I didn’t expect to be blogging today and what there is will be short and sweet as it’s late and there’s so much to talk about that will have to wait until tomorrow.
My laptop problems were resolved just as soon as I got home and plugged in a reserve charger. Suddenly the machine’s battery began to charge and normal service was resumed. That allowed me access to pictures and chance to update the BIOS. Once the battery was full charge and just out of interest I swapped chargers. Lo and behold, the one I’d been using these past few days also decided to work. Ain’t technology wonderful?
I’d expected to be sans laptop for the next few days. Now that normal service has been resumed I can rejig my plans once again and write a blog that will do justice to our trip – which has seen us explore places neither of us have visited before. Looking back at the variety of towns and scenery we’ve experienced I’ve realised that we haven’t at any point left the county of Yorkshire – something that those who claim it’s ‘God’s own country’ would say ‘Told ya’!
We haven’t just come back with memories either – as the car boot’s contained a variety of edible goodies – from fish to pork pies. Rhubarb chutney to ‘chocolate surprise’. Oh, and a few locally brewed beers too…
OK, now it’s time for me to call it a day but I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures.
Here’s the North Yorkshire Moors Railway with two trains passing at Goathland. Many TV viewers will probably best know the station and village by the fictitious name of ‘Aidensfield’ from the TV series ‘Heartbeat’. One of the shops in the upmarket market town of Helmsley, between Pickering and Thirsk. Dawn saw this in Helmsley. I’m staying schtum…
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Sorry for the lack of a blog yesterday. That was due to the fact that – by the end of the day – we were both knackered, having walked between 16-19* miles. We’d completed a circular walk from Glaisdale to Danby and back via Lealholm and the moors above the valley. Walking into strong winds added to the exercise and gave us both the ‘windswept and interesting’ look. En-route we tried local pubs and cafes (more about which later) before ending up at our temporary home to have a hot bath full of Epsom salts and home-made chili con carne before curling up in front of the log burner to watch ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ on TV.
As much as all this was pleasure, there was a slight divert into business as I managed to get several shots along the Esk valley railway due to being in the right place at the right time, which isn’t easy when there’s only five trains each way a day!
156421 and 156454 call at Glaisdale with the first train of the day, 2D83, the 0654 Middlesbrough to Whitby. Glaisdale is the only station on the line East of Battersby that still has a passing loop.The pair pull away from Glaisdale.Here’s the attractive station at Lealholm with 156421 and 156454 again, this time working 2D87, the 1019 Middlesbrough to WhitbyDawn on the moors high above Houlsyke. What you can’t see (or hear) is the strong winds that we were walking into! It may have been windy but having so much sunshine and such clear skies was lovely. From Danby we returned to Lealholm along the valley floor, following the railway. Here’s 156487 and 158843 passing us whilst working 2N28, the 1156 Hexham to Whitby.
Today (Sunday) we’re giving the old knees a bit of a rest. We’ll still go out walking later – but not anywhere near as far. I’ll add more to this blog after our return this evening.
Sunday. 22:30.
Sorry, plans for a major picture and other update of today’s blog have gone a bit ‘Pete Tong’. That’s not because we’ve had a bad day – far from it as we’ve been on the coast. We popped into two places neither of us visited before. Staithes being one. The weather’s bern stunning again too. The problem was when we got home and I fired up the laptop, only to find the battery wouldn’t charge and it refused to run off the transformer. I refused to kick things and swear despite the temptation. It’ll be sorted out, but for now you’ll have to make do with a couple of phone pictures of Runswick and Staithes.
Runswick Bay. It’s amazing how quickly this picturesque beach gets evacuated once the tide’s coming in.Staithes is a little more funky and rundown than Runswick, but it shares the same problem. There’s no ‘proper’ shops. Still, it looks good in pictures.
*I’d done a few more than Dee as I’d nipped out to Glaisdale station to get shots of the first train of the day.
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The wet and dismal day that greeted us when we woke up this morning has morphed into something far more pleasant as blue skies and sunshine have appeared to brighten the day. We’ve been up early and breakfasted as the CRN team will be off to the venue shortly, preparing for tonight’s event. It promises to be a brilliant evening. The Community Rail Awards don’t have the pomp or stuffiness of some ceremonies, they’re much more relaxed. I’ve been roped in to help with some of the prep so I’ll be heading over to the arena for a couple of hours too. Obviously I’m not going to be blogging and spilling the beans about what people can expect, but later on I’ll have chance to have a wander around Swansea to get a few pictures and check out the Maritime museum and marina. Expect some thoughts and pictures later, and then some of this evening’s highlights…
16:30.
Today’s not exactly gone to plan blogging wise as I’ve been roped into several different things and haven’t had time to blog. However, I did get time off to visit the Maritime museum – which is about much more than just the sea.
From old motorcycles to a solar car that travelled from Athens to Lisbon…The maritime collectionOld steam power…
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We’ve been up since 07:00, not a time we’d normally expect to be supping coffee on a Sunday, but today we’re heading to Swansea for tomorrow’s Community Rail Awards. This could be an interesting trip. First we head to Manchester to meet up with other members of the CRA team, then we catch a Transport for Wales service all the way to Cardiff, which takes 5 hours. That could be the first ‘fun’ bit as (having checked) I can see that it’s worked by a two-car class 197, so it could get cosy! It being Sunday, the line from Cardiff to Swansea is closed for engineering work to take place, so it’s the dreaded ‘bustitution’ for the rest of the way. Just what you need when you’re carrying all the kit you need for an awards ceremony and a couple of nights away!
Feel free to pop back later and see how the journey unfolds….
10:00.
We’re on our way on our first train of the day – Northern’s 09:50 from Halifax to Manchester Victoria. As it’s early on a Sunday and it’s a four-car there’s no problem in finding a seat.
10:30.
We’ve left the wet weather behind by crossing the Pennines into Gtr Manchester. Whilst our train filled up after calling at Rochdale the journey’s still relaxed. Next stop is Victoria…
10:45.
Ha! I should’ve known better. We’re in Manchester, so of course it’s raining! Not that it natters as we’ve just joined a packed TPE service bound for the airport which will deliver us to Piccadilly.
11:40.
Half A dozen of the team have met at Piccadilly and joined TfW’s 11:29 to Cardiff. Thankfully, it’s one of the new CAF built Class 197s and we’ve managed to secure a couple of tables behind the cab despite the usual scramble for seats. Now the tables are awash with laptops and mobile phones as folk make final preparations for the awards and a few days away.
13:40.
We’ve had a surprisingly good journey so far. At one point we were losing time to Shrewsbury but now we’ve mad that up on the approach to Hereford. The biggest surprise has been the amount of flooded fields around Moreton-On-Lugg. It’s horrendous. Fields have become vast lakes and some roads look like they’re impassible unless you have a 4X4. I really feel for the farmers as the rivers draining the area clearly can’t cope, so planting anything is impossible.
17:00
Made it! All in all, that’s been a very good journey. We were into Cardiff on time and the dreaded ‘bustitution’ worked like a dream. We were off the train and after a toilet stop we were straight onto a coach for the rest of the trip to Swansea. The group’s now checked in at our hotel on the Tawe Basin, right by the Swansea seafront. A short walk away is the National Waterfront Museum (which I’m hoping to have time to check out in the morning) and the venue for tomorrow’s awards (Swansea Arenea) is 5 minutes walk away.
19:01.
Time for the team to dine – at…
Zinco Lounge
22:30.
Well, that was a great (if different) night, but one that had to end early as some of us have to be on duty tomorrow. After the meal where we were joined by old friends such as Richard Salkeld – ex LNER and now ‘Lumo’ – when the wit and laughter was flowing, a few of us met up with other community rail colleagues and ‘newbies’ such as train driver Bessie Matthews, who’s written the Arlo adventures books at a Gin bar called Hogarth’s. Now, you wouldn’t normally find me dead in a karaoke joint, but as I was with friends it turned into an interesting exercise in people watching and insight into Swansea on a Sunday. After all, the Welsh have a reputation for singing, don’t they? True enough. The place was mostly men, and some actually knew how to sing – as did one of our own group – Karen Bennett – who bashed out a great rendition of a Bonny Tyler number whilst getting support from the audience!
Now it’s time to call it a day. I’m looking to seeing more of Swansea in the morning…
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/
After one more soggy day in the Pennines yesterday I’ve made another bid for freedom, thus time heading Westward to Preston and district in the hope of getting some library shots and bits for a client. The forecast isn’t promising sunshine, just no rain!
Having walked down to Sowerby Bridge station I waited for the train to Hebden Bridge and my connection to Preston. Whilst I was there I noticed this local history board which tells the story of a musician few will have heard of, but you will have heard of some of the famous film scores he played on – and the major artists he recorded with. Then there was Mike Batt…
11:15 we’re on our way from Accrington now, one of those Lancashire towns I’ve never really explored. I keep meaning to as the serried streets of traditional terrace houses look like they’d make an excellent photographic opportunity. Maybe this summer…
The train I’m on is busy, but strangely subdued. Normally these Blackpool services can be rather riotous with families heading to Blackpool, but this one’s obviously too early in the season. I’m sharing a table with a young chap sat diagonally opposite. He appears to be suffering from the advanced stages of ‘Liquormortis’ – also known as a hangover! The rest of the passengers are a real mix – although a large percentage seem to be solo women travellers of all ages.
12:45.
Wonder of wonders – the train I was hoping to get pictures of actually ran – and ran to time, giving me the opportunity to get a shot of it in Preston. The new Hitachi built Class 805 bi-mode sets for Avanti West Coast are currently on test on the West Coast Main Line before they enter service and replace the company’s diesel-only Class 221 ‘Voyager’ fleet. I’ve seen a few 805s but never been in the right place at the right time to get pictures. Today I was.
Still without Avanti vinyl livery, set 805002 passes through Preston on a Lancaster – London Euston test run.
14:00.
Whilst at Preston I couldn’t resist taking a minor detour/backtrack to Bamber Bridge to photograph a structure that’s seen better days. Here’s the old signalbox, with some new(ish) additions…
Talk about a supporting role…
The box is coccooned by suppurting girder to stop it collapsing completely. The facr many of its timbers are rotten doesn’t help. Neither does its narrow base, but the road crossing is also suffering from subsidence too.
16:30.
Mind the gap…
Sorry about that but I’ve been busy and too busy observing things to live blog. After getting back to Preston, where the weather was indifferent I decided to make my way back via Wigan so that I could check on progress with electrifying the line between there and Bolton.
Bad move.
Catching a packed Pendolino to Wigan was OK, it’s only a 15 minute trip. It was the fact that when I arrived it was chucking it down through leaden skies and all trains to Manchester from both stations were cancelled due to signal failure that I thought, bugger!
There was only one thing for it, a pint in Wigan’s metaphorical version of the Winchester whilst I waited for the whole thing to blow over (sans Zombies, thankfully).
Choose your poison.
Fortunately, there was one train running even if everything else either side had been cancelled. I’m aboard the 16:07 from Wallgate to Victoria (ex Southport) worked by one of the bi-mode class 319 conversions. I’d expected it to be packed but that was far from the case.
Photographically this part of the trip was a bust but now I’ve seen the changes along the route I know where to return to. OLE mast bases have appeared between Winan and Hindley along with a smattering of masts. The biggest visual impact is 4-5 decades of tree and vegetation clearence whic has really opened up some vistas. I’ll be back…
17:30.
Getting home is proving to be fun today as the railways are not having a good one. On arrival at Manchester Victoria I thought I’d just miss the 16:57 to Leeds. Fear not! Due to yet more disruption it’s only just left – 23 mins late. Many other trains are still waiting, with passengers none the wiser as no-one’s making any announcements. The Internet’s no help either as there are no realtime updates. I was waiting on a following train (the 1704 to Rochdale) before taking a punt based on my railway knowledge.
Halfway home…
22:45.
Time to bring this blog to an end from the comfort of home. Thankfully, there were no more problems after Manchester. Mind you, as the last leg was via shank’s pony – what could possibly go wrong? Tomorrow I’ll be working from home, sorting out today’s pictures and preparing for Sunday’s trip to Swansea and the Community Rail Award, so expect a few more pictures and possibly a beer-pump clip or two…
Goodnight!
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/
Despite the dreich weather here in the Pennines, or rather because of it – I’m having a day out and heading back to Merseyside where the rain’s forecast to clear for the day. We might not get wall to wall sunshine but time’s running out for me to document the final days of the old Merseyrail electric trains. The Class 508s have already gone along with half of the 33 Class 507s. Meanwhile, the last of their Stadler built replacements are on their way across Europe from Switzerland and Poland.
As someone who grew up on Merseyside roving the areas rails is something I’ve been doing since I was a young teenager. In those days we used to be able to buy a ticket names after the title of this blog. It was valid from 18:00 on a Friday all the way to Midnight on Sunday and presented excellent value. Here’s an original.
Note the typos. ‘Rook Ferry’ and ‘Halsby’?
Feel free to pop back during the day to see where and what I get up to…
10:00.
I’ve escaped the valley aboard Northern’s 09:22 from Sowerby Bridge to Chester which is a reasonably busy pair of 2 car Class 195s. Ensconced in the rear car I’ve set up the mobile office for the trip. For once, crossing the Pennines hasn’t improved the weather – it’s just as miserable around Manchester as it is in West Yorkshire!
The forecast is that the rain is gradually clearing from the West so I’ve decided to stay on this service all the way to join the Merseyrail network at its most Southerly point.
10:20.
I’m now heading West from Victoria where this service pretty much emptied out. I’ve just taken a quick walk through the rear unit and counted 16 other passengers. Next stop is Newton-le-Willows which always seems busy, so I’ll be interested to see how many folks leave the service at journey’s end. The weather’s slowly brightening up. The oppressive low cloud that’s hemmed in the Calder Valley for the past week has given way to higher. more diffused formations, with a band of brightness on the horizon. I doubt I’ll see more than the watery sunshine I’m experiencing now, but there’s contrasting skies and actual cloud patterns. Plus, from a photographers perspective, the light’s improved by several stops.
10:50.
I’m handing back my weather forecaster’s badge. I’m as bad at predicting it as the professionals! We’re leaving Warrington under blue skies – which wasn’t on anyone’s card! Our next stop is our final one – Chester – and I count 20 people aboard for the final leg, although I’ve no idea how many are in the front unit. This Leeds-Chester service started in May 2019 and it’s proved to be a valuable service as it allows easy access to Wales via a historic old town – and provides a useful connection with the West Coast Main Line at Warrington Bank Quay.
12:15.
I didn’t stay in Chester long as there wasn’t much around to photograph despite the sunshine. It’s a far cry from the 1970s wgen I used to come here on a Merseyrover. Chester loco shed was known as an easy depot to ‘bunk’ as the staff were very relaxed. I remember turning up at the shedmaster’s office with a couple of friends one weekend around 1973. On asking if we could look around we were told. “Yes, just don’t wander onto the main lines and don’t fall into the pits”. In those days the shed would house old class 24s and 25s used on freight workings and the occaisional Class 40, along with some 08 shunters and dozens of diesel units. It’s unrecognisable now as it was first rebuilt by Alstom back in the early 2000s and now it’s run by CAF who maintain their new DMUs for Transport for Wales.
Right now I’m making my way up the old Great Western Main line to Birkenhead. Once four-track it was reduced to two in the 1970s.
Blogging may get a bit patchy now as I’m stopping off en-route. Plus, services are so frequent there’s lots to photograph. Like this service at Bromborough Rake.
14:00.
I’ve made it into Birkenhead but not without difficulty as Merseyrail are cancelling several services today. My kast stop was Rock Ferry, once tge terminus of the Mersey Railway electric services from Liverpool until electrification was ecentually extended to Chester and later, Ellesmere Port.
Get the message? One unit didn’t recently…
15:10.
Remember those cancellations I mentioned? They got worse. At Birkenhead I found that due to Police dealing with an ‘incident’ on the railway, New Brighton services were cancelled with trains turning back at the scenic location of Birkenhead North. To add to the fun the weather reverted to forecast type – making the scene even duller! Undeterred, I caught a 507 to Birkenhead and managed to get a reasonable picture of 507001 passing Birkenhead depot. I’ll add the pic later. Right now there’s little more for me to do but head back into Birkenhead aboard 001 and work out my next move.
Gotcha…
And again.
15:55.
It seems my trip today quite literally bombed, according to the Liverpool Echo…
19:30.
I’m back in West Yorkshire, making my way home via a slightly convoluted route in order to drop in to Huddersfield station so I can see what’s afoot with the route upgrade work. The old wooden building on the island platform is being carefully dismantled so that it can be rebuilt at a different location on the station in the future.
The stripping process has revealed many old posters from the BR era, including gems like this!
Now I’m on the final rail leg, aboard Northern’s Huddersfield – Bradford shuttle which will carry me back to Halifax. It’s a quiet train this time of night and week, but then the station’s not exactly buzzing either. I’ve not been into either of the station pubs but both look empty.
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/
Another bleedin’ Baltic day here in the Pennines where our section of the Calder Valley’s spent the entire day bathed in haze under gloomy skies, accompanied by temperatures and wind that’s made it feel like January, not March. The ‘Man flu’ I’ve been suffering from has mutated into a common or garden cold, sans sore throat and the ague – which is a relief! Having recovered enough to venture out I sallied forth to the supermarket to pick up some shopping – which is why I know just how cold it is out there. I wasn’t tempted to tarry…
Now I’m happy to be back in the warmth. Having finished penning my latest article for RAIL magazine this evening’s one for relaxing. Neither of us fancy venturing out, so tonight’s going to be a quiet one at home with some good food (Dawn’s already busy cooking up a storm in the kitchen) and a movie. We’ve time to enjoy a weekend at home together for a change. The next one will be different as we’ll be travelling to Swansea on the Sunday to get ready for the 2024 Community Rail awards. Plus, I’ve plans for a couple of trips this next week (weather permitting) to catch up with some recent changes on the rail network. But for now you’ll have to make do with another archive shot for today’s picture. Like yesterday’s, this has been dusted off for a special book.
If you think UK preserved railways have some major structures to maintain, then imagine what it’s like for this one! Here’s a train on the Taieri Gorge railway which is on New Zealand’s South Island. It runs from Dunedin all the way up to the plains at Middlemarch. To say it’s a spectacular trip is an understatement!
Locomotives 1240 and 1222 double-head our train on the return to Dunedin on the 16th January 2019.
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This will be a short blog as I’m still recovering from ‘man flu’ – although you can cancel the lilies! Apart from a short walk along our road to the woods to admire the handiwork of the council staff who’ve been busy filling in the latest tranche of potholes* I’ve not been anywhere – and won’t be until the weekend at least. It’s not a problem as I’ve plenty to do at home, including a new RAIL article to finish writing. Mind you, the weather’s hardly been an incentive to go anywhere. For much of the day the valley’s been buried in fog with temperatures remaining in single figures, so being tucked up at home seemed very attractive indeed. I suspect tomorrow will follow much the same pattern.
One little job that has been completed was selecting railway pictures for a book for a young lad who’s not very well. I’m not going to go into details but I’ve chosen one of those images as my picture of the day. Some railway photographers put their cameras away in the winter, or when there’s anything but full sunshine. I don’t. In fact I love the variety that the English weather can provide as sometimes conditions can help make a picture. Here’s one. This shot was taken at Grantham on the 22nd July (yep, summertime) 2010 – just as an enormous rainstorm was passing – and so was this GNER service, hauled by 91116. A long lens (400mm) compresses the image and accentuates the weather. For the camera cranks this was taken at 1/400th on F8 with a Nikon IS lens on a D3.
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/
*And if anyone dares to suggest that these fcuking potholes are only being filled in ‘cos Rishi (expletive deleted) Sunak has cancelled phase 2 of HS2 – you will be getting a piece of my mind!
Bugger, I have ‘man flu’. I woke up in the early hours with a throat that felt like I’d been gargling with sandpaper. After a restive night I decided a day of rest was in order. As a precaution the flag over Bigland Towers is flying at half-mast and we’ve painted a red cross on the front door. This time it’s Dawn’s turn to wear the nurses uniform. Mind you, it fits her far better than me – especially the stockings…
Whilst I’ve taken to my sick-bed I’ve not entirely given up the ghost and I’m continuing sorting out bits and bobs in-between having my fevered brow mopped. My Zenfolio website’s been updated with all the pictures from the last week’s travels and events which you can find in the following galleries.
There’s still plenty of pictures for me to sort out as well as writing for a living which I’ll be doing later. What I’m not doing is listening to Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt deliver his latest budget. I heard enough flannel and buzzword bingo (“hard choices”…”growing the economy” etc) from him in person on Monday.
Insert own caption here…
I’ll wait for the expert analysis which always picks up what matters but is never mentioned in his speech. Judging from the reactions I’ve seen so far, the idea that this budget is going to somehow improve the Tories electoral chances and ‘shift the dial’ of their piss-poor performance in the polls is a forlorn hope. Just like when you grow up and stop believing in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy, voters have stopped believing in the Tories – at last! Now we have to wait to see if Sunak will call a May election. The last day on which he can do that is when Parliament goes into recess on the 27th March. There’s no point in trying to second-guess him as that’s applying logic to a man who’s proved to be immune to logical though and decision-making.
On that same lack of logic vein, I’ve been amused to see how the far-right English racists have embraced AI on social media – always with unintentionally hilarious results as what most of ’em actually know about English (never mind British) history could fit on the back of a postage stamp. As for their lack of fluency (both written and oral) in their mother-tongue – or dear! Here’s an absolute classic, but not untypical of the genre as they do love cosplaying Crusaders…
What’s so funny here is that the Knights Templar were actually French! Oh, and only 10% of them were actually knights. So what this buffoon is really calling for is a million people marching through London led by Frenchmen! It’s not gonna happen. Wetherspoons could never cope with the rush, and as for trying to pee through chainmail after twelveteen pints of foreign lager…
Needless to say, the best of British humour has been deployed in spoofing these idiotic IA images, with producing some absolute corkers featuring (amongst other things) knights and lions, golf and Greggs!
Right, one last thing before I go. As it’s another month I’ve restocked my eBay account with more railway memorabilia and old slides for sale. You can find it here. This is a sample of one of the new additions.
See you tomorrow – if the ‘man flu’ hasn’t seen me off!
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/
Another Sunday and another day where part of it’s spent getting into position for the next day. When arranging their events people sometimes forget that – whilst the media is notoriously ‘Londoncentric’ not everyone actually lives in the capital anymore! I have to be in Chippenham at 09:00 tomorrow morning. Whilst that’s doable from London, it’s impossible from West Yorkshire.
So, much of today’s been spent at home. We’ve finally had a respite from the rain. Today (whilst it’s still been chilly) there’s been clear skies and sunshine. Ideal conditions for the pair of us enjoying a long canalside walk after a leisurely start to the day.
Now – fortified by a large slab of Dee’s home-made lemon meringue pie – I’m on the move again, this time aboard a Northern service to Leeds where I’ll catch an LNER train to Kings Cross. Having spent the past few weeks travelling the West Coast route I’ll be back on the East Coast for a change. Let’s see how the trip goes…
I don’t often travel at a weekend except for pleasure. Unlike my normal trips today’s Northern fellow travellers are mostly people having a day out sightseeing or visiting family and friends. Not that the train’s quiet – far from it. Sunday’s a busy day on the railways nowadays. It make you wonder why we still have a separate and very distinct Sunday timetable.
18:10.
London bound! There was a frustrating moment when I arrived at Leeds as I saw the next London train on the adjacent platform. It was worked by Mk4 loco-hauled set but there was no way I was going to make the connection. Instead, I watched as the train powered out of the station, pushed by ‘Battle of Britain memorial flight’. The next Southbound service was worked by an LNER ‘Azuma’ and I was concerned that it might be packed. As it is – it’s not too bad.
My chariot awaits…
I managed to find a vacant seat in coach C and set up the mobile office. We’ve just left Wakefield where as many passengers left as joined. Next stop is Doncaster, which should be interesting. Sadly, we’ve lost the light now although I’m grateful that’s taking longer as each day passes. I’ve had enough of winter’s long nights.
18:30.
To my surprise we’ve still lots of empty seats available after Doncaster. Coach C’s filled up but there were nowhere near as many passengers waiting as I’d thought there might be. We have two more stops to make before London, at Newark Northgate snd Peterborough.
19:20.
We’re now accelerating away from Peterborough, our last stop before Kings Cross. This brings back loads of memories for me as – back in the late 1980s, early 1990s – this was one of my regular journeys. I still lived in London then and would often come up to Peterborough on a Friday night after work to spend the weekend with Nancy, an old friend from Southport. How things have changed since then! Peterborough was the edge of the London commuter belt and obviously still is. During the week I often see people wearing Transport for London uniforms joining trains here as they commute into the capital. Key workers who’ve been priced out of the city. What surprised me today wasn’t the number of people joining the train – it was the number disembarking – and their ages. They were overwhelmingly young. What’s the new demographic I’m no longer aware of?
00:15.
Really? Is that the time? Bugger. Here endeth today’s blog. I’ve got to be up at silly o’clock in the morning to make my way to Chippenham. I’ve no idea where the time – or years, went as the pair of us have been immersed in watching old British Transport Commission films from the 50s-60s. I’ll leave you with one last picture from my trip over to Clapham from Kings Cross. Spot the interloper at Victoria…
Expect another rolling blog tomorrow as the day unfolds…
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Paul Bigland 