Tag Archives: Travel

Rolling blog. Chester circular…

31 Friday Oct 2025

Posted by in Chester, Manchester, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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10:15.

Having had my birthday treat postponed due to ‘events’ we’re making up for it today with a return trip to Chester, only this time by train. We’re also adding Manchester to the mix to split the day between the two. The plan’s to enjoy an amble around Chester and its walls, then a spot of brunch and a pint before heading back East to Manchester for another amble and drinks before adjourning to a lovely Indian eatery this evening.

Right now, we’re aboard Northern’s 09:20 from Sowerby Bridge which runs direct to Chester. Today it’s worked by a pair of 2-car Class 195/0s, so there’s plenty of available seats and we’ve managed to bag a table behind the driver’s cab. Dee’s got her book and I’ve the ‘mobile office’ so all’s well. The weather’s playing ball too, as it’s surprisingly mild – if a little damp.

Time to leave…

We’re already West of Manchester Victoria, which is where most passengers decamped. Only a handful joined to replace them, leaving around half a dozen in this front car.

10:55.

This train didn’t stay empty for long! After stopping at Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown and Warrington Bank Quay we’re around 80% full with a real mix of travellers of all ages heading for or next and final stop – Chester. The weather’s picking up too, with high, thin cloud and glimpses of blue sky. Not a bad day for a wander at all…

17:00.

We’re now on our way to Manchester after exploring old haunts and new in Chester. This time we’re aboard the 16:28 which (as it’s only a 2-car) is rammed. Chester was lovely, on leaving the station we walked down to the Shropshire Union cabal which we followed West under the shadow of the city walls to the csnal basin and junction with the spur to the river Dee. You pass through a cutting hewn from solid rock which still bears the scars of the primitive tools of the time. It must have been a hell of an undertaking when the most sophisticated tool you had at your disposal was gunpowder.

After a walk around the cabal we climbed up onto the walls to head into town in search of sustenance. Ignoring ‘influencers’  and other social media sirens we picked where we fancied to old fashioned way by peering in the window and reading the menus outside. As we both enjoy tapas we we chose Salt House on Bridge St (links later). This proved to be a wise move. We arrived at noon when it was empty. When we left 90 mins later there wasn’t a seat spare!

Salt House is a sympathetic refurbishment of an old building with some nice touches (check out the tiling on the bar).
Chicken skewers (recipe later).

To be continued…

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

Cheers!

28th October picture(s) of the day…

28 Tuesday Oct 2025

Posted by in Calder Valley, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, West Yorkshire

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There’s been another quiet day here at Bigland Towers and in the Calder valley. I’ve spent most of it working from home, having had the place to myself whilst Dee’s been over at her parents to sort out the aftermath of the car accident.

Mind you, the weather here this morning was spectacularly awful, with high winds and driving rain, so being cocooned in the cottage was ideal. This afternoon, the weather changed. We had a spell of glorious sunshine and clear skies, so I thought I’d nip out with the camera to get shots of the railway crossing the Copley viaduct surrounded by trees in their autumnal colours. Only it didn’t quite work out that way. By the time I got down to the river the weather had changed again, with leaden skies and rain heading my way. However, I did find Network Rail contractors who’d been busy clearing trees along the embankment of the line to Greetland. This has opened up a couple of new photo locations, with more in the offing as the work is continuing.

I made my way up the other side of the valley through a lovely green tunnel which has formed over an old sunken track. Then, sheltering from a sudden downpour under some Oak trees, I surveyed the valley. Here’s the results.

The green tunnel, and old track which is slowly being reclaimed by nature.
A train bound for Halifax passes the site where contractors have denuded the embankment of trees to open up this view which has been hidden for decades. In the background is a modern housing estate which has been built between the River Calder and the canal.
The same train crossing the Copley viaduct, surrounded by trees which are slowly gaining their autumnal finery. The widest arch to the right is where the railway crosses the Calder and Hebble Navigation (canal).

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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/

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Cheers!

25th October picture(s) of the day…

25 Saturday Oct 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Manchester, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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It’s Saturday here in Bigland Towers and the pair of have been having a relaxed Saturday at home. Dee returned from darkest Lincolnshire yesterday, whilst I spent Friday editing the pictures from the previous day’s outing.

The weather here in the Calder valley’s starting to get a real nip in the air as the Mercury’s dropped several degrees in the past couple of days. It’s time to put the central heating on and dig out the winter woolies, although (thankfully) I’ve only had to use the new waterproof that Dawn’s bought me as a birthday present once. My actual birthday isn’t until next week, but hey – what’s the point of a waterproof if you can’t use it when you need it?

Today, the weather’s been cold but mostly sunny, ideal for walking, although as we’d had a late morning our perambulations were local at best. Still, the woodlands where we live are packed with autumnal colours right now, so that’s no hardship – and at least I didn’t slip and go arse over tit the way I did on Friday (note to self, walking in woodland whilst staring at your smartphone is a dumb idea).

Having popped into our local pub for a drink and a giggle with the bar staff we picked up some shopping before settling in for a quiet night at home. I’d batch-cooked a chicken Korma on Friday, which has fed us for the past two days as well as helped stock the freezer, so tonight’s been very relaxed. Tomorrow the plan’s to get out and explore, going walking somewhere, although we’ve not decided where yet. Watch this space.

In the meantime, here’s a couple of diverse pictures from the past couple of days. When I cook, I like to prepare and lay out everything I need in advance.

The ingredients of a Korma. Chicken, onions, chopped tomatoes, creamed coconut, Garlic, Turmeric, ground Coriander, Garam Masala and plain yoghurt. Easy to make – and far tastier and healthier than prepared cook-in sauces from a jar. This recipe was given to me by Meena, an Indian friend from London many, many years ago – and it’s become a firm favourite in our house.

On Thursday I had the tripod with me, so I played around with long exposure shots in the city centre. Here’s one of the results.

Tram and bus blurs in Piccadilly Gardens

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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

Cheers!

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

Cheers!

Rolling blog. More Manchester mooching…

23 Thursday Oct 2025

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

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12:15.

Having spent the past few days cooped up at home it’s time to get out and about for a while. Dawn’s got a couple of days away from work and is heading over to a friend’s caravan in Lincolnshire until tomorrow, so I’ve time to myself. The weather’s still not brilliant, but I’ve a mind to get a few night shots in Manchester, so if it rains this evening that’s actually a bonus as wet streets reflect the light and add another dimension to pictures.

To that end, I’m on Northern’s 12:02 from Sowerby Bridge to Wigan Wallgate which is worked by a 3-car Class 158. This trains reasonably busy for a midday service, with a mix of students, families and solo travellers either heading to the city or out to enjoy the countryside. The weather’s picked up too. We’ve chunks of blue sky and sunshine which is showing the Calder valley at its autumnal finest.

Ready, steady, go…

13:25.

Fo once, the weather West of the Pennines closely matched that of the East. That said, if you want rain, it’s one of the things Manchester is famous for, so I may be lucky later. My stay in the city was brief as I found out that an unusual train which I’d yet to photograph was in service today.  Northern has a fleet of bi-mode Class 769s (converted from Class 319s) which normally run Southport to Stalybridge/ManchesterI Oxford Rd. Right now, the fleet is being supplemented by two ex- Transport for Wales 769s, which run as required. One is out today, (769452) so it would have been rude not to – especially as it was running to Southport just behind my service! I’m on it now.

Apart from obvious differences like the livery (it’s still in TfW colours), there’s revised seating and different USB sockets. Oh, and there’s a bell, not a buzzer in the cab for Conductor to Driver signalling. I can’t remember if this was a feature original to the Class 319s. There’s other differences too. The Northern sets retain the old 1st class seating area which has been stripped out of the TfW units.

14:15.

I may have to retitle this blog as I’m now on my way to the coast! The weather’s brighter so I thought a flying visit to get a few more shots of this unit was in order. Plus, I’ve not travelled back to the town I grew up in by rail for a while…

14:50.

Here we are in Southport. Briefly, anyway. I’ve time to nip up to an old haunt – the Virginia St footbridge – to get shots of the train leaving at 15:03. I’ll follow on behind.

Having travelled across the West Lancashire plain, I arrived at Burscough. It was an interesting journey. The area’s clearly far more affluent when I used to cycle across the flatlands as a kid. There’s more expensive houses, and some of the rich farmland has been converted into (hardly productive) animal paddocks.Other fields now grow turf for people’s lawns. Lucrative, maybe, but hardly sustainable.

My former 319 at Burscough Bridge.

Sadly, Burscough’s main street has suffered an outbreak of flag-shagging. This is a small town where the overwhelming majority of the population are white, wealthy homeowners. Except for many of the people working in the high street nail bars, fast-food joints and barbers, obviously…

19:15.

Next stop was Wigan, where I paused for a pint in the Swan and fortified myself with chips and mushy peas from the chippy up the road. Well, it’d have been rude not to sample the local cuisine!

Now I’m heading back to Manchester on the same TfW I was chasing….

21:30.

I’m on the last leg home after stopping off in central Manchester to get a few low-light pictures. For once Manchester let me down and the city stayed dry! Even so, I hope I’ve one or two decent pictures. I’ll add them later. Right now I’m heading back East on another Chester – Leeds service. It’s a pair of Class 195/0s o mercifully quiet this time of day. As much as I like the older trains if I was going anywhere long- distance , give me one of these as I can set up the mobile office.

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

15th October picture(s) of the day…

15 Wednesday Oct 2025

Posted by in Flag shaggers, Huddersfield, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, Railways, Travel, TRU, West Yorkshire

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Another day that didn’t quite go to plan – although that was more for Dawn than me. Dee’s outbreak of the lurgi meant she had a restless night and felt crap this morning, so her dental appointment was the first thing to be cancelled. Then a phone call to Honda about the fun and games with the car meant they came and collected it within an hour, taking it away for diagnostic checks. So, with no car, no Dawn and me still with a dental appointment it meant I was bound for our dentists in Huddersfield by bus!

That was no big deal, I had plenty of time and managed to get in a long walk to a bus stop that was convenient for some railway shots whilst I waited. As chance would have it, one of the seasonal railhead treatment trains was due just before my bus. Hence this shot.

A pair of Colas Class 66s top and tail the RHTT over Dryclough Junction. This train began its journey in Grimsby and ended it in York after going around the houses to reverse at Halifax. The spray from the powerful water jets mounted on the rear wagon is evident.

My dental appointment was a breeze. I’m not one of these people who’s frightened of visiting dentists, so it’s not a stressful experience at all. The dentist gave me a clean bill of health and the hygienist confirmed his view after giving me a clean, so that’s me done for another 6 months!

As I was close to the centre of Huddersfield I decided my walk to take in a detour to the station to see how the place looks now it’s reopened after the month-long blockade. The answer is – very different!

150007sits in the extended Sheffield bay platform whilst a TPE 185 calls at the widened and extended Westbound platform. The Northern side of the station has vanished. Both platforms and tracks have disappeared with the area becoming a building site.

Catching the bus back we passed through Elland, where the ‘flag-shaggers’ have been busy. Most lamp posts on the main road have had flags cable tied to them. Let’s face it, nothing says ‘patriotism’ more than cheap Chinese-made Union or England flags draped like limp rags around the place. Still, it’s a good indicator of places to avoid. Elland’s always been a shithole with a reputation as a place where the far-right hang out. The flags merely confirm it. I’m sure they’ll do wonders for house prices…

Back in Halifax (where flag-shagging is very much a minority sport) I strolled home, finding Dawn feeling better. Her car had been returned, complete with new rear offside wheel sensor as the old one had failed, causing all the problems. Fortunately, the £280 cost was covered by the extended warranty Dee had been smart enough to take out. Sadly, the fun and games weren’t over! No sooner had we eaten supper than poor Dawn had a large filling drop out! Today of all days!

Looks like the dentists haven’t seen the back of us yet…

Tomorrow I plan to spend the day working from home. Hopefully there’ll be no more excitement and I’ll be able to catch up on blogging and picture editing. Watch this space…

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

14th October picture of the day…

14 Tuesday Oct 2025

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Transport, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Tuesday’s the new Monday here at Bigland Towers, at least for this week due to a long weekend. I’ll blog about our final day in Chester and environs tomorrow. I’d hoped to have written it up today but I’ve been up to my eyeballs in picture editing, paperwork, fixing lights in the house and keeping an eye on a poorly wife! Poor Dawn’s coming down with some form of lurgi, so I’m dusting down my nurses uniform…

To add insult to injury, her car is playing up too. We started getting error messages from its computer yesterday, but they cleared and we drove back without an issue. This afternoon they returned – with a vengeance! Everything that could flash red did – and then some. Yet again, they mysteriously disappeared and we were able to complete our mission of picking up a new light-switch to replace the one that had blown the other day. But tomorrow the phone line to Honda is going to be buzzing. Dee’s only spent over £1600 on a new timing belt and other gubbins for her Honda Civic but it’s been a PITH ever since and had to go back for rectification once already after it started burning so much oil you’d have thought someone had elected a new Pope! Ho Hum…

We have another ‘treat’ in store for tomorrow – a trip to the dentist and hygienist, so it won’t just be the car getting some attention. So, as you can see, today’s not quite gone to plan…

I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which is from yesterdays explorations. I’ll leave you guessing where this was taken until tomorrow. Unless you want to post a guess?

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

Chester capers: Part 2…

12 Sunday Oct 2025

Posted by in Cheshire, Chester, Food and drink, Photography, Travel

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The pair of us have had a really good day rediscovering Chester. Despite the weather not being as good as billed (hey, at least it didn’t rain) we’ve covered a lot of ground, which started with us working off breakfast by walking along the Shropshire Union canal from our hotel into the city centre. Let’s face it, after a huge breakfast like this, is it any wonder it needed working off?

For much of the walk the canal towpath was busy with dog-walkers and runners. Hardly surprising, as it’s a linear oasis compared to walking along the adjacent A41 road, which is a congested, noisy, nightmare.

We had a couple of hours to kill before we saw Tim Peake’s show, so we indulged in a rare spot of shopping. Neither of us are great shoppers, ‘retail therapy’ really isn’t our bag. But Chester has all the shops we frequent huddled together in a very small area – and there was stuff we needed to get to prepare for winter, so time wasn’t wasted before we had to head off to listen to Tim Peake at the storyhouse, a venue we were both really impressed by. Storyhouse is a library, theatre, cinema, restaurant, bar and social space all rolled into one. It’s a real community asset. The theatre isn’t huge, making it a great place to see one person delivering a lecture – and Tim Peake packed it out. His talk on the history of space travel was riveting. He told a lot of stories that were less well known as well as covering all the historical landmarks. It was funny, exciting and inspirational at the same time and the two hour show flew by. He opened the second part of his show with a 10 minute Q&A session, answering questions texted in by the audience earlier in the show. Sadly, he ran out of time before answering the one about what happens to a fart in a spacesuit…

Afterwards we headed back to the Brewery Tap for a drink and chance to talk about what we’d heard and learned before hunger overtook us. Having eaten Indian last night we opted for Thai today. The restaurant we choose was Thai Baan, and we weren’t disappointed. We opted for the Thai tapas, sharing four different dishes accompanied by Jasmine rice. Here’s a few of the ones we chose…

Crispy seabass, lettuce, diced shallots, ginger, limes served with a spicy peanut sauce.
Soft shell crab salad with peanuts and a spicy lime dressing – a real favourite of ours.
Roast duck breast with thai herbs and spicy lime dressing.

Having been disappointed by our earlier trip to Chester we both agreed to revise our judgement. We’ve really enjoyed this trip and plan to come back soon – even if it’s just for a day trip. The place has a lot to offer. The architecture is fascinating plus, there’s some great pubs and restaurants. It’s a also good place for shopping if that’s your bag. Whilst the atmosphere can get a bit edgy on a Friday/Saturday night in certain areas if there’s large groups of drinkers around, it’s generally relaxed and quite cosmopolitan.

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

Chester capers: Part 1…

11 Saturday Oct 2025

Posted by in Cheshire, Chester, Photography, Travel

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Today, we drove over to Chester to begin a two-night stay outside the city, at a hotel and pub in the nearby village of Rowton – a 15 minutes drive from the centre of Chester. The journey across from West Yorkshire took around 100 minutes, we’d have cut at least 15-20 off that if the motorways around Manchester hadn’t been so congested. The traffic was the worst we’ve seen for quite some time, although we’ve no idea why that was.

Fortunately, we were in no rush and the glorious weather made up for any minor inconvenience. Having checked in and dumped our bags we headed into the city. We were both a little disappointed by Chester during our last visit together. The city had a down at heel air, with rubbish strewn city walls suggesting neglect of one of its most historic assets. So, on this visit we were relieved to find the place feeling somewhat improved. Oh, it still has its problems. Like any other UK city it has its fair share of vagrancy, shuttered shops and anti-social behaviour, but this was offset by a vibrant atmosphere, with the city centre buzzing with people out shopping, eating or drinking.

As it was late in the day we had little time to do much other than explore and check out some shops for later in the trip. Then it was time to eat.

We eschewed the famous names and food-chains to head for a small Indian vegetarian bistro on Brook St called ‘chai station‘, which had taken our fancy. Chai station has an excellent selection of home cooked Gujarati dishes, many of which are vegan. Dawn and I decided to order the thalis (minimum order, two people) and we weren’t disappointed. The food was really very good. We had time to chat to Bobby, the owner, who is Ugandan Indian, he came to the UK when Idi Amin through out the Ugandan Indian community in the 1970s. Bobby’s wife Anna is Kenyan Indian and does all the cooking. We’d certainly come back as there’s so many other dishes on the menu we’re dying to try.

Having stuffed ourselves we walked back into the town centre to head to an amazing old building which has only been a pub since 2008 when it taken over by Spitting Feathers brewery. The Brewery Tap (originally called Gamul House) has a long history, with parts of the building dating back to the 1500s. There’s few pubs that can boast such an impressive, high-ceilinged interior. There’s a great range of real ales on offer too.

Tempting as it was to try other venues we both decided to call it a day and head back to Bigland Towers in exile. Now we’re having a quiet night catching up on various bits (like blogging!) before a 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/

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

10th October picture of the day…

10 Friday Oct 2025

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Travel, Wiltshire

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After a hectic and much-travelled week I’ve had a relaxing day here at Bigland Towers. Well, when I say relaxing, static is probably a better word as much of my day’s been spent staring at a computer screen as I continue to edit hundreds of pictures that I’ve taken over these past few weeks. That said, there’s quite a variety, so I’m never going to get bored! One minute I’m looking at the Duoro valley in Portugal, then conference attendees in Nottingham and the next – lots of us dressed in PPE as we wander around a rail training school in Swindon!

Most of the important pictures are now done, which allowed me time to nip up to my local pub to indulge in the Friday quiz with friends – a luxury I’ve not had for a while. Now I’m back at home to spend some quality time with Dawn and enjoy the latest series of ‘Have I Got New For You’ on TV.

The weekend will see us both travelling. A while ago Dawn booked tickets for us to see former UK astronaut Tim Peake giving a lecture in Chester on Sunday afternoon. We’ve decided to make a weekend of it so we’ve booked a hotel in the town for Saturday and Sunday night. Expect a blog or two whilst we’re there…

For now, I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which was taken in Swindon on Wednesday.

800314 arrives at Swindon whilst working 1C18, the 1430 London Paddington to Weston-super-Mare.

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. The PWI, Swindon and the journey home…

09 Thursday Oct 2025

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, The PWI, Travel

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07:45.

It’s the start of a long day here in Swindon. Our group’s about to assemble in the hotel lobby before heading over to the Network Rail training centre to begin today’s activities. I’ll post a few pictures when I’m able.

At day’s close I’ll be heading back to West Yorkshire, hopefully with as easy a journey as I had yesterday. Let’s see…

17:30.

I’m back! Apologies for the gap but it’s been a busy day with the PWI and wifi at the centre wasn’t up to snuff. I’ll post some pictures later. The delegates certainly enjoyed themselves learning more about the dark art of installing and maintaining the railways overhead electrification systems – and got the chance to get their gloves dirty carrying ot a range of tasks. Running contact wires, then tensioning them. Installing droppers and drilling rails to install bonding – and that was just a few of the activities. There were also demonstrations of tools and other kit by Cembre, Gripple and Mosdorfer. At the end of the day, delegates were presented with a course certificate and their very own section of copper OLE contact wire by Gary Keenor of the PWI/Atkins, the man who wrote ‘the’ book on OLE systems.

Now I’m heading back North. On leaving Swindon I caught a GWR train to Didcot Parkway where I changed for the local service to Banbury as far as Oxford, where the station was packed due to it being rush-hour. I was lucky enough to catch a late-running Cross-Country service (1M58, the 14:45 from Bournemouth).

17:50.

We’re now between Leamington Spa and Coventry, an area I know well for various reasons (people and High Speed 2 mainly). This train’s quietened down as we’ve dropped more people off than we’ve picked up, but I suspect that’ll soon change as ‘Cov’ is always a busy place.

19:00.

We’ve passed through the Cov-Brum- Wolves corridor and (as expected) the train was heaving. This area sees an intercity train become little more than a jam-packed local service. It’s popular with locals because of its speed as it omits all the smaller stations. We’re still busy heading for Stafford, although this is the outer limit of the Black Country commuter belt.

20:40.

My plan for getting home earlier was frustrated by a 31 min late arrival at Piccadilly. The closer we got to the city, the  more congestion we encountered. My dash across the city was to no avail as I missed my connection by 2 minutes. It was leaving from the far side of the station, which left me no chance. To add insult to injury, the next train (20:36) was running late and not due until 21:04, leaving me no option but to catch the 20:57 to Halifax. There’s only one thing to do – seek refuge in the Victoria Tap…

Mine’s a pint…

21:00.

The last leg. Having enjoyed a pint and indulged in a spot of people watching (divorced dads in their mid 30s who’re obviously struggling with the reality) and being thankful I’m not in that position, I’m now on a quiet 4-car service heading across the Pennines. It’s been a long day – but a really interesting one that’s presented me with a few challenges from a photographic perspective. But that’s what makes the job interesting. That said, I’m looking forward to a day working from home tomorrow. But I’m not there yet…

22:30.

Home again! Now it’s time to relax, but before I do that I’ll post a few pictures from today for your delectation.

Delegates, trainers and members of the PWI pose at the Cocklebury training centre.
Teamwork. Pulling out a contact wire run off its cable drum before it’s secured to masts and tensioned.
Although it wasn’t strictly park of the course, delegates got to see a MEWP (Mobile Elevated Work Platform) in action.
This ex-London Midland Class 153 has appeared at the training centre, although none of us can work out why, or even how it got there as there’s no physical connection with the national network.

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