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…
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/
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…
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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 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/
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/
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/
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/
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/
‘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/
Paul Bigland 