It’s nealy 14:00 and I’m gradually making my way back from an unexpected night in Southport, which turned out to be rather enjoyable. I didn’t get to meet up with the friends I’d expected to – but after getting marooneed I called in for a beer at a backstreet pub by the light show. I’ve not been in the Masons Arns for years and it was the last place I expected to see anyone. But by pure chance I stood at the bar next to a chap I’ve not seen for what must be 30 and more years! Alan (or ‘Bod’ as he was nicknamed in those days) was instantly recogniseable and was completely taken aback by seeing me. I ended up staying for a couple as we caught ip after so many years.
This morning I got to meet one of my neices (who’s growing up fast) as my sister was looking after her today. So my stay turned out to be very sociable.
Now I’m on my way back to Nanchester after a bruef stop in Burscough to make the most of the weather. Here’s some pictures.
One of the new Stadler built Class 777s bought by Merseyrail. These units are proving to be troublesome for a whole host of reasons.A pair of the oldest diesel units left on the national network, the Class 150, make their way from Southport across the West Lancashire plain at BurscoughIt’s a far cry from their Thameslink days! A class 319 converted to a bi-mode (diesel and electric) crosses the Leeds and Liverpool canal at Burscough.Is there something about the residents of Burscough that we’re not being told?
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The beginning of another week sees me combine business with pleasure for a varied day that promises to be fun – despite the poor weather. Yep, we’re back to heavy grey clouds, rain and possibly snow here in the Calder valley, so I’m having a day out.
Right now I’m on Northern’s 10:00 from Sowerby Bridge, heading for Manchester. Piccadilly, the city’s main railway station is closed for the next 9 days to allow the old trackwork on the approach to the station to be replaced. Only the two through platforms remain open to allow for freight to run to Trafford Park container terminal, and a handful of passenger services to Blackpool North and Liverpool Lime St with a shuttle service working to Oxford Rd to allow connections to elsewhere. Want to go South? Then you’ll be bussed to Stockport where all other trains are terminating.
After checking out how things are going my plan’s to head over to Liverpool, then to Southport, where something rather special is happening. This evening’s the last performance of ‘Lightport’. Billed as “free immersive light and sound experienceproduced by leading international artists Lucid Creates, that will turn Lord Street into a walk-through rainbow of colour and creativity”. Apparently it will light up a 400m stretch of the famous street, including the Monument, so I though it would be worth checking out.
Watch this space…
12:30.
My arrival in Manchester coincided with what Manchester’s famous for. Rain. Lots of it, which made walking from Victoria to Piccadilly a very soggy experience. Have you ever seen the film ‘Bladerunner’, where it’s always raining? That’s how Manchester felt. Sadly, there wasn’t much to see at Piccadilly. Whilst the concourse is open, the normally bustling trainshed was devoid of activity. A solitary class 66 sat burbling away, whilst a couple of Kirow rail-mounted cranes occupied another platform, having deposited their load of new pointwork.
At present much of the engineering work is taking place out of camera shot so I didn’t hang around and caught a train to Oxford Rd instead, which was rather more interesting (and photogenic). As well as passenger services there was a continuous stream of container trains, all of which were ‘top and tailed’ with a locomotive at each end as insurance in case of a failure (which would really bugger things up).
I’m tempted to come back to get pictures when the weather’s better. As it was, I departed the city under apocalyptic skies to head to Liverpool and my next port of call – which wasn’t a bad choice as the weather’s drier. We’ve even been teased by a few snatches of blue skies!
My 6-car train to Liverpool isn’t too busy. I’ve managed to set up the mobile office in a table bay and download some of the Manchester pictures which I’ll add shortly. Right now, it’s time to enjoy the journey…
22:30.
Sorry for the gap but today’s turned into a very different one to the one I’d expected – for a whole host of reasons. Right now I’m updating this blog from my sister’s sofa in Southport – where I’ll be staying the night due to Northern cancelling enough trains towards Manchester that I haven’t got a hope in hell of getting home. Not a good look when you consider today was the last night of the light show.
I’ve so much to blog about but the rest is going to have to wait until tomorrow when I have more time. Right now I’ll leave you with this…
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After yesterdays travels and exertions I’ve been having a quiet day here at Bigland Towers in order to recharge the batteries for another long day and silly o’ clock start tomorrow.
Much of my day’s been taken up by editing yesterday’s pictures, sorting out new stuff to go on eBay and working out just how many old slides seem to have mysteriously disappeared off my account the other year. I reckon there’s over 200 which were somehow deleted. I’ll try and add them again soon. Apart from that there was dealing with an invitation to the Avanti West Coast photographic competition presentation in London next month, plus contact from a previous customer who wants me to do a couple of days work trackside as soon as we can arrange it. So, all in all, not a bad day workwise.
Now it’s time to wind down, pack my kit and supplies for tomorrow’s little adventure, then get some sleep. I’ll let you know where I’m heading tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s today’s picture, taken in Southport yesterday.
One of Merseyrail’s Stadler built Class 777s at Southport, bearing a very odd destination! These units are several years old now but are still suffering teething problems, one of which is the Passenger Information System (PIS) which is powered by Teleste. The trains often don’t seem to know where they are or when they’re meant to be carrying passengers. Several of the units I saw displayed ‘not in service’ even when they were which resulted in a few despairing corrective announcements from station staff. This one’s even worse! Unless someone’s reinstated and electrified the Burscough curve without telling me, there’s no way this train’s going to Ormskirk!
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Another week begins, but this one sees me out and about more. Right now I’m on a Northern service from Halifax to Manchester in order to head over to Southport where the RAIL 200 ‘inspiration train’ is stabled until Tuesday. I’ve not had chance to visit this exhibition until now but seeing it in my old home town is rather appropriate. The train will continue its tour of the network through the next few months and tickets (which are free) are still available.
The weather’s decidedly mixed so it’s not the best day to be out with the camera. Even so, I’m hopeful of getting a few useful pictures. At least it’s mild (a balmy 7 degrees here in the Pennines) so I won’t be in danger of frostbite in the way I was on my last outing to Ribblehead!
My Manchester service consists of a 3-car Class 195 which is fairly empty due to the time of day, allowing to purloin a table bay and set up the mobile office in peace. I’ll be blogging throughout the day, so feel free to pop pack anythime to see what I get up to…
10:15.
We’ve now traversed the Pennines to an equally grey and gloomy Greater Manchester to call at Rochdale, which is the quietest I’ve seen it for some time. Only a handful of passengers were waiting to join us for the trip into the city.
11:30.
My time in Manchester was short, just long enough to get a few pictures around a very quiet station. You can tell it’s January as so few people are about. Everybody’s too skint to go out after spending loads over Christmas and New Year! It’s not a new phenomenon, but it is noticeable. Plus, the weather’s hardly conducive, but then I normally flee the UK in January, so I don’t normally have to experience all this.
The Wigan Wanderer. 158849 will take me as far as Wallgate
Right now I’m on another Northern service. This time as far as Wigan Wallgate via the old Lancashire and Yorkshire main line that avoids Bolton to go through the wonderfully named ‘Hag Fold’. The line’s a shadow of it’s former self, but there’s been an improvement in frequency since late BR days. I’m sat on a 2-car 158 which is virtually empty. Many passengers seem to join for short hops between stations.
11:40.
Bugger. Everthing was going so well until we reached Daisy Hill, one of those places where the lovely-sounding name bears absolutely no relationship to the surroundings.
My suspicions were aroused when we were still at the platform for minutes rather than the usual 90 seconds. The Conductor’s just walked through the train to inform us all we’ll be stuck here for a while due to a ‘problem’ on the line ahead. God knows what it is as we’ve been passed by a train in the opposite direction. Well, bang goes my connection in Wigan…
11:55.
We’re still enjoying the vistas of Daisy Hill. I’ve had a chat with crew who tell me the problem is due to the driver of a previous train having reported that they hit a swan…
Daisy Hill, with no hills or daisies.
12:35.
Hooray! We’re finally on the move, a mere 65 minutes late…
13:00.
Finally, I’m on my way to Southport. Rail services on the line through Wigan Wallgate are in disarray in all directions with many trains cancelled. Fortunately, a Southport train was running right behind mine so I had only minutes to wait in the rain befire boarding a busy 2-car Class 150 for the last leg. Sadly, the weather has dereriorated. The skies have closed in to bring heavy, peristant rain, so even if I hadn’t been delayed I wouldn’t have been able to do what I’d hoped. Maybe things will be better on the coast, but I’m not holding my breath…
17:00.
Well, that was an interesting day. The weather in Southport was drier, with cloud cover that was constantly changing to tease me. As I was late arriving I didn’t have as much time to expore as I’d have liked before I was booked onto the exhibition train so my wanderings were confined to the town centre. Not that Monday’s are a great day to explore because much of Southport seems not to bother opening on a Monday!
That said, there’s not as much to open anyways. The amount of empty shops in the town centre’s rather depressing, but that’s the nature of the modern ‘online’ world. There were some greenshoots with places that were long-closed having reopened, but trade was sparse to say the least. Some of the ‘improvements’ don’t seem to have been thought through either..
Maybe an aquatic plants display would have been sensible here outside the old market hall. At least the old ”Corrie” (Coronation) pub opposite has reopened in a new guise after being empty for very many years.
I had a bit of a trip down memory lane to pass old haunts, many of which have vanished, but after nearly half a century that’s probably only to be expected…
I arrived back at the station in plenty of time for my alloted spot on the exhibition train. Not only was it fully booked but staff did their best to squeeze on some ticketless folk. The levels of interest were really good to see. The audience was of all ages with the displays doing their best with limited space to inform, educate and entertain. What was lovely was to bump into several familiar faces from the community rail sector who’d come along to volunteer whilst the train’s in this part of the world.
With my time over on the train I hung around the station long enough to get some pictures before heading East. One thing I noticed was that Merserail’s new Stadler built trains are still having problems. If you’ll pardon the pun – their information systems are still up the Swanee…
Every train that I saw sat in the station displayed the message ‘not in service’ even though it was. Station staff kept making announcements to say ‘ignore what they train says’. Even worse was the final arrival I saw where the onboard screen insisted that the train was going to Ormskirk. What? Someone’s re-instated the Burscough curve overnight? We should be so lucky!
17:30.
I’m now on my way to Manchester aboard another venerable Class 150. It’s OK, the internals are well-maintained by the whole train’s showing its age. It’s about time these units had their swan-song (that’s enough bloody swan jokes for one blog: Ed)
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Well, we finally made it to the Southport flower show yesterday. The antibiotics I’d been prescribed had reduced the swelling of my hand enough that I could use my camera again without problems, which was a relief. Plus, the weather was back to wall to wall sunshine. Dawn drove us over to Southport on roads that were busy, but idiot free – even the M62 was behaving itself.
We didn’t attempt to park near Victoria Park, the venue for the flower show. Instead we left the car up on the Marine Drive and enjoyed a walk along the seafront – which had the dual benefit of gaining us exercise and saving us over 6 quid in parking fees! I’d not been to the flower show since I was a teenager, some half a century ago – so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Gone are the old staples, horse-jumping, the White Helmets motorcycle display team and the Red Arrows. In their place were falconry and canine display teams, alpacas and a few ponies – which made for a lot less noisier day! Despite it being the last day of the show, the place seemed packed. Lots of people were towing collapsible trollies they’d brought in order to cart away plants that were being sold off at the end of the day, which made navigating your way through the crowds a bit of a trip hazard, but also added to the atmosphere with people towing all sorts of exotic blooms or bushes along behind them.
One of the marquees we particularly enjoyed was the themed flower displays as many of them were very creative. Today’s picture is of one favourite. See if you can guess what it is…
Having walked miles around the show in the blazing sum we headed off to join my sister and her partner (along with her daughter’s family) in the tranquil setting of his garden for a few drinks and a catch-up, rounding off what had been a lovely day.
Now it’s a new week. The weather back here in West Yorkshire’s been dull and cloudy, such a contrast to Sunday. As the two of us have been working from home it’s not been an issue. However, tomorrow morning I’ll be in Birmingham on a press visit to one of the High Speed 2 railway construction sites. After that I’ll be spending the rest of the day exploring lines around the black country before heading home, so expect a rolling blog documenting the day. Until then, 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/
Yesterday was our second day at the seaside and one where we didn’t actually see the sea – but that’s not unusual in Southport – a town notorious for how far out the sea disappears to! We had a leisurely morning at the hotel we were staying in as there was no need to rush. The food and drink festival didn’t open until 10 so we could take out time. Typically, just as we left the hotel it started raining! The forecast had threatened showers but later in the day so we were rather glad to get ’em out of the way earlier as that promised better weather later. Sure enough, by the time us early-birds hit the festival the weather began to brighten up – although gusty winds caused a few nerves amongst the stallholders who had tents rather than more substantial structures.
I’d never attended this particular food and drink festival before so I was surprised at its sheer size. There were dozens of food stalls along with craft shops and people selling produce such as local honey. Kids were kept entertained with a selection of bouncy castles, bungy swings and sundry other devices. Victoria park covers a large area so there was plenty of space available for the ranks of stalls and associated tables.
We’d arranged to meet my niece there, but what I hadn’t realised was that she worked for the charity that arranges this and all the other major events held in the park – like the Southport flower show! We ended up spending a very enjoyable couple of hours catching up with her and her husband (who’d drifted in after work) as the park gradually filled up. Here’s a few pictures to give a flavour.
The beauty of caravans – they can’t blow away!Thai pies? Hmm…Making the most of the seating – although a lot of old hands brought their own chairs. By the time we left the place was getting very busy indeed…
The event’s obviously very popular, but I was a little disappointed at the lack of variety in the food. Yes, there were all the fast-food favorites but when it came to world food the variety and authenticity was poor. For example, one curry house was obviously amending South Indian dishes for western tastes. It meant there was little to temp us as we both enjoy cooking, so nothing stood out. In the end we plumped for a hog roast. Still, it was great to see Southport putting on such a successful event.
By early afternoon we were ready to leave and headed back across the West Lancashire plain, stopping off once en-route at the Ship at Lathom, a busy little pub on the banks of the Rufford arm of the Leeds and Liverpool canal. It’s popular with foodies, drinkers and walkers of all ages.
The Ship at Lathom
Sticking to the motorways we made it home in a little over an hour after leaving Lathom. It was an impromptu weekend, but great to catch up with some of my ‘rellies’. I won’t leave it as long next time…
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The pair of us have abandoned West Yorkshire and the Pennines in favour of a weekend by the seaside. We’ve travelled West to Southport, the town where I grew up in and where the rest of my family live – some of whom we’re seeing this weekend. It’s also chance for Dawn to discover more of what the town and surrounding West Lancashire plain have to offer. We stopped off for lunch en-route, calling in at Parbold, a village on the railway line from Wigan to Southport. It’s a pretty little place that’s bisected by the Leeds and Liverpool canal as well as the railway. There’s a lovely pub next door to the canal called the Windmill, named after the old sail-powered cornmill which it shelters in the shadow of. Both the pub’s beers and food are worth sampling. I enjoyed a decent pint of Moorhouses ‘White Witch’ and the fish and chips (which Dawn also plumped for). The fish was very good and the batter just right – as were the portion sizes. We felt stuffed afterwards!
As we’d not visited Parbold for a while we took time to explore, see the changes and (of course) get a couple of pictures at the station!
Bi-mode 769448 passes the lovely old signalbox at Parbold. The unit is working a Southport – Stalybridge service.Sadly, the attractive station building is vacant and slowly decaying.
Moving on we drove along the back roads through to Burscough before heading across the moss to Southport. Having checked checked into out hotel just off the promenade we set out to meet my younger sister for a couple of hours of catching-up on family and other news. Town was busy, but we managed to find a sunny spot outside the Bold Hotel on Lord St which was also an ideal place to watch the world go by.
Time flew. Anne had to leave to meet her partner, so Dawn and I set out to explore more of the town and for me to introduce her to some of my old haunts and childhood recollections. Talk about a trip down memory lane! My impression is that – after years of decline, there’s signs of new life and recovery in Southport. But it’s patchy. The place is no longer about shopping, it’s about eating and drinking. All the department stores are long gone and many shops remain empty, but there’s restoration work ongoing and Lord St was lined with people eating and drinking alfresco outside the many bars and restaurants.
Now we’re back at the hotel, having a quiet night relaxing before more of the same tomorrow – plus a visit to the food and drink festival, which neither of us have attended before.
Here’s a few more pictures to end the day.
The gorgeous Wayfarers arcade on Lord St. Many of the shops are vacant, but there’s signs of revival with the arcade being used for artistic eventsI couldn’t resist a visit to this pub. The ‘Guest House’ is a bit of a Southport institution. It was also my Father’s local and the pub where I learned to drink!
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/
The surprise is I wasn’t meant to be going to Southport today at all! I was meant to be working at home. However…
This morning I went to my wardrobe to dig out my Tuxedo ready for tomorrow’s National Rail Awards. I knew it’d still fit so I’d left it to the last munute as usual. My lastminute.com behavior is the bane of my wife’s life but that’s another story. So, you can imagine the scene as I’m ruffling through my collection of clothes but can’t find it. I’d lent it to my brother in law in Southport last year and could have sworn I’d collected it earlier this year. Surely, I hadn’t left it on a train? Five minutes of frantic ruffling (it must’ve looked like a Tom and Jerry cartoon scene) established that it was nowhere to be found. One worried phone call to my sister established that it was actually still with her in Southport. So, here I am, on the 12:02 from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester, sheepishly heading to Southport to collect it!
Still, it’s a nice day for it and I can do some work on the way/way back…
13:15.
Rather than changing trains at Victoria I opted to travel to Salford Central and have a look at the refettled platforms. The station was closed for several weeks for an upgrade which has seen the platforms resurfaced along with other cosmetic changes that reflect its growing importance due to the massive changes to the area it serves. Forty years ago the station was surrounded by abandoned goods yards which had become temporary car parks. It was a depressing place. Now it’s full of high-rise residential blocks, multi-storey car parks and new offices. It’s quite a transformation.
The 13:12 to Southport calls at Salford Central, worked by a former ‘Thameslink’ Class 319 converted to a bi-mode Class 769.
13:45.
Having bolted to Bolton under electric power we’re now burbling to Wigan on diesel. The problems with changing over power that used to bug these units seem to have been ironed out.
17:30.
Well, that was a mixed day. I’m now on an ex-East Midland Railway Class 156 from Southport heading back to Manchester. I had time to kill in my old hometown as my sister didn’t get home from work until after 16:00 so I mooched around the town centre near the station. It’s a sad place nowadays. The impressive old Victorian Chapel St station was a real gateway to the town. It was demolished in the late 60s early 70s, to be replaced by an unattractive shopping centre with the truncated station hidden behind it. Even the shopping centre’s looking sad. It lost it’s flagship M&S store a few years ago. Now it’s losing one of its other staples – Wilko, which shuts in 5 days time. I had a quick look around and whilst there were some bargains there was nothing I could carry and it’s not what I was in town for.
Not many bargains left…
Moving on I had a look at the old Cambridge arcade which led from Chapel St to Lord street past another old flagship department store which closed. Talk about an air of dereliction!
To be fair, part of the arcade roof is being restored, but many of the the shops sheltering beneath it have closed.
I elected to walk up to my sisters as I could shadow the railway to get a few pictures en-route whilst viewing places I grew up in. It was all rather sad. I passed a former shoe-shop where my parents took me to buy my school shoes. The father and son who ran it until recently have both gone now and the shop with its iron and glass canopy has been turned into this.
That’s progress I suppose. The world has moved on from local shops to the internet and small businesses are struggling. That area used to be a thriving shopping village but all that’s left now is a few fast-food and booze shops, although one business has at least tried make the place look attractive and welcoming rather than just being a car-park.
Cars have had a huge impact on the character of the town. So many houses have what were attractive front gardens when I was a kid turned into hard-standing for cars. It’s both ugly and unsustainable but the council seems all too happy to let it happen.
Having picked up my Tux from my sisters there was one last and very unexpected surprise in store for me. As I entered Meols Cop station to catch the train I heard a voice shout ‘Paul’ from the shelter. It’s once in a blue moon that I bump into anyone in Southport from the ‘old days’ but I recognised the face immediately even though I hadn’t seen him for over 30 years. It was the eyes – and the hair (lucky barsteward!) This was a lad called Wayne whom I knew in the 1980s. Only he’s not a lad anymore! He was there with his teenage son who must have been about the age Wayne was when I first met him! Talk about a blast from the past!
22:30.
I’m home and relaxing after my impromptu trip to the seaside. My last surprise of the day was catching the train from Manchester and sitting next to an old acquaintance who now works as a Driver for Grand Central. Kieran had been in Manchester with a Northern colleague so the three of us ended up chatting about the state of the rail industry all the way to Hebden Bridge. What an unexpectedly sociable day.
Now it’s time to wind down, so I’ll leave you with a couple more pictures from today.
Due to a shortage of working units and with so many already gone for scrap the old 507/508 fleet often works as single sets nowadays. Here’s 508131 at Southport.The changing face of Merseyrail as the sidings at Southport hold a mix of old and new trains. But not for much longer…Bi-mode 769456 passes under Windsor Rd footbridge on its way into Southport. This is a scene of decrepitude and decay nowadays. A far cry from how I remember it in its heyday.
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 another warm, foggy and wet morning here in the Calder valley, but I’m hoping to avoid a soaking as I was down to Sowerby Bridge station to head off to Southport for the day. I’m looking forward to having a day away from the valley and enjoy some coastal air. Let’s see how the trip goes…
Having strolled down to Sowerby Bridge under clearing skies I’ve discovered my train to Manchester is 7 mins late. It’s no big deal as I won’t miss my connection, it’s just frustrating!
Eventually, a vintage Class 158 working the Leeds – Brighouse – Walkden – Wigan Wallgate route arrived. I’m not complaining. It’s warm and cosy with USB sockets to keep my phone charged up.
The day begins…
This 3-car service isn’t particularly busy but we’re an all stations stopper as far as Rochdale so it’ll soon fill up.
En-route I couldn’t help but play a couple of songs by Terry Hall of the Specials and Fun Boy Three. He’s died at the age of 63 (my age). I’ve always been a lover of his music as he was another who helped provide the soundtrack to my life. Two songs especially stick in my mind, ‘Our lips are sealed’ is one but the tune that really resonates is ‘Ghost town‘, written by Jerry Dammers back in 1981. It summed up the turmoil and troubles of the Thatcher years with recession and racism rife. Troubles that (until recently) we thought we’d seen the back of – but now both are making a return. Now I can see the reflections of those years in the shuttered shops I pass in towns and cities up and down the country – and that I’m sure I’ll be seeing later.
09:40.
Right now we’ve crossed over the border into Lancashire to call at Smithy Bridge. As expected, the train’s very busy now. Dozens boarded at Littleborough and I’m expecting us to be almost full and standing after our next stop – Rochdale.
09:44.
We’ve departed from Rochdale. I gave up my table seat to stand and observe and – as I expected – we’re now full and standing.
10:20.
I’m now on my way to Southport aboard one of Northern’s bi-mode (25kv and diesel) Class 769s after a game of ‘guess the platform’ at Manchester Victoria where two of the four through platforms were blocked by cold and dead TPE class 185s. It seems TPE are having another torrid day. I’ll find out details when I can. As that TOC puts a lot of trains through the station nowadays they bugger-up Northern services when things go wrong – which is frequently!
TPE using half of Victoria’s through platforms as stabling!
Of course, this wouldn’t have been an issue before BR vastly reduced the size of the station in the 1990s and destroyed its capacity, a decision that’s come back to haunt us in the 21st century.
11:00.
I’m West of Wigan now, about to cross the West Lancashire plain to get to Southport. My 319 successfully changed from electric to diesel power at Bolton. Now it’s spending the rest of the trip trying to shake itself to bits! I’m in toilet car 71805 where there’s a reaonance effect that’s rattling the hell out of the luggage rack above me. The hopper windows aren’t liking it either. A couple of them have popped open of their own accord! Part of the problem is the rack on my side of the train isn’t braced – unlike the adjacent one.
The poles make all the difference…
At Southport the Merseyrail side of the station boasted trains old and new. The BR built Class 507-508 fleets are still in charge of all passenger services but the future is stabled in the sidings…
Wi
16:00.
My flying visit to Southport’s come to an end earlier than expected due to my Sister being unwell. I still managed to have lunch with my Niece (Charlotte) and her husband (Ade) – even though he could only join us for his lunch-break from work! Charlotte and I both share the same ‘itchy feet’ travel gene and the three of us will next be meeting up in SE-Asia in January. Co-ordinating the trip was one of the reasons for my visit as it’s part of the world I know really well, along with the logistics of travel. The rendezvous is being made all the more challenging as they fly into Bangkok a few days before I fly into Singapore but that’s only 887 miles difference compared to 7,000 – and you can do it overland! Another thing that Charlotte and I share is a love of Asian food so I’m looking forward to introducing her to some of the Malaysian cuisines – including Nonya food.
There was no reason for me to hang around afterwards, so I’ve caught another bi-mode Class 319 Eastwards. I sat in exactly the same place as the last unit, just to see if the vibration problem happened again. It did, but nowhere near as bad.
769456 works the 15:05 from Southport to Manchester Oxford Rd. Seen at Wigan Wallgate where I bailed out.
Now I’ve stopped off in Wigan for a quick pint in Wigan Central to let the light change so I can do some night-time photography. Well, that’s my excuse – and I’m sticking to it!
17:00.
Oh, bugger…
19:45.
Despite the cancellations I made it back to Manchester’s Deansgate station then wandered across the city centre, getting a few pictures en-route before stopping off for a pint and a spot of people-watching. It’s the Xmas party season but even so – the city seems far more subdued than previous years. This impression was reinforced by the number of almost empty restaurants I passed. Clearly, the amount of money in circulation isn’t what it was which is hardly surprising considering what’s going on in the country right now. If you’re striking for more pay (and many are) you’re hardly going to be blowing what money you have left.
I’m now ln the 19:23 from Victoria to Leeds. It’s yet another busy train but there’s little revelry on the train. Most folk seem to be returning from work or coming home for Christmas ahead of the next round of rail strikes.
21:30.
Home again (naturally). Time for some good food and chance to relax before another busy day 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/
The weather really can’t seem to make its mind up at the moment. After enduring a freeing cold and snowy one this week has done a volte face with the mercury here in the Calder valley hitting 12 degrees, double the average for this time of year. The heat brought rain and strong winds with and also saw off the black ice that’s plagued us the past few days. It’s been so nice we had many of the windows open to give the cottage an airing – until the rain arrived!
Weather apart the pair of us have spent the day working from home. I’ve been having a tidy-up and clear-out whilst simultaneously prepping more old railway memorabilia to put up for sale on eBay. The present sale ends in under 24 hours, so you’ve still time to bid for what’s on offer by following this link. I’ll be adding more later this week and running a couple more sales before the end of the year.
Tomorrow I’m back on the rails as I’m heading over to Southport to meet up with some of my family during a flying visit. I’m looking forward to getting to travel by train again – and hope to get a few library shots on the way, so expect a rolling blog tomorrow as I sample the Xmas build-up on a network that will be shutting down all too soon, to the inconvenience of many. My Christmas party season’s been canned due to the strikes so tomorrow’s little jaunt will be a bit of light relief before I become trapped back in the Calder valley over the Xmas break. I’m not complaining as I’ve a huge amount of things to keep me occupied and the cottage is well-stocked with comestibles – and several bottles of decent red wine!
Right, time to go. I’ll leave you with this image as picture of the day which is from Southport, taken in October 2012 and showing two of the things it’s most famous for. The pier and the sea (which, according to the old jokes) never seems to come in!
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 