Tag Archives: Rolling blogs

Rolling blog. Swindon – the long way round…

22 Tuesday Oct 2024

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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07:00.

It’s a calm morning here in West Yorkshire as I pack my bags and prepare to begin my journey down to Swindon. I’m not taking the quickest or most direct route, far from it. I don’t need to be there before this evening, which gives me time to stop off on the way. But where? You’ll soon find out…

08:20

My stroll down to Sowerby Bridge coincided with the arrival of a heavy shower which made for a soggy walk. I ended up waering rather than carrying my  waterproof PPE jacket!

At the station it was business as usual on Northern with many trains cancelled or delayed. My 08:02 is 7 minutes late, which means I’ll be sprinting between Victoria and Piccadilly later if I want to make my connection.

The state of Northern is an object lesson for those who think ‘renationalisation’ is a magic wand cure for the railways ills. Northern was taken back ‘in house’ by the Department of Transport way back in 2020. Yet, more than four years later it’s plagued with issues. Timekeeping is awful, cancellations rife and Sundays a day to avoid travelling as complete routes are canned on a regular basis.

On my way (finally)…

09:45.

And relax..

Despite the conditions, our Northern driver managed to claw back enough time that my sprint across Manchester paid off. I made Avanti’s 09:15 with less than a minute to spare. Now I’ve stripped off and am cooling down in air-conditioned luxury. Well, standard class anyway! 

I see that punctuality is an issue on the West Coast too. We were 4 mins late into Stockport, where we picked up a healthy load of passengers. We gained even more at Macclesfield, which means this 9-car, peak time train is already almost full.

I wonder if we’ll manage to make up any time?

10:15.

– as if!

We crawled much of the way to Stoke-on-Trent where we arrived 10 minutes behind time. Now we’re making slow progress towards Colwich, where we’ll join the main trunk of the West Coast Main Line (WCML). We’re not scheduled to stop again until Rugby but with the route being so congested and with us having lost our path I’m not optimistic. I have a 12 minute connection ahead of me. I suspect the chances of me making it are minimal.

To add to the fun the onboard wifi is awful as it keeps glitching and dropping out, leaving me typing this on my phone. Oh well, there’s little for me to do but window gaze and admire the clouds. They reflect my mood. Dark.

11:30.

Things are picking up. I decided to abandon my connection at Milton Keynes as something interesting was due. Here it is.

Hello stranger!

Yestrday saw the first passenger (albeit empty stock) trains running on the East-West line between Bicester and Bletchley, terminating at Milton Keynes. Both GWR and Chiltern have provided stock. GWR will be using part of the West Coast route as the line into Paddington will  be blocked whilst construction begins on the Old Oak Common interchange station with HS2.

13:00.

I continued on to Bletchley where I took a little diversion. There’s a line from the town to Bedford. It’ll become part of East-West rail but right now it’s worked by a trio of Class 150 diesel trains borrowed from Northen. I’ve not travelled on it since these DMUs took over from the aborted Vivarail Class 230s so I thought I’d have a trip out to Apsley Guise and back.

150139 ready to work the 11:45 Bletchley to Bedford.

On my return to Bletchley, and with the clouds closing in I decided it was time to head into London.

15:20.

The last leg! After having a mooch around Euston station – which is much improved now that giant advertising screen’s been switched off – I caught a tube to Paddington and a fast train to Reading.

I rarely travel along the Thames valley by GWR nowadays, so I’m wondering. When did it become fashionable for the majority of passengers to sit in the aisle seats, so that they can ‘reserve’ the window seat for their bag? It’s endemic down here! Having stopped off between trains to get a few shots of Reading I’m now on my final unit of the day – another GWR Class 800 to Swindon. The weather’s bucked its ideas up around here, so there may be the opportunity for a few more shots in the sunshine before I’m due at the hotel.

800321 was my chariot from Reading to Swindon. I’ll give it one thing, it can certainly shift!

17:00.

I’m now checked into the hotel. Yet again my arrival somewhere coincided with the appearance of rain clouds, so there was little point in hanging around at the station. At least there was this welcoming sign on the old Great Western hotel opposite the station.

Arkells is a beer that doesn’t seem to travel well. I’ve never encountered it outside Wiltshire. The irony? There’s another pub across the road. What draught beer was it selling? Timothy Taylors – from Yorkshire!

Back soon. It’s time to meet up with everyone else…

23:55.

So much for ‘back soon’! I’ve had a really interesting night catching up with old friends and some of the people who’ve signed up for this hands-on training session. We had time for a quick drink in the bar earlier. This is what the future of the railway industry looks like. And I like it.

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 HS2 progress report…

09 Wednesday Oct 2024

Posted by in 2017 General election, Hs2

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05:45.

Another early start for me, even though I only got home late last night. This morning I’m travelling down to Bicester to meet up with a small band of fellow specialist media to have a look at progress on phase 1 of HS2 between Calvert and Quainton. But (as usual), first I’ve got to get there, which involves several trains. Let’s see how the day unfolds. This could be ‘fun’ in this neck of the woods at least as we’ve got heavy rain this morning…

06:55.

My walk to the station was damp, but the ‘heavy’ rain failed to materialise. Instead I was treated to the steady drumbeat of persistent but hardly torrential rain on my umbrella as I trudged through the deserted  streets of Halifax.

Now I’m aboard the first train of the day, a 2-car Class 150 working the Bradford to Huddersfield shuttle service. It’s surprisingly busy for the time of day, although – as I’m not a regular user I couldn’t tell you if this is normal or not. The main thing is – it’s warm, dry and I’ve got a seat!

Early-bird workers catch the Huddersfield shuttle.

07:20.

We arrived at Huddersfield on time but now I’m in TPE territory so the next few Westbound trains are all running late. One’s 30 down (fault on the train) but mercifully, mine’s shown as just 1 min late – but we’ll see.

The station continues to change thanks to TRU rebuilding. The old tea room had disappeared. The area where it stood has been resurfaced and seating installed, which helps restore space for passngers but there’s no shelter from the cold in the winter.

07:35.

Success! My service was just a minute late! I’ve now got the ‘mobile office’ set up in a Class 185 forming the all stations to Manchester Piccadilly. This is another busy train which I expect to be full and standing by its destination. Dawn’s breaking now and I can see that the Colne valley’s just as wet and miserable as the Calder. Cloud level’s low enough that it’s cut off the tops of the surrounding hills.

07:50.

After traversing the Pennines through the Standedge tunnel we called at Greenfield and Mossley. As I predicted, this train is now rammed! Dozens of soggy commuters were waiting at each location. Most people think of this as an intercity route between Leeds and Manchester (which it is) but it also has a large commuting catchment which hasn’t been best served in recent years. Hopefully, when the TRU upgrade is completed this will be rectified. TRU is becoming more evident on this section of line now. There’s work going on at the lineside with vegetation clearence and mikes of new cable troughs – the first solid sign of action rather than talk. Plus, plans have been published to resite Greenfield station.

What’s still an unknown are any details of the erstwhile ‘Northern Powerhouse Rail’ new line from Liverpool which was meant to magically end at Marsden. 

08:35.

Oh, joy! Arriving at Manchester Piccadilly with a 12 minute connection time I thought everything was going well. Then I noticed that the 5-car Voyager I was meant to be catching was sat in platform 4 with engines off and lights out but dozens of folk stood outside waiting to board. Cross-country staff were wandering up and down (inside and out) but the engines didn’t start until after our departure time. With doors released their was a mad scamble to find reserved seats or vacant ones for those like me without a reservation. Still, at least I’ve got one this time.

We’ve left Manchester 9 minutes late which puts our path South in jeopardy and my 12 minute connection time at Leamington Spa at risk. Do Cross-Country ever make any time up on these runs? I’m about to find out.

09:10.

God, I hate this journey. As the only way of geeting between two of the major UK cities (Manchester and Birmingham) this is such a sub-standard product and thanks to that ignorant and capricious fool Rishi Sunak taking it upon himself to cancel phase 2 of HS2 this is the best we have to look forward to for decades to come. 

We’ve lost more time, having left Stoke-on-Trent 10 mins late (who-hoo, we pulled back a minute!). The go/no-go point for me will be New St. Then I have to make the decision wether to stay on the train and try and make the connection at Leamington Spa or hotfoot it from New St to Moor St to pick up the train there. The latter could well be the better option.

11:00.

Bugger…

My optimism at making my connection faded just as soon as we left Wolverhampton still 10 minutes down, this rail corridor’s notorious for congestion and sure enough we lost more time and arrived at New St with me having 5 mins to make it across to Moor St. I arrived just in time to see my train pulling out. Now I’m 30 mins behind schedule with no option but to get a taxi from Bicester to the site for a rapid change into PPE.

Oh, I checked what time the Voyager got into Leamington. It was 15 down as that point – with the London train long gone. Just another frustrating day in the railway…

19:00.

An interesting but frustrating day. But first here’s a couple of phone pictures from earlier. I’ll add camera shots just as soon as I’m able.

Looking North along the HS2 trace South of Calvert with the waste incinerator to the left. The view’s from a new bridge being built over the tracks which will eventually number 6 at this location. HS2 will be on the left, the Aylesbury rail link in the centre, plus a pair of sidings for refuse trains to the right.
Looking South from further up the trace. This will be a new green bridge with a bat mitigation structure adjacent to it. The route will be four track at this point. Sheephouse wood is seen to the left.

We finished our tour at Calvert, a site that’s seen many changes – and a lot of recent flooding due to heavy rain. Despite that, progress is impressive.

After the tour our merry band were dropped off at Bicester North to begin the trek home. That was fine as far as Banbury, then late-running Cross-Country trains thew a spanner in the works. I should have been heading home via Derby and Leeds. Instead, I’m perched in a luggage rack in a 4-car Voyager heading for Manchester.

Don’t ask how many people are crammed in the vestibule behind me…

21:15.

And breathe…

I’m on the last leg on the way home. The 4-car Voyager from Birmingham to Manchester remained busy throughout. Some seats swapped occupants several times but I gave up trying and stayed wedged in my luggage rack. There was no way I was going to get anything productive done on the train so why bother?

Needless to say, my train (1M61) was delayed arriving into Piccadilly by a series of signal checks due to congestion. We were 19 minutes late on arrival, having clocked up 18 of those from Stockport.

Having walked across a busy but somewhat subdued city centre I treated myself to a pint in the Victoria Tap as I had time to kill before catching the train I’m on now, the 20:57 to Leeds. Made up of a pair of 2-car Class 195s, it’s mercifully quiet after the Voyager – hence me having time to do this update from the ‘mobile office’

Dawn’s kindly offered to pick me up from the station so I’m not going to be back home at too daft a time, but downloading the camera and adding more pictures to this blog may have to wait. I’m looking forward to having a few days at home now to catch up on picture editing and writing before we both head off for a break in a pert of the country I’ve not explored for several years. But more of that another time…

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. Conferring in Nottingham. Part 2…

08 Tuesday Oct 2024

Posted by in Community rail, Community Rail Network, Nottingham, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Transport

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10:00.

The conference has already begun here in Nottingham.

First up was a welcome video from Lord Hendy, whose full diary prevented him for appearing in person. It was introduced by Simon Huish from the DfT who’s acting as event moderator.

11:30.

We’ve had a busy day so far hearing from a range of speakers, including Jools Townsend, CRN’s Chief Executive, James McGowan, Public Affairs & PR Director for the Rail Industry Association and Emma Robertson, Programme Manager for RAIL 200. Afterwards all three became part of a panel discussion.

17:30.

Another busy day. The conference finished around 16:00 after a really interesting day where people had divided into breakout groups to discuss the subjects that really interested them. Apart from being busy taking pictures of the sessions I ended up being a major part of one as it was a discussion around photography and the law that included model releases and permissions. As you can imagine, as a 25yr long member of the National Union of Journalists I had a few legal perspectives and anecdotes to offer.

A chunk of the CRN staff were heading North together so we walked/caught the tram to Nottingham station where we adjourned for a drink in the station’s micropub before catching trains. The pubs located in the old wooden taxi office which was restored with a grant from the Railway Heritage Trust, so – we were still working, right?

Now we’re on Northern’s 17:17 to Leeds which is worked by a 2-car Class 195. It’s rammed, so it’s standing room only..

19:40.

Thankfully, the train emptied out after Alfreton, which seems to be the limit of Notts commuters on this service. The three of us managed to get seats. After Chesterfield we bagged a table whilst other colleagues joined us. We lost people en-route at Sheffield and Barnsley, leaving Dawn and I alone to Leeds. Now we’re on the last leg aboars a rather more roomy 3-car Class 158 working the Hull to Halifax run.

We’ll be glad to get home as we’ve both got work to finish. Plus, tomorrow I’ll be up early as I’m travelling down to Bicester to join an HS2 media trip looking at structures around Calvert and Southwards – so expect another blog on my adventures.

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. Conferring in Nottingham (pt 1)…

07 Monday Oct 2024

Posted by in Community rail, Community Rail Network, Nottingham, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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11:50.

Today both Dawn and I are heading to Nottingham for the annual Community Rail Network conference which is held over the next two days. It’s familiar territory as we’re back in a venue we’ve used for several years now as – unlike the awards – we don’t need to move location every year.

Community rail staff, officers, and volunteers will be making their way from all around the country to attend. It’s always a great event as it’s a chance to catch up with old friends and socialise as well as swap best practice ideas and learn more about the community rail world and wider rail context in these changing times.

Right now the pair of us are heading to Leeds to catch Northern’s direct service to Nottingham. It’s not the fastest journey in the world but it’s an easy trip that will pick up other members of the team en-route. I’ll blog on and off throughout the day, so feel free to pop back and see what we get up to.

21:00.

Humble apologies for the long gap but it’s been a full-on day. A few colleagues joined us on the train to Nottingham so most of our time was taken up catching up. Once we’d arrived it was a case of hot-footing it to the venue to check in and arrange what happened next. I managed to have an hour to myself to get a few pictures out and about in a very civilised city that more of a European than English feel to it, but that’s partly due to this sensible form of transport. Trams.

The conference kicked off at 17:30 with registration, which is always an entertaining event as Dawn works on the desk, so the humour was flying.

Once in the room people had time for a drink and to network before we were treated to introductory speeches and a run-through of events.

Then came the important part – the food!

This isn’t like a normal conference where the agenda and topics are set beforehand. Here, people are given 45 minutes to talk with others on their tables, then suggest topics to be discussed in tomorrow’s breakout sessions. There was no shortage of suggestions. The most popular were decided on by a show of hands and some great ideas were chosen.

Now it’s time to wind down and let the networking continue, which more some of us means adjourneing to a nearby pub!

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. Going to Goole…

03 Thursday Oct 2024

Posted by in Goole, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Siemens

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06:00

Today’s a rather important one in the life of the East Yorkshire port of Goole. It’s actually an important day for London too, as will be revealed later. But – well, you know the drill by now – first I’ve got to get there (and back of course). I’ll be setting off shortly. Let’s see how the journey unfolds…

07:00.

Today’s walk to the station was a lovely one. Daybreak brought some lovely colors to the sky on what’s a crisp, still morning. As usual, Northern has cancelled trains due to staff shortages but my 06:53 to Leeds was running. Formed of a 3-car 195 this is a fairly quiet train carrying early-bird workers, although I expect it’ll fill up en-route.

07:40.

Step 2.

After an unremarkable but comfortable journey to Leeds I’ve swapped a DMU for this beastie, which will push me to Doncaster.

91105 waits to head to London after arriving from Skipton.

08:30.

The railway is behaving itself today! I’m now on the last of three trains needed to get me to Goole. This time it’s a Northern Class 170 which was cascaded from Scotrail a few years ago. They’re good comfy trains that we rarely see West of Leeds as they mostly operate out of Hull. I’ll be adding a few pictures of them on my return.

10:35.

This is why I’m in Goole…

Guests, workers and the media assemble, waiting for the arrival of Transport Minister Louise Haigh and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

11:30.

Louise Haigh addresses the audience.

The speeches from Lou Haigh and Sadiq Khan were interesting. Not because they made any announcements about new train orders, but by the direction they took. Haigh was keen to suggest that the days of ‘feast or famine’ train orders would be coming to an end. She stressed that transport investment was a priority at the heart of the new Government (so I’ll be watching this month’s budget with interest). Khan made it clear that much as these new Piccadilly line trains were very welcome, replacing the life expired Bakerloo line fleet (trains older than Khan himself) was a priority – and that it wouldn’t just be good for London, it would be good for Yorkshire and the economy as a whole. The pair of them (plus Siemens Mobility CEO Sambit Banerjee) gave a round of interviews to national and local TV and radio companies. I had to crack a wry smile at seeing the Mayor of London being interviewed by LBC radio – in Yorkshire!

14:30.

Well, that was an interesting few hours andering around a train-building factory getting pictures of the great and good. I’ll add some camera shots later when I’ve had chance to edit them. Right now I’m on a Northern Class 158 heading for Hull where I’ll have a short interlude before beginning the trip back to Halifax. It’s a lovely sunny day here in the East Riding of Yorkshire, so it would be a shame to waste it.

18:40.

My Hull hiatus allowed me to make the most of the sunshine and catch a few library shots like this.

Rather than catch the slow (but direct) train to Halifax I opted for a TPE service in order to make use of the tables and power sockets to set up the ‘mobile office’ and begin editing today’s pictures. It certainly passed the time. Sadly, congestion East of Leeds meant I missed my connection which pulled out just as we arrived. Now I’m on an old warhorse in the shape of a 3-car Class 158. The irony? It’s the slow train from Hull I flagged earlier!

21:00.

I’m home, so here’s a selection of camera pictures from the event.

The front row guests included Seb Dance, Louise Haigh and Sadiq Kahn,
Sambit Banerjee, joint chief executive of Siemens Mobility welcomes everyone to Goole.
Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh outlined the Government’s plans for transport.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, welcoming the new trains.
It wasn’t all serious!
Of course, no official opening would be complete without a plaque!
Louise and Sadiq getting the rundown on construction of the new tube cars.
A car in the bays for fitting out. The width of the double doors is evident.
The cars are fitted out in a row of bays like this example.
One of the bogie-less intermediate cars formed part of the stage-dressing for the event.

Meanwhile, later in the day in Hull…

One of the former Scotrail Class 170s cascaded to Northern that provide services across the East Riding.
Yep, it’s that time of year again. The ‘leafbuster’ Railhead Treatment Train (RHTT) takes a break at Hull, top and tailed by 37254 and 37116.

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. Liverpool loitering…

29 Sunday Sep 2024

Posted by in Class 323, Liverpool, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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10:55.

This morning I decided that I would have some time out in order to head over to Liverpool in order to see the last two West Midlands Class 323s on their Branch Line Society farewell railtour. Of course, they’re not disappearing from North-Western metals, or even Liverpool (where they’re likely to be more common) but it is the end of an era for the Midlands.

Getting there is proving to be ‘fun’ as Northern’s timetable is in disarray. Services on several routes have been cancelled completely whilst others are very hit and miss – like the one I’m on now, the 10:21 from Sowerby Bridge. This should be a service to Chester, yet all the electronic information shows it terminating at Manchester Victoria – well, except the onboard PIS (Passenger Information Screens) which still show it as final destination Chester. Oh, it’s also running 11 minutes late due to problems with crewing at Bradford Interchange. Northern have a wonderful excuse for these SNAFUs. They say it’s due to a ‘short-notice timetable change’. It’s infuriatingly meaningless, a catch-all that could cover anything but that imparts no understandable reasons for late-running or cancellations whatsoever. I hate it. It’s such an insult to people’s intelligence.

Despite the lateness, I *should* still make my connection at Manchester Victoria. Trans-Pennine Express are running a truncated service from Huddersfield to Liverpool. I just hope the weather on Merseyside is drier than last Sunday!

Watch this space…

11:35.

Changing trains at Victoria was painless. The station was very quiet, no doubt due to the combination of the weather and reduced services. My TPE service was waiting for me in the next platform, leaving me plenty of time to board and set up the mobile office in the almost empty front car of the train.

12:35.

Here’s what all the fuss is about.

Journey’s end. The units rest at Liverpool Lime St.
Of course, the farewell wouldn’t have been complete without the attendance of Hunslet bear!
The return working with 323222 in the lead storms through Liverpool South Parkway.
That’s all folks…

16:00.

The loitering’s over and it’s time to head home. I’d considered a number of side trips whilst I as here but the levels of cancellations and late-running made me change my mind. Transport for Wales and Northern were busy cancelling services and/or entire routes, whilst other operators had trains running very late. East Midlands Railway were a good example of why people get frustrated with the reliability of information. EMR had a 14:51 from Liverpool to Peterborough advertised (this would normally go on to Norwich, but hey ho). 15 mins before it was due to depart there was a platform change, with people traipsing from platform 8 to 9. The info screens showed it was ‘on time’ right up to the moment of departure. Only it couldn’t have been. The inbound service had left Nottingham 52 mins late at 12:35. As Class 158s aren’t fitted with warp-drive there was no way the driver could have made up that amount of time. At departure time the train was still at Hunts Cross on the outskirts of the city. It finally arrived at Lime St 43 minutes late and left 28 mins down. All this was known to the railway powers that be, so why were passengers lulled into thinking it was on time until the last minute? We have the technology to keep passengers better informed, so why aren’t they? The railways really need to do better.

Right now I’m aboard a train that is on time. TPE’s 15:51 to Huddersfield which I’m using to get to Manchester. I’m making the most of the warmth too. Whilst it was sunny in Liverpool temperatures were less than kind. Autumn is very much in the air.

19:45.

I’m back home, having beaten the rain and enjoyed a comfortable trip to Manchester I waited at a very despondent Manchester Victoria for a train back across the Pennines. There was a distinct dearth of both services and passengers – until the Leeds train arrived, when people appeared out of the woodwork and filled the three-car train.

As I headed back to Yorkshire I pondered on Northern’s poor performance and reflected on the fact the company has been ‘nationalised’ since 2020, yet its performance has got worse, in that time, not better. An inconvenient fact for people who see things through ideological lenses and insist that public ownership of our railways is the solution to all its problems…

I’m going to bring this blog to a close with a couple of extra pictures. One from Lime St and one from home.

331108 passes through Lime St cutting whilst working 2A97, the 15:29 Liverpool Lime Street to Wilmslow.

Whilst I’ve been out and about Dawn’s been busy at home cooking up yet another storm. Firstly, batch-cooking a massive amount of Lasagne for ourselves and her parents. Then there was our evening meal. Lamb with a medley of vegetables…

Yum!

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 (ish) blog. Liverpool Labouring…

22 Sunday Sep 2024

Posted by in Liverpool, Photography, Politics, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel, World car-free day

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11:05.

Bliss! I could have a lie in this morning for the first time in ages! But now it’s no rest for the wicked as I’m back on the rails, heading for Liverpool on an assignment at a Labour party conference fringe event as today’s also world car-free day. Right now I’m heading for Huddersfield aboard a 2-car 158. I’ll pick up a service to Liverpool from there.

The first of today’s chariots…

OK, time to go. I’ve some writing to do – I’ll be back soon.

13:30.

I’m back! I didn’t really notice much about the trip from Huddersfield to Liverpool as I was too busy writing. All saw saw was the weather getting worse. Now I’m here at a very busy Lime St. The station’s positively abuzz with people and some events to do with the Labour party conference – as you’ll see from the pictures. I’m glad I’ve brought my golfing umbrella as I suspect I’m going to need it. The forecast suggested there was a 50-50 chance of rain. The weather’s decided to ignore those odds. All I can do is hope that it clears up in the next couple of hours…

A Rail Delivery Group stall on the station reinforcing rail’s green credentials.
This poster greets you as soon as you leave the station. As you can see, the weather’s rather wet!

18:30. Well, that was a fun day, just about everything that could go wrong did. The gig was actually two banners and two groups of people that were tied together plus a group of walkers as well as cyclists. Only the weather didn’t play ball, there were issues with the location as well as people being late. And talk about herding cats! Still, the job got done in the end and the clients seem to be happy so that’s what matters.

Now I’m heading back East as there’s no point in hanging around. Besides, it’s Sunday the supposed day of rest and whilst I’ll be home based next week (sadly) I’ve a lot of work to do. I’ll add a couple of pictures later. Right now it’s time to relax in the dry aboard my TPE service to Huddersfield.

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. Saturday special…

21 Saturday Sep 2024

Posted by in Greater Manchester, Manchester, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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06:00.

Ugh, a daft time to be up and about on a Saturday morning but I’m off to Manchester to join a train that only runs on a Saturday, and then only on one return trip. More on that when I get there. First I have to traverse the Pennines once more to get to the start line…

07:30.

This morning’s a grey, chilly one in the Pennines. My stroll down into tge Calder valley to Sowerby Bridge was pleasant enough though. The town was quiet, with just two other people waiting to join Northern’s 07:23 to Leeds which is operated by a pair of Class 158s. It’s lovely and warm inside and the train’s on-time, which is a good start to the day.

08:00.

Sao far, so good. My connection at Mirfield (I won’t bore you with anymore new platform pictures) was faultless. I’m now aboard a quiet 07:46 to Manchester Piccadilly, but on as far as Stalybridge. The weather’s just as gloomy here in the Colne valley as it is in the Calder. I hope it’ll pick up when we’re the other side of the Pennines.

08:35.

Remind me never to apply for a job as a weather forecaster! There’s fog and drizzle over in Greater Manchester right now! But at least I’m on the train I wanted. Once a week, on a Saturday, Northern run a return service from Stalybridge to Stockport via Guide Bridge and the (normally) freight only line through Denton and Reddish to Stockport. There’s only the one return service and right now – I’m on it.

The 08:30 Stalybridge to Stockport.
There’s only me and one other passenger in the front car.

09:00.

We’re now at Stockport, waiting to head back to Stalybridge. The old bay platform this service used was filled in long ago. Now we have to occupy the adjacent through platform. I’ll write at length about the trip, the line and its stations later. Right now I’m travelling back as far as Denton – the last in a very long list of stations I needed to photograph.

What’s suprised me about the return trip is how many people are using it. There’s a handful of older men who look like rail enthusiasts, but there’s several ordinary passengers with luggage who seem to have stumbled upon it for some reason.

Our train in platform 1. The old Stalybridge bay platform was to the right.
Calling at Reddish South on the return. The old couple had got on here purely to have a trip on the train to Stockport and back. According to the ORR passenger use statistics, the station had an annual footfall of 100 passengers in 2022/23, down from 158 in 2019/20. I wonder how many of those trips were made by this couple?

09:30.

Today I was one of two people to use Denton station.

156426 at Denton. The other chap who got off was keen to stay out of the picture! According to the ORR (Office of Road and Rail) statistics, the station saw 34 passengers in 2022/23, down from 92 in 2019/20. It retains its title as Britain’s least used station.

Now to walk back to Guide Bridge…

12:00.

I’m back in central Manchester after my explorations. I’ll add more pictures from Guide Bridge later. Now for a short interlude in a packed city-centre before catching a train back East.

20:55.

Wow! The day’s flown by! I’m afraid I won’t have time to add anymore words and pictures for now as I’m back at home, catching my breath before the next adventure. Tomorrow I’ll be in Liverpool for a Labour party conference fringe event. Sunday is world car-free day I’ll be there with Cycling UK and Community Rail Network to help get the message across. Watch out for the 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. Coventry connection…

20 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by in Community rail, Community Rail Network, Coventry, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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05:00.

Oh, God, is that really the time? Yep, I’m up and about, packing my kit to head off to Coventry for a job with Community Rail Network. I’ll explain more (with some pictures) later. But first I’ve got to get there and that involves another trip on a 4-car Cross-Country Voyager from Leeds. Deep joy. What conditions will I face this time? But first I have to catch the 06:16 from Halifax…

06:16.

We’re off. The streets of Halifax were deserted this time of morning apart from a handful of early-bird tradesmen waiting for lifts t2o work. Light drizzle arrived half way through my trip but it was so half-hearted it did little other than add starbursts to my glasses.

I had an anxious moment when I arrived at the station to see a cancelled train near the stop of the screen but it was the first Rochdale service, not mine. I’d only just made it down the stairs when a 3-car 158 pulled in. The 06:16 starts here, working the first train of the day to Hull. Now I’m making the most of a coach shared with just 4 other passengers.

One down, two more to go…

06:40.

A delay with the crew changing ends at Bradford Interchange (where the service reverses) has left us running 4 minutes late. It cuts into my connection time at Leeds, but as long as we don’t lose more time I’ll still make the 07:11 to Birmingham. Fingers crossed…

06:52.

Having stopped at New Pudsey and Bramley this train’s really filled up. We’ve also lost another minute. Judging by how gingerly our driver approached the stop at Bramley I get the impression railhead conditions aren’t great. Still, next stop’s Leeds and we’re due in at the same platform (11) that my connection departs from. Let’s hope we get a clear run into the station…

07:30.

Well, I made my connection at Leeds, but there was fun and games at the station. LNER’s 07:08 to Aberdeen was cancelled but blocking a platform, so several trains were delayed as a result, including mine. When it did arrive it was already busy and dozens of people were waiting to board. When I got on I found every unoccupied seat was reserved! I was trapped by folks criwding in the car from either end so there was no oltion but to take what was on offer – an aisle seat reserved from Sheffield.

Putting out four-car sets like this is crazy. This service is going all the way to Plymouth. The other crazy thing? When I was at Derby works yesterday I saw six perfectly serviceable 5 car Voyagers that had come off-lease from Avanti West Coast which were in ‘warm store’. Why are they not cascaded to Cross-Country, the way three of their sisters have? Because of the Dept of Transport, that’s why. They won’t agree to it.

08:40.

Oh well, it was good whilst it lasted. My seat was taken at Sheffield, now I’m reduced to standing in the large luggage/bike area that used to be the shop on Virgin Voyagers. I did try ‘doing a Jeremy Corbyn’ by sitting down in a vestibule but there was a howling gale through the bottom of the exterior door. Only another 30 mins of this to go…

10:55.

Swapping services at New St I managed to get a seat on a Pendolino, even if it was for only 20 minutes!

Now I’m at Coventry, ready for the main event. It’s being held in a community room om the station that I realised is the old Virgin Trains 1st Class waiting room. Ironic. I was commissioned to take photographs of it when it first opened 20 years ago!

13:10.

Here’s a couple of pictures from today’s event hosted by Heart of England CRP and attended by the local MP, Mary Creagh and people from Rail Delivery Group, DfT and the community groups involved in projects on the station, including artwork in the new station building. I’ll add more details later.

Mary Creagh MP (in the orange jacket) talking to volunteers and others at Coventry station.
Having a laugh with one of the artists who worked on the paintings displayed in the new buildings at Coventry station.

15:35.

I’m on my way back via the ‘scenic’ route. Having got fed up of standing on Cross-county Voyagers I saw a train heading for Nuneaton so thought ‘I know, I’ll go by the Trent Valley. It’ll be slower but less busy’. Well, the first part of the plan worked. The 2-car Class 196 I caught had seats aplenty. Then I arrived at Nuneaton. The first Northbound Pendolino was rammed so I deciided to get the North-Western trains service to Crewe following behind it. Bad move. That was just as busy, but the clientele are (how shall I put it) more ‘budget travellers’. It’s all rather sad.

I walked the full length of the train, but it didn’t get any better apart from the fact I managed to find a seat. Sadly, it was behind a father and daughter (both pissed) talking about their life of crime going back to when she was 12 and he had the kids shoplifting for him – like some modern day Fagin.

16:25.

To say I was glad to leave that particular train at Crewe is an understatement! It being Friday the usual chaos and kate running ensues, meaning I couldn’t resist joining a former West Midlands Class 323 working to Manchester via the Airport. It’s blissfully quiet and ‘chav’ free.

21:45.

I’m home via the long way round via Huddersfield, so it’s time to call it a day. I’ve got to be up at silly o’clock again tomorrow to head over to Manchester on final time on this commission – and hopefully catch a rather erratic train. All will be revealed tomorrow.

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. Derby developments…

19 Thursday Sep 2024

Posted by in Alstom, Derbyshire, Photography, Railways, Travel

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08:45

I’m heading East then South for a change. Right now I’m preparing to head out and catch a train to Leeds before heading down to Derby for a media event at Alstom’s Derby works. I’ll talk more about that later. it should certainly be an interesting day. But first I’ve got to get there. Let’s see how that goes…

09:55.

Having walked to Halifax on a gloomy and rather chilly morning I’m aboard my first train of the day, Northern’s 09:54 to York. As usual, it’s a well-used train.

11:15.

Well, this is ‘fun’. I’m on Cross-Country’s 11:11 to Plymouth, which is a single 4-car Voyager, and it’s absolutely packed! I’m stood in the leading car along with five others and another six in the vestibule by the disabled toilet.

The reality of Cross-Country rail travel in 2024. This is as good as it gets for the forseeable future now that HS2 to Leeds has been cancelled.

So much for being able to do some work on the train…

16:55.

I’m back! Sorry for the delay but it’s been a busy day as I ended up getting roped into a few things. I’m quickly adding a few pictures now using non-train wifi. I’ll add details from the train on the way home. So, here’s ‘Dreamsuite’.

I don’t have the opportunity to write about this fully as I’m aboard a train on the way home, so here’s details lifted straight from their press release.

“Future Travel Studio proudly announces the launch of DreamSuite™, an innovative seating solution inspired by the luxury of aviation flatbeds, now adapted for train travel. This revolutionary product is designed to offer an affordable yet comfortable solution for sleeper and long-distance rail passengers. It has been unveiled today at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works, the only UK facility that designs, engineers, builds and tests trains for domestic and export markets.

Backed by Innovate UK’s First of a Kind (FOAK) 2023 funding, DreamSuite™ has been developed with sustainability in mind, aligning with the rail industry’s push toward greener, more environmentally friendly transport solutions.

As the demand for sleeper trains continues to rise across the UK and Europe, DreamSuite™ provides a response that not only enhances comfort but also encourages a shift toward eco-conscious travel, helping the rail industry meet its climate and sustainability goals.

One of the key challenges in developing sleeper trains is the lengthy and complex process, which requires specialised rolling stock and is typically limited to night-time services. DreamSuite™ overcomes this by introducing aviation-style flatbed seating, allowing operators to use existing rolling stock and provide more operational flexibility. This not only reduces operational costs but also opens up new possibilities for daytime services, without compromising on passenger comfort.

By delivering an experience that rivals traditional sleeper trains, DreamSuite™ ensures that passengers can enjoy premium comfort without feeling like the quality has been compromised”. It’s certainly an interesting idea and the people behind it have the experience to deliver it.

Speakers at the event included Jeremy Hotchkiss from the DfT.

Afterwards, a trio of us were given a private tour of the works. Here’s a Greater Anglia Class 730 which is in for modification work.

Behind all the HVAC systems I spy something built for services out of Euston.
The 2nd built class 701 is kept at Derby. It’s used as test-bed for various modifications like software updates. When the programme is completed it’ll be put back through the works for all the modifications to be applied before it gets to enter service. I was given the opportunity to drive it.

Having been roped in to supplying pictures I ended up staying longer in Derby than expected. Purely by chance I ended up being there in time to take part in Alistair Morley’s leaving do. Alistair, who worked for EMT and EMR has been a stalwart of the community rail movement for over 20 years.

What could be more appropriate than posing the group with Alistair (far right) under an old station sign from one of the routes he looked after for so many years?

23:00.

Right, goodnight folks. I’m now back at home but It’s another early start tomorrow as I’m working in Coventry. Expect another (hopefully less busy) rolling blog then.

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