No politics today, my spleen may still need venting but I’m giving it a day off. Instead I’m happy that I’ve finished the first in the trilogy of articles I’m writing for RAIL magazine about my week long trip around Britain by rail. Part one covers three days, so to me it feels a little rushed. Trying to describe all my experiences in 4000 words is always difficult as there’s so much stuff that I have to leave out – which is the hardest part of writing them. A week travelling around the UK by rail is enough to fill a book, never mind a series of magazine features. Hopefully people will enjoy it anyway.
I’m now going to have the weekend off to concentrate on other things. So – without further ado – here’s the picture of the day, which was taken on the 2nd February 2016 in Galle old town, Sri Lanka.
I’ve always enjoyed Art Deco architecture and this restored house really caught my eye. I’d have loved to have seen if the inside matched…
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I’ve had a busy day with Zoom calls for the Community Rail awards and also more ‘type-swiping’ as I continue to scribble my next series of articles for RAIL magazine.
Whilst I’ve been doing this I’ve been keeping one eye on the news as I watch UK events and wonder. I’ve stayed away from political commentary and events recently. Partly for my own sanity but also because some people get upset by it. Today I can’t let the utter madness that engulfing our country pass without some reference.
There’s now just 99 days left before we exit the transition period that’s kept us in the EU and we’re no nearer a deal than we were 4 years ago. If one isn’t struck next month, then there’s not enough time left to do so – which means we crash out of the EU with ‘no deal’ – and the usual suspects will blame anyone (and everyone) they can think of without once taking responsibility for their mess. It’ll be the ‘remoaners’, the people who didn’t ‘get behind’ Brexit, or the Judges, or anyone else who could see what a shit-show this was going to be as their natty three-word slogan (and my, don’t the like those) ‘take back control’ was nothing more than a sick joke.
All the promises of the Brexiters have evaporated like Unicorn farts. Now we hear that the Goverment is proposing a border around Kent to prevent 1000s of trucks clogging the county as they won’t have the paperwork needed to cross the channel. Oh, and then there’s the new border down the middle of the Irish Sea. You know, all those things Brexit fanatics dismissed as ‘project fear’. Of the ‘sunny uplands’ of Brexit we were promised there’s absolutely no sign. Instead, some political zealots still spin the line about ‘opportunities’ they can’t define – or name. Remember these clowns and their claims?
Meanwhile, our economy is about to take another hit from Covid as restrictions are tightened because some people (especially the young) ignored the memo, so a weakened economy is about to take a further hit from something that was entirely avoidable – the Brexitshambles…
Even if a last-minute, face saving deal with the EU is arrived at (and looking at Johnson’s talentless Cabinet I’ve grave doubts that’ll happen) we’ll still be in a worse position than we were. It’s mad. Utterly mad – but welcome to Britain in 2020. The only vision is myopic.
OK, I’ve got that off my chest, so it’s time for a picture of the day which reflects a different time when one country was finally coming out of nepotism and near dictatorship after decades of misrule. I took this picture in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia in June 1998.
President Suharto had (finally) stood down earlier in the year. Students like this had been in the forefront of the campaign to oust him, with many losing their lives. This group were supporters of Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, who Suharto has ousted in a political coup in 1967. They used to demonstrate through the centre of Yogyakarta most days and that’s when I got this shot.
Sadly, Megawati, although elected, proved to be less than capable. However, Indonesia has come through turbulent political and economic times. A sobering thought for the UK is that in 20 years Indonesia is predicted to oust the UK as the world’s 6th most important economy – and we know what’s helped that come about…
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The weather’s been stereotypically grim up North, with low cloud, wind and rain most of the day, so the Calder Valley – well, what you can see of it – hasn’t been at its best. My day’s been spent type-swiping, as an old girlfriend once described her secretarial duties! I’ve been busy writing up part 1 of my Railrover trilogy and (as usual) the problem isn’t what to write – it’s what to leave out. 12,000 words over 3 articles souns a lot until you realise that’s only 4,000 words per article and one of them is three days worth of travelling the country. To be honest I could easily fill a book.
Whilst I’ve been ‘type-swiping’ (copyright Mary Jones!) I’ve been bouyed by the reaction to an article that’s hit the bookstands today. I’d written an eight page piece on the Tay bridge disaster and Sir Thomas Bouch (the man who designed the structure) for RAIL magazine a couple of months ago. It was a complex article as it required a lot of technical research to tell a story many people weren’t aware of. So, when you see reactions like this from an expert in their field it makes you feel it was worth the effort…
Hopefully people will find my travels around the UK’s rail network as interesting!
All this brings me neatly to the picture of the day – which was used to illustrate my Tay Bridge article. This was taken on the 29th May 2019. It shows the new bridge with the piers of Bouch’s ill-fated structure in front.
It’s a fascinating story as this was (thankfully) the only major railway accident in which their were no survivors. You can read the full story in the latest copy of RAIL magazine which is on sale today (you can buy electronic copies by the way…)
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This morning the sun was shining and all seemed well with the word. OK, let’s qualify that – as well as can be expected in this mad time, despite all the crap and uncertainties facing us all right now. My mood was bouyant and I was looking forward to grabbing a short break away from the office to sit in the sun and do some reading. Then, in short order, it all fell apart for a variety of reasons – including the weather. Low cloud rolled into the valley, the sun disappered, the light became murky and the temperature dropped, taking my mood with it. The latest pronouncements from the Government on Covid were just another nail in the coffin.
So, today’s picture is of a happier place and a happier time. This was taken in Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 5th January 2012. I was touring through Asia at the time and ended up in KL (which I’ve visited many times) to have a look at their changing railway system and also to get a camera lens repaired as it had packed up a few days earlier. There was a Nikon dealership in KL so I thought it would be straightforward. There was only one problem. The spares for my lens were sourced from Nikon factories in Bangkok – and Thailand had only recently suffered the worst floods for decades so my couple of weeks turned into nearly two months! This was no problem as I was trying to secure an interview with the head of Malaysian railways at the time, and that wasn’t a quick process either – so I got to know KL very well. Many of my evenings would be spent sitting outside a particular Chinese cafe on Jalan Sultan which was a great place to enjoy a beer, a meal, and people watch for an hour or two. On the opposite side of the street were a couple of stalls, one of which was fascinating to watch as they sold Chicken and rice cooked in a claypot.
When all this crap is over I really need to do this again – although the cafe where I used to sit has closed now. It was shut as some businesses were needed to close for construction of the underground section of the new Klang Valley metro system, which I found out when I went back in 2017 – although the Clay Pot stall was still there. I’ll be curious to see how things look now…
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I’m back in the back-room of Bigland Towers after a very convivial few hours in our local pub where we’ve spent only the second time since lockdown bumping into old friends. What was so lovely was how the laughter flowed, and laughter is something that’s in rather short supply right now for several reasons – Covid being just one of them…
I’ve missed those opportunities for banter over the past few months. Yes, lockdown and its aftermath has been great for getting some things done, but it’s been shocking for socialising and face to face interaction and the ability to bounce ideas and humour of people.
I’ve made the most of it as it’s looking like the legion of muppets who think social-distancing is for other people are about to take us back into even tighter restrictions. Frustrating isn’t the word for it.
So, I’m brought onto the picture of the day, which was taken in the Paharganj in Delhi, India in 2003. The motorised ‘school run’ is very much a first world problem and one we really need to get a grip of. Kids being ferried to/from school in cars is a nightmare in so many ways. It benefits no-one. In India it’s rather different. Here’s a bunch of ‘posh’ kids being ferried home in the back of a cycle-rickshaw. Kids being kids – as soon as they saw me they started playing up for the camera!
I love street photography in India. You never know what you’re going to encounter and most people are only too happy to pose for a picture.
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Today’s been the classic mixed bag where I’m trying to juggle lots of things whilst modern (Covid) life intrudes to add a completely different experience.
Most of my day’s been spent working from home, trying to ignore the fact the sunny weather’s returned – even if it’s now accompanied by the temperature drops that herald the onset of autumn. I did venture out for a break from staring at computer screens but this week my exercise regime’s going to be marked like an old school report – “5/10 – see me”…
Today’s surreal experience was attending a ‘virtual’ National Rail Awards. Full credit to my friend of longstanding Nigel Harris and his team at RAIL for putting it together when most events have been cancelled completely this year. It can’t have been an easy gig to arrange. But, it also shows why the idea that everyone can work from home is utter bollocks. Does anyone seriously think an online event can replace such a prestigious event at the Grosvenor Park Hotel in central London where 1100 plus people meet to celebrate the achievements of the rail industry whilst meeting up with old friends and enjoying the opportunity to network and chat? Of course not. Both Dawn and I enjoyed the awards (and there were some great awards), but we’re looking forward to 2021 when we can recreate it in the flesh.
Meanwhile, here’s the picture of the day, which I took in Washington DC on the 4th April 2007. It was cherry blossom season when the centre of the city’s ablaze. It makes a fantastic sight.
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 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 you see here can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Talk about back to the grindstone! I’ve not stopped since I came back from my trip – hence the gap in blogging. As well as enjoying some quality time with Dawn I’ve been playing catch-up on all the stuff I’ve not been able to sort out whilst I’ve been away – like eBay. All the recent orders for pictures and railwayana have been fulfilled and I’m now in a position to start restocking the site with the next tranche for sale. Here’s a sample. I’ll be adding over 100 more in the next few days – time permitting.
Oh, there’s also my pictures from Monday, which have now been loaded onto my Zenfolio site. You can find which galleries they’ve been added to by following this link. Along with everything else I’m up to I’m determined to finish scanning the last album of old rail slides from 2001-02. That should be done by the end of October. Meanwhile, I’ve an awful lot of writing to do. RAIL will begin publishing the trilogy of articles from my round Britain trip next month, so writing up my voluminous notes will take priority over old pictures. They’ve waited 18 years to appear – they can wait another few weeks!
This brings me on to the picture of the day, which comes from my travel archive. This was one of a few times where the Gods smiled upon me. Lynn, Alison and I were travelling South down highway 13 in Laos by bus. Well, there’s little option. There’s no railways, so you either walk, fly, or go buy bus. Everything was going fine until the bus suddenly took on a life of its own and drifted to the left – into oncoming traffic – despite the best efforts of the driver. Thankfully, there was nothing coming the other way (which was a minor miracle in itself). Our Driver controlled the bus via the brakes and brought us to a stand still upright – on the opposite side of the road, just before we’d have gone down an embankment. When we all piled out and started to work out what the hell had happened the driver and a couple of vehicle savvy Westerners had a look underneath the vehicle. It transpired that the steering linkage was missing a bolt (or two) so the steering wheel had become an ornament! It didn’t matter which way our driver turned it – that bus was going its own sweet way! Here’s the picture I took at the time. It’s dated the 13th January 2009.
One day I’ll tell you about what happened when we broke our golden rule (never get in a taxi/tuk-tuk driven by anyone under the age of 40) in Sri Lanka…
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Phew! Mission accomplished! I finished my trip on my 80th train – the 21.22 West Midlands service from Wolverhampton to Birmingham New St. It’s an odd train to end on you may think, but it gives me the opportunity to write about the redevelopment of Wolverhampton station and end the trilogy of articles on an optimistic note. Today I’ve covered railways old and new, from heritage stations and Victorian signalling to the very latest rail developments with new trains, new stations and also our new high-speed railway – HS2.
I’m now tucked up in my hotel, although Birmingham city centre feels a lot safer than the mad scenes I saw in Cardiff last night.
Tomorrow I’ll have a bimble around the West Midlands for myself, looking at a few developments here before heading home later in the day. Then, when I get back it’s very much ‘nose to the grindstone’ to start writing up my experiences.
In the meantime, here’s the picture of the day. I don’t normally do ‘selfies’, but on this occasion…This is me on my final train of what’s really been a completely unique trip…
The next time (If RAIL still want me to) do this trip will be in 2022, which would be my tenth time since we started the series in 2004. So much has changed on the railways since then. I wonder how much will have changed in the next two years?
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It’s 22.30 and I’m knackered! I’ve been up since 04:00 and I’ve covered a hell of a lot of ground. Right now I’m relaxing in my hotel in London before finally getting some kip before another busy day tomorrow. Today I visited Sheffield, Leicester, Kettering, Corby, London (1st time), Cambridge, Ely, Norwich, Lowestoft, Ipswich – and then back to London. There’s lots of stories to relate, but they’ll have to wait for my articles in RAIL magazine. What I will say is that the impact of Covid on the UK’s railways really does vary – and it’s changing all the time now. If I did this same trip in a month I’ll bet things would look very different.
What’s been great to see is how the train companies are doing their very best to make travel safe for people – and how most passengers are playing their part too. Despite the number of trains I’ve been on I can’t say there’s a single one where I’ve felt unsafe.
So, before I finally fall comatose, here’s the picture of the day, which was taken at Ipswich earlier and sums up the essence of rail travel right now.
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It’s been a very busy day since I left Newcastle this morning. I’ve visited many of the North’s major cities and seen first-hand the effect Covid-19 is having on people’s lives as I’ve visited York, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool before ending up back at home for a night in order to pick up some clean clothes. Hopefully, people will find my experiences and interesting read in RAIL magazine next month. There’s certainly been plenty to write about!
Right now I’m going to call it a day as I have to be on my first train at 05:39 in the morning, so It’s time for bed. But before I go – here’s the picture of the day, which was taken at York station at this morning. The tourists are missing – and so’s everyone else…
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