Tag Archives: Rolling blogs

Rolling blog. Siemens surprise…

04 Monday Mar 2024

Posted by in London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Siemens, Travel

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06:00.

Another early start here in South London. Whilst I’m closer to where I need to be it’s still a trek to get to today’s main event. Siemens are holding a press conference at their signalling factory as Chippenham, Wiltshire, where they’re going to make a major announcement about investment. What will it be? Who will be there? I’ll found out later this morning. But right now I’ve got to get there, which means getting an 06:28 train to Reading. I’ll be blogging throughout the day, so feel free to pop back and see what I get up to…

06:40.

It’s a surprise no longer. Siemens have sent out their press release, announcing that they’re going to replace their Chippenham factory (the old Westinghouse Brake and Signal establishment) with a brand-new, state of the art production facility in a £100m investment (more later)…

Meanwhile, I’m making my way to Reading aboard an elderly class 455, not that I’m complaining. At least this service is running! When I pitched up at Clapham I noticed a series of services were cancelled, including the Shepperton line, due to a track inspection.

Up the junction…

07:15.

If nothing else it’s a lovely journey along the Reading line today. It’s a beautifully sunny but frosty morning with low sunlight and mist that’s creating wonderful shadows amongst the trees that line so much of the route.

09:32.

Ready for the main event…

And we’re off. Look who’s here…

12:20.

Well, that was short and sweet. Announcement over the great and good (and not so good) dispersed with most folk heading back to London – including me as I travelled with an old friend from Porterbrrok who’s now working for the Rail Industry Association (RIA). Siemens had pulled off their 2nd PR coup in as many weeks, first they got the PM and Cabinet meeting at their new factory in Goole. Today they’d got the Chancellor (and so the media) along to their Chippenham announcement.

14:15.

Having passed West Ealing on the way into London and noticing this old friend (in a new guise) I couldn’t resist nipping out to get a picture. The last time I saw this unit was when I was working with Vivarail up at Cop26 in Glasgow.

17:25.

Whilst finding the GWR battery unit was a bonus, that was the last one of the day. What had been glorious weather changed rapidly as clouds moved in from the South and temperatures plummeted. Their seemed little point in hanging around so I made my way into Central London, only to find that another old friend was in the area (the power of social media) so we met up for a ‘swifty’ at Euston to catch up on each other’s railway tales. Now I’m Northbound again, heading to Manchester up the West Coast Main Line on a quiet Pendolino, which is giving me chance to set up the mobile office in order to edit some of today’s pictures – some of which will appear on this blog later…

18:35.

Ho hum. My journey back North’s dragging (but then so were the brakes). We left Euston 10 minutes late due to the Driver having an issue with said train brakes which meant he had to do a train reset. It got us moving, but we continued to lose time all along the route as we weren’t running on tilt. Now, we’re crawling along the line from Macclesfield towards Stockport as – having lost our path – we’re running behind a local all-stations stopping service. We’re currently 32 minutes behind time.

19:25.

A non-stop dash from station to station has seen me arrive in time to catch Northern’s 19:22 from Manchester Victoria to Leeds. It’s been a long day and I’m looking forward to getting home. Looking around my fellow passengers on this busy train I can see I’m not the only one feeling that way!

21:55.

I’m home and it’s time to call it a day. Here’s a last couple of pictures to keep you entertained until tomorrow.

Battery safety is being taken very seriously…
I noticed several Hitachi 800s running around with their nose end doors open today. Is there a technical issue?

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Another positioning move…

03 Sunday Mar 2024

Posted by in British Railways (BR), London, Rolling blogs, Travel, West Yorkshire

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16:40.

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…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. West coast wandering…

26 Monday Feb 2024

Posted by in London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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09:45.

Today’s adventure has started from Sowerby Bridge as I’m heading across the Pennines to spend time on the West Coast Main Line en-route to London.

Right now I’m aboard a very busy 09:22 to Chester which is currently threading its way through the Calder Valley. The train’s full of leisure travellers rather than commuters although one or two of my fellow passengers appear to be working on the train. Not so the two young Chinese women in front of me, who’re clearly out for day. Manchester bound for the shops or to historic Chester I wonder?

09:55.

We’ve broken throgh the barrier of the Pennines into Lancashire and (as is often the case) different weather. Whilst cloud dominated the West Yorkshire skies the sunshine’s breaking through more scattered formations here.

As usual, our stop at Rochdale provided plenty of traffic. Several dozen folk were waiting to board. Now this train’s standing room only. It’s not that there’s not still a few seats available, it’s that they’re occupied by bags and some people would rather stand than ask people to move them!

12:30.

Back again! After a dash across central Manchester on foot I hung around at Piccadilly long just long enough to get a handful of shots. The station was surprisingly quiet both from a passenger and fleet perspective. Avanti hadn’t got a single Pendolino platformed which suggested their was trouble on the WCML somewhere. Sure enough, an inbound set arrived over 10 minutes late and despite crews best efforts it left 12 down – only with me on board as far as Crewe.

As is often the case Crewe had some unusual visitors. I narrowly missed getting shots of A4 steam loco ”Sir Nigel Gresley’ which chugged South with its support coach just as I arrived. A more modern (but equally redundent) visitor was an Alstom built Class 175. Latterly in store at Holyhead, it was making its way from Crewe Gresty Bridge to Barton Under Needwood. God knows why.

Ah, thanks to my old friend and colleague Richard Clinnick I now know why. The 175s are having remidial work carried out to them before they head to Ely for further storage. The trains are owned by Angel and Ely is their storage centre.

14:30. Having diverted via the Stour and bimbled around Birmingham (only to find the weather not to my liking I’m now on a direct train to Euston from Coventry – with yet more variety. This *should* have been an Avanti Pendolino. Instead it’s a pair of Voyagers! Ah, well. – at least the power sockets are working, unlike the unrefurbished Pendolino I travelled on from Crewe to Birmingham. The set swap has clearly confused many passengers who got on at Cov’ as the two trains are very different in layout. I don’t envy anyone who’s booked seats in ‘standard plus’ as they ain’t gonna find it! Don’t expect a full meal service on 1st either…

16:00.

Bugger! I had blogged from the train earlier but the wifi hung, so what I’d written never appeared. What I’d talked about was how thw weather had picked up and that – despite the Pendolino being substituted for a Voyager – what a good trip it was, helped by the fact it was a quiet train. That said. I do prefer the ‘old’ Voyagers compared to the stripped out Cross-Country version. I felt quite nostalgic visiting a proper shop/cafe on one.

Now I’m in London. Having had chance to get a few shots and with one eye on the improving late-afternoon weather I’m aboard one of the new Class 730s heading for Watford Junction. I’m quite impressed with these sets. The wide gangways make for an open feel but I’m not entirely sure about the table bays either side. OK, there’s a window view from one side but the other’s a real bulkhead experience – although it’ll be ideal if all you want to do is work without distractions.

Is it me, or do the front end of these trains feel rather ‘butch’? They certainly don’t have the graceful lines of some other newcomers.

Great for working. Not so great for window-gazing.

23:55.

Last update. I’ve been busy in London so haven’t had time to update this blog until now. That wasn’t the plan, but when I arrived at my old friend’s flat in Clapham we ended up getting embroiled in an internet discussion group on Irish railways which included other old friends. Thankfully, we didn’t have to cook as I brought a food parcel from West Yorkshire in the form of Thai green curry and rice. Yeah – I know – It’s hardly standard Yorkshire fare, but it is for us!

Now it’s time to call it a night as I’ve a silly o’ clock start tomorrow which will prove to be an interesting day – as you’ll see. In the meantime, here’s a last couple of pictures..

Tell me that you’re in London without telling me you’re in London…
Anyone who’s used Euston station in the BR era may remember this site as it was the location of one of the old Travelers Fare kiosks, long before all the food options that arrived later.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Metropolitan meandering…

20 Tuesday Feb 2024

Posted by in London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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10:00.

Having had an enjoyable evening with an old friend I’m taking time to explore some old haunts and byways of the capital – and a new train. Old friends brought me from Clapham to Waterloo.

Life in the old girls yet. 4 years after they should have gone to the scrapyard the BR built Class 455s still carry passengers in and out of London Waterloo.

Now I’m waiting to join one of their replacements – albeit four years later than planned! The Bombardier class 701 ‘Arterio’ has finally entered service, but only in a very limited fashion. They work a diagram on the line from Waterloo to Windsor, and I’m about to catch one…

10:11.

I can’t quite believe that 17 years have passed since I was photographing the very last Eurostar to depart from here the night before services moved to their new home at St Pancras.

11:00.

Well, I *was* planning on catching one of the new Arterios but SWR had other ideas. The service is running a ‘shadow’ path on the Windsor line, only today it decided not to play ball. Having arrived late the set was run as empty stock. I’m now chasing it in one of the Class 455s it was designed to replace. I’m hoping it’ll run back from Windsor as a service train and I can pick it up en-route. Watch this space…

Not an Arterio…

14:45.

S’cuse the gap but I’ve been moving – a lot! Having made it out to Staines in hot pursuit of the Arterio I managed to catch it on its way back from Windsor.

Not a 455…

First impressions? From a passenger’s perspective they’re not bad. They’re a modern train with all the amenities you’d expect and (unlike the 455s) they have toilets onboard.

17:30.

Grr…I’m now on my way back to Yorkshire via the West Coast Main Line on another Avanti Pendolino. I’d hoped to have been able to relax and spent some time blogging my thoughts, but the wifi’s knackered, leaving me typing on my phone which is hardly conducive to reporting on all the things I’ve been up to today. Plus, I’ve enjoyed the lengthening days and the opportunity to watch the (flooded) world go by so blogging was taking a backseat until now.

I’ve certainly had an interesting couple of days. As an ex-Londoner I’ve been surprised at how quieter the city seems right now. Euston yesterday and Clapham Junction today were far quieter than they used to be. But then – when I catch a train to faze into people’s back garden and see all the home offices/sheds folk have built that’s hardly surprising. The world of work’s evolved. Especially office work.

Another thing I noticed which was also really annoying was the fact so many folk wander around whilst completely disconnected from this world. I’m not talking about the ones who never look up from staring at their smartphones (although they’re bad enough) but the ones who compound that by wearing earbuds or headphones as well – so deprive themselves of another of their senses. Several tines I had to stop on station stairs as the person coming up them was too busy staring at a screen whilst listening to whatever they had playing via their headphones to engage with the real world and realise someone (me) was stood in their way. I’ve started doing it deliberately now just to see their reaction when reality intrudes on them. Is it just me getting old, or do other folk find this annoying?

17:50.

We’ve just left Stoke (on Trent) on our way to Manchester and I’ve realised I’m back in the wet weather band. Bugger! It’s been so mild these past few days I’ve ditched my waterproof. Walking home could be fun…

22:15.

Fortunately, I made it home without getting soaked. My timing was impeccable as I arrived in Manchester after the rain had departed. It was the same story back in Halifax. Now I’m relaxing with my feet up, editing one or two pictures to finish this blog off with. Here’s a look at the interior of this beastie.

701037 calls at Staines on its return working to Waterloo.
Lino flooring and basic seats without seatback tables or armrests but there’s plenty of plug sockets and some small tables. The overall impression is that the sets are spacious. They also seem reasonably quiet and the ride was good. I suspect passengers will like them provided they prove to be reliable.

I’ll be adding many more pictures to my Zenfolio website over the next few days, but for now – it’s 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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Plan B…

19 Monday Feb 2024

Posted by in London, Photography, Rolling blogs, Travel

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09:00.

Due to events mentioned yesterday today’s trip to London is less of an imperative so my plans have changed. Now, I can take time to track down a certain train in order to get some internal shots for a magazine. That means heading over to Manchester this morning. Thankfully, the high winds we suffered overnight have abated. I was beginning to wonder if the day was going to go pear-shaped straight away if there was storm damage on the West Coast Main Line. Fortunately, everything seems fine, which is just as well as the train I’m hunting started its day in Glasgow. It’s currently en-route to London.

Feel free to pop back later to see what I get up to (and where).

10:38.

I’m on the move. Having strolled down to Sowerby Bridge sans hat and gloves due to temperatures making it into double figures I’m now aboard Northern’s 10:23 to Chester via Manchester Victoria. Tody the service is made up from a pair of 2-car Class 195s so there’s plenty of space aboard – at least for now.

Sunshine in Sowerby Bridge.

14:30.

Apologies for the gap but I’ve been rather busy and it’s only now that I’m heading South that I’ve found time to take a break on a train with working wifi!

I was kept busy in and around Manchester stocking up on library shots of the refurbished interiors of some of the new Avanti Pendolinos. It was a bit of a hit and miss game as not every set has been refurbished, but as there’s three trains an hour into Piccadilly the odds are in my favour! As it is, I struck lucky early on so had to to ride a couple between Manchester and Stockport before a last change at Stoke-On-Trent. You’ll be able to read the full train test (written by my old friend Pip Dunn) in a forthcoming edition of RAIL magazine. Right now I’m on another refurbished Pendolino heading South to London. I wasn’t entirely convinced by the refurb when the first sets came our but I have to admit I’m beginning to warm to them – and certainly see the advantages when I’m using them as a mobile office. The table layout with all their mains and USB sockets (plus an induction charger for mobile phones buried in the table top) is much more efficient – as is the sockets buried in the seat back in front of you when you’re sitting in an airline seat. The new two-part tables are good too.

When I’ve have time to glance out of the window as we’ve passed through Staffordshire I’ve been taken aback at the amount of flooded fields. I know it’s been wet in the Pennines and the land wasn’t exactly dry when I was down this way the other month, but I’d have expected levels to have subsided by now.

15:30.

We’ve reached the outskirts of London. I’ve been busy editing pictures (I’ll add a couple when I get to Euston) whilst keeping one eye on the weather. The clouds have broken here in the outh and we have watery sunshine which may allow me some photographic opportunities. I’m still on a learning curve with the new camera, trying different settings and experimenting. One thing I’ve noticed is that the Nikon Z9 (because it has so many features) is much more menu-based that the older, simpler D5 so it’s not as instinctive. No doubt I’ll learn, but a learning curve it is.

16:00.

On arrival at Euston I couldn’t resist the temptation to try out one of the new Class 730s sat in an adjacent platform, so now I’m en-route to an old stomping ground: Watford Junction. I’ve not got time to fully explore this train but first impressions are positive – apart from the quirk that there are no armrests on the seats. Admittedly, that makes them feel more spacious, but on a long journey it could be a problem. On the plus side, there’s decent sized tables, plenty of power sockets and also wifi.

23:15

Welcome to the end. After what’s proved to be an interesting day it time to call it one. I met up with my old friend Hassard earlier and now the pair of us are relaxing at his gaffe in Clapham having enjoyed the home-made Lasagne and Bakewell Tart food parcel that Dawn supplied before I left Yorkshire!

The two of us met at Euston, which was an interesting experience as the place was so quiet compared to how I remember London. Hass’ explained that Monday’s become very quiet as it’s the day many people work from home. Thinking about it I can see the parallels in Yorkshire, it’s just the fact that in London – it’s writ large.

Anyway, it’s now time for me to sign off. I’ll leave you with a last couple of pictures from today. There’ll be a lot more tomorrow.

The changing face (and livery) of regional services from London Euston.
Going underground…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Sallying forth (despite the weather)…

06 Tuesday Feb 2024

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10:15

‘Tis yet another wet and windy day here in’t Pennines. Despite that I’m going to get out with the new camera for a few hours. I’ve got to nip down into Sowerby Bridge to post some eBay purchases and pick up some shopping anyway, so I thought I might take a little detour to check out a couple of local rail sites. All will be revealed shortly. But first, it’s time to get kitted-out in waterproofs…

11:15.

It’s just as well I did don the rainwear. To say it’s somewhat inclement out there is an understatement. It’s bin day today. on my walk downhill I oassed thiis clutch of wheelie bins which have all been lashed to a gatepost due to the wind and torrents of water running down the hill.

Having deposited my deliveries at the post office I’m now drying out on the late-running 10:58 to Leeds as far as Bradford, where I’m probably in for another soaking.

13:10.

Yay! Despite the crap weather in the Calder Valley I managed to bail across Bradford without getting wet. Even better, when I arrived in Shipley the weather had broken. For a spell I was treated to patchy blue skies and watery sunshine whilst thunderous looking clouds hung around on the horizon.

Why was I in Shipley? I’d come to look at the site of the old rail connected Crossley Evans scrapyard on the branch from Bradford. This is going to be the site of the new Northern electric train depot that will be home to the company’s class 331 and 333 fleet. It’s very early days yet. Right now the site has been cleared of mountains of scrap and decades of woodland growth. Here’s a couple of pictures.

Thus are used to be covered in mountains of scrap. Now the old tracks are revealed. The main part of the scrapyard is beyond the bridge in the background. Tucked away under the bridge are two old diesel shunters that were used to move wagons in the scrapyard sidings. Unfortunately there’s no way to get a decent picture of them. The plan is to build a four road shed with each road capable of holding a four car set at the left of the site.
Looking down on the still-active scrapyard and rail connection to the Bradford branch with Shipley station in the distance. Regular scrap trains haven’t run from the site for many years. Once, the site was known for having a steam engine which was kept for shunting trains. Blogger Kris Ward has some good pictures of the industrial locos and mainline workings which you can find here. Access from the main line will be retained whilst four dead end stabling sidings will be built where all the blue skips are in the background.

To say this is a rough neighbourhood is an understatement. Even the XL bully’s walk round in twos! So, I was circumspect with the camera as the footbridge I was perched on to take some of these picture was an absolute dump that looked like a hang-out for some of the local ne’er-do-wells. The skilled and semi-skilled jobs the depot will bring to the area will no doubt be welcome to some, although ironically, the local MP is a right-wing Tory who’s not a fan of rail. Quite what he’s ever done for the area (or why they keep electing him) is a mystery as – having had a wander around the place I can honestly say it’s a bit of run-down dump.

17:00.

Whilst I was lucky with the weather in Shipley It was clear that wasn’t going to be the story elsewhere, so having achieved my aim I didn’t hang around other than take a slight detour on the way home to admire other work nearby. Guiseley station on the line to Ilkley is having both platforms extended, so I popped in between trains to have a quick look.

Guiseley, looking towards Leeds.

The extensions will allow 6-car trains to use the Ilkley line in rush-hour. I must admit, I’ve not travelled the line since Covid struck so I really should take a trip up there soon.

Catching the next train into Leeds I changed to get home via Dewsbury in order to have a look at progress on the Trans-Pennine Route upgrade as far as Heaton Lodge Junction where my train swung off to head back to Sowerby Bridge. There’s a lot of earth-moving around Ravensthorpe but no massive changes that demand another photographic visit just yet. Maybe when the weather improves…

Right, time to bring this blog to a close as I’ve other stuff to keep me occupied this evening, such as writing for a living rather than fun!

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Driven by the wind….

26 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by in London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel, Weather

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06:30

Quite literally! I’ve been woken several times through the night by howling wind beating against the front of the cottage as it blows, unobstructed across the valley. By 05:30 I decided there was no point in trying to get back to sleep so I’m already out and about, finishing my preparations for heading to London via a roundabout route – depending on what damage the latest storm may have done to the railways. At the moment our local line seems to be running fine apart from the odd cancellation, so we’ll see…

08:30.

I’m heading West today so the trip’s started with a walk downhill to Sowerby Bridge. The winds abated and there’s clear skies over the valley on what promises to be a lovely day – not that I’ll be around to see it. I’m currently on the 08:02 to Manchester which is worked by a pair of 2-car Class 158s.

First train of the day…

It’s a quiet train. Well, at least it is in the front car! That said, we’ve just crossed the Pennines to call at Littleborough where there’s a healthy number of passengers waiting for us.

10:30.

Having strolled across an unusually subdued Manchester city centre from Vic to Picc I caught a train to my next change point. Crewe. The station’s been a long-time haunt of mine. I first started comming here on my own as a young teenager. Needless to say – it’s changed a bit since 1973! My stay was brief – just long enough to grab a couple of shots and pick up my onward connection to my next port of call, Wolverhampton.

The Crewe station canopies were in a lot better condition in the 1970s. At least they had glass in them then!

I’m currently travelling on a London North-western Class 350. They’re fine as regional trains go but a bit plain vanilla nowadays. They don’t have tables, plug-sockets or USB ports, which is a bit ‘retro’ in 2024 but the seats (even if they are 3+2) are comfortable enough.

14:30.

I’m gradually making it down (or Up in railway parlence) along the West Coast Main Line. Delays were to be expected and one happened before Birmingham International where we were trapped for 13 mins by a new train that was on test but that had failed. Here’s the culprit.

“hello control. That new train you gave me? I’ve broken it”!

Next stops were bittersweet as they contain a lot of memories. First off was Coventry where I admired the classic 1960s station and looked askance at the modern (souless) addition which seems to be more a carpark with ticket barriers than a station.

Want atmosphere? Bring Oxygen tanks…

I hopped from Coventry to Rugby, a place I had a lot of happy connections with and where I spent Xmas and Boxing day 2005 stood in the tracks as the big blockade to rebuild the lines all went horribly wrong. A lot of the atmosphere has gone since I first got to know it. The cafe/bar on the island platform’s long gone…

Still, there’s always something of interest passing through and the station sees regular test trains as the new Class 730s are ‘run in’ like this one.

Not broken…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Hard hat required…

24 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by in Birmingham, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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06:16.

I’m preparing to head off to Birmingham which could be fun as the wind has been howling outside all night. At least it’s not been rattling the windows (we’ve had ’em all replaced) but I could be propelled on my way to the station this morning! I may need a hard hat for more than one reason today.

07:30.

My walk to the station was spent dodging the detritus of the latest storm. Stepping over failed fence panels and blown over safety fencing whilst crunching the odd tree branch underfoot. Atop Spring Edge I was entertained by the contents of people’s upturned recycling bins. Caught in vortices they danced and pranced like fighting cocks!

At least the rain held off until I was in sight of the station as an umbrella in this weather would have been an exercise in futility.

Now I’m aboard Northern’s 07:20 to Leeds made up of a pair of 2-car Class 195s. It’s a busy train carrying workers and students into either Bradford or Leeds.

At least the vestibules are roomy on 195s…

08:45.

Oh, joy! I’m ‘doing a Jeremy Corbyn’ in a vestibule of Cross-Country’s 08:11 from Leeds to Bristol via Birmingham. It’s a rammed 4-car Voyager, completely unsuitable and inadequate for modern Intercity travel between some of our major cities.

At least the toilet we’re forced to stand next to isn’t stinking. Yet…

What makes me angry? This is all we have for the forseeable future because of the incompetent bunch in charge of the country. In 9 years time we *should* have had a modern, high-capacity, high-speed railway opening, but the Tories cancelled it and ‘Mr helicopter’ Rishi Sunak then wrnt on to can the alternative via Manchester. Another irony? Due to more government penny-pinching the trains that used to provide extra capacity on this line have all been sold off and are now running in Mexico!

09:00.

Whoopee! At Sheffield I managed to find a perch in a luggage rack in coach C. It’s mayhem as people try to claim their reserved seats in a car were there’s far more punters than cushions.

10:55.

Arrived. And so it starts…

13:00.

Here’s a taster of what I’m seeing.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street gave several interviews to TV companies as he celebrated the official launch of construction of the station at Curzon St.

17:15.

Wow! What a fascinating day. Whilst one section of the media came and went by lunchtime as they were only there to cover West Midlands Mayor Andy Street’s speech on the official start of work on Curzon St station (and words on the future of HS2 to Manchester) the rest of us hung on for a full tour of the site which included a reip up yo the train deck as well as a wander to the South-Eastern end of the site where two massive bridges (one already under construction) will cross over road and rail links. Some of the facts and figures of construction were amazing. Like many HS2 sites, what uou see above ground is like the tip of an iceberg. I’ll be adding some more pics later.

Right now I’m heading North via Cross-Country again, only this time via Manchester…

22:00.

Home again! On my way home I stopped off to see an old friend and colleague who was staying in Stockport for work. We had time for a quick drink and catch up before I made my way back into Manchester to swap between stations to make my way home. Having already completed more than 25,000 steps I was very happy with Dawn’s offer to pick me up from the station and save me making that 30k!

Now i’m preparing to switch off for the evening but I did promise I’d post a last couple of shots from today’s visit, so here they are – shot on my new Z9.

We were given access to the bridge decks, which gives a very different view of the site. This is the second deck away from the existing West Coast Main Line into New St. In a few years time I’d be standing in the middle of the ‘four foot’!
One of the massive weathered steel viaduct supports made in Bolton, Lancashire and assembled on site before being welded together. The details of the construction of these piers is quite a story. The tolerances involved in some of it is as little as 1mm.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Sunshine interlude…

15 Monday Jan 2024

Posted by in Liverpool, Photography, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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13:10

Not a bad start to the week! Today we have wall to wall sunshine in the Calder Valley – and sub-zero temperatures to go with it! It’s currently -1 which has warmed up since first thing when it was -3. Despite the cold I’ve been tempted out with the camera as this weather’s too good to waste. I’d like to have got out earlier but I had too much to do. Maybe tomorrow. Right now I’m on my way to Liverpool via Manchester for a flying visit to try and catch the last Class 508 remaining in service – and hopefully grab a shot of 507001 if its running.

13:40.

I broke my journey at Newton-le-Willows to check out the work extending the station’s platforms. Currently tthey can only cope with four-car trains, which is a bit awkward when 5-car TPE services call. Like this one I’m on now.

It seems odd to think this station was once a ‘Motorail’ hub. The Manchester bound platform extension is being built over the site of the old ‘Motorail’ loading bay. Here’s a better view of the work.

16:00.

Bloody hell, it’s cold! I made it to Liverpool at the same time as patchy clouds blew in from the West, which caused a slight rethink. I decided to concentrate on trying to get shots of the last Class 508 as it’s already living on borrowed time as it was due to have been withdrawn the other week. Knowing it was on the New Brighton vircuit I opted to ‘ambush’ it at Liverpool Central then catch it out to the Wirral with the hope of getting some sunshine shots. Sadly, the low sun and clouds didn’t play ball. Still, I managed a few controlled light shots at Central and Conway Park. Frustratingly, the unit has suffered a crap graffiti attack on one of the driving cars. Ho hum.

508104 calls at Birkenhead North on its way back into Liverpool after working to New Brighton.
The return working to New Brighton seen at Conway Park. The half-arsed attempt at graffiti can be seen on the front car. It’s a shame but as the unit only has a day or so left in service before it goes for scrap I can’t see it being cleaned off.

16:50.

I hung around Liverpool long enough to get a handful of library shots then decided to call it a day and head home as I’ve had some picture requests from a magazine that need my attention, plus, it ain’t getting any warmer! Right now I’m on one of Northern’s all-stations services to Manchester Victoria via Earlestown that would have been worked by Class 319s but are now 331s. It’s a busy train but I’ve managed to blag a seat at a table to set up the laptop and begin sorting out today’s pictures. I’ll add some later when I get home.

21:15.

I’m home and thawing out whilst editing a few of today’s pictures. Here’s a small selection as promised.

The new order. 777006 at Liverpool Central earlier today with a service to Ellesmere Port.
The last of its class. 508104 should already have been withdrawn but it has had a charmed life and hangs on. Latest news is that it will be stood down at the end of services on Tuesday 16th January. Here it is working the 14:35 from Liverpool Central to New Brighton.
777019 approaches Birkenhead North with a service to new Brighton.
Despite what the destination blind says, 777005 was very much in service on the New Brighton line. PIS failures are a common and confusing fault on the new trains.
The old order hangs on. Here’s 507010 working the 16:03 service to New Brighton, seen at Liverpool Lime St.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Wending my way to Wendover…

11 Thursday Jan 2024

Posted by in Buckinghamshire, Hs2, London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel, West Yorkshire

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06:25.

04:15, what a time to be alive! Well, half asleep really as that was the time my alarm clock went off this morning. Dragging my bones out of bed I had an hour to prepare and get myself out of the door before beginning my walk to the station. To be honest, it was one of the best strolls I’ve had for a while. I was in no hurry and the weather was mild (3 degrees) and dry. Whilst strolling up the hill to Spring Edge I looked back across the Calder Valley and the lights of Sowerby Bridge which looked lovely and peaceful. I was momentarily confused when I saw the lights of a 6-car train wending its way below me as nothing should have been running. Then it revved up its engines and the distinctive deep roar reverberating across a sleepy valley gave away the fact this was a pair of Trans-Pennine Class 185s on a diversion. I didn’t pass a soul on the way into town. Even the dog-walkers and their pets were still abed. Even the roads were quiet with just the occasional motorist around. Actually, it really was a good time to be alive…

The centre of Halifax at 05:30. Not a creature was stirring…

Now I’m on Northern’s 05:59 to Leeds. Despite the hour it’s a busy train. Dozens of folk were waiting to catch it at Halifax and many more have joined at Bradford Interchange. Of the 15 seats in the back of the rear car 11 are occupied. I suspect they may fill up before Leeds…

06:50.

My Hebden Bridge – Leeds train was early into Leeds, a rare event as normally you expect to be held outside waiting for a platform, but at this time of day there’s less chance of delays having accrued. This was fortunate as I managed to get ahead of myself by 20 minutes as I made a connection with LNER’s 06:40 to Kings Cross. I’ve now got the mobile office set up in a table bay ready to catch up with the day. At this point I’ve realised the flask of coffee I made to bring with me is still sitting on the kitchen work surface back at home. Bugger! Off to the on-board shop it is then…

08:25.

The arrival of dawn coincided with us passing Peterborough at speed. Supposedly, the days are getting longer but that’s not how it felt today. Now we’re bowling along South of St Neots in half-light past flooded fields that bare testament to just how much rain we’ve been having these past couple of months. The sun’s doing its best to break through the low, patch cloud so I’m optimistic we might get some good weather in Wendover by the time I get there. In the meantime, it’s warm and cosy aboard this train for the next 20 odd minutes before we reach London…

08:30.

I’m always fascinated by the way the weather works. After passing Hitchin we crossed into what’s obviously been a cold front. Everywhere (houses, cars and fields) is coated in a layer of frost so thick you could almost mistake it for a light dusting of snow. What a difference to the mild weather I had on my walk this morning!

08:40.

We’re in the North London suburbs. Having broken through the layer of cloud bordering the capital we’re once more enjoying clear blue skies.

09:55.

On arrival at Kings Cross I transferred to the ‘tube’, or in this case the old Metropolitan line which isn’t a tube at all. An uncrowded train deposited me at Baker St, a station whose architecture and detail I’ve always admired. I was in no hurry so whilst humming Gerry Rafferty’s musical homage I took pictures of the remnants of a more genteel and less rushed age.

Now I’m at Marylebone, waiting for my train to depart, having swum against the tide of incoming commuters. Marylebone has always been the odd one out of London’s termini. It still is today as it’s the only one that’s purely diesel powered – with no sign of electrification in sight…

10:40.

Almost there. The journey onChiltern’s been fine but by God their old ‘Thames Turbo’ fleet is looking tired. The seat coverings are threadbare, vestibule doors are missing and the whole train needs a damned good clean.

17:00.

Apologies for absence but it’s been another busy (if Baltic) day looking at the start of the Wendover viaduct deck push-out. I’ll describe it in more detail later, right now I’m on a train from Banbury into Birmingham have explored a couple of other HS and E-W rail sites with a friend (Chris Howe). In the meantime, here’s a couple of pictures to be getting on with.

The Wendover viaduct looking South. In the background (below the crane) is Jones’ Hill wood.
The view from atop one of the bridge pillars looking North towards Wendover.
Looking South from atop the same pillar. The construction site is long and very narrow. The track to the left is the haul road used for moving spoil from further South to be reused North of Wendover.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.cozm/paulbigland68312