Tag Archives: Rolling blogs

Rolling blog: ACoRP judging, day 2…

18 Thursday Jul 2019

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07:00.

So much for a quiet night. The problem with Derby is that it’s a railway town, so you’re never far from someone you know. After finishing our judging and being dropped off by Donna, Mark and I went for a much deserved pint and something to eat. Afterwards, my plan was to come home and work in the hotel to catch up on pictures and a few bits. Hah! As I’m on the phone outside the station I bump into an old train driving friend, Rob Buchanan Scott. For once, I take a ‘selfie’ with him – something I rarely do because as a photographer, we make other people the stories, not ourselves. Next thing I know I get a message from another old friend (Jon Lusher) who happens to be staying in the very same hotel, so we end up meeting up for a catch-up for the first time in several years!So, work delayed.Right now I’, off for breakfast as we’re on the road again at 08:00. We’ve four more stations to see today, starting with Donna driving us to Market Rasen, let’s see how the day goes…

14:21.

It’s been a busy day so far as we’ve covered a lot of miles but only seen two stations! It took our host, Donna Adams from E Mids Trains two hours to drive to the pretty town of Market Rasen, after which it took another hour to get to our second station, Heckington, where we met the local station group and Poacher Line rail Officer Kaye Robinson. After a lunch stop we’re now heading to one of the smallest stations (in terms of footfall and services), Ancaster.17:37.I’m now on my first train of the day! After visiting Ancaster we ended the day at Radcliffe before Donna drove us back to Derby. We couldn’t have got round all nine stations without Donna’s invaluable help and her local knowledge. Now Mark have gone our separate ways and I’m heading up to Sheffield on a busy East Mids Trains Meridian.

20:43.

I’m almost home after a long day. Having travelled up from Sheffield on Northern Rail’s ‘scenic’ route via Wakefield Kirkgate and Normanton I’ve added to it by catching a Leeds – Southport service via Dewsbury to get to Sowerby Bridge! I’m looking forward to having a day home tomorrow as there’s lots of plotting, planning and paperwork to do – not to mention picture editing. Here’s a look at the four stations we visited today.

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Market Rasen station as 153372 Calls whilst working 2T21, the  09:57 Newark North Gate to Grimsby Town service. Anyone who remembers how unwelcoming this station was in the 1980s-90s will be amazed to see it today. Sadly, the overall roof was demolished in 1941 to ‘aid’ the war effort. 

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Heckington station as a pair of EMT Class 158s approach whilst working 2S14, the  12:15 Skegness to Nottingham

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Rural Ancaster, looking West from the barrow crossing. Only eight trains per day call here.

DG329174. Radcliffe station. 18.7.19.

Here’s Radcliffe on the Skegness to Nottingham route. Its infrequent service hasn’t put off a dedicated band of station adopters who’ve made great strides in improving its environs. 

 

 

Rolling blog: More ACoRP judging…

17 Wednesday Jul 2019

Posted by in ACoRP, East Midlands Trains, Rolling blogs, Travel

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05:13.What a time to be alive! Well,out of bed anyway, I’m getting ready to head off to judge the ‘It’s your station’ category for the 2019 ACoRP awards. Over the next two days Mark and I will be visiting 9 different stations across the territory of train operator East Midlands Trains, starting at Longport at 08:39 this morning. Stick with me and see where we get to before ending up in Derby tonight…06:22.It’s a glorious summer morning but with just the right amount of post dawn chill to make the walk down to Sowerby Bridge a comfortable rather than a sweaty experience. I’ve caught the 06:21 Leeds to Chester to get me as far as Manchester Victoria. Today an unrefurbished 3-car Class 158’s been allocated to the service.Unsurprisingly, it’s fairly lightly loaded at this part of the journey but it certainly won’t stay that way.06:55.As expected, after stops at Hebden Bridge, Todmorden and Rochdale my train’s half full in this carriage, not bad for the first service of the day! Now we’re trundling the last few miles into Manchester because we’re following another service. As we pass Northern’s Newton Heath depot I can see the civils work that’s happening to build the new shed which will be dedicated to maintaining the new CAF trains. The shed’s being built adjacent to the main line. Ironically, it’s kn a patch of land I remember being used as dump fir old DMU cars awaiting scrapping back in the 1970s. Now it has a more productive use!07:30.On arrival at Victoria I did my usual mad dash across the city centre to Piccadilly station. The city’s just beginning to wake up. Many of the poor souls who’re homeless are still asleep- and who can blame them? Sleep’s a steess-free release from the wretched situation they find themselves in.It breaks my heart to see scenes like this in so many UK towns and cities. After a decade of politically enforced ‘austerity’ (well, for some) the problem’s exploded and it’s only going to get worse whilst those billionaires, spivs and self-entitled toffs who’re trying to foist a no-deal Brexit upon us are in such positions of power and influence. Any Brexit will harm the economy, but they really don’t care as they pursue their own selfish political and financial interests.07:37.My sprint got me to the station in time to catch an earlier train. Cross-Country’s 07:27 to Bournemouth. It’s worked by a 4-car Class 220 (017 for the number crunchers) and it’s rammed, despite being a peak time train. This is what it looks like in coach C after leaving Stockport, and yes, I’m sitting in the luggage rack again!I’ve written many times before about how poor an offering this is when it’s the only intercity service between two of our biggest regional cities, Manchester and Birmingham. Roll on Hs2 when we’ll have decent sized trains on the route and times will be cut by 52%!11:48.We’ve now got two stations under our belts, having just left Belper. I won’t go into too much detail but we’re seeing some very different stations and groups.13:30.How’s this for a ‘bug hotel’? It’s on the 3rd station on our list…

15:22.

Station No 4’s been visited and we met Derek, a 93 yr old WW2 veteran who served in North Africa. Were now on the way from Syston to our last port of call for today. Spondon.

Rolling blog:Essex escapade…

15 Monday Jul 2019

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06:15.

I’m up, sipping coffee, catching up with the dawn of a new day and preparing for my journey from West Yorkshire down to Upminster in Essex. Hopefully all’s well with the world (and especially the East Coast Main Line) so I won’t be having any ‘adventures’ on the way…

07:14.

It’s a beautiful still, sunny morning for walking to Halifax station.

After a brisk stroll I arrived at the station with a couple of minutes to spare before joining my first train of the week, the 07:42 to Leeds which arrived bang on time (I hope this is an omen for the rest of the week). Today we had the luxury of a 4-car 150/142 lash-up, so I’m happily bouncing my way to Leeds aboard this!

My train’s only half full, allowing plenty of choices for a seat, which makes a pleasant change.

08:25.

We’re arriving at Leeds and it’s the usual stagger from signal post to signal post before a platform becomes free. It’s rare that you get a clear run into the station nowadays, especially in the peak. No doubt the new platform that’s under construction will help matters but it won’t be until Hs2 comes along that we’ll see much more capacity released. If only Leeds had a tram network that could be connected to the national network and run tram-trains on services like the Knottingly or Brighouse routes.

09:11.

I’m now speeding South on a late running Azuma which is working the 08:45 to Kings Cross. The set was delayed on the way North by a trespass incident so arrived 20 mins down. Speedy work by the onboard crew and the platform staff loading catering kit managed to reduce the deficit to a mere 5 minutes, which is time we should make up on the way. I’m relaxing in the quiet coach at the rear of the train, which is quiet in more ways than one, there’s only half a dozen of us in it, and that’s after leaving Wakefield Westgate. This was us at Leeds.

Today’s a gorgeous day to be travelling as the weather’s superb, there’s hardly a cloud in the Yorkshire sky but the forecast for London’s not so bright. Even so, I’m not complaining as my commission’s an indoor one!

10:16.

We’re now bowling along through the Cambridgeshire fens South of Peterborough at 104mph. The weather forecast has been spot on and we’ve left the Yorkshire sunshine behind for a blanket of fluffy low clouds with just the odd tantalising glimpse of blue sky.

10:31.

We’ve just sped through Biggleswade at 125mph, having made up the time we lost earlier. The Azuma’s are certainly nippy things and their acceleration and braking is impressive. I fully expect to arrive in London on time.

11:35.

As expected we made up the time by Kings Cross. I soon picked up my old London pace and ducked and dived between the tourists, navigating rapidly through the tube to Tower Hill than dashed up the staircases at Fenchurch St to catch the 10:32 which will take me to Upminster.

On reflection, next to the Isle of Wight lines, the c2c TOC out to Southend and Shoeburyness is the one in the country that I use the least. It wasn’t always so. For a decade (when I lived in London’s East End) I lived within spitting distance and often used it for business and pleasure. It still feels familiar, even if the suburban scenery that surrounds it has changed a bit in the past 30 years!

What hasn’t changed is some of the people and I have a stereotypical ‘Essex girl’ sat behind me, complete with hooped earrings, Tango tan and incessant chatter about nothing!

17:23.

Sorry for the gap in blogging but it’s been a non-stop afternoon. I was kept busy at the IECC as the staff were more than happy to be involved in the photo shoot and it turned into a really informative and interesting time. So much so that I ended up staying beyond my allotted time just chatting about the industry

Afterwards, as the weather was breaking and the sun was muscling in on the act I decided to head out to Leigh-on-Sea to capture some c2c train shots for another client. I’d not been around the area for several years so I was curious to how much it had changed. The answer was – not a lot! I’ll add some pictures later. The combination of great weather, views across the Thames estuary and a couple of good pubs was sooo tempting, but it’s a busy week and I needed to get home so (reluctantly) I tore myself away after getting the pictures I needed. Right now I’m heading back to Fenchurch St, hoping to miss some of the rush crush.

21:19.

Sorry! – another gap…

My Azuma to Leeds is just pulling out of Doncaster as I’m on the final(ish) leg of the journey home. I’ve been busy editing pictures, distracted by a superb sunset evening – and trying to keep up with events in Parliament, where the 3rd Reading of the Hs2 Phase 2a Hybrid bill has passed 3rd reading by 263 votes for, only 17 against. It’s another crushing example of how little political support the anti HS2 campaign had in real life. Anyway, here’s one picture from earlier. This is a trio of the latest sets to join the c2c fleet to complement the 357s. Six of these Class 387s are leased from Porterbrook, which means this train is made up of half of the fleet!

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Rolling blog: the Big 6 on tour – Waterworld!

07 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by in Calder Valley, Canals, Food and drink, History, Mytholmroyd, Rolling blogs, Transport, Travel

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08:30.

Today, a group of us from our local pub (The Big 6) are on tour again, this time we’re off for a canal cruise from Hebden Bridge to Sowerby Bridge and back. Watch out for pictures throughout the day.

12.11

It’s time for lunch. We’ve been going for a few hours and various people have had a go at steering the barge. We now know who not to trust with the tiller! This was my stint as I’ve been on narrowboat holidays several times before.

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Eventually we moored up for lunch, scoffing lots of delicious food that Ruth and Kath had sorted out and cooked in the galley.

14:47.

We’re now on our way back from Sowerby Bridge and Dawn’s proved to be a natural at navigating a narrow boat. She’s taken us through several bridges and two locks.

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Here’s the full compliment, well, minus me of course as I’m behind the camera!

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We even had our very own wandering minstrel in the shape of Otto Uzans, who brought his accordion along.

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Rolling (ish) blog: Manchester travels…

05 Friday Jul 2019

Posted by in I love my job, Lancashire, Manchester, National Rail Awards, Network Rail, Northern Rail, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Transport, Travel

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08:10.

It’s day two of working for Network Rail’s ASPRO (Asset Protection) team and this time the focus is on the Manchester area, so I’m on my way to meet them at NR’s Square 1 offices next to Piccadilly station. This is a ‘local’ job so I’m not encumbered with my overnight kit, which makes my bags a bit lighter!

I’ve caught Northern’s 08:06 service from Sowerby Bridge to get to across the Pennines. Made up of a Class 150/156 pairing it’s a surprisingly quiet train. I can only assume the holiday season’s in full swing. Needless to say, I’ve plumped for the 156 where I’m almost the only passenger in the rear car.

Unlike London where it’s meant to be even hotter than yesterday, it’s relatively cool here in the Pennines at 19 degrees with a blanket of high level cloud. At least I won’t have to cope with any harsh shadows today.

We’ve got a very busy schedule and plenty of sites to visit today so I’ll blog as and when I can. Hopefully there’ll be a few interesting pictures to add, although I don’t think I’ll be able to compete with the dramatic skyline pictures I took in London that are displayed in yesterday’s blog!

08:34.

We’ve now passed under the Pennines into Lancashire and our trains beginning to fill up with passengers from stations on the way like Littleborough and Smithy Bridge. Rochdale always provides a good crop of commuters so I expect we’ll be pretty full by then. This service is bound for Southport so it’ll probably be picking up the ‘bucket and spade brigade’ from Manchester.

22:28.

That went well then! Very sorry for the complete absence of blog updates. That’s partly because we were really busy and partly because not everything went to plan. Anyways, here’s a couple of pictures that give you a flavour of the assets we were looking at today.

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Brick arches at Salford. Below them is a compound for building new residential housing right next to the railway. 

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A new rail bridge over the A6

 

Rolling (ish) blog: London travels…

04 Thursday Jul 2019

Posted by in Engineering, I love my job, London, Network Rail, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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10:40.

I’m at Twickenham station after completing the first assignment with Network Rail’s ASPRO (Asset Protection) team where we visit the project you can see in the background to this picture.

This is the new station building that also contains flats and shops. It’s a complex project built astride the operational railway that’s due for completion next year. We’re now off to have a look at a similar project in Kew.

13:09.

Wow! That was interesting. You get to go to all sorts of places in this job. This triangular site is bounded by three railway lines. On one of them sits Kew Bridge station (just off the the left of this picture). Around the triangle’s a vast housing development that also includes Brentford Town’s new 17,000 seat stadium. It was originally planned to be 20,000 but this would have overhung the operational railway and proved to be difficult to maintain, so was scaled back.

15:52.

Next up was Vauxhall. Wait till you see some of the other pictures I took from the roof of this new 27 storey development!

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Like this, looking at Vauxhall station in a way you never normally get to see it – unless you’re in a plane!

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16:20.

Now I’m in Stratford, an area I knew well as I lived and worked near here for 11 years. I have to say, where we are now I wouldn’t recognise at all. The only thing that still remains is the railway from Stratford heading up to Lea Bridge. Everywhere you look new housing has sprung up.

18:49.

After a long, hot and sweaty day I’m heading back North on LNER’s 18:33 to Bradford Forster Sq. This is still worked by a Class 91 and Mk4 set, but they’re showing their age. This set is missing coach D, which is causing a few problems. Plus, both ovens in the buffet are kaput and the PA’s on the blink!. That said, the Train Manager’s doing an excellent job keeping passengers informed. He’s pointed out that the first stop is Stevenage, where (normally) at least 100 people will leave the train, so there should be plenty of seats available (he was right by the way).

21:05.

I’m on my last leg, if not my last legs! The journey up to Leeds was pretty good. I managed to get a bit of work done on the train but also had time to collect my thoughts for a bit and enjoy the scenery for a while, which is a rare treat.

Now I’m on Northern’s 21:08 from Leeds to Huddersfield via Halifax which is made up of a two-car 144 and 150 lash-up which were joined in the station as I arrived. I suspect they’re heading to Huddersfield for stabling overnight. For old times sake I’m travelling on 144009 as Pacer withdrawals start this month and soon, they’ll be all gone.

Rolling blog: Off again…

03 Wednesday Jul 2019

Posted by in I love my job, London, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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12:12.After a busy morning catching up on paperwork and checking and packing my PPE ready for tomorrow and Friday I’m getting ready to head down to London. The weather forecast is looking promising, so I can travel a bit lighter for a change. Let’s see how the day goes…13:38.I’m on the move after walking down into Sowerby Bridge. It’s a gorgeous day for a stroll, or it would be if I wasn’t carrying both the camera bag and a rucksack full of PPE!I caught a Leeds train, the 13:23 via Brighouse which is running 7 minutes late. It’s made up of a pair of refurbished Class 150s which are mostly empty this time of day. If anyone’s any sense they’ll have taken the day off to enjoy the sunshine!It makes a change to be heading for Leeds without a reversal at Bradford. I’m also enjoying the different scenery. The line through Brighouse to Mirfield is a shadow of it’s former self. Once it was four tracks all the way from ‘brig’, with massive goods yards and a vast amount of freight traffic along with a large steam locomotive depot at Mirfield, one of the last to close in the UK. The site is now a housing estate that was built in the last decade.Some of the towns haven’t fared much better, such as nearby Dewsbury (although it still has a lovely station and great station bar) and Batley, once renowned for its variety club and all the famous names that played there. Now, it’s infamous for the awful murder of Batley & Spen MP Jo Cox by a far-right fanatic.What Batley does have is one of the last surviving signal boxes in this part of the world, which protects a small level crossing to the East of the town. I’ll add a picture later.14:43.I’ve enjoyed a short break in Leeds in the sunshine, now I’m heading South bit by bit. First off is LNER’s 14:45 to Kings Cross which is worked by one of the companies fleet of HSTs that will soon be replaced by Azuma’s. The HSTs replacement on Intercity services is sounding the death knell for something that dates back to the dawn of the railways. The slam door…The HSTs that will remain in service are being converted to power operated doors, meaning the remaining slam door stock will be operated by charter operators and a couple of the freight companies like DB who lease them out to one or two operators like Scotrail, Abellio and Transport for Wales but they’ll be history on intercity services17:12.Far later than I expected due to technical issues with dealing with last minute picture requests, I’m now speeding south from Doncaster on another LNER service from Leeds, only this one’s a crowded and toasty Mk4 set. The air conditioning is struggling in my coach (F) but it’s the only one I could find a free airline seat in. Despite that, the crew have been great.All I can say is I’m glad I’m not dressed in full PPE (other than boots, which are easier to wear than carry) and I can dress down and pretend this is a local train in Thailand. Well, apart from the sights, sounds and smells, obviously!18:21.I abandoned my LNER service at Stevenage which offers a very handy connection to cross-London Thameslink services. The days of having to fight your way from terminal to terminal via the London Underground have dropped dramatically and will do so even more when Thameslink finally opens.20:18.OK, I admit I dallied in old haunts in central London for half an hour as the weather was so perfect. I bailed out of my Thameslink service at Blackfriars after seeing the stunning weather. I couldn’t resist a short walk aking the south bank just see see how the ever changing skyline of the ‘square mile’ looks like now.

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Mind you, it’s not just the city. After my stop-off I continued on to the rebuilt London Bridge station before heading back to Waterloo, where my train to Feltham was leaving from platform 24. Hang on a minute – 24? Yep, one of the old Eurostar platforms.

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See you tomorrow!

Rolling blog: Doncaster detour…

27 Thursday Jun 2019

Posted by in I love my job, Northern Rail, Photojournalism, RAIL magazine, Railways, Rolling blogs, Transport

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08:48.I’m on my way from Halifax to Doncaster for a Rail Safety week presentation at DB Cargo’s offices. My first train if the day is Northern’s 08:44 to Leeds, which is worked by a Class 150/153 combo. I’ve plumped for the better all round visibility of the 153, which is busy but not rammed. The only problem with these units is there’s very little leg-room in the airline-style seats.

Today should be an interesting event as it deals with mental health well-being and my old friend, RAIL writer Richard Clinnick is speaking. I’ve already had a busy day as I was up at 6am to polish an article I’ve written for RAIL about the ‘3 Peaks by Rail challenge’.

09:47.

I’m now ensconced in the quiet coach in LNER’s 09:45 to Kings Cross as far as Doncaster. Leeds station was busy with inbound commuters who moved like a shoal of scared fish through the barriers only to break in different directions due to changes in the concourse layout. The entrance to the concourse has been widened by removing the old ‘Upper Crust’ cafe and a new gateline is being installed further back from the platforms. The whole area’s a building site at the moment as it’s dotted with scaffolding holding up the decking from which the new roof’s being installed.

I’m travelling on a Mk4 set as this service hasn’t yet gone over to ‘Azuma’ operation, although that won’t be for much longer…

11:14.

I’m now at the DB offices at Donny and the first session today is about Defibrillators.

16:30.

Wow! That was an even more interesting day than I expected. I’ll blog more about it later when I can download my camera pictures. Right now I’m heading back to Leeds aboard one of LNERs brand new ‘Azuma’ trains. They’re quite impressive as they’re fast, the ride quality’s far better than the old Mk4 sets and the legroom in the airline seats is very good. Oh, the seat reservation system’s rather good too as it has coloured lights to indicate if seats are free or reserved.

18:00.

My final train’s just pulled out of Bradford Interchange en-route to Halifax on a glorious summer’s evening. What a day to have been cooped up inside an office! That said, I did manage to get a few library shots in the sunlight which I’ll add to my website soon. But not tonight as Dawn and I are out with friends enjoying bar food at the Moorcock Inn at Norland Moor. If I don’t get told off for being anti-social I might add a couple of restaurant pictures later. If not – expect another rolling blog tomorrow as I’ll be back in Doncaster for a press event.

Rolling blog: Pembrokeshire travels by rail.

20 Thursday Jun 2019

Posted by in Photography, Pubs, Railways, Rolling blogs, Station buffets, Transport, Travel, Wales

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My plans changed today at the last moment so I find myself sampling the railways of Pembrokeshire, starting out at Pembroke Dock.I’d no idea what to expect as I’d never been here before, so I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the old station building was not only intact – it was also in use as a bar and restaurant! In fact, it has been for the past 26 years, which is pretty good going when you consider the train service is one every two hours! The station Inn is one of those rare beasts nowadays as it’s also a live music venue (I’ll add a link to them later). There’s also a seating area outside for those who want to catch a bit of sun, which is what we’ve got today.

The sparse train service is relaxed to say the least as there’s a long turnaround time here. The inbound working arrived at 12:23 and it’s not due out until 13:09. I’m assuming there must be a crew messroom in the station building somewhere.

13:25

I’m now pootling my way along the branch which is actually very pretty as we pass castles, backyards and countryside whist stopping at a variety of single platform stations and level crossings where our driver still makes liberal use of the train horn – something that’s forbidden on many parts of the network due to complaints from those living alongside the line.13:44.We’ve now left Tenby, the major station on the line. It’s a town I’d never visited until this week but I can see the attraction. It has an interesting history, lovely beaches and good places to eat. Sadly, it’s a bit of a beer desert! Tony’s one of those towns that’s been taken over by the curse of ‘Doom Bar’. In many pubs it’s the only real ale you can find, which is why the arrival of the Tenby Harbour Brewery has been such a saviour!14:51.I’m now kicking my heels in Whitland, which is the junction for the Pembroke Dock line and the routes to Milford Haven and Fishguard. The station has two platforms, a BR(W) era signal box and rudimentary passenger facilities.

The single-storey modern station building is used as a base for Network Rail. At least there’s a platform canopy. Passengers on the Westbound platform have to make do with two bus shelters.

15:46.

I’m now on the 15:44 from Whitland which is heading for Milford Haven from Manchester. When you think about it, that’s quite a long trip. I wonder how many passengers (if any) do it point to point?

The line’s double track as far as Clarbeston Rd where the two lines diverge. The junction’s still controlled by an old GWR brick built signal box. The landscape around here puts me very much in mind of Devon & Cornwall, it’s gently rolling hills and rural nature are very similar, although they have a far better train service!

16:14.

Wer’e now West of Haverfordwest, a two platform station whose brick built buildings look like they date from the early 1950s. Unlike many stations it still sports a goods yard, although I’m pretty certain it’s only used by the occasional engineers train.

16:58.

I’ve arrived at Milford Haven, just over a mile from where I started. It’s another badly truncated branch line that’s seen far better days. After getting a few shots at the station (most if which is now shops) I’ve wandered through the harbour to explore. The inner harbour basin’s full of yachts whilst the quayside is lined with mock warehouse buildings that are a mixture of residential and retail. It’s a far cry from the harbours origins as a massive fish dock. I’m observing all thus from a modern restaurant/bar called The ‘Harbourmaster’ which straddles the yacht basin and the real docks on the other side of the river under the former refineries. The fact they’re mothballed now is evident from their chimneys which are all dead. Tankers still dock her, but only to fill the storage tanks on land.

Rolling blog: a new adventure begins…

16 Sunday Jun 2019

Posted by in 3 peaks by rail, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel, Wales

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09:39.

The 3 peaks by rail adventure’s over for another year and no doubt many of us are still on a bit of the high as it’s such an amazing experience to be part of. Here’s the Railway Children team on the train last night. For once, I’m actually in the picture, rather than taking it. Everyone’s hard work has raised over £225,000 for the charity.

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Last night I stayed in a hotel in Crewe as I’m on the move again today, this time to join my wife Dawn and her parents down in Pembrokeshire, where we’ve booked a holiday cottage for a few days. It’s going to take me most of the day to get to Carmarthen, where they’re meeting me, as my first train off Crewe isn’t until 11:11. I’ll blog about the trip as part of it is on the scenic Central Wales line from Shrewsbury to Llanelli.

11:20.

Not a great start to the day. Apart from the fact it’s bloody cold here in Crewe my first trip has turned into a bit of a farce. I’m catching Transport for Wales’s 11:11 to Shrewsbury. It starts at Manchester Piccadilly and terminates at Newport but for some reason there’s had to be a set swap at Crewe. Cue the usual confusion and melee of passengers as people transferred between the two sets, even though the terminating train drew up right behind the other in the same platform. We ended up leaving 12 minutes late, which is making my connection at Shrewsbury rather tight with no time to stock up on food as there’s no trolley service on the 12:04 to Swansea. Luckily I’d planned for such eventualies and kept back a couple of cereal bars from the 3 peaks trip!

The TfW Class 175 I’m on has definitely seen better days. The seals on a several of the windows have gone, leaving them covered in moisture and virtually impossible to see out of, It’s also full of litter left behind by previous passengers. All in all, it doesn’t give a good impression.

12:00.

I needn’t have worried about my connection! I did a bit of checking at it seems the stock to form the 12:04 comes empty from Crewe where it’s been serviced at the Arriva depot there. It’s following on behind us, so it’s late too!

12:15.

We’re off! Possibly because the Great Western Main Line in Wales is closed for electrification works so there’s the dreaded ‘bustitution’ this service is full and standing. Here’s the scene on the platform at Shrewsbury before our train rolled in…

Mind you, as the 12:04 is worked by a single-car Class 153, that’s not too difficult. I’ll be on this train for the next 3hrs 32mins, all the way to Llanelli, where the Heart of Wales line joins the main line to Swansea.

12:30.

Fist stop was Church Stretton, a place Lynn and I used to come to for walking holidays as it’s an ideal base to explore the nearby Long Mynd and some of the other surrounding hills. We continued South down the double track main line as far as Craven Arms. This is the junction where the Heart of Wales line branches off, cutting through rural Wales to reach Llanelli. You know you’re on a country railway straight away by the noise as much of the line still uses jointed track and the noise the wheels make as they pass over is very distinctive.

To compliment my trip and make it more interesting the weather’s picked up. We’ve got a combination of stormclouds, sunshine or cotton-wool clouds.

Having passed through several request stops or first fall’s been Knighton. The station has a passing loop so we have to stop there for the driver to collect the token for the next single track section.

A few miles further on we called at Knucklas, a tiny station and small village that’s famous for its attractive stone viaduct with its castellated ends. I stayed here many years ago to get pictures and I really should come back to update them one day.

13:43.

We’ve arrived in Llandrindod Wells where we’re passing a Northbound service operated by a Class 150. The town’s one of the biggest on the line. There’s no wifi on the train and the phone reception’s pretty ropey around here so expect gaps to this blog!

16:04.

I’ve changed trains at Llanelli (God, it’s rough), now I’m heading to Carmarthen. I ran out of time and wifi to describe the beauty of some of the Heart of Wales line but I’ll certainly be visiting again soon. Right now I’m looking forward to discovering at least one new line as I’ve never travelled on any of the routes West of Carmarthen before which is a unique situation for me. Over the years I’ve travelled 95% of the UK rail network but always managed to miss this corner.

The good weather I had in the North of Wales hasn’t been replicated down in the South. Instead it’s cold, wet and windy. Even so, it’s lovely to follow the coast here. The industrial dereliction’s been left behind to be replaced by narrow beaches decorated with driftwood and wading birds. Finally we leave the coast behind to head up the side of a narrowing estuary that leads us into Carmarthen, where (hopefully) the others will be waiting for me.