rolling blogs

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06:45.

Ugh! The alarm went off at 05:00 this morning in order for me to have a shower, an injection of caffeine and a sugar rush- thanks to Dawn’s freshly made Bakewell tart. Just to add to the excitement the cat decided to be sick and feel sorry for himself so it wasn’t the most relaxed start to the day as we had to clean Jet up before we left. Dee was up too in order to drive me to the station (thank you babe! X) but on the bright side we both enjoyed a beautiful Surrey morning as the mist caused by last nights torrential rain begain to boil away as the sun rose. By 06:00 the mercury had already hit 14 degrees.

I’m currently sat on the London train, a 12 car set from Alton to Waterloo which is pretty empty. In this neck of the woods a lot of people are still working from home. Oh, there were a few dozen people waiting for the train to arrive and it is early, but you’d expect far more than this on a normal working day. It’s upper and middle-class commuter zones like this in the South-East where the rail recovery is going to be the slowest. I’ll be interested to see what Waterloo looks like when I arrive in under an hour. Still, my train’s clean and well-presented. The interior of this Siemens Class 450 has been refreshed with the new SWRailway seat mocquette and there’s now power sockets throughout . Oh, and wifi – which is how I’m transmitting this blog.

Not exactly crowded, is it?

07:10.

Whilst Surrey may be basking in sunshine the closer I get to London the gloomier it gets. The weather along the old London and Southwestern main line feels more like a dull and dank November day not July. Only the fact that the trees are sporting their summer regalia and gardens are full of blooms gives the game away. Hopefully, by the time I get to the HS2 construction site that I’m visiting today things will have perked up.

08:17.

Hanging around Waterloo just long enough to get a few library shots (including of the new ‘green’ wooden seating -nice!) I caught a Bakerloo line tube over to Marlebone. Initially quiet, the train filled up after Charing Cross.

Aboard the venerable Bakerloo line trains, now the oldest on the Underground network.

Marylebone was equally busy with commuters coming off arrivals. Numbers here are really picking up. There’d be little room for social distancing on these trains so It’s just as well rules will be relaxed next week. The vast majority of folk are still wearing masks and I’d be surprised if that changed overnight.

18:00.

Wow! What a day..

The gloomy weather cleared by the time I got to my final destination, which was the amazing HS2 construction site at South Heath, on the edge of the M25. It’s from here that two of the biggest structures on phase 1 of HS2 are being built from. Right now there are two huge tunnel boring machines (TBMs) drilling a pair of 9.1m diameter bores Northwards. These dwarf the 7.6m bores of the channel tunnel. Meanwhile, preperations are underway to begin costruction of the 3.5km long Colne Valley viaduct which will be built Southwards from the same site. Our small group wrre given a guided tour that got us up close and personal with “Cecilia” the second of the 160 metre long TBMs which was launched last week (a week earlier than planned).

I’ll be blogging at length about our visit another time. Right now I’m downloading the pictures from my camera, but here’s a taster.

Here’s what ‘Cecilia’ looks like without me stood in the way…

This isn’t the full 160 metre length of ‘Cecilia’ either. The cutting head and shield have already disappeared into the tunnel and there’s a good few metres of the tail which I simply couldn’t capture, even with a wide-angle lens! This things are big!

And there’s more…

Up close and personal with ‘Cecilia’ (named after Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, an astronomer), the second TBM which was launched last week. This is the view from the tail of the machine, looking through the centre towards the cutting head where you can see a tunnel lining segment waiting to be put into place.
This is the tunnel dug by the first TBM. It’s only when you get this close you realise just how big they are. The Channel tunnel main bores are 7.6m in diameter.These tunnels are 9.1m. Several hundred metres inside the tunnel are the tail lights of TBM ‘Florence’ which is now outside the M25 motorway and running ahead of schedule.
Inside the on-site factory making the steel and concrete segments that will line both of the Chilterns tunnels. The plant will produce approximately 112,300 of these 7.5 tonne segments which come in seven different shapes.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

Rolling blog: The great escape…

13 Thursday May 2021

Posted by in London, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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06:30.

I’m escaping the confines of the Calder Valley today to head back to my old home (London town) for the first time this year. The country is slowly opening up again after so long in slumber due to the pandemic and I’m looking forward to being able to stretch my legs once again and catch up with both people and events. Today’s a beginning.

Apart from the unconscionably early start I really enjoyed the stroll into Halifax to catch the train. Despite the amazing mixture of weather we’ve been having the temperature’s slowly rising bringing far less chilly mornings than we’ve been used to. Admittedly, Halifax is still quiet at the moment.

I was one of only four people waiting for the 06:17 to Chester to arrive but I’ve no doubt that picture will soon change. The three car class 195 that arrived to take us West wasn’t much busier either. Still, it’s been a good journey so far, the Calder valley’s starting to bloom as the trees develop their summer finery whilst early morning mist clings to the hills, making me realise why I’ve always been attracted to this part of the world.

I’ll be blogging throughout the day, so stay with me to see what happens. I’m travelling down to London via the West Coast Main Line (WCML) due to ‘events’ with a certain train builder’s products which will allow me to pass through many old haunts en-route….

06:55.

Having called at Todmorden and Rochdale my trains begun to fill up with early morning workers on their way to Manchester. There’s a mix between folks wearing suits and those in steel toe-caps but it’s far too early for leisure travellers. Whilst the railway may still be quiet I caught a glimpse of the M62 as we passed Castleton and the motorway is chokka. It’s not that people aren’t travelling, it’s what mode they’re taking…

08:20.

Manchester was pretty quiet when I arrived. Victoria station wasn’t exactly a hive of activity and my walk across the city centre was hassle-free. Unusually, the vagrant quotient around Piccadilly Gardens was the lowest I’ve seen for some time although I’ve no idea why. Some other things were noticeable by their absence too – big name department stores like Debenhams. It’s quite eerie to see their huge building on Market street empty. What impact the absence of some famous high-street names will have on city-centres is yet to be seen. It’s sometimes easy to forget that there’s still 5 million people on furlough. When they return to work the effect on city centres should be rather interesting…

Manchester Piccadilly has changed since my last visit. The one-way system is much more regimented now and reinforced with barriers. The mezzanine floor remains closed so it’s not as easy to get photos of the concourse. Mind you, a few platforms were empty too, reflecting the lack of hustle and bustle. I was here to catch the 08:05 Avanti West Coast service South. The coach I’m in contains half a dozen people. We’re about to call at Macclesfield, so I’ll be curious to see if any more join us there…

09:00.

After calling at Macclesfield and Stoke our carriage has gained three more people, but that’s all so I’m looking forward to a hassle free journey South. The weather’s dry but cloudy with little definition in the sky – hardly conducive to photography but I’m hoping it’ll pick up when I get further South. Either way it’s great to be back on a Pendolino again. I’d forgotten how well they ride and the terrific performance as they accelerate. Oh, and let’s not forget the tilt!

Having joined the main line at Colwich Junction we’re now cruising past the old power station at Rugeley at 115mph although you’d never know from the behaviour of the train. I only know because I’ve an app on my phone that measures these things! The power station’s a sad sight nowadays. The turbine hall and chimney’s disappeared, as have the coal trains that used to supply it with fuel. All that remains are the four tall cooling towers although – as the site is being cleared for further use I can’t see them standing for much longer.

09:50.

We’ve just pulled away from Milton Keynes where dozens of people were waiting to catch this train. We arrived well ahead of time and sat for 8 minutes waiting for our scheduled departure time. I’d toyed with the idea of changing trains here but the weather’s deteriorated. Now we’ve got a steady drumbeat of rain hitting the train so I’ve decided to stay put in the hope things will be better in the capital.

10:12.

We’ve just passed through Watford Junction, a place where I spent many a bank holiday working on the Network Rail rebuilding and relaying work in 2015. Sadly, the sky’s now as black as Hades so I’ve no idea what to expect when I arrive.

11:27.

I’m now wandering around Euston in the rain. Something’s missing here, but I can’t quite put my finger on it…

22:00.

I’m back! Sorry for the gap in the blog, that was because I was having too good a time doing something we’ve not been able to do for ages – meet up with a few friends. Oh, that and the fact we can only do that outdoors and the weather’s bleedin’ freezing! Considering this is mid-May the weather’s anything but spring-like.

London was cold, wet and hardly ideal for getting pictures, although I did manage a few around Euston, documenting how much the area’s changing thanks to the HS2 rail development. Afterwards the day became social as I met up with some old friends for the first time for ages and the four of us caught one of the last traditional High-Speed Trains from St Pancras North (just for old times sake). There was a real feeling of deja vu about the event as the train was busy with railway enthusiasts. Hang on a minute? Weren’t railway enthusiasts condemning these trains when they were first introduced? Oh yes! In those days the HSTs were replacing many locomotive-hauled services so loved by enthusiasts, so the HST’s were labelled ‘plastic’ trains or denigrated as ‘trams’. Now they’re talked about with nostalgia. Talk about the wheel coming full circle!

The four of us travelled up to Nottingham where we had time for a quick pint before splitting up. Two returned to London whilst Merv and I continued North towards home. The weather didn’t get any warmer but at least we swapped rain for watery sunshine! Having bid adieu to Merv in Sheffield I’m on the final leg home from Leeds to Halifax, having had a thoroughly enjoyable day out. We all agreed that being able to meet up with friends in the flesh, enjoy a few beers and plot future adventures has been good for the soul.

Stupidity, thy name is HS2Rebellion!

06 Thursday May 2021

Posted by in Extinction Rebellion, Hs2, Local elections, London, Politics

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With the anti HS2 campaign continuing to fall apart as more and more activists become ‘slacktivists’ or disappear completely now it’s obvious the game’s up. There’s been little to comment on recently because it’s really all over bar the posturing. Until today, when in one glorious cock-up HS2Rebellion and others who’re linked to the rather ridiculous (but also faintly sinister and rather fascistic) Extinction Rebellion spin-off political party ‘burning pink’ have excelled themselves in utter stupidity and tinfoil-hattery on the day London’s voters go to the polls!

Why? Well, Burning Pink have put up a candidate for London Mayor, one Valerie Brown (who? Ed). You may well ask, as no-one’s ever heard of her before now. Apparently, she’s the co-founder of ‘burning pink’ along with the odious Roger Hallam, who was previously one of the founders of Extinction Rebellion. Frankly, there’s less chance of her winning as there is of finding Lord Lucan.

SkyBet are offering odds of 750-1 on her. To put that into perspective, Count Binface is way ahead of her with odds of 500-1! For someone standing on a supposed environmental ticket her campaign’s been a joke. Money’s been found from somewhere for a campaign ‘battlebus’ which turns out to be a pollution disaster as it’s 17 years old and wouldn’t be allowed on the streets of London any other way.

With her campaign going nowhere Hs2rebellion/Extinction Rebellion activists came up with an idea to attract publicity and make some impossible demands at the same time. Two (one of whom is serial failure Larch Maxey) clambered on to the roof of 1 Eversholt St at Euston and sprayed the building with pink paint, then said they’d only come down if their ridiculous demands were met. They and their hangers-on like ‘Boots on the ground’ (see previous blog) claimed they were spraying the HQ of HS2.

To say these people aren’t playing with a full deck is beautifully illustrated by another of ‘Boots’ tweets from yesterday.

This is tinfoil-hattery of the highest order. Why the Chinese would want inland naval bases miles from the sea would seem to be a logical question, but obviously not if you’ve been sucked into the ‘shocking pink’ orbit where it seems the first thing you’re asked to do is leave your brain at the door.

Now, as Larch Maxey had previously spent 3 weeks holed up in the pointless tunnel under Euston Gardens early in the year, you just might have thought he’d have an idea of who had offices at Euston and where. But no! Needless to say, this stunt backfired in spectacular fashion as people pointed out what should have been blindingly obvious. HS2’s HQ is in Birmingham. Yes, the do have offices at Euston – at the Podium. The offices Maxey and his mate painted are the offices of err…Network Rail, the company that runs the publicly owned rail network, you know – public transport – the sort of thing Greens are meant to like…

Here was the reaction of one person on Twitter who pointed out the obvious.

Of course, the mistake is even harder to make now as buildings 1 and 2 have been demolished so Maxey had a 50-50 chance of getting the correct building – and still failed to get the right one!

Meanwhile, others started doing some digging about that ‘battlebus’…

I sometimes wonder if Extinction Rebellion and ‘Burning Pink’ aren’t actually working for the oil and road lobby as the only thing they’re good for is bringing the UKs green movement into utter disrepute. Whatever these idiots thought they were achieving that would help their cause is a mystery. The reaction on Twitter has been overwhelmingly negative, if anything it’s exposed just how ridiculous, arrogant and unpleasant ‘Shocking pink’ are – with Extinction Rebellion not far behind. Remember, ‘shocking pink’ under their other name ‘beyond politics’ attacked the offices of several political parties (including the Green Party) because they claimed they weren’t ‘radical’ enough.

Still, tomorrow we’ll be able to see the election results. One thing I can confidently predict and that’s the fact Valerie Brown will not be Mayor of London! I’ll update this blog with the results. Anyone care to bet she has less votes than Count Binface?

Of course, this futile act of stupidity does beg one question. Whilst these two and their rag-bag of supporters are poncing around outside Network Rail’s offices, who’s meant to be on the frontline trying to ‘save’ trees and stop HS2?

UPDATE: 9th May.

As promised here’s an update on Brown’s performance in the Mayoral election. She came last! She managed a measly 5305 votes and was trounced by Count Binface who garnered 24775 votes! Worse was to came. ‘Burning Pink’ have reported Brown was arrested at home by the Metropolitan police on Saturday morning for conspiracy to cause criminal damage (of for ‘caring’ as Burning Pink’ claim). She’ll be in good company as Larch Maxey and his co-vandal Xavier Gonzalez Trimmer were also arrested after their stupid stunt.

Meanwhile, in the real world. HS2 construction continues uninterrupted…

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

6th March picture of the day…

06 Saturday Mar 2021

Posted by in London, Photography, Photojournalism, Picture of the day

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Life’s slowly returning to normal for now as (despite his age) our cat shows a stubborn resistance to the idea of dying. The old bugger’s scared the life out of us this week but we’re so knackered by it all we’ve decided the only thing we can do is give him all the love and attention we can whilst starting to think this was a clever ploy on his part just to become the centre of attraction even more than usual! Poor Dawn’s been kept busy trying to find different foods just to attract his appetite and get him to eat, which could be part of his plan…

Moggie maintenance has taken up most of our week so I’m looking forward to getting back to a less fractured routine and chance for more exercise and less stress – especially as the weather’s slowly warming up and the days are getting longer. With a bit of luck I might even be able to dust down the camera and document the present besides scanning the past…

Talking of the past, here’s the picture of the day. I’ve not sorted and slides this weekend so this is one from the last batch. I’ve been posting pictures from all sorts of exotic locations but this is one that used to be close to home. I took this shot at Columbia Rd flower market in London’s East End on the 12th March 1994 which was when I still lived in the East End. Lynn and I used to cycle over to the market from my flat in Bromley-by-Bow to pick up plants to decorate the communal balcony outside our homes. Columbia Rd was a brilliant place to while away a few hours of a Sunday morning, buying plants from the street stalls or drinking coffee outside a cafe whilst people watching and grabbing pictures like this.

I do miss it. Going to local garden centres here in West Yorkshire just can’t compete!

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Siemens show off their new Piccadilly line trains for the London underground.

04 Thursday Mar 2021

Posted by in Rail Investment, Railways, Siemens, Transport

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Today, in an on-line press conference Siemens showed off the final design of the new trains they’ll be building for the Piccadilly line of London’s deep level tube network. Back in November 2018, Transport for London (TfL) commissioned Siemens Mobility to supply 94 nine-car, articulated Inspiro type trains.

In what is billed as a world first for any deep-level ‘tube’ system the trains will be fully air-conditioned, which will come as a great relief to anyone who’s ever had to use the Piccadilly line in the summer! The technical specification of the trains is impressive.

These new trains coupled with an increase in frequency of trains in peak hours from 24 to 27 trains per hour from mid-2027 (a train every 135 seconds) will provide a 23 per cent leap in peak service capacity.

The new trains feature regenerative braking capability and cutting-edge traction systems using low-loss permanent magnet motors and auxiliary electric systems that feature silicon carbide technology, as well as Lithium Ion batteries. These system will help to reduce the heat in the tunnels generated by the existing trains braking systems, despite the addition of air-conditioning. Passengers will also benefit from the wider doors and abolition of the single doors at the car ends, plus the ability to walk right through the train in the same fashion as the S-stock used on the Sub-surface lines like the Metropolitan. Siemens have released these impressions of the train interiors.

Construction of the vehicles will be split between the existing Siemens factory in Vienna, Austria and the company’s new UK factory which is under construction at Goole in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Initial testing of the fleet will be done at the Wildenrath test track in Germany.

16th February picture of the day…

16 Tuesday Feb 2021

Posted by in Architecture, London, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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Life today could best be described as ‘plodding’. That doesn’t mean it’s been a bad day – far from it but excitement and surprise don’t really feature much in these Groundhog Days. Instead there’s slow progress in this, that and the other, but nothing that inspires or really makes the heart sing. Still, I shouldn’t complain as our cage is gilded compared to many and there’s no shortage of (repetitive) things to do. Funny old world though, isn’t it? Who would have thought that one day we’d all be looking forward to the day we can go to a clinic to get a jab and it would be a highlight of your year and news of its reception something you’d proudly share with friends on social media?

So, anyway – here’s the picture of the day to brighten things up. It’s taken from the latest batch of slides scans. This particular image was shot on the 5th March 2001 and shows the wonderful exterior of the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London. I have a passion for architecture and architectural photography, although this was one of a series from a list of pictures wanted for a Lonely Planet guide to London.

Built in the 1870s in the Romanesque style the exterior makes wide use of architectural terracotta tiles which helped protect the building from the city’s polluted atmosphere. They also make it gorgeous to look at and feature many relief sculptures of flora and fauna to add to the attractions. As usual, you’ll be able to find the full selection of pictures from London in this gallery on my Zenfolio website.

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Thank you!

15th February picture of the day…

15 Monday Feb 2021

Posted by in Engineering, London, Photography, Picture of the day

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Wow! After such a long spell of absolutely perishing weather we’ve actually had a day where the temperature made it into double figures at the right end of the thermometer! Being able to walk without being swaddled in scarves, hats and gloves made an extremely pleasant change – as did the fact the heavy rain we’d had the other day had washed almost all of the snow away and the day stayed dry. One was almost tempted to believe Spring may be on the way but it’s going to take more than one day of mild weather to convince me of that. Even so, I’m beginning to think it might be time to fettle the front garden and clear up the garden bench in the hope that we can spend less time cooped up indoors…

Still, whilst we are, I have plenty to keep me occupied. I’ve a stack of articles to write and pictures to scan. One of the latest batch forms today’s picture. I took this shot of the Albert Bridge in London on the 14th January 2001 which was a crisp clear winter’s day with some glorious low winter sunshine. The Albert Bridge is of a rather unique design, although it’s been modified a couple of times since it opened in 1873. Along with Tower Bridge to the East it shares the distinction of being one of only two Thames road bridges that have never been replaced.

Seen here from the North Bank of the Thames, the slender Albert Bridge is an attractive and graceful structure.

When I’ve finished editing the newest scans from London later this week you’ll be able to find them in this gallery on my Zenfolio picture library website.

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Thank you!

13th February picture of the day…

13 Saturday Feb 2021

Posted by in London, Picture of the day, Travel

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Sorry folks, it’s been an odd day so there’s no preamble (or ramble) from me today. There’s just a picture instead. This is one from the latest batch of slide scans. I took it on the 15th December 2000 from Greenwich Park in London, looking across to the burgeoning blocks of Canary Wharf where the new city was rising. Strange to think how confident and outward looking the UK seemed in those days – long before the introspection and madness of Brexit.

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9th November picture of the day…

09 Monday Nov 2020

Posted by in London, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day

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Well, the year may be in its final phase but it’s finally taken a turn for the better. OK, apart from the weather which remains resolutely crap here up in the Pennines, but after the warm glow from last week knowing that the orange shit-gibbon has been ousted in the USA we’ve now had the good news that a vaccine for Covid could be ready before the end of the year. Needless to say, the financial markets reacted very positively as businesses have been given the hope that normality may be resumes sooner rather than later. How all this may come to pass is speculative at the moment, but after a constant battering from bad news, it’s good to hear some optimism for once.

My day’s been spent holed up at home, knuckling down in order to get the last album of old rail slides scanned before the end of the week, thus ending a process that’s taken decades. I’m trying to get them done before Friday as that’s the day we’ve completed our self-isolating and are free to venture out again – so we’re going to make the most of it – whatever the weather!

Today’s picture has been chosen from one of today’s scans as it’s a view that’s changed completely since it was taken. This is a view of Battersea power station with the approaches to London Victoria in the foreground. I took it on the 25th February 2001.

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19th October picture of the day…

19 Monday Oct 2020

Posted by in London, Picture of the day, Travel

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Today’s hardly been the most exciting of times. Instead, it’s been one spent glued to a computer screen in order to add 250 plus pictures from my recent travels onto my Zenfolio picture website. They fall into all sorts of categories (rail, travel, shipping and the building of High-Speed 2) so if you want to gave a browse and find out which galleries they’ve been added to – follow this link. I’ve also used my time to email out the latest batch of winning bids on eBay, I’ll be restocking my site with a lot more old pictures and railway memorabilia this weekend, but there’s still a few hundred pictures and badges remaining from the last batch. Here’s a sample.

Unfortunately, the weather here in the Calder Valley’s not particularly conducive to great photography right now, but I’m hoping to get out and about to get some pictures this week before the clocks go back and the day get too short for travelling for – that’s if we’re even allowed to…

So, without further ado – here’s today’s picture, which I took one bright spring morning way back in March 2001 whilst I was walking through Green Park in London. The building behind those park gates is Buckingham Palace…

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Thank you!