I’d been busy researching an article and chasing up some details with some of the companies involved when what seemed like a simple request took on a lot more complexity due to the flowchart of organisations I needed to talk to and the different levels of permissions that then involved. Ho hum. The article will still get written (and will be all the better for it as now the scope’s grown) – but it’s going to take a while to line-up all the players. This means my plans for tomorrow have changed and I should get chance to take the camera for a stroll in the sunshine. No bad thing as the weather’s been lovely up here in the Pennines and it seemed a pity to be chained to a desk for the duration.
Whilst one article’s dragging I’ve a 6-pager on HS2 out in the latest copy of RAIL magazine which hit the news stands yesterday. In it I describe my visit to Long Itchington to be shown around the inside of a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and also my guided tour of HS2 mitigation sites in the company of Penny McGregor, a local farmer who showed me what’s happening at various locations along the route, including Cubbington woods and the site of the famous 250 year old Cubbington pear tree which opponents of the line tried to turn into a cause célèbre in order to stop the railway being built. It’s a great copy of the magazine, packed full of news and information and well worth a read if you’re interested in what’s happening on the UK’s railways. You can buy it in all good newsagents – and no doubt a few disreputable ones too!
Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with today’s picture which is another from the series of shots I took in London the other month. Several of these appear in the latest edition of RAIL. I’m so very lucky in that my job gives me access to places that most people never get access to or see. On the 7th March I was on a press trip to Crossrail (or the Elizabeth Line if you prefer) which is the new multi-billion pound railway that runs West to East under central London. It’s due to open in the next few months and passengers will be able to enjoy fast trains and superb stations. But, what they won’t be seeing is this – a driver’s eye view from the cab. Here’s what they see behind those screened platforms…
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We’ve had glorious weather here in the Pennines today with the advantage that the sunshine’s been accompanied by a welcome rise in the temperature compared to the other day when it was bleedin’ Baltic! We’ve now passed the Spring equinox so I hope the mercury keeps rising.
Weather aside it’s been a quiet day here in Bigland Towers. I’ve been occupied researching another magazine article that I’ve been asked to write as well as finishing editing and uploading two hundred plus pictures from last weeks travels to my Zenfolio website. You can find which galleries they’ve been added to by following this link. Hopefully, once the next bout of wordsmithing is complete I can get out and about again as there’s a lot of changes on our rail network to document. The new timetable begins in May and there’s going to be some familiar old train fleets disappearing by then – and throughout the rest of this year. Plus, there’s more construction of the new HS2 railway to cover, as well as East-West rail. After the Covid lockdowns I’m really enjoying being able to get out and about again and can’t wait to stretch my wings further. But for now there’s plenty to do closer to home.
I’ll leave you with another picture from last weeks travels which is on the theme of London’s changing skyline. This building has become one of the most iconic as its unmistakable shape can be seen for miles. The Shard opened over 10 years ago now but this 72 storey building is still the tallest in the UK. If you ever get chance to visit the observation deck – do so – the views across London are magnificent! This is the view of the building from Waterloo East station.
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 me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
A very short blog from me tonight as I’ve had a very busy few days with no time to write as spending time with family and friends has taken priority. That said, I have had a little time to catch up with editing some of the hundreds of images that I took earlier in the week – hence today’s picture.
Whilst in London I commented on how much the city’s skyline’s changing. Here’s an example. I’d not taken pictures from this spot (St Johns station) in South London since 2015. The backdrop’s changed completely. Welcome to yet one more of London’s satellite skyscraper districts, the ‘megapolis’ of Lewisham. The tower cranes give away the fact that this is just the start. Come back in another couple of years…
Back in 2015 there was just a single high rise on the horizon in my pictures. What I can’t work out is who exactly is going to be living in all this speculative (but certainly not cheap) building.
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 me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
After the gloomy skies and heavy rain we had yesterday, today couldn’t be any more different I woke up to wall to wall sunshine here in Clapham but with windows streaked with Saharan sand! I’m looking forward to exploring again today but my focus is going to shift to areas of the network I’ve not really visited for a while. When I still lived in London I’d regularly pop over from leafy Crouch End to travel on and photograph the South-Eastern suburban network but in recent years my focus has been elsewhere. Now change is upon the railway yet again. Now some of the BR and Metro-Cammell built ‘Networkers’ that have been the staple of suburban services since the early 1990s have been stored and replaced by Siemens Class 707s displaced from South-West Rail. Judging by my travels yesterday passenger numbers are recovering well with some services back to the levels of overcrowding we saw pre Covid. I’ll be interested to see what they look like today.
Feel free to pop back later to see how my day unfolds. But for now, it’s time for coffee and breakfast…
10:45.
Remember I mentioned that Saharan sand? Here’s how it’s left a SET Class 707 looking…
11:15.
I’m often remarking on how London’s changed since I left. My next stop was a great illustration of that fact. I called in at Lewisham to photograph trains traversing the famous scissor junction to the East of the station and I was gobsmacked at how much the place has changed. It’s another mini-city skyscraper complex nowadays. Huge blocks dominate with cranes busy building more. The spot on the station where I’d once have stood in sunshine is now in deep shadow. More shadows fall across the junction itself. This development’s not unsurprising as the area has excellent transport links. The arrival of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) cemented that as it bridged the Thames and provided access to Canary Wharf and beyond. I’ll add some pictures later…
19:15.
“Mind the gap” – as they say on the London underground! Apologies for the absence of updates but it’s been a very bust day with me constantly moving around so having no time to put finger to keyboard. My travels took me around South-East London and afar afield as Tonbridge in Kent, a place that I’ve not visited for many a year! I’ve fond memories of it being a hub for mail and engineers trains back in BR days when the yard was full of stuff. It’s changed, but not too much. The yard’s now an important base for freight operator GBRf – hence these newly converted class 56s keeping company with those traditional old Southern region electro-diesels.
From there I made a speedy return to London and explored a few more old photo locations to make the most of the glorious sunshine. I’ll be adding pictures later. My final act was to meet some old rail industry friends at St Pancras for a swift libation before heading back North on an Avanti service to Manchester. That passenger numbers are recovering was evident at Euston as the ‘100 yard seat dash’ is back in fashion. In pre Covid times you’d see this in action daily. Just as soon as the platform number of the service you required was displayed on the board there’d be a mad dash from the concourse to the platform as hundreds of people all tried to get to the train first to find an unreserved seat. Now it’s back.
My Pendolino was packed, but part of the reason for that was the first stop was Milton Keynes where a large number detrained. This is the problem with some ‘inter-city’ services. They’re actually neither fish not fowl and end up serving multiple markets. Thankfully (on the WCML at least) HS2 will solve this problem to allow much faster intercity times and also allow a better frequency of services to places like Milton Keynes – and beyond. The other stop on this particular train was Nuneaton, another town that’s normally by-passed by the Manchester run. Clearly, these stops are slipped in because there’s a market – and there’s no paths available to allow them to be served any other way.
20:45.
I’m now on the final leg. My Pendo was late due to trespassers on the line North of Nuneaton but the 10 minute delay didn’t affect my connections. I was in half a mind to stop for a pint in Manchester just to enjoy the ambience but the Northern Quarter was packed with young revelers so with one eye on the rising Covid statistics I opted to give it a miss. Instead, I’m on a Northern 3-car back to Halifax which is pretty quiet. It’s taking a few folks home who’ve either stayed late at work or (like me) decided to call it an early night.
This may be a bit of a fits and starts rolling blog – especially as it’s taken me until 13:00 to begin writing despite the fact I’ve been up since 04:45 and travelled from West Yorkshire to London where I’ll be for the next couple of days!
Looking through my library to find pictures for a recent series of blogs I spotted some gaps in the archive plus age of the pictures so I though I’d take what may be my last chance to visit haunts old and new to record the passing of some of the the old BR built 3rd rail electric units along with some updated shots of services I’ve not shot for some time.
It’s been a good trip so far, even if the weather’s not exactly vintage. It’s been gloomy and damp, but that hasn’t affected things too much. Tomorrow is meant to be really sunny, so I’m saving some locations for then.
Here’s a little sample. A pair of Southern’s Class 455s pulling away from Norwood Junction with a service from East Croydon to London Bridge. I’d arrived on this train earlier in the morning.
14:25.
The gloomy weather’s persisted with the added fun of soft rain. Having got the shots I wanted around Norwood Junction bar one (the new high-rise Croydon as a backdrop – the weather’s too dull) I headed off to Sutton to catch some of the 455s which operate Victoria to Epsom services. En route I passed through a very old haunt – Wallington. Back in 1979-80 I used to stay with an ex-girlfriend from Liverpool who lived in a gorgeous 1920s semi that was being rented out as cheap rooms because it was blighted by a proposal to build a Motorway. I’ve never been back since but crossing the high street on the train brought back memories that are now over 40 years old. It was a very different era, with old slam door trains everywhere and little 2-car units on the service to Wimbledon via Mitcham Jn – long before the line was converted to be part of the Croydon tramlink.
My stay at Sutton was brief but productive with several different images secured. As the weather was deteriorating I decided to retrace my steps to East Croydon. In the 1980’s it possessed a grand old signalbox mounted over the tracks at the London end. I always regret I never managed to get pictures before it disappeared.
I changed transport mode by swapping train for tram to get between West and East stations. Croydon was buzzing – in more ways than one as the smell of Ganga permeated the air around the bus station and tram stop! Although life’s returned to the streets the number of shops that were vacant told a story of commerce crippled by Covid. My flirtation with trams was brief. The solid grey skies made photography unattractive so I took a spin on the Caterham branch instead and recce’d potential photo spots for tomorrow. As the weather worsened I decided to abandon picture taking for now and check out another local line, the line out to Tattenham Corner. At least i’d be dry, warm and doing something useful. I’d returned to East Croydon to change trains. Swapping between platforms using the footbridge with the spectacularly useless roof that doesn’t actually keep out the rain! Whoever designed the damned thing had never heard the expression “form follows function”.
Right now I’m sitting on a train which is splitting at Purley. The front 5 cars go to Caterham and the rear 5 to Tattenham Corner
18:10.
I’ll write up my first trip on the Tattenham branch later. Sadly, the weather was awful so there wasn’t much for the camera to do but stay dry. I’m now at Victoria after changing trains at East Croydon yet again. It was a nice, quiet train (not). Now remember, this is ‘rush-hour’ and supposedly we’re going against the flow, but Croydon has an orbit of its own nowadays…
It’s a short blog from me today as the vast majority of my time’s been spent glued to a computer screen, sifting through and editing all the pictures that I’ve taken over the past few days as various clients are chasing me for them. In this line of work you get very little notice of jobs and when they’re done – everyone wants the results yesterday!
That said, after a few days running around I wasn’t too averse to a day or two sat at home. Admittedly, I’d been spoiled with the catering arrangements with being away and the novelty of eating other people’s well prepared food and the one luxury I enjoy when away – a full English breakfast! The odd thing is I never miss such things when I’m travelling abroad, it’s purely a parochial delight to be savored this side of the Channel. Anyways, tomorrow’s another busy day so let’s cut straight to the picture of the day which was taken on my recent trip to explore Crossrail – sorry – the Elizabeth line…
We were given the opportunity to explore the new station at Liverpool St which has a rather interesting history. Like most of modern London it’s built on the site of something else. In this case it’s Bedlam and I mean that literally as this glass panel on one of the levels explains.
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 me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Here we go again with another ‘dolly mixture’ day which will see me traversing the country doing all sorts of rail-related things for several people – some of which I have to be secretive and circumspect about as they’re under an embargo. Even so, feel free to keep popping in through the day as this rolling blog unfolds. It’ll see me travel from Halifax to Nottingham, then on to London before ending up back in Nottingham again. Right now it’s coffee time…
07:45.
Time ran out for me this morning so there was no easy stroll to the station on this frosty morning. Instead Dee offered to give me a lift to ensure I made my train. Now I’m sat on the 07:19 from Halifax to Leeds. The train was quiet as far as Bradford but now its filled up with folks heading into Leeds. Most of those in my car are young people either off to work or college.
08:05.
Time to change trains in Leeds which is pretty busy. Here’s the scene after my 4-car service arrived. Admittedly, it’s more of a scrum than usual as the escalator’s out of action!
09:35.
I hadn’t long to wait for my Cross-Country connection South. A pair of Voyagers turned up on the 08:11 to Bristol Temple Meads which meant there was little difficulty in finding a seat so I managed to get some work done on the way to Chesterfield where I changed trains again. Funny how you don’t go to a place for ages then end up there two Mondays in a row! This time I never left the station as I was only there to transfer to a Northern service to Nottingham. This turned out to be worked by a 2-car Class 195 which was half-full. This service is an all stations stopper so it has plenty of short distance trade.
14:30.
Now, where was I? Oh yes – sorry, it’s been a really busy morning and it’s only now when I’m sat on a train from Nottingham to London for the next part of the days assignment (which I can’t talk about just yet) that I can catch my breath.
On arrival at Nottingham I just had enough time to grab a coffee before joining East Midlands Railway’s Community rail team and delegates for the community rail conference for a little side-trip before the start of the main event. EMR had very kindly laid on two different visits. One to Attenborough station to meet the local friends group and see the excellent work they’re doing, and a visit to the old signalbox at Lowdham station which has been relocated, restored and turned into a a museum. I tagged along with the latter group in order to get some pictures. Needless to say, we went by train, catching one of EMRs cascaded fleet of Class 170 DMUs. As and when they’re released by other operators these trains are gradually replacing all EMRs old BR built diesel fleet of Class 153s, 156s and 158s. They’re certainly a great improvement.
Lowdham’s a lovely station which has a superb old building on the Newark bound platform. Now the old Midland Railway signalbox takes pride of place next to it on the old loading dock. The box used to sit on the opposite side by the level crossing but this was far too near the operational to allow to to be preserved, hence it being moved. Here’s our group having the complexities of absolute block signalling and bell codes demonstrated and explained.
An older EMR Class 156 speeds through Lowdham. The signalbox used to be on the left hand side past the level crossing.
After our visit we headed back (by train again) to Nottingham in time to register for the conference then enjoy lunch. Sadly, I’ve had to shoot off just as things were starting, but I’ll be back this evening for the social side and have a full day there tomorrow.
Well, you don’t want a hard day at a conference on an empty stomach! Some of the EMR Community Rail team tuck in before the opening session.
I had enough time to dump stuff in my room have a bite to eat and get some pictures before hot-footing it back to the station to catch the London train. On the way I noticed that the Robin Hood line services to Worksop have gone rather upmarket!
Right new I’m speeding towards St Pancras on another of the EMR fleet that’s due to be replaced. This Class 222 (016 for those who care about such things) is looking a bit tatty but then it’s due to be phased out by the new Hitachi built bi-mode ‘Aurora’ Class 810 units which are due to begin entering service from next year.
15:00.
I’m less than half an hour out of London now and what a change in the weather! It’s wall to sunshine here in Bedfordshire. I’m beginning to think I might be a bit over-dressed for this jaunt as I’m in tweeds and a waterproof (which is going to get stuffed in the camera bag at this rate. Having made its last stop at Kettering the train’s very quiet. I’m in the composite coach D which is half 1st Class – half Standard. There’s only two of us in Standard and no-one in 1st. Unlike other routes the Midland Main Line doesn’t seem to be seeing passenger numbers bouncing back in the same way. I’ll be interested to see if my return train’s the same as that should be ‘peak’ time departures from London.
18:45.
I’m back! And I can now reveal where I’ve been – but no pictures (yet). When I arrived in London I headed over to Paddington to join up with other print and social media friends and colleagues for a press trip on…Crossrail. Or, as it’s now officially known, the Elizabeth line. Our group was given a tour of the new Paddington station, which looks amazing. After being used to the Central line and other deep level tubes the sheer scale of the place takes some getting used to. The architecture’s a real eye-opener too. Afterwards we were taken on one of the test trains and whisked over to Liverpool St in a matter of minutes. On the way we were given the opportunity for a cab ride and chance to get pictures (you’ll get to see some soon – promise!). We had another tour of Liverpool St station and its warren of passages, escalators and even an inclined lift. Throughout the tour we were given a lot of freedom to take pictures and mooch around as well as being briefed on various facts and figures. Sadly, I couldn’t record a lot of them as I was wearing several different photographic hats but I can tell you one. The Elizabeth line has a grand total of 10,000 fire doors and that the design of some of these was problematic (and caused delays) due to the fact there was no standardisation. I can also say that the boss of High Speed 2 (Mark Thurston) worked on Crossrail in the early days and has ensured that HS2 does have standardised components like fire doors! We returned to Paddington on another test train which gave us all chance to get even more photos and enjoy another cab ride before bidding our farewells. In fact, our hosts were so accommodating and keen to show us around that the tour overran which meant that I made it back to St Pancras in time to catch the 18:05 back to Nottingham by the skin of my teeth. As I suspected, it’s a far busier train than earlier. There’s even folks in 1st Class, but then it’s only a 4-car 222/1 – one of the sets that were originally built for Hull Trains in 2005 but which transferred to East Midlands Trains back in 2009 in a deal that wasn’t without controversy in the First Group family.
It’s been a semi-relaxing weekend here at Bigland Towers, which has encompassed a variety of activities undertaken in a leisurely way. The fact the weather’s stayed dry has been a bonus as one does get sick of trudging through mud and being swaddled in waterproofs. It’s been nice to don clothing with a little more sartorial elegance and not look like you’re about to trek to the North Pole!
We’ve even managed to tick off a few jobs off the list too – but nowhere near as many as we planned because just living got in the way. Sometimes it’s good not to spend all your time trying to hit targets and tick things of lists and just ‘be’. Part of this was having an evening out at a restaurant which we’d never eaten at before. Not only that, it was at a part of Halifax we pass on a regular basis but have never explored (although we should). It’s called Dean Clough Mills. Once home to Crossley carpets this massive complex stretches for over half a mile, covering 22 acres and consists of 16 grade 2 listed Victorian mills. Saltaire has nothing on this place. It’s huge!
Our dinner date was at a place called Thai Corner, run by the same people who have a fantastic food stall in Halifax market where I’d occasionally pop in to buy one of their signature dishes as you rarely see it on Thai menu’s on the UK – Khao Soi. This is a Northern Thai specialty and it’s delicious. So, you can imagine our disappointment to find that it wasn’t on the menu at their new venture. Even so, we had a good night out, letting someone else take the culinary strain for a change.
Today was even more relaxed. We’d been virtuous and walked to/from Dean Clough yesterday (just under a 5 mile round trip) so didn’t feel bad about having a lie-in and pootling around for most of the day before wandering down into Sowerby Bridge for a drink. After all, it’s a busy week for the both of us next week and this is what weekends are made for.
Now we’re back at home preparing for the week ahead. Dee’s cooking and I’m packing for the next couple of days away as I’ve a night in Nottingham with some interesting side trips aside. So, I’ll leave you with the picture of the day which is a taster of another railway picture blog I’ll be writing when I have enough time. Here’s Wandsworth Common railway station on the 16th July 2001…
21 years ago trains on this route had been taken over by French company ‘Connex’ and this Victoria to Caterham bound Class 455 carries their livery. Connex won two franchises operating out of London, both South of the Thames. The former South-Eastern and Central divisions in third rail country. To say they made a pigs-ear of them would be an understatement! The trains got a new livery but that was all. They were dirty and vandalised and Connex got a hammering in the press. It’s a very different railway now and these old trains are scheduled to disappear by the end of the year. I still can’t believe I took this 21 years ago as in some ways it seems like yesterday…
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 me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Here’s another in the series of picture blogs looking at the gradual demise of the old British Railways built train fleets. In this case it’s my favourite of the bunch, the Class 365 fleet which was retired (too early in my opinion) in 2021.
The 4 car, 100mph capable Class fleet were the last vehicles to be built at York works. 41 units were constructed at the Holgate Road factory between 1994-95. Part of the ‘Networker’ design (which produced the Class 165 and 465 diesel and electric fleets), these trains were produced for longer distance services. The first 16 originally went to work Network Southeast services out of Victoria before Connex took over what became the South-Eastern franchise. They stayed South of the river until 2004 when they moved to join their sisters working for West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) out of Kings Cross. Units 365517-541 went straight to East Coast services, operating regional services from Kings Cross to Peterborough, Cambridge and Kings Lynn.
For many years they were the backbone of WAGN and later First Capital Connect express services. They were comfortable trains from a passenger perspective, despite the lack of air-conditioning (they had forced-air ventilation through hopper windows). They had 2+2 seating and tables plus bigger windows, which made them far superior to the earlier Class 317s they shared duties with.
The Class stayed on East Coast services until they were gradually retired from service from 2017 inwards, having been displaced by newer Class 387s. Many units went into store but a stock shortage in Scotland in 2018 (due to defects with the new Hitachi built Class 385 EMUs) saw 10 of the trains leased to Scotrail from April 2018 where they remained in service until March 2019, working services from Glasgow Queen St to Edinburgh Waverley. The final units were retired from Great Northern service on the 15th May 2021. Little fuss was made because of the Covid pandemic which was a shame as they’d served the railways well. After a period in storage most have gone for scrap which is an even greater shame. They were less than 30 years old and could have provided a useful fleet on newly electrified lines such as East West rail if only the Government hadn’t decided not to electrify the line and cut back other wiring plans. An earlier proposal to shift them to GWR services came to nothing as new Class 387s were ordered instead. Still, I’m fortunate to have lived on their route in North London and spent many years travelling on them and photographing them in service. Here’s a look back at their lives and times.
Please note, all pictures are my copyright.
On the 24th March 2002 class leader 365501 is pictured at London’s Victoria station in Connex livery.Sporting the later Thameslink livery and carrying Great Northern branding 365502 is seen speeding towards Kings Cross through Oakleigh Park on the 27th March 2017.365506 passes Denmark Hill on the 23rd November 2002 when the network was still suffering from the panicked rash of 20mph speed restrictions imposed after the terrible Hatfield 2000 rail crash caused by rail defects. To add to the problems a sister Class 365 had been involved in the Potters Bar crash only a few months before this picture. WAGN operated 365510 wears a special advertising wrap extolling the tourist virtues of Cambridge and Ely at Kings Cross on the 22nd December 2005. Towards the end of their careers 10 of the units were sent to Scotland for a year. Here’s 365513 at Glasgow Queen Street on the 30th July 2018.The classic view of the old complex Kings Cross station throat with 365519 and 365514 passing, seen on the 14th April 2017.Here’s a view of the new wheel lathe building at Hornsey on the 7th October 2013 when the building was being used to give 365515 a freshly painted white cab roof. I always thought The First Capital Connect dynamic blue livery and white cab roofs really suited these trains. Seen at Hitchin on the 24th July 2006, 365516 still carries NSE livery but with the addition of First Capital Connect branding on the vehicle sides. Rain, shine (or snow) the 365s maintained services on the East coast. On the 28th February 2018 365517 speeds through Harringay en-route to Kings Cross.365521 was one of 10 sets sent to Scotland in 2018-19. It’s seen here at Glasgow Queen St with a service for Edinburgh on the 17th July 2018.Set 365524 was chosen as the Guinea-pig to test a cab air-conditioning system, hence the odd box on the nose. It’s seen here at Harringay on the 30th October 2001. The tests led to the front end of the units being redesigned which left them with a smiley face, leading to their nickname ‘happy trains’. A not so happy train. Here’s vehicle 65960 from set 365526 being lifted clear of the tracks days after the tragic Potters Bar crash which killed seven people. This was the leading car which had come to rest sideways across the tracks and jammed under the platform canopies you can see to the left. The date is the 14th May 2002. The remaining vehicles from Potters Bar crash victim 365526 seen at Crewe works on the 10th September 2005. They never saw service again. Two ended up being used by the RAF for target practice at RAF Spadeadam in Cumbia whilst the other was stripped for spares before being scrapped. On the 13th December 2016 set 365533 sits inside the new Siemens depot at Hornsey which was built on the site of the former Coronation sidings North of the original depot site.The 365s rarely strayed from their established routes but on the 17th March 1997 365534 and 315803 are seen passing Stratford in East London whilst on their way from Hornsey depot to Ilford depot for attention. On the 25th July 2018 a pair of 365s with 365537 trailing pass Bonnymuir in Scotland whilst working from Glasgow Queen St to Edinburgh Waverley.Seven years earlier on the 27th August 2011 365537 was on more familiar territory. It’s seen here passing the old wooden signalbox at Watlington station on the line from Ely to Kings Lynn. The box carries the station’s former name – Magdalen Rd.Wearing the attractive First Capital Connect livery the last of the class, 365541 pulls out of Kings Cross on the 28th June 2014.The interior of one of the driving cars of 365505 shows why the units were such a pleasant environment for passengers. Spacious and comfortable with a far better ambience than the earlier Class 317s. Seen on the 3rd May 2013.
Most of these trains have already gone for scrap at Newport in South Wales, but at the time of writing several of the sets are languishing at Doncaster Belmont yard, although these are due to follow this month. Here’s the timetable for the first move on the 8th March. There’s speculation that set 365525 may be retained for departmental use but I’ve not seen any official confirmation.
Three vehicles are being preserved. The East Kent railway is taking two driving cars and a trailer from sets 524 and 540 which will be used as a restaurant, an exhibition area and a major events venue.
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 me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Thank you!
Next up (when I’ve got time) I’ll be having a look at the Southern Class 455 fleet (in both Connex and Southern guises) as this fleet is expected to be withdrawn by the end of 2022.
Dawn’s just breaking here in Clapham and I’m preparing to head to the station and off to work somewhere I’ve not been for a while. The weather’s looking a lot better than it was back in Yorkshire which is good. Hopefully I won’t be freezing my nuts off as is often the case on jobs like this. We’ll see. But first it’s time to boost my system with some caffeine. I’ll blog throughout the day and post pictures when I’m able. Catch you later…
07:23.
Having bod adieu to my friend, stolled down to the Junction and picked up a caffeine top-up I’m now on a Southern service to Three Bridges. This time of morning Clapham station felt like the old days with the number of people coming and going – including dozens of schoolkids.
The day’s dawned with nary a cloud in the sky which should make for some good pictures if it stays this way.
Our first stop is East Croydon which is rising into the sky at an ever faster rate. The station’s become hemmed in by high-rise residential blocks whilst the sky is full of tower cranes building more.
08:15.
Part 2 of my journey. I’m on a rail replacement bus from Three Bridges to Haywards Heath. This is a massive operation with covered walkways, marquees and a car park full of buses.
We’re even given drinks tokens!
Of course, the problem now is traffic. We got out of Three Bridges onto the A264 and now we’re stuck in a queue of traffic at a roundabout over the M23. Ho hum…
11:15.
First site visit done. Embankment stabilisation work South of Haywards Heath.
18:45
Well, that was a long but fascinating day and it went far better than I feared that it might. All the early wrinkles were ironed out and it was a joy to be trackside again being part of the amazing work that goes on during railway blockades. Plus, I can add another railway tunnel to add to the list of ones I’ve (legitimately) walked through. I’ll add some pictures later. After the work on the blockade one of my clients staff drove me around various sites across Sussex and Kent to get pictures of work they’d carried out previously – from embankment stabilization to platform extensions. We covered a lot of ground.
It was interesting in another ways in that I got to explore a lot of the area I knew by rail by road, which gave a very different perspective. I was surprised to find some villages in the affluent South that were actually looking pretty down at heel as shops and pubs had closed. Not what I remember from my time down here at all.
Our last job was recording platform extension work at Littlehaven, which was very handy as the station is served by Thameslink, so when we’d finished it was easy for me to head back North without having to cross London on the tube. Instead I had a direct train across the Thames to St Pancras. I have to admit to a fair bit of nostalgia as I took that trip. I have so many happy memories of that part of the world that some were obviously going to come to mind. What did surprise me was how busy stations like Three Bridges and East Croydon have become again. Life’s returning to the railways.
The trip across London via Thameslink is always a delight as it showcases the city’s skyline before plunging underground to deposit me at St Pancras Thameslink. My, I remember visiting this when it was just an enormous concrete box buried underground! As soon as I arrived I made a beeline for Kings Cross next door, my timekeeping was such that I just made LNER’s 17.33 to Harrogate via Leeds. When we pulled out of Kings Cross it was just like the old days. The train is absolutely rammed and I’m sharing a vestibule with a young lad from Skipton (Ryan) and his dog, ‘Trixie’.
20:00.
Despite the fact my LNER train was packed and I was stuck in a vestibule I really enjoyed the journey. Why? Because it was a return to the old days when strangers struck up conversations on trains. It’s something Covid put the mockers on that’s now returning – and it’s brilliant!
Right now I’m on my last leg. Being fleet of foot I had just enough time at Leeds to make an earlier train back to Halifax. I’m now on a service to Blackpool North – another busy train.
Paul Bigland 