We’ve had glorious weather down on the Merseyside coast today so I’ve been making the most of it before heading back to the Pennines tomorrow. I realised that, whilst I’ve been here off and on for a couple of weeks, the one thing I hadn’t seen is the sea! OK, cue all the jokes about Southport never seeing the sea anyway – but today my wanderings took me down to the beach before I headed back into town to meet up with an old friend for a catch-up. Here’s a selection of pictures from my perambulations.
Meols Cop is one of many that’s looked after by a local station friends group. The buildings may have been demolished many years ago but now they’ve been replaced by well kept gardens which include this display of Lupins.Down by the marine lake is the Lakeside Miniature railway. Opened in 1911, it seems to still be operating but rather slimmed down from when I knew it as a child. Sadly, it wasn’t open today. The Marine lake. Getting all your swans in a row…No jokes about ‘you never sea the sea at Southport’ please! Here’s the pier which is about to be rebuilt (again) after being closed for many years as the last ”value engineering” project was less than a success.Here’s a new success. This is an old Victorian building that was rebuilt with a gorgeous Art Deco frontage. Having fallen into disrepair for decades, it’s now been restored.In my youth, behind ‘Funland’ was a place called the Dixieland Showbar. It was famous for its rock nights featuring local and other bands, with the music provided by Darrell Jay. The light show was always enhanced by the fug of tobacco and other illicit smoke. It was a very special place that holds lots of memories for me and many others. The old Promenade hospital. I was a short-term stayer here back in the late 60s. Nowadays folk stay longer as it’s been converted into apartments.
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My voyage of rediscovery here in Southport has continued as I rack up the steps during my daily wanderings before returning to my sisters to cook and help out with a few chores. There’s no pattern to where I go, nor a plan. I turn corners at a whim to either prowl new streets or rediscover old ones whilst trying to remember what the hell used to be there! Here’s a few pictures from my most recent expedition.
More of a statement than just a house. It must be an nightmare to maintain, but if I had money to burn I’d rather like to own it! Yes, Southport is home to the British Lawnmower Museum! The old hospital on Park Rd, burned out and derelict after a mysterious fire which happened not long after it was bought by developers who were (so I’m told) refused permission to make major alterations to it. There’s a gang of grannies who go around Southport supplying these decorative tops. I’ve no idea why this one bares the Chinese flag tho! Chic Churchtown is home to many shops, bars and cafe’s. Thatched roofs are quite common but seeing one that’s been rethatched is unusual. It’s a dying art and expensive to renew as they need to be done roughly every 25-30 years. This Chinese chipshop was a family favorite. Know affectionately as the ‘soggy box’ because your orders were served in cardboard boxes it was a great pitstop for lunch when I was working with my elder brother. Their sweet and sour fish with rice was sublime. It’s still there, but the original owners sold it many years ago, The old tram depot in Canning Road still survives as the local bus depot. The skyline behind used to be dominated by the local gasworks and the smell dominated the area when I was a kid. Remember I talked about disappearing corner shops? This is the corner near my parents. On the corner was Finches, a newsagent/tobacconist. It still had an old cigarette vending machine outside way into the early 1980s. To the left was Marriott’s chip shop and to the right was a butchers.
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Having spent the weekend back in West Yorkshire to help dawn with redecorating Bigland Towers it was time to head back to sunny Southport where I had a list of chores to do to help my sister. I chose to avoid Manchester and take the route via Preston, which inspired the title of this blog. You’ll soon see why!
At Preston I encountered the first of the newly repainted Class 222s which will operate the new ‘Lumo’ service from Stirling in Scotland to London Euston. This will begin to carry passengers from May 28th but right now they’re busy training the crews and running a ‘shadow’ service. Lumo’s West Coast operation will be based in Preston so it’s a good place to see their trains.
After picking up more Lumo staff at Preston, 222601 heads for London Euston.
That wasn’t my only surprise of the day as shortly afterwards this venerable machine arrived light engine on its way North. It took me right back to the 1970s!
47270 is owned by West Coast Railways. Originally built in the early 1960s it survived in mainline service until 2005. Recently refurbished, it’s returned to traffic in 2026.
Heading down the West Coast Main Line to Wigan before heading to Southport one last surprise was in store. Local enthusiasts told me that steam engine ‘Blue Peter’ was due, hauling a special train from London Euston to Hellifield. It wasn’t the ideal loaction to grab a picture, but I wasn’t going to pass up the chance!
Built at Doncaster in 1948, ‘Blue Peter’ is a Peppercorn designed A2 Pacific. It’s first claim to fame is that it was originally restored to service by donations to the TV programme ‘Blue Peter’ back in the 1970s. It’s out on the mainline again this year.
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My idea of catching up with blogging last week turned into a dismal failure for a variety of reasons, but we’re now into a new week. After spending the weekend back at Bigland Towers I’ve returned to Southport for a few days, which will give me time to do what I need to do – which includes blogging.
Today I’m out shopping and finding a temporary ‘office’ where I can work in peace whilst getting my steps in ‘commuting’ to and from my sisters. The commute has often turned into an exploration as I try and take a different route into town each day. This involves suddenly deciding to take a detour and explore streets I’ve not visited since I moved to London back in 1986, or even before as some were near my old school which I left a decade earlier!
One thing that’s caught my eye is how the corner shop had died a death. There used to be loads of them around my parents house. Now they’re almost all gone. The newsagents/tobacconists of old are almost extinct, as are local butchers, grocers and chip shops. Even hairdressers have disappeared in some parts as people retire, or realise their business has become unprofitable. Trying to remember where these places were and what they were has become a new game. In some cases it’s easy to spot them because of the way the building’s been converted rather than demolished. In others there’s hardly any clues. Mind you. it’s not just shops. Many pubs have disappeared too, like this one – the George, where I spent many an hour with an old friend who lives around the corner.
By the George is a large old cemetery where my grandmother used to take us young kids on walks. It’s not as well maintained as I remember, but I did find this memorial which I recalled as a child. It’s to the crew of the lifeboat Eliza Fernley, as 14 of the 16 members perished, along with 13 members of the St Annes lifeboat whilst both boats were trying to rescue the crew of the ship ‘Mexico’ in 1886.
Before I made it into town I passed one last empty shop, but this one has family connections. DM Rogers was the family business. It was opened by my mum and dad and named after my mother (Doreen Myfanwy Rogers, her maiden name). When my dad gave up the business it was taken over by my brother David who moved it from Nelson St to Shakespeare St. This was the third incarnation after moving across the road. Dave retired last year and now workers are converting the shop for another tenant, so this is the last time I’ll see the sign and name.
How times change…
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I’ll be busy catching up with blogging over the next few days so don’t be surprised when things appear out of kilter. Like today! I’m splitting my time between Halifax and Southport at the moment which is adding to the confusion. I was back in West Yorkshire over the weekend, helping Dawn with decorating the living room at Bigland Towers. To be honest, Dee didn’t really need my help for more than giving her advice on not rushing things and not to get impatient when things don’t quite go to plan. Dawn’s proved to be a dab hand at wallpapering, transforming the living room from what was quite drab into something with real sparkle.
The pair of us spent a lot of the weekend working but by Monday it was time to take a break as Dee’s taken the rest of the week off. This gave us chance to relax, then get out to explore. Monday’s not the most exciting of days in the Calder valley as many places are closed. Even so, we decided to head out to do some exploring by driving over to Todmorden with the hope of doing a bit of shopping first. Bad move. All the butchers we wanted to visit were shuttered, but the day wasn’t wasted as we decided to head out into the top of the valley in a directions we’ve not explored before. This took us to a place called Bridestones, which is a fantastic collection of rocky outcrops high above the town. I can see we’re going to revisit as there’s some stunning views to be had from the footpaths around the area – all within striking distance of the town centre – if you don’t mind walking uphill!
As our day was unplanned I’d left the camera at home for once, so you’ll have to excuse a couple of pictures taken on my phone. Rest assures, I’ll be back with the Z9 soon.
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Purely by accident my time here in Southport coincided with the town’s ‘big top’ festival, a free event which spread across five locations in the centre of town but mostly revolved around Lord St and its gardens. It’s a two day event and I have to say I was seriously impressed by the quality of it. The acts I saw were superb. Here’s a few pictures.
Here’s ‘Smashed2’, a group of nine jugglers who mix their act with acrobatics, choreography, humour and a wonderful mix of music, from classical to blues. How they memorise their varied and complex routines amazes me. Life is a beach are a pair of performers who explore a day at the beach through acrobatics, with a wry look at pollution and antisocial behaviorsAustralian group Circa perform ‘Wolf’, acrobatics with fangs…There’s another stage at the Monument, where I caught ‘Beyond’ performing. Moving back to catch one last look at smashed 2 I moved over to Market St, where cirque di kaka were about to perform.As part of the event, Market St lived up to its name with several dozen stalls selling a variety of goods from food to handmade jewellery.
From what I saw (and judging by the crowds) the event was a great success. The acts were excellent, the event was well-organised and the atmosphere relaxed. It was a day out which would entertain all the family. I’m loving the way Southport seems to be reinventing itself in such an imaginative way.
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At the moment I’m enjoying time in Merseyside, rediscovering old haunts and basking in glorious sunshine. Well, until today. Now, with a bank holiday looming the sun’s decided to have some time off too! Blue skies have been replaced by grey, with cutting through temperatures and rain adding to the mix. Hey ho…
I shouldn’t really complain, yesterday I took a break from paperwork and plans to head over to Liverpool in order to do some food shopping. Whilst Southport has become much more cosmopolitan when it comes to the availability of exotic ingredients there’s still stuff you can’t get here, which gave me the impetus to visit the city of my birth and the Chinatown area, where I was sure I’d be able to buy what I needed.
It was lovely to be back in Liverpool. The city’s so vibrant nowadays compared to how I remember it in the 70s-80s. Bold St, at the back of Central station’s a great example. Nowadays is lined with cafes, bars and restaurants with people dining alfresco as seating’s spilled outside to take over the street. The atmosphere’s great. I also rediscovered ‘News from Nowhere’, a radical bookshop which used to be elsewhere in the city. One thing I discovered during my brief browse was a selection of cards. This one particularly amused.
In contrast, Chinatown was remarkably subdued. Many places were closed, I’m assuming because it’s just not economical to open during the day that early in the week. Still, here’s a selection of pictures from my wandering.
The gateway to Chinatown in Nelson St. I photographed this over 25 years ago for the the Lonely Planet guide to England. Art and relaxing in the sunshine in Great George SquareSt Luke’s bombed out church.
To be continued..
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I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, 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/
I’m back – and it’s been a long day! The hotel I stayed in last night was fine, with one odd exception. They wouldn’t let you leave any luggage after check-out. So, having already changed into my PPE I ended up carrying a rucsac full of ‘civvies’ around with me. Fortunately, the site was only 35 mins walk away.
My morning has been spent on a steep embankment where McGinley contractors have been busy digging boreholes to allow the condition of the embankment to be monitored. You may think the Victorians were great engineers, but you’d be shocked if you knew how they built railway embankments. They’re often impossibly steep and constructed out of any old rubbish, which is why they slip, so need monitoring. I was out with a team doing exactly that. It’s not the easiest of assignments due to the ground conditions.
Pictured in action…
Still, we got the job done so I’m free for the rest of the day.
Having been dropped off at Wolves station I’ve decided to explore. Right now I’m heading for Birmingham New St…
13:05.
I’m off again. After a cold start in Wolves this morning the weather’s warming up and there’s lots of sunshine in the offing so I’m having a spin out to Birmingham International on one of the new Class 730/2 trains. They’re the longer-distance version of the Class 730/0 and I have to say I’m rather impressed. The seating’s very good as is the layout – although the fact there’s not many table bays will annoy some.
19:00.
Back again en-route home after a busy day exploring Birmingham and Wolves. With the weather in my favour I spent the best part of an hour at International station grabbing pictures before heading back to the city and a break from national rail to photograph the tram extension to what will be the HS2 station at Curzon St – where work is really moving forward. After that, there was time for a trip to look at dome of the new stations which have been built on the Camp Hill line. How can you resist a station called ‘Pineapple Rd’?
The quality and thought that’s gone into the new stations is a credit to TfWM.They’re really rather good. If I had one gripe it would be the lack of toilets, but otherwise they’re very well laid out and landscaped. I’ll be interested to see the actual first year footfall statistics compared to the estimates.
Back in Brum I took another West Mids service via two other new stations on the route through Bescot. Willenhall especially brings back lots of memories for me as I spent several days here back in 1977 job-hunting in the lock trade. But that’s another story!
Having returned to Wolves I couldn’t resist nipping in to a local institution for a swift pint. The Great Western pub is tucked away in a back street below the surviving station but adjacent to the one that inspired its name.
19:30.
Now I’m heading to Manchester on a beautiful spring evening. I’d have been tempted to linger, but it’s been a long day and I’ve another busy one tomorrow. Due to some Cross-Country services being late I caught an Edinburgh bound Avanti Pendolino to Crewe where I had just enough time to catch another Pendolino bound for Manchester. It beats Voyagers hands down! Both trains have been busy but relaxed and at 9 -11 cars length very different to a Sardine-can Voyager.
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Having spent the weekend at Bigland Towers and the Calder valley, it’s time to wander further afield as I’m working for a rail company in Wolverhampton first thing tomorrow, so I thought I’d make the most of getting there and the overnight stay the job entails.
My first leg of the journey is from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester aboard one of Northern’s old Class 158s where I’ve been able to set up the mobile office. Today’s a lovely day for travelling. Spring’s very much in the air and the Calder valley is bursting into life with cherry blossom much in evidence in towns like Todmorden. The valley’s quickly turning green as leaf-growth expands at a rate of knots. All we need now is for the weather to warm up!
Train 1 from platform 1…
My 2-car train isn’t to crowded as yet, despite it being the first off-peak service, but as it’s Monday that’s hardly surprising. The story may be very different once we’ve traversed the Pennines and reached Rochdale.
I’ll be blogging throughout the day, so feel free to pop in later and see what I get up to…
10:45.
As expected, this train’s almost full after leaving Rochdale, having picked up other passengers en-route. We’re now speeding towards Manchester under clear blue skies.
12:00.
Ho hum! I walked across Manchester city centre in glorious sunshine, looking forward to the next leg of the journey. I’d planned to catch Transport for Wales’s 11:30 to Crewe where I’d have a short break to get pictures before my next train to Wolves. Then I saw the crowds waiting on the platform and realised it was a two-car train! What’s the Welsh for ‘Sardine can’?
Maybe not…
Thinking ‘bugger that’ I dashed across from 10 to 4 and joined a five-car Cross-Country Voyager heading for Bournemouth. It’s just as busy, but at least there’s breathing space in the vestibules.
Now I find myself recreating a regular commute from 12 years ago when I worked on the Staffordshire Area Improvement Programne (SAIP) which rebuilt the West Ciast Main line through and around the county town. How time flies!
Here we are again…
12:47.
Stafford’s bathed in sunshine, so I may linger…
14:10.
And linger I did! I stayed for on hour in which time I managed to get some useful pictures, swap banter with station staff – and soak up the sun.
Now I’m on the last leg to Wolves aboard another XC service. This one’s less busy but no more quiet. There’s an ‘interesting’ British family in my car where the matriach of the family is watching (and broadcasting) one of those conspiracy/get rich Facebook channels. I’m sure that will work…
15:30.
Having arrived in Wolves I’ve wandered to the hotel in order to dump all my PPE. For the cost I’ve stayed in far worse.
2230.
I’ve really enjoyed today and a huge part of that has been because of the people that I’ve met. I’ve mentioned my love of this neck of the woods in bĺogs passim. Now, the only thing that’s spoiling stuff is technical shit that’s stopping me adding more pics
I’ve a very busy day tomorrow but hope to have the problem fixed soon.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, 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/
This is my second rolling blog on the Trans-Pennine Route upgrade (TRU) this week. There’s far too much going on to be dealt with in one day so I’m out again today with the intention of looking at (mostly) different locations compared to Monday. The weather’s nowhere near as good as it was on Monday and I expect to get rained on at some point, but I’m not too bothered. It’s still nice to be out and about.
As I didn’t get down to Halifax station later than planned I decided to start by getting a train to Leeds so that I can cover the route to Huddersfield from that end. It’s also given me time to set up the mobile office on this busy 10:05 service from Halifax in order to set up today’s blog.
12:00.
Phew! That was a busy hour. As soon as I arrived at Leeds I had to return a work call. The upshot of which is that I’ll be travelling to Wolverhampton on Monday and staying overnight ready for an early morning start on Tuesday. So later I’ll have to do some hotel booking…
I was in Leeds just long enough to change trains and catch a non-stop service to Huddersfield. This was a useful recce trip as ut allowed ne to observe some of the work I’m wanting to photograph. I also had chance to grab a couple of shots of progress on the new through platforms at Huddersfield.
The site of the new platforms, looking towards Leeds.
15:30.
Back again after a busy few hours – and a lot of walking! Having caught tge rail replacement coach to Deighton I set off to explore several TRU sites. To be honest, Deighton’s not the most salubrious of places. It a mix of social housing and industrial estates nestled on the Northern side of the Colne valley. The Southern side’s much nicer and far more rural. But, fair play to whomever decided to plant so many cherry trees in the area as right now they’re looking gorgeous!
As many of the overbridges in the area are being rebuilt so inaccessible my first stop was Bradley Junction, where lots of work’s taking place. Track panels have been stacked ready for the renewal of the junction itself.
Bradley Jn. The line to the right would normally be used by trains from Huddersfield to Bradford.
Having got the shots I wanted I walked vack to Deighton before cutting along the canal to a location West of the former staion where a footpath overbridge gives great views of the changes. I’ll add pictures later. Realising just how close I was to the centre of Huddersfield I elected to walk tne rest of the way along the canal. It’s an easy walk as the Canal and River Trust have spent a lot of money having the towpath tarmac’d. The cynic in me wonders if they should be renamed the towpath trust as more of their money seens to be spent on them than the actual canals.
Fortunately, the rain held off and I had the chance to explore an interesting back-route to the town I’d never traversed before.
Huddersfield’s abandoned industrial heritage.
Now, after a break to book a hotel and download pictures I’m heading back to Leeds in the aftermath of a rainstorm I was lucky to duck!
16:10.
As the weather’s very much taken a turn for the worse and with the fact I’ve got the pictures that I wanted ‘in the can’ I dashed from one platform to another in Leeds in order to catch the first homeward service. Like many others I’m currently criwding the vestibules of a Northern service towards Blackpool North. The plan now is to walk home via my local for a well-earned beer (and maybe a slice of free pork pie) before a quiet night at home when I can add more pictures to this blog.
21:30.
Home again! I’ve covered a fair few miles today so now’s the time to relax. After arriving back in Halifax I walked back home but stopped off in my local for a couple of pints and a slice of pie. Both felt like they were earned!
Here’s a final picture update.
A TPE Class 185 speeds through the reverse curves at Deighton with the site of the old station just ahead of the train. A huge amount of civil engineering’s being undertaken on the site to provide space for four tracks and the new station and associated facilities. The new Slow lines are gradually being installed. They’re the ones to the left. Here’s the old bridge I was taking pictures from. You can see the way it’s had to be altered to raise the deck in order to create space for the overhead electric wires. Looking West from the same bridge. The new Fast lines will be installed to the left of the picture, which will involves slewing of the existing lines as they’ll become the Slow tracks. Civil engineering that isn’t always appreciated by train travellers. Here’s a culvert under the embankment near Huddersfield that’s being renewed and enlarged in order to cope with climate change in order to build a resilient railway fit for the future.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, 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/
Paul Bigland 