As promised by the weather forecast Saturday turned out to be a bright, crisp and sunny day – so the pair of us tore ourselves away from computer screens and headed over to the Hope Valley in Derbyshire for an afternoon out walking somewhere where we’d been promising to revisit but had never got around to doing so. The 517m high Mam Tor and the ridge Eastwards to Lose Hill along the South side of the valley is a wonderful (if at times challenging) walk. The views South across the Hope Valley and North across Edale are sublime.
With the weather being so good the area was teeming with walkers and it was great to see so many people of all ages and backgrounds enjoying walking. Oh, and not to mention the paragliders who were also out in force! The skies above the ridge were teeming with them as they drifted lazily on the winds.
Here’s a few pictures from the day.
The ridge affords some excellent photograph opportunities to capture shots of trains passing through Edale between Manchester and Sheffield. Here’s a Trans-Pennine Express service made up of units 185103 and 185123 working.1B79, the 1226 Cleethorpes to Manchester Piccadilly. Northern trains run the only local stopping service. Here’s one of their Class 195s working 2S72, the 1349 Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield passing the base of Lose Hill. The autumn colours and low light in Edale were stunning. Walkers descending Lose Hill on their way East into the Hope Valley with the railway curving away in the centre of the picture. The edge of the village of Castleton can be seen to the right.This is the 463m high Win Hill seen Eastwards across Edale from Lose Hill along with some rather moody skies on the horizon.The same view from Mam Tor and zoomed out to show the landscape and colours in slightly different light.
All the high-res versions of these pictures can be found (and purchased) from my Zenfolio website by following this link.
Sadly, I don’t think I’m going to be getting out to do much exploring like this over the next week. Instead, I’ll be glued to a screen at home writing for a living. Not that I’m complaining as there’s a damn sight worse ways of earning a living, and if I get lots of type-swiping done quickly, who knows what I might be able to get up to later in the week?…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Today’s been a ‘come-down’ day after all the running around and excitement of the past couple of weeks working up in Scotland during COP26. Most of my day’s been spent sitting in the office at home wading through and editing hundreds of pictures taken at various events. I’ve managed to get the last batch out to a client who needed them for press releases and publicity, now I can take my foot off the gas as the last ones are less time-sensitive. Now I’ve got to move on to the words, not pictures as I’ve a whole series of articles to write for various magazines.
I must admit, as much as I enjoyed the fun and games in Scotland it’s nice to be home for a while – even if the weather’s been crap! I’ve really not minded being chained to the computer today when then rain’s lashing down and the winds doing its best to whip the remaining leaves off the trees. Being so busy I didn’t get chance to venture out for my normal exercise and had to make do with a late in the day walk to the supermarket to pick up some bits for the weekend. Even that earned me a soaking, leaving the bathroom looking like a Chinese laundry as all my waterproofs were spread out to dry as they’ll be needed again tomorrow.
The pair of us have decided to have a day off tomorrow. Next week is going to be full on and we’ve not had much quality time together recently, so the idea is to have Saturday off and get out for a long walk somewhere with lunch as part of it. The forecasts looking favourable for a foray into Derbyshire, so (for now) that’s the plan – unless the weather changes overnight. There’ll be no rolling blog, but there might be a few pictures…
Talking of pictures, here’s today’s. This shot was taken in Glasgow earlier this week and shows a pair of old BR ordered Class 156 diesel multiple units approaching Glasgow Central station, threading their way out of the station through the complex trackwork on their way to East Kilbride. Built between 1987 and 1989 by Metro-Cammell’s Washwood Heath works in Birmingham, 114 of these 2-car, 75mph units were built. All remain in service
Two of the lines these trains operate an extensive service on (East Kilbride and Barrhead) are being electrified at the moment with the work expected to be completed in 2022, so these trains are living on borrowed time. Scotland has an ambitious transport decarbonisation plan that’s legally binding so these trains are likely to find themselves being cascaded to services in England – probably in the North-West, where many of the rest of the class already operate. I wonder what will replace them in Scotland?
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Apologies for the lack of a blog yesterday but Wednesday turned out to be extremely hectic. As usual, plans kept changing due to ‘events’. I had to miss the last day of the railfreight conference as there was just too may things going on at once. I really could’ve done to clone myself. I kept getting phone-calls from agencies who’d spotted that I was in town and wanted to book me for other COP26 events. Us photographers were much in demand, which made a pleasant change after 2020!
Whilst I was at Glasgow Central I got t a tip-off that the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson was arriving by train and would be visiting (albeit very briefly) the Battery and Hydrogen trains on his way through the station. Needless to say, this turned into the usual security hoo-ha involving police sniffer dogs and heightened security, but I managed to be in the right place at the right time and get the shots I needed. Including this one…
Apart from the fun and games I also travelled on the Hydroflex and the D-Train, pictures of all these events will appear on my Zenfolio website by the weekend.
Today *should* be less frantic. I’m working on the Hydroflex again covering events taking place on the train, after which I get to go home, although I’ll be just as busy there editing and writing up my experiences. I’ll add more to this blog later in the day, hopefully from the Hydroflex, but if not, certainly from my train back South…
17:00.
17:00.
Phew! Yet another busy day. I’m writing this from my Southbound Pendolino as I head home. Part of me is glad it’s all over as it’s been a frantic time and there’s oh, so many pictures to edit and words to write, another part is going to miss the buzz as (from a railway perspective) it’s been brilliant and very positive couple of weeks. On a personal level, I’ve had a great time catching up with old friends (and making some new ones) as well as getting to know Glasgow far better thanks to Peter who took me to places I’ve never explored before. I’ve also enjoyed the camaraderie, which is something that Covid had put the mockers on for the past year. My only hope now is that COP26 actually delivers on the changes we need…
My Pendolino’s busy but not overly so. I’ve managed to bag a table on which to set up the mobile office in order to edit pictures and get then out to a client in time for a press release. Opposite me is a chap who’s been at COP26 who’s on his way back to London. He’s as knackered as I am and is snoring gently as he catches up on some much needed sleep! Sadly, the great weather we enjoyed in Glasgow didn’t last more than a few dozen miles outside the city. We’re forging our way South through the dark and rain.
18:25.
I’m back to kicking my heels in Preston, waiting from my connection home. The Glasgow train arrived 14 minutes late due to being trapoed behind late running trains but that’s actually worked to my advantage as I’d nearly an hour to wait here anyway.
Having been away in the in the land of Saltire liveried trains for so long it seems odd to see Northern trains bland blue and white again.
19:00.
On the last leg home care of a 3-car Northern Class 195, which is busy but not unbearably so – and not as packed as my Southbound Pendolino! As COP26 is drawing to a close thousands of people are departing the city. Many of them by rail. Well, unless you’re an idiot Green Party Council Leader from Brighton who decided to take an internal flight from Gatwick as the trains were “too unreliable”. The other irony? He opposes us building HS2! Oh, he was at COP26 to lecture others on cutting carbon emissions too. I hope Greta kicked his sorry arse…
22:40.
Right, I’m home, fed and watered and about to spend the rest of the evening away from screens to catch up with my other half as it’s our 4th wedding anniversary today! Goodnight!
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I’m currently on my way from Central Glasgow to the freight conference at Mossend for the morning session. Hopefully it will be just as interesting and informative as yesterday although sadly, I’ll have to leave early.
23:30.
OK, apologies for a really crap blog today. I was full of good intentions but the day just ran away with me as I had so many things to do and places to be in.
Day 2 of the freight conference was just as interesting as day 1. The focus changed slightly which helped to keep it fresh and the range of speakers and their experiences added to that. I managed to stay longer than I expected but still missed one of the speakers I was really looking forward to listening to (Freightliner’s Heather Waugh) due to technical issues and a rejigging of the timetable. Despite that, I’ll give full credit to all the organisers for putting on a great event.
I made it back into Glasgow in time to meet up with friends from Vivarail, Porterbrook and the Rail Industry Association (RIA) – and enjoy the sight of battery and Hydrogen train together.
RIA had arranged an event on the Vivarail D-train which involved young and old rail professionals to meet and chat on an out and back trip to Barrhead and back. Meanwhile Porterbrook were just as busy showing people around their Hydrogen train between its regular runs out and back on the Cathcart circle.
I’ve many more pictures and anecdotes to add, but they’re going to have to wait for tomorrow when…
After a decent (but short) nights sleep I’m about to wander across the road to Carlisle station to head on up to Scotland for more COP26 rail events. I’ll update this blog throughout the day, so feel free to keep popping back and see what I get up to. My first port of call will be Glasgow before heading across to Mossend for the opening of the three day ‘low carbon logistics’ event…
07:10.
Carlisle station’s a bit ‘brown bread’ (cockney rhyming slang for dead) at 06:30 on a Monday morning. A couple of folk were keeping warm on the early train to Morpeth but it wasn’t until the London and Glasgow trains arrived almost simultaneously at 06:48 that the station started to wake up. I’m now sat on Trans-Pennine Express’ 07:48 to Glasgow which has made its way North from Manchester airport. Bizarrely, those who oppose High Speed 2 (HS2) argue that services like this help airport expansion. Despite their mental gymnastics they can’t cope with the fact that if people are going to fly it’s far better than people take less carbon-intensive forms of transport to airports. It’s why more advanced countries than our are phasing out internal flights and putting people on services like this instead. It’s yet another example of why the UK ‘green’ movement is often anything but.
07:30.
I’ve just had a wander through the train and reckon loading is at about 15%, which isn’t bad (but isn’t great either) for such an early morning service. There’s a real mix of ages. An old lady in a wheelchair is in my car, along with several dozing younger people. In the next coach are a a couple of guys working (one with his table strewn with paper printouts) whilst a besuited gent grabs some shut-eye.
I’ve got a table bay of four to myself and set up the mobile office to do some work en-route. The trolley’s been round meaning I have coffee (and a Kitkat) so all’s well with the world!
10:45.
Getting to Mossend was easy. There’s regular Scotrail trains to nearby Bellshill where the event had arranged for shuttle buses to carry people to the site where marquees had been set op to hold the event which was opened by Scottish Transport Minister Graeme Dey MSP who gave an in-depth speech on the way Scotland is determined to tackle transport Co2 emissions.
12:28.
We’ve had some really interesting presentations (details later) but now we’re off to see one of the freight locomotives being named. So (of course) the heavens have decided this is a good time to open! The organisers were prepared and we’ve been given natty DB red umbrellas.
13:55.
We’re about to kick off the afternoon session after lunch and the the loco naming. GBRf named one of their Class 92s after the founder of PD Stirling. The engine was named by Stirling family members.
From L-R: Andrew Stirling, Julie Stirling, David Stirling and Tim Hartley from GBRf.
23:00.
Time to bring the day to an end. The afternoon session at the conference was really interesting. Alex Hynes came back to speak once more, then we had an excellent panel session chaired by Bill Reeve of Transport Scotland. Called “Scottish Businesses & Industry Delivering Low Carbon Logistics” the panel consisted of Tim Hartley, Business Development Director, GB Railfreight. Kenneth Russell, Commercial and Strategy Director, John G Russell Transport. David Turner, Rail Director, Malcolm Logistics. Chris Swan, Head of Rail, Tarmac and Catherine Hall, Head of Strategic Planning, Network Rail.
The final session of the day came from Stephen Carr, Group Commercial Director of Peel Ports whose presentation on changing the face of how logistics networks work in the UK demonstrated how many road miles and tonnes of carbon could be saved by reappraising how the existing networks worked.
There was far too much ground covered to fit in this blog but I’ll be writing about it in detail at a later date.
As the afternoon unfolded emails I received changed my plans yet again. It seems that I’m much in demand here at COP 26 as two more short-notice jobs were arranged for me. This means I’m going to be doing a very good impression of a blue-arsed fly for the rest of my time here in Scotland.
Tonight I’m back in Glasgow staying with a good friend. Tomorrow is another day. Watch out for a disjointed rolling blog as I bounce around from event to event…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
No, not the TV series that made David Hasselhoff famous. I’m off to somewhere far less conducive to prancing around in a pair of ‘budgie smugglers’ (especially this time of the year). I’m off to Morecambe bay and the towns on the Kent estuary!
The weather’s looking to be perfect, if a little crisp. The walk to the station this morning was lovely as the clouds were melting away to the East, leaving the valley bathed in sun as it ventured above the horizon. I’m currently on the 08:27 from Halifax to Preston which has retraced part of my journey only this time along the valley floor. High above me was our house, lit up in the sunshine, looking lovely.
The train’s quiet. Well, when I say quiet – there’s not that many passengers in the front car of this 3 -car train. Unfortunately, a few rows behind me I have a younger woman gabbing on her phone who’s doing her best to sound like a Victoria Wood character – if slightly better dressed. She’s spent the whole of the trip so far gossiping in the most incredibly rapid but banal fashion about the intricacies of a family’s relationships that I’ve been forced to reach for the headphones and block her out with music before my brain melts. I’m now heading along the scenic route over Copy Pit with cloudless blue skies listening to Meatloaf singing “Objects in the rear view mirror” rather than her bleating about the sizes of someone’s kids beds. Bliss!
Feel free to keep popping in to see what I get up to today…
09:15
We’ve just left Accrington after previously stopping at Burnley. The Victoria Wood tribute act has finally run out of words (or rather, the same few words) but I’m still enjoying my soundtrack to the journey. The railway skirts Burnley to give great views over this Lancashire cotton town. I keep meaning to spend a day here getting pictures across the town from some of the high ground as the Colne branch bisects the town on a viaduct. At Accrington the route from Todmorden to Preston does the same. I took a lot of pictures in the area when I first moved to Yorkshire in 2010 but it’s really time I updated them. Maybe a day out here on a bright winter day would be a good idea…
10:00.
A full 3-car 195 waits to leave Preston for Windermere.
I’m kicking my heels in Preston again. Connections here never seem to go my way. Coming down from Glasgow I had nearly an hour to wait. This time I’ve longer. My Blackpool bound service arrived at 09:39. The Barrow service doesn’t arrive until 10:45. At least it gives me time to get a few shots and slurp a coffee in the Upper Crust. I’ve not used these sandwich bars since Covid. Their offering has gone downhill. In many cases The baguettes that were their staple fayre have been replaced by hamburger style rolls. At the same time the prices have increased. Paying more for less serms to be a common theme in Brexit Britain nowadays. So many ways of ‘winning’. At least the coffee’s good…
New and ‘improved’? Someone’s taking the pee…
10:45.
My Barrow connection arrived bright and early (2 mins early in fact) but as it’s due to sit at Preston for 9 minutes to let the 10:42 Avanti service to Glasgow that’s sat in the adjacent platform to get ahead of it, that’s hardly a problem. On the two track section of the West Coast Main line there’s no way we were going to get let out early! The Pendolino leaves 3 minutes ahead of us here but that becomes 9 minutes at Lancaster.
My train’s made up of another Northern 3-car Class 195. It’s reasonably busy but nowhere near as crowded as the Windermere service I saw earlier. Having rediscovered the joy of listening to music whilst travelling I’ve stuck my ancient iPod (remember them) on ‘shuffle’. I’m currently enjoying a real bout of nostalgia, listening to the ‘Moody Blues’ and an album recorded in 1968 (‘In search of the lost Chord’). It takes me back to my early teens, listening to the strains of the album emanating from my elder brother Dave’s bedroom in the family home oh so many years ago…
14:15.
Here’s a quick update from a cafe’ whilst I wait for the next train at Arnside. I’ll flesh this out more after the next train. Right now I’m using their warm space to edit a few pictures off the camera! Having taken the shots I needed at Grange-Over-Sands I headed back across the River Kent to Arnside to recreate(ish) the shot I used for picture of the day yesterday. Only everything didn’t quite go to plan…
Oi! Northern – I was expecting one of your new 3-car 195’s – not this!
I’m now about to take 2 as the next train running is one of their new 3-cars. Thankfully, the weather’s beaten the forecast and stayed sunny. Just as well when there’s only one train an hour…
18:00.
Another busy day – if waiting for one train an hour can be called ‘busy’. Clapham Junction this ain’t! That said, I’ve kept myself occupied for the time I was in Arnside. In between trains I managed to catch up with emails, sit and have a coffee and edit the pictures I’d taken. On the way back I stopped off to explore some photo locations in Lancaster, only this time of the year I was there too late to catch the light. Even so, I had an interesting time exploring part of the town I’d never ventured into before, which included some of the old railways like the line to Lancaster Green Ayre and Morecambe part of which is now a footpath. This is another place I need to come back to at the right time of the day/year. Having explored I headed back to the station to catch a very busy Avanti service to Preston where I waited for a Northern connection to Manchester which was running 20 minutes late. I’m now aboard an electric version of the CAF fleet built for Northern over the past few years. These 3 car 331s are certainly a step up in comfort compared to the trains they replaced, but the ride over indifferent quality track can be hard, especially if you’re sat over a bogie.
Old and new Northern electrics at a busy Preston station this evening.
I’m slowly getting used to the idea of electric trains via Chorley. They’re such a step-change in acceleration compared to the diesel units they’ve replaced, although the quality of some of the the clientele hasn’t really improved, but that’s ex-Blackpool services for you.
19:50.
I’m on the final leg home after stopping off in Manchester’s Chinatown to pick up some goodies. Whilst we have some excellent local North Indian supermarkets in Halifax I can’t get some of the ingredients I need for some of our favourite SE-Asian dishes. Today I remedied that and bought fresh Pandan leaves and Lemon grass, Kecap Manis and a light Soy sauce.
My train home from Victoria was rather nostalgic as it consists of a class 158/153 lash-up. I haven’t travelled on one of Northern’s dwindling fleet of single-car Class 153s since Covid hit! Unsurprisingly, most passengers made a dash for the air-conditioned comfort of the 158!
Mind you, it wasn’t just a/c this car didn’t have. The tiny toilet (which isn’t DDA disabled passenger compliant) is permanently locked out of use with a sign redirecting people to the Class 158. What Northern will do with these trains in the long-term’s a good question. They’re obviously past their sell-by date, but unless funds are forthcoming for new stock to replace them…
22:00.
It’s been a long day and I’m now back at home in the warm, editing the pictures I’ve taken during the day, so here’s the recreation(ish) of yesterday’s picture of the day with one of Northern’s new Class 195s replacing the Trans-Pennine 185. As you can see, the livery’s far less colourful or interesting, but such is life and progress on the railways sometimes.
195103 works 1U97, the 13:52 Barrow-in-Furness to Manchester Airport across the Arnside viaduct.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
After more travels over the last week I’ve had a rare day at home where I’ve not had to pick up the camera bag once, which has been rather nice as the weather feels a lot chillier here in the Pennines than it did in Scotland – odd when you think of the difference in latitudes. Admittedly, where I live we’re 450 feet more above sea level than Glasgow which could help explain some of the difference! Another thing I noticed was how many leaves have vanished off the trees since I was away. Apparently, there were high winds earlier in the week which made a huge difference. The little Acer bush in my front garden is looking positively naked!
Most of my day has been spent edited the thousands of pictures I took whilst I was away in order to clear the decks ready for the next trip and ensure that all the main pictures have been sent to the client (who seem extremely happy with what was shot). So, most of my day’s been spent staring at a computer screen or being distracted by the constant to-ing and fro-ing of the various Coal and Blue-Tits to the bird-feeder outside my office window. I topped it up with Sunflower seeds this morning so the birds have gone mad, even getting involved in ariel dog-fights as they jockey for position. It’s impossible for the local Squirrel population to reach the feeder, so they hang around in the cobbled entry underneath like a swarm of sharks, waiting to snatch whatever the birds manage to flick off onto the floor.
I did manage to escape for a lunchtime walk with Dawn as the pair of us wanted to ensure the day wasn’t entirely sedentary. A stroll through the local woods was just the ticket. They’re looking beautiful at the moment and I hope to have time to capture some of their colours on camera over the weekend.
Tomorrow I’m off on my travels again. This time it’s a trip to Grange-over-Sands to get pictures for an article I’m writing for a client. I’d hoped to have visited before I went to Scotland, but the weather around Morecambe Bay can be temperamental to say the least. However, tomorrow’s forecast is for sunshine for at least part of the day, so it would be a no-brainer not to go. No doubt there’ll be a rolling blog in the offing as tomorrow’s a solo trip that isn’t rushed, giving me time to watch the world go by and write.
The picture of the day comes from the archives and was taken in the area I’m heading to. This shot of a train crossing the Arnside Viaduct over the wide river Kent was taken on the 14th February 2008.
The River Kent is tidal and depending on the time of day you might see little more than sandbanks here, but when the tide’s in or on its way on a clam day, you can capture reflections like this. Sadly, this train livery is a thing of the past – as is the class of train on this route as Trans-Pennine Express no longer run service to Barrow-in-Furness. I always though this was one of the more attractive liveries to catch out in the countryside as it was so vibrant. Who knows, maybe I’ll have chance to update this shot tomorrow with new trains and new liveries – even if it won’t be as colourful…
Oh, some of you might recognise this shot and wonder where from. It’s on my business card!
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I’m about to head out to Central station for another assignment that involves battery trains. The railways have been having a torrid time of it over the past few days, the line to Glasgow from London’s been disrupted by fallen trees, delaying many people getting to COP26. There’s an irony here. The charity The Woodland Trust have been campaigning against Network Rail clearing back lineside vegetation along rail routes. No-one wants to see tree cover diminish, but it’s about having trees in the right place, and where they’re a danger to life and limb (too nay trains have hit fallen trees) or cause such massive disruption as they have done, then (no matter what the WT claim) they need to be removed. Go plant them somewhere else.
Another incident at Salisbury has left two trains badly damaged – fortunately without any serious injuries to passengers or crews. We all take railway safety seriously and any lessons that can be learned will, so I refuse to speculate on any reasons for the accident.
The weather here in Glasgow’s brightening up, so I’m off out, I’ll update this blog as I go…
18:20.
Sorry, this hasn’t been much of a rolling blog as I’ve just been too busy with the events, taking pictures and meeting people. It has been a fascinating day tho’. Glasgow Central station’s been buzzing. A media centre’s been set up on the first floor of one of the vacant buildings (the old bar) and people have been coming and going all day as many VIPs have been arriving. At the same time I’ve been working on the Vivarail event and their shuttle train which took invited guests on a return trip to Barrhead. But, before we ran the trip, a nameplate was presented to the man behind the whole idea, Adrian Shooter by Bill Reeve, Director of Rail for Transport Scotland.
Bill Reeve (right) with Adrian Shooter and a copy of the nameplate attached to 230001. 230001 leaves Glasgow Central after the event to return to Polmadie.
Whilst all this was happening the VIPs kept arriving. I saw these people getting off the train from London…
Needless to say, the atmosphere in Glasgow is starting to ramp up now that COP26 has begun in earnest with the arrival of the politicians and heads of state. I’ll be spending another day here tomorrow on a similar event but also hope to have a look at a couple of other things before returning South for a few days to catch up with other work before returning for transport day on the 10th when a rather different type of train will be running.
Oh, I did pop back to the station later, at which point the ‘Extinction Rebellion’ circus had started arriving in town. Regular readers will know just how cynical I am about XR, its people, its methods and its ideology – but they do provided a good opportunity for a photographer. Here’s the ‘Red Rebels’ at Central station, because nothing is going to stop Climate Change like dressing up and pretending you’re a ‘green’ version of Marcel Marceau…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Today I head from Halifax north of the border to spend several days in Scotland for work (and some pleasure). The bag’s packed, the camera’s cleaned and all the batteries are charged. Now all I’ve go to do is get there. I’ll be blogging about my travels throughout the day as I make my way to tonight’s final destination – Stirling. Feel free to keep popping in to see how the adventure unfolds. There’s a storm front passing across the North-West and Scotland at the moment which is already causing disruption and cancellations to rail services, so things could be ‘interesting’ to say the least…
09:49.
The rain held off to allow me to enjoy my stroll to the station. Gusting winds played havoc with the falling leaves, making them swirl around my feet as I tramped the tree-lined streets into town. There’s some glorious autumn colours around at the moment. Hopefully I’ll have time to capture some of them on camera over the next few days.
Right now I’m on the 09:38 from Halifax to Leeds. It’s made up of a pair of 2-car Class 195s. I’m in the lead car which is quiet. There’s less than a dozen of us aboard. I suspect that’ll change on arrival at Bradford…
09:58.
Sure enough, our reversal at Bradford Interchange saw the train fill up, mostly with young students and a few shoppers. Depressingly, mask-wearing is almost non-existent.The ominous grey skies have followed me but here they’re breaking up and blue sky is fighting back.
We left 5 minutes late due to being held to let a late-running Halifax service pass but I’m not time-precious today, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
10:35.
My late arrival meant I missed one train onwards to York and the next Northern service was running 8 mins late so the speedy option was to wait for Trans-pennine Express and their 10:42 to Newcastle.
10:48.
Friday crowds joining the 10:42.
I managed to find a seat on the train but it was a struggle as there’s no shortage of folk travelling. Overhearing conversations it’s clear most people are leisure travellers going away for the weekend to see family or friends. I know this because there’s a garralous Scouse woman working the refreshment trolly who keeps chatting to everyone she serves! Her job was made easier by the fact we arrived early but left late..
11:08.
I’ve not travelled the Leeds – York route for a while, so I was surprised to see that electrification masts are marching South from Colton Junction. They look remarkably like the substantial ‘series 1’ type used on the Great Western electrification too! I can see I need to nip out this way with the camera…
12:00.
I’m finally on the way to Scotland! On arrival at York I changed trains to wait for the next LNER service to Edinburgh which (surprise surprise) was running late. This seems to be the theme of the day. None of the delays are serious, all are in single figures, so I can’t really complain when it’s the leaf-fall season and the weather’s stormy (to say the least). In fact, now we’re rushing Northwards the skies are clearing, which is a good sign.
As I was in the queue to get off the train at York I overheard an exchange between to women with kids which illustrates the problem the railways are facing at the moment. Both were from Yorkshire and one was using the train for the first time for years. She was travelling from Huddersfield with two children and used the train as a treat and different experience for her two young daughters. But…She observed that if it hadn’t been the helpful staff who split her tickets for her, the journey would have cost her £55 – far more than the cost of driving, even with adding in parking charges. Her observation? She won’t be using the train again as it’s too expensive. Next time she’ll drive. These are the people we need to get out of cars, but we can’t do it if people find rail travel is too expensive. Many train companies would like to offer cheaper tickets, but the problem is the Treasury and Dept of Transport, who still see railways as a cash-cow and not a vital tool to help tackle climate change. This attitude has to be challenged, but when we have such a dysfunctional Government (see my comment about cutting domestic air passenger duty yesterday) what will it take to get through to our politicians?
The 9 car Class 801 that I’m on now is busy. Very busy. I’ve managed to find a seat in the leading car but we’ve several stops before Edinburgh yet and the ominous sign “may be reserved later” is showing on the reservation LED above me so I could be turfed out en-route. With the train being so busy the onboard wifi is so slow it’s useless so I’m grateful I’ve get a huge data allowance on my phone contract. This has allowed me to tether my phone to my laptop and post from there. Happy days!
13:00.
We’ve left Newcastle and I’ve not been thrown out of my seat yet so that’s a result. The composition of the carriage has changed quite a bit tho’ – many people left at Newcastle so we have a new (younger) intake. The atmosphere’s still good with many people chatting and enjoying the trip – although the weather’s deteriorating again. We’ve just called at Morpeth, having clawed back 2 minutes of the 8 minute deficit we had leaving York. I’m optimistic we’ll be near to time by Edinburgh.
13:50.
Bliss! We’ve now crossed the border, having left ‘little England’ behind – at least for a few days. Our last stop was Alnwick after which we were treated to some wonderful views of the Northumbrian coast and places like Lindisfarne Island which was bathed in glorious sunshine, speeding over the magnificent Royal Border bridge without stopping we’re now hugging the Scottish coast before arriving in Edinburgh. I’ll be busy for a while but blogging will resume once I leave the Scottish capital. I’m not stopping for long…
15:11.
As we approached Edinburgh from the East I could see the storms approaching from the West. Thunderous grey cloud that looked very uninviting. As we’d only got as far as Drem when it started throwing rain at us. Lots of rain. It didn’t let up for the rest of the trip into the Scottish capital. The conditions made me change my plans and decide to head straight on to Glasgow. I hear from friends that the weather’s no better there either, but I’m going to meet up with a couple of old friends before heading to my accommodation for the night. My revised plan is to get some night shots as standing water makes for some great reflections, but it needs to be properly dark first. So, now I’m speeding West on one of the excellent Hitachi built Class 385 EMUs…
The pair of us have had rather a lazy day today, indulging ourselves for once by not watching the clock or setting ourselves targets to let the day unravel at its own speed. Having served coffee and breakfast I still managed to be productive workwise by wading through a morass of picture editing and paperwork before lunchtime. Oh, the joys of freelance life!
The weather here in the Calder Valley remains mild and mostly dry, so we also managed to get out for a late afternoon constitutional, walking through our local woods where the trees have attained their panoply of autumn colours to look stunning. Heading downhill to the valley bottom we joined the canal for an easy stroll into Sowerby Bridge and a short interlude in Williams Bar where we enjoyed a quiet drink away from the masses. Well, what passes for ‘masses’ in Sowerby Bridge on a Sunday in October! I indulged in a pint of Arizona from our late friend Tony’s Phoenix brewery whilst Dawn pushed the boat out with a diet Coke!
The steep walk back uphill is always a little harder after adding some extra liquid ballast but we’re used to that. Now we’re home Dawn’s busied herself in the kitchen whilst I’m ensconced in the office looking at hotel options for my forthcoming trip to Scotland. I know what place that I won’t be staying! I stumbled across this ‘gem’ during my research. Clearly, some people are ‘extracting the urine’ when it comes to charging for accommodation thanks to the forthcoming COP26 conference!
I’ll leave you with a picture of the day which is far removed from Scotland or Yorkshire. I took it in Watchbell St, Rye, East Sussex earlier this week. I love this style of building, but I’d hate to think how much they cost to maintain. We live in a stone-built cottage that dates from the 1850s and that’s bad enough…
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