Tag Archives: Travel

Rolling blog: Fenland foray…

09 Wednesday Jun 2021

Posted by in Photography, Rail Investment, Railways, Rolling blogs, Transport, Travel

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09:30.

Sorry for the delay in starting this. I’ve been up since 06:00 and I was on my first train from Ipswich by 07:34 – and in glorious weather too. Then it all went a bit “Pete Tong”. I plugged in my laptop on the train so I could check in with the world (and write this), then spent the entire trip to Saxmundham battling against the ‘blue screen of death’ as my laptop flashed up the dreaded words ‘exception error’. Fortunatly I managed to reset it (eventually). Not for the first time my machine doesn’t chew automatic updates properly when they’re swallowed from indifferent wifi on the move…

Still, I can breathe easy for now as I backed up all my data and pictures as a precaution. For now I’m going to be blogging via my phone, so please excuse fat finger syndrome and a spull-chucker that thinks I’m wanting to write in Serbo-Croat!

I’m currently kicking my heels between trains at the pretty and well-heeled market town of Saxmundam. You can tell it’s well-heeled as it boasts two new supermarkets and one of ’em is a Waitrose.

The station’s looking good too. The Lowestoft bound platforms been renovated, the old station building’s undergoing a rebuild and the car-park’s recently been extended. The large flower bed that separates it from the Ipswich bound platform’s been replanted by the local community group and includes a new herb garden. All that’s needed now is for passengers to return in numbers.

I’ve traversed the East Suffolk line many times. In fact I wrote about it last September as part of my bi-annual Round Britain rover for RAIL magazine last September but I’ve never had time to stop off at any of the stations and towns en-route. Today’s an opportunity to make up for that omission.

Despite much recent modernisation, with resignalling and new track the East Suffolk line still takes me back to the old days as there’s long lengths of the old 60ft sections of jointed bull-head rail to provide the famous ‘clickety-click’ sound of classic rail travel. I’ve heard a sound I’ve not come across for years, the bang as a fishplate copes with the rails expanding in the hot sun!

11:15.

I backtracked from Saxmundham in order to spend some time at the excellent station restoration project at Wickham Market. The old two-storey station building has undergone a massive make-over to convert it into a cafe and meeting rooms for the benefit of the local community. The scheme was funded from several different sources including Community Rail Network and the Railway Heritage trust who helped with the replacement of the station canopy. The lovely volunteer behind the cafe counter told me that the copies of the original spandrels were made by Hargreaves in Sowerby Bridge – talk about a small world!

Right now I’m on the 10:42 train making my way North towards Lowestoft, maybe I’ll stop off on the way if something else looks enticing…

I’m travelling in the front car of a three car Class 755 but this set (329) seems noticeably noisier than others I’ve travelled on due to vibration from the engine compartment. Even so, it’s head and shoulders in quality above the old 2-car Class 156s it’s replaced!

13:15.

I’m now on my way to Norwich after a short layover in Lowestoft which I used to buy some extra summer clothes from M&S. With not having been able to visit Thailand recently my old multi pocketed shorts (ideal for travelling) had to be condemned! I’ve now found a half-decent replacement. But God, Lowestoft was depressing. I’ve visited the place many times. I’ve even stayed overnight, which was ‘fun’ but each time I return it seems to get worse. I stood out like a sore thumb for all these reasons: I’m not clincally obese. I’m not festooned with ‘tats and I don’t use either a walking stick, Zimmer frame or mobility scooter! Honestly, the place was like God’s waiting room.

16:45.

I took a break in Norwich in order to have coffee with an old friend. Dominic and his family moved up here from Chelmsford at the end of last year, so it was good to be able to catchup after so long – even briefly. The town doesn’t seem to have changed much. Whilst I waited outside the station I watched an armed police team and the transport police detain one youth whilst a gaggle of women in matching hen party T-shirts stood smoking and spilling booze. On a Wednesday? Must be some hen do!

Right now I’m en-route to the broads again to recreate some photographic favourites featuring the new trains rather then the elderly and wheezing class 156s…

19:20.

I’m on the rails again after getting the picture that I wanted of one of the new Class 755 trains crossing the swing bridge at Reedham. Sadly, I only got one bite of the cherry due to the rail timetable and time constraints. Even so. It’s a lovely place to while away an hour and watch the boat traffic on the broads. Reedham boasts two pubs on the river but only one has reopened at the moment. I can’t post a picture right now as I was concentrating on using my Nikon, but I will later.

I’ve been coming to Reedham for years and find it a lovely spot. The railway might have lost some of its interest now it’s been modernised and the old mechanical signalling’s been replaced, but the local station friends group makes up for that. They’ve done an excellent job with the station gardens and the small museum they maintain in one of the original station buildings.

The Reedham swing bridge – just waiting for a train…

22:30.

My final update for the day as I’m now back in my hotel in Ipswich, juggling plans for tomorrow as I’ve a couple of people to catch up with whilst enjoying this superb weather. My trip to Norwich was ‘interesting’ to say the least. On my return from Reedham I nipped into town to buy a sandwich. The first thing I saw was very positive. The ground floor of an office block just the other side of the River Wensum has been converted into an NHS Covid vaccination station. Dozens of people were inside with more queuing outside. The really positive thing was they were all young people. Sadly, the good impression didn’t last. a few yards up the road I came across a group of young people and one slightly older woman who were all well gone already. They were arguing as it was some girls birthday and the woman had trapped said girl in a lift three times (no, I can’t work it out either). It seemed like the usual carry-on that you get in Norwich most weekends when every village idiot for miles descends on the place. I thought no more of it until one of of the young men blurted out in exasperation “Oh Mum!”…Maybe Ry Cooder should have forgotten about Texas and written a song about Norfolk…

Anyways, here’s one last picture from today now that I’ve go them dowloaded onto the laptop (which seems to be behaving itself). When I got back to Ipswich I had chance to have a look at one of the new Bombardier Class 720s as one was waiting to return to London. Oh dear! They have 3+2 seating and the aisles are so narrow they’re a tight squeeze even for me. With a camera bag on my back I stood no chance of getting through, so imagine what they’d be like with people occupying those seats?

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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

Rolling blog: Time for an adventure…

07 Monday Jun 2021

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

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07:20.

Apologies for the recent gap in blogging, it’s not that I’ve not been up to anything so had nothing to say (exactly the opposite) it’s simply been a case of not having enough time in a day to fit everything in!

This weeks will be a little different as I’m off on my travels and flying solo so the focus is rather different. I’m spending the next few nights based in Ipswich in order to explore and record the changing rail scene across East Anglia and Essex. Right now I’m on the 07:00 from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester Victoria in order to head South to my old home town. London. Despite the gradual easing of Covid restrictions this train’s still quiet. It’s a three-car 153/158 lash-up and there’s only half a dozen of us in the front 153 right now. I’ll be interested to see how busy it is by Manchester…

The glorious weather we’ve had over the past few days has faded away this morning, leaving us with low cloud and spots of rain. Even so, the temperatures good and ideal for lugging around a camera bag and rucsac – which is just as well!

I’ll be blogging throughout the day, so feel free to keep popping in to see what (and where) I get up to…

07:45.

Due to problems with another service my train’s become an “all shacks” service to Manchester, stopping everywhere en-route, which means we’re filling up. My car’s still less than half-full, but it’s clear passenger numbers are gradually recovering from the lockdown nadir. The weather here in Lancashire’s sunnier than t’other side of the Pennines, so I’m hoping for for a pleasant stroll across Manchester later.

09:30

And relax…! I’m currently back in familiar territory, speeding South on 1A16, Avanti West Coast’s 08:55 Manchester Piccadilly – Euston Pendolino. My earlier arrival at Manchester Victoria saw me do a double take as I passed throught the station. One of Northern’s new CAF built units was sitting in platform 2, one of the pair of East facing bays. It was only when I noticed the number that I realised something unusual. It was one of their electric sets, not diesel. This is the first time I’ve seen an EMU in the bays as currently (pardon the pun) there’s nowhere for them to run to as the wires don’t extend futher East than the station environs. At the moment Network Rail are extending electrification as far as Stalybridge as part of the trans-pennine route upgrade (TRU) so in a few years time this will be a common sight, but not right now…

10:15.

My Pendolino’s eating up the miles to Euston, but there’s one noticeable thing missing at the lineside. As we passed Rugeley the four giant cooling towers from the old coal fired power station have vanished. They were demolished using explosives over the weekend.

10:24.

Our journey South was going really well until Rugby when running early turned into a 6 minute deficit after being checked twice, first at Trent Valley Junction, then in the station where a sister Pendolino pulled up alongside us. Having cleared Hillmorton Junction we’re picking up speed again although I’ve no idea what the problem was as there’s been no announcements to explain.

12:15.

Our slightly late arrival at Euston didn’t disrupt my plans as I was in no hurry. I paused long enough to get shots of the remains of the old Euston signalbox which has been flattened to make way for HS2, then strolled to Euston Square tube station to catch the train to Liverpool St. The capital’s still eerily quiet due to the absence of foreign tourists and office workers still on furlough, but life’s returning. My tube train was certainly busy.

Liverpool St mainline station was far busier than last time I was here too although the mezzanine remained closed. What’s also changed is the trains. New stock from Stadler and Bombardier mixed with older BR built vehicles which still hold on despite the fact they should have retired by now. Class 315s can still be found working some TfL rail services to Shenfield and my train (the 12:02 to Ipswich) was formed of three elderly (if refurbished) Class 321s!

19:30.

Apologies for the gap but I’ve been busy travelling and my phone’s decided it doesn’t like the East Angular phone networks so it’s refused to connect to anything! I’m currently on a train to Felixstowe so I’m using the train wifi to pen a few words.

I’ve certainly had an eventful day so far and the weather’s been absolutely glorious which has been great for pictures. I made my way up to Ipswich in fits and starts, stopping off at several stations on the way in order to build up a haul of pictures and also see what’s changed since I was last spending time on the Great Eastern Main Line. I must admit that I was surprised to find so many of the old BR built trains still working. The Class 321 ‘Dusty Bins’ are still the mainstay of the electric services to places like Clacton, Southend and Ipswich, although I did see some of the new Bombardier Class 720s in service and several more out on test. Of course the 720s have been delivered late and Covid has hammered the driver training schedule, so it’s hardly surprising the 321s are soldiering on. They’ve never really liked them as a train, the internal layout was inferior to many other regional trains but Greater Anglia have done a good job with refurbishing the units to make ’em bearable. Even so, I’m looking forward to trying out the new Class 720s. Right now I’m on one of GA’s other bew fleets, the Stadler built Class 755s. I think that they’re an excellent train from a passengers perspective. The internal layout is very good with a variety of airline seats and table bays of four, plus they have wifi and plug sockets (although the sorkets are kaput on the set I’m on). They also go like rockets!

22:00.

I’ve managed to get my phone to agree to communicate with the local phone networks, so I’m typing this last update from my hotel room in Ipswich using it tethered to my laptop. The hotel want to charge me for the pleasure of using their wifi but my phone contract has such a huge monthly data allowance there’s no need. Day 1 of the adventure’s been fun. The weather’s been superb and I’ve really enjoyed being able to explore old haunts again as well as get a good selection of pictures. Editing them will keep me busy over the next few evenings but that’s not a problem as Ipswich isn’t exactly ‘sin city’. Most of the town centre seems to close-down after 18:00 but that hardly surprising as the place is deserted. I’m trying to remember if it was always this way, and I suspect it was. There’s what looks like a couple of reasonable pubs but otherwise the only things that are open after 19:00 seem to be take-aways and kebab shops. Like a lot of English towns nowadays, there doesn’t seem to be many people living in the centre so once the shops shut it’s game over. Either way, it’s not a problem for me as I’m not here looking for nightlife. There is one thing I wouldn’t mind finding whilst I’m here. Apparently, there’s a replica Noah’s ark that’s been impounded in the docks as it’s not seaworthy. No, seriously! Take a look!

Ark’s aside, tomorrow’s going to be another busy day, so I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures from today before signing off…

Here’s a pair of the new 5-car Class 720’s built by Bombardier approaching Colchester whilst working 1N47, the 16:05 Clacton-on-Sea to London Liverpool Street

Also at Colchester were this contrasting pair…

One of the new Stadler built 12-car units that have replaced loco-hauled sets on London – Norwich Intercity workings passes an old BR built Class 321 eking out its final days working services between Clacton and London. These particular trains (321/4) were originally built for working out of London Euston to Northampton and Birmingham before being cascaded to Anglia services.

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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

Ist June picture of the day…

01 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Picture of the day, Travel, Yorkshire

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And what a brilliant day it was! Dawn had suggested we drive over to the East Coast today and visit somewhere where I’d never been – Flamborough Head, near Bridlington. The area has some excellent cliff walks as well as teeming with marine and bird life – as I was to find out. The drive took us around two and a half hours due to some busy roads and heavy traffic on the M62 although the weather was wall to wall sunshine and we got to pass through some areas of the country I’m unfamiliar with, so it wasn’t all bad. Dee drove and I navigated to help share some of the strain. It was only when we arrived at Flamborough we realised there was one thing we hadn’t planned on. Fog. Sea fog! The area was covered in it! The lighthouse kept disappearing, one minute it was there, then you turned your back, looked back over your shoulder and it was gone. So much so I suddenly understood why Trinity House had built the thing in the first place! It was so thick you couldn’t see any of the bays and we debated on moving inland but knowing how the fog can suddenly clear we decided to go for a walk along the cliffs anyway, which proved to be a wise decision as within half an hour we were stolling in unbroken sunshine as the fog retreated northwards and out to sea, leaving us free to enjoy unhindered views of the cliffs, the thousands of seabirds that inhabited them and the dozens of seals that basked on the beaches or played in the inlets.

The area deserves a travel blog of its own which I’ll write up soon. Having explored we moved on to see another attarction, the RSPB reserve at Bempton Cliffs, just a few miles futher North. It was a fantastic place where the cliffs are the nesting site for around half a million seabirds which gather here between March and October. They include Puffins, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Gannets, Guillemots and Shags. The sight of these birds nesting precariously on narrow ledges it quite spectacular. Mind you, it’s not just that which takes your breath away – the pungent smell of guano does too! It’s easy to find where the greatest concentration of nesting birds are – just follow your nose! The RSPB have built wooden viewing platforms on the cliffs which are ideal places to get pictures (if you have the right camera equipment).

I’ve got a busy few days ahead of me so I probably won’t get all the pictures I took online until next week at the earliest, so I’ll leave you with this one of nesting Kittiwakes. Whilst they’re a member of the Gull family they’re the only one in decline, which is believed to be because their natural food (Sand Eels) are also shrinking in numbers.

I could happily spend hours here with a camera trying to get shots of some of the birds behaviours so I’ll certainly be returning one day.

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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

31st May picture of the day…

31 Monday May 2021

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

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Summer’s here! The past couple of days here in the Calder valley have been stunning with wall to wall sunshine, making up for some of the grey and grim days that have filled much of May. Even the fact it’s a bank holiday hasn’t put the mockers on the weather (for a change). Rather then joining the bank-holiday crowds heading for the coasts the pair of us have made the most of our time by staying at home and catching up on work on the house and garden which has been tiring to say the least but worth it just to be out in the sunshine and recharging the vitamin D levels. With my enforced stay in the ‘Septic Isle’ due to Covid and miserable weather I don’t think I’ve looked as pale as I did for years. Now we appear to be in for a run of good weather so my normal colour’s returning. Whilst I’ve been doing the heavy lifting on the garden terraces Dee’s been busy with sandpaper, filler and paintbrushes to restore the front door. Sitting high up on the valley side and facing South this row of cottages takes a battering from the weather, so keeping them up to scratch is a constant job.

That said, we’re having a day out tomorrow as we’re heading to somewhere I’ve never visited before. At Dawn’s suggestion we’re off to Flamborough Head near Bridlington, which sounds ideal, a rugged stetch of coastline with a lot of history, walking trails and wildlife. No doubt I’ll be blogging about it at some point but there’s going to be a a few more rolling blogs in the pipeline as from next Monday I’ll be spending several days based in Ipswich and travelling the East Anglian rail network for work. We’re having an early start in the morning so I’m cutting this blog short and leaving you with the picture of the day which I took this afternoon from our garden terrace looking over the cottages down towards Sowerby Bridge in the valley below. See what I mean about the sunshine?

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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

28th May picture of the day…

28 Friday May 2021

Posted by in Malaysia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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Well, that’s it – We’re now both now ‘double-dosed’ – having received the second of my Covid jabs yesterday and Dawn today. Compared to the first dose this one hasn’t been too bad. I don’t feel any major side effects – apart from the fact my 5G reception’s amazing and I’ve developed a curious interest in ‘news’ programmes on Russia Today!

The same as last time I received my jab at Boots the chemist in Huddersfield, where part of the 1st floor’s been converted for the purpose. It was a slick operation but not as quick as last time because they had more people wanting the jab, which can only be a good thing. That said, most of the folks I overheard talking were like me and in for their second dose. I can only hope that the succesful rollout of the inoculation programme will allow us to return to normal, even if normal won’t be what it was. The big question now is how the rest of the world fares as I suspect it won’t be until next year that we’re finally out of the woods.

Dawn’s reaction to her second jab seems much like mine – feeling ‘Meh’, and with a few neck cramps, but that’s it. Infinately preferable to the alternative anyways! Neither of us had anything planned for today as we didn’t know how we’d react so we’ve had a quiet (if productive) day. Whilst I’ve spent the day scanning the last slides from my 1991-92 world trip Dawn’s been busy baking. The smells drifting up from the kitchen as a Victoria sponge cake’s cooking have been wonderful!

The pair of us are having a quiet night in so all that remains is for me to choose the picture of the day. I’ve a large backlog of slides scanned that need editing, so I thought I’d use the very last one I have from my trip before I flew back from Kuala Lumpur to London with Aeroflot. Reading through my old diaries there’s sooo many stories that I could relate – but they’ll be saved for when I have more time to spend writing.

My last day was ‘interesting’ as I only had 6 Malaysian Ringgitt left. I’d maxxed out my credit card on buying my flight back to the UK and that was the only cash I had left. I had enough to buy a bunch of Rambutans (a fruit similar to a Lychee) and the fare for the bus to the airport. Oh, and my camera was playing up too. The mirror kept locking up so I never knew if it would work or not. But, I managed to get this final shot on the 8th October 1992. I was people watching outside the Central market and spotted this blind musician busking along with his daughter/grand-daughter. I may have been on my uppers but nothing like this. Never forget, there’s always someone worse off than you…

Having spent the past few months looking back 30 years I’ve often wondered what happened to the people in my pictures? From the other travellers I met and spent time with to random street scenes like this. This young girl would probably be a middle-gaed mother by now, probably with Grandchildren of her own. I wonder what the stories of their lives were after I froze them as moments in time three decades ago? They’ll live forever like this in pictures, but what happened afterwards?

Hopefully I’ll have the rest of the old scans edied and added to this gallery in the next week or so. After that I move on to albums from the next phase of my life. Having returned from travelling in 1992 my life took a very different turn – and travelling became an even bigger part of it…

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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/Thank you!

26th May picture of the day…

26 Wednesday May 2021

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Indonesia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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I’m not going to be writing a magnum opus tonight, the pair of us have had a lovely day with Dee being on holiday and the country coming out of its Covid shell so a short blog will have to suffice. The pair of us have really enjoyed having a lazy aftermath to Dawn’s birthday. The weather was crap so what was the point of getting up early and travelling to the coast as we’d originally planned? Instead, we took it easy and relished in the fact we had nowhere to be. Instead we lazed at home, Dawn did her stuff whilst I followed the political car-crash and score-settling that was Dominic Cummings giving evidence on the Government’s response to Covid. Or rather, the Government’s lack of a response. It was a an awful spectacle as it showed just how far the UK has sunk when it comes to politics and the people and parties many are willing to entrust with their vote. Here we had the spectacle of a liar accusing other liars of lying! Who to believe, eh?

By late afternoon we did decide to venture out and made it as far as the Bolster Moor farm shop to pick up food supplies for the next few weeks and indulge in a guilty pleasure – one of their award winning pork pies. Well, when in Yorkshire!

On the way home we stopped off at an old favorite that’s recently re-opened – the Moorcock Inn on Norland Moor. Because we’re allowed indoors once more the awful weather was no deterrent. Catching up with Aimee and the folks who work there really made us feel like we’re coming out of Covid – even if the road may be rocky.

Now, back home we’ve been busy again. Dee’s been occupied in the kitchen (with some help from me) prepping a batch of home-made lasagna whilst I’ve been editing a few more old slides – which supply the picture of the day.

Following in David Attenborough’s footsteps I visited Komodo Island (famed for its ‘Dragons) on the 2nd September 1992. In those days the park rangers used to take small tour groups off into the hinterland to see dragons which were waiting to be fed. a dozen of us would be accompanied by a couple of PHPA wardens and a goat but for the goat it would be a one-way trip. Here’s how feeding time looked…

Talk about nature ‘raw in took and claw’…

I went back in 1998. By then the wardens has stopped feeding the Dragons as it has made them lazy, so you’d never get to see scenes like this again.

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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/Thank you!

23rd May picture of the day…

23 Sunday May 2021

Posted by in Food, Musings, Picture of the day, Southport, Travel

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Apologies for the absence from blogging but I’ve been taking some time off now the UK is slowly opening up. I’ve been getting out and about more which has led to a hectic social whirl and a backlog of pictures and admin’ but it’s a lovely position to be in after so long. The pair of us have been busy as Dawn’s got two weeks holiday which started on Friday so we’ve been clearing the decks for that. Plus – I’ve spent two evenings in…pubs! Yep, remember those things? The valley’s been busy with different friends passing through – not all of which I managed to catch up with, but on Thursday I had the chance to meet a chap called Martin Ward. Martin and I cycled ‘Ride India’ together in 2018 and her was here in the valley with his family enjoying a break on a canal narrowboat, so it would have been rude not to. Plus, on Friday a group of us from the ‘Big 6’ pub (which is undergoing a change of management so hasn’t re-opened) who’ve been doing a weekly quiz via Zoom finally had the chance to meet up in the flesh again using a surrogate pub – the ‘Shepherds Rest’ in SA few other refugees from ‘the 6’ drifted in so it turned into a really nice night.

On Saturday Dawn and I drove over to my old home town of Southport to meet up with some of my family. First up was my niece, Charlotte whom we spent a very pleasant couple of hours with outside a cafe in Birkdale. The village has gone rather upmarket over the past 20 years as it’s a conservation area. Many of the cafes and shops near the station have old Victorian iron and glass canopies outside, so it’s an ideal place to sit and pass the time – even if it was a bit windy. Afterwards, Dawn and I met up with my sister Anne and her daughter Brier for a celebratory early birthday meal – something we’ve not been able to do since the first lockdown. I’d booked a table at Bistro Bar Med in the centre of town. one of us had visited before but we all really enjoyed the food, which is a mixture of Spanish Tapas and Turkish mezes.

It was wonderful be able to visit a restaurant again and Bar Med was ideal. The Owner and his staff were great hosts and the food was delicious! The place isn’t huge, which added to the atmosphere as it was more intimate and personal. I really liked the way the food was served – as you can see here. It saved a lot of space on the table and the wheel arrangement meant it was easy to share dishes. We’d certainly visit again as I love this communal way of eating, the quality of the food and the atmosphere. So, today’s picture is of something I’ve not posted for a very very long time – food!

We’re big fish eaters so our selection of five Tapas dishes was Green-lipped mussels, king prawns and Sardines, accompanied by meatballs and Patatas Bravas. The bread rolls meant none of the delicious sauces went to waste!

Eating ‘early doors’ allowed us to drive back to West Yorkshire without getting back too late, leading to an easy night. Today we’ve had a quiet day. The weather’s been pretty crappy again as it’s cold, wet and windy – distinctly unseasonal so we’ve not really done much apart from getting out for a short walk. That said, we’ve got plenty of plans, especially after a surprise. I’ve got my second Covid jab booked for Thursday but Dawn (being younger than me) hadn’t heard about hers – until this morning. Now Dee will get her second the day after me on Friday, so we’re both covered for the future, this is timely as we’re currently looking at our first foreign adventure for the future which will be somewhere I’ve been many times but Dawn’s never visited. Bali. Let’s just hope this happens as we’d be out there for a special occasion…

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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

19th May picture of the day…

19 Wednesday May 2021

Posted by in Indonesia, Musings, Picture of the day

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There’s been no travelling for me today, unless you call going out for a walk travelling. Instead I’ve been busy at home editing the past two days worth of pictures and getting them on my website which took up nearly all of the morning. Once that was done I had time to email a couple of clients who’ve expressed an interest in them. To be honest, I was quite happy to be stuck at home. The gorgeous sunny weather I experienced yesterday was clearly a flash in the pan judging by the forecast. Today we’ve still had some sunshine but it’s also been accompanied by torrential showers and even hail – in May! Now the temperatures dropping and it looks like we could be in for a cold night. Sadly, the weather’s predicted to be pretty crappy tomorrow too, so I may just be spending another day in the office but as I’ve plenty to keep myself occupied with, I’m not too bothered. After all, sat on my desk there’s another 60 old slides already mounted and awaiting scanning, just waiting for a rainy day! There’s also some blogging I’d like to catch up with as I’ve still not written an update on progress building HS2 (there’s lots) – so let’s see what happens.

As the scanning progresses I’m building up a massive archive of material for ‘picture of the day’. I reckon I’d have to live to be 100 just to show them all! Here’s today’s picture which was taken on the 29th June 1992 at Lake Maninjau, West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Here a local bus is slowly making its way up from the lake in the crater (yes, this was once a massive volcano) climbing up a road with 44 hairpin bends to allow it to gain sufficient height to breast the lip of the crater. It’s not a journey for the faint-hearted. As you can see, it’s a very fertile area. You walk past some superb rice terraces or little homesteads with their own fishing ponds and vegetable gardens. Not being daft, I’d taken one of these buses half way up in order to walk down getting pictures. Even so, it was quite a trek but well worth it for the views although by the time you get to the bottom you’re ready for a cold beer! You can find more pictures from the series in this gallery on my Zenfolio website.

Soon after this I finally moved on from Sumatra to Java and continued my island-hopping journey all the way to Timor, so expect plenty more pictures from the amazing country of Indonesia…

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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

Rolling blog: the hunting of the Class 769…

18 Tuesday May 2021

Posted by in Northern Rail, Porterbrook, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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09:11

As I’m not trekking across half the country today there’s been no ‘up at sparrowfart’ start. Instead I’m soaking up the sun at Sowerby Bridge, waiting for Northern’s 09:04 to Wigan Wallgate. Today’s mission (which I’ve chosen to accept) is to track down and get some decent shots of the bi-mode, 4-car Class 769s which have now entered service between Alderley Edge and Southport. The units operate on electric power as far as Bolton, then switch to diesel.

The 769s are a conversion from the all-electric Class 319s owned by Porterbrook leasing which previously worked Thameslink services through the heart of London. Porterbrook had surplus electric trains coming out of their ears, with few takers for them due to a glut of new trains and the Government cancelling some electrification schemes that could have seen them gainfully employed – like on the truncated Midland Main Line scheme where I was yesterday.

To help provide a solution to the surplus, the boffins at Porterbrook came up with a cunning plan. Why not convert some of these trains by sticking a a pair of MAN diesel engines under the driving cars coupled to an alternator to convert them to bi-mode. Of course, like most simple ideas it was anything but. Fitting the engines and alternators and associated kit involved a lot of jiggery-pokery under the frames of the units and some components were swapped between vehicles to ensure even weight distribution. Technical problems (then Covid) knocked the programme back, leaving the Northern trains entering service 3 years late. But now they’re here. The units are capable of 100mph under electric power and 75mph on diesel traction, giving them a performance on diesel that’s superior to one of the units they’ve displaced on Southport services – the venerable, BR built Class 150s (which I’ve always felt as sluggish – and noisy). They’re billed as less polluting on diesel than the 150s too due to their modern power management systems. Northern have eight of the units. Others are (or will be) operated by GWR, Transport for Wales and Rail. Rail Operations Group (ROG) will have two for freight use.

I’ll be adding to this blog throughout the day, so keep popping back to see what I get up to. Right now I’m on that Wigan train…

10:15.

We’re bumbling along the old L&Y Rly main line via Walkden where it’s great to see so many stations receiving a brush-up and lick of paint. Walkden itself seems to have some interesting metal sculptures. I’ll try and stop off to get pictures on my way home.

11:30.

My train was late into Wigan North Western but I still had time to make it across the road to nearby Wallgate where two 769s on the Southport – Alderley Edge services crossed, one of which would take me West.

Here’s the first of the days pictures…

12:25.

A bumped ino an old aquaintence on the train. Phil’s a guard for Northern and was out doing the same as me before he started his shift. We had a great little chat about the detail differences between 319s and 769s and how the 769s perform on diesel power. Their acceleration’s never going to beat any records but for low-speed lines like the Southport route that’s hardly a problem.

I left Phil at my first port of call and a place I know of old – Burscough. I’m now playing a game of ‘tag’ with the cloud Gods, but managed this early shot when they weren’t looking!

14:34.

Having spent several hours around Burscough and Hoscar I’m about to move on again. Thankfully the skies have done nothing but clear so there’s less of those little fluffy white buggers to get in the way of the sun at crucial moments. I’ve now got a series of shots in the can so it’s time to change location and head to my old hhome town – Southport. Never in a million years would I have expected to see a Class 319 at the seaside, but there you go! I’lladd some pictures from these parts later when I have editing time. Right now I’m making the most of rge weather. In the past I’ve mentioned the expensive white elephant that was the new station building at Burscough Bridge. It was built at exactly the wrong time (2004) when the internet was changing ticketing forever. Vacant for years its found a temporary use as a place to pick Covid home testing kits!

Heading to Southport on 769448 I can see just how lucky I’ve been with the weather. The West Lancashire plain allows unobstructed views and ‘big skies’. Just a few miles either side of me I can see heavy banks of cloud – and the Southern bank (which is closer) looks especially unhappy!

16:15.

Having reached Southport and managed a few useful shots in the sunshine I’m beginning to retrace my steps courtesy of the 16:15 to Alderley Edge which is yet another Class 769. Whilst they’re roomy and well-presented there’s a couple of things I feel are missing. Unlike other Northern trains there are no USB charging points – and no tables. They’re very much traditional Class 319s in this respect.

18:30.

I’m station-hopping right now, making the most of the glorious weather whilst I can. My first port of call was somewhere very familiar: Parbold. It’s a lovely little station with a level crossing that’s still guarded by an original Saxby and Farmer signalbox although it’s modern barriers it controls now rather than heavy wooden gates. Unlike the box the adjacent Railway pub hasn’t stood the test of time. It’s closed down, waiting to be turned into a housing development.

My next port of call is also the only station on the line I’ve never visited before despite living on this line as a kid. Gathurst. I vividly remember it as a child as it was one of the last to have an active goods yard – and more. Back in the 1970s there was an ICI gunpowder works nearby which was linked to the main line by a narrow-gauge railway. Explosives were then transhipped to BR wagons. It was always a delight to see the narrow gauge train in action. Here’s a link to an old picture.

Of course all that’s long gone, although the original station building survives as a (currently closed) pub. I’ll add pics later.

22:00.

Home again! It’s time to round off this blog with a few pictures from today trip before saying goodnight. Tomorrow I’ll be working at home as I’ve 2 days of travels to edit pictures from. In the meantime, here’s some of today’s tasters.

‘Look Dad – no wires’! 769424 passes Hoscar whilst working a Southport – Alderley Edge service.

Not a sight I’d ever thought I’d see – 769431 arrives at Southport from Alderley Edge.

The old Lancashire and Yorkshire railway station building at Gathurst which is now a pub. You can find them on facebook at the Gathurst station Inn. They’ll be reopening soon…

Right, that’s all for now folks, 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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

Rolling blog: Opening up…

17 Monday May 2021

Posted by in Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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Today’s the day the country’s starting to open up. After so long in an unprecedented ‘lockdown’ many restrictions are being lifted and we can (cautiously I’d hope) begin to enjoy some of the old freedoms that we used to take for granted. To say it’s been a tough time for many would be an understatement. A significant number of people are no longer here to see it. Hopefully now the ones of us who are won’t screw it up and may even have learned a few things.

As part of that opening up the railways switched to a new timetable from yesterday, today’s the first working day. It’s annual event but this year it has greater significance as it sees many train services restored that were curtailed by Covid as people were discouraged from travelling by public transport. I’m out and about to see how things are going and also to inspect a new (improved) service on the old Midland Main Line where investment by the Government via Network Rail has seen the line North from Bedford to Corby electrified. East Midlands Railway has gained a fleet of Siemens built Class 360s displaced from Greater Anglia to run the service.

But first, I’ve got to get there…

I’m currently on Northern’s 06:07 service from Sowerby Bridge as far as Manchester Victoria. Before the pandemic this would probably have been worked by one of the elderly 2-car ‘Pacer’ trains. Now they’re all retired we’ve been graced with a pair of 2-car Class 158s, which is clearly an improvement. At this God-forsaken hour of the day I’d hardly expect to it be crowded at the best of times, but these are hardly the best of times. We’re slowly picking up passengers as we go but right now (having just left Smithy Bridge) there’s only seven of us in the front vehicle. Still, that’s an improvement on this time last year when you’d have been lucky to have that many on the entire train!

I’ll be running a rolling blog throughout the day, so feel free to keep popping in to see my progress…

06:41.

As usual, we picked up a significant number of people at Rochdale, one of the busiest stations on the line. We’ve almost doubled our complement which is good to see. I’ll be interested to see what this weeks Department of Transport figures are for passenger loadings when they come out. I suspect that by the end of the week tere’s going to be a significant increase, but time will tell.

08:10.

Today’s stroll across Manchester was a real contrast to the same journey last Thursday. The increase in people who’re out and about was marked. Seeing folks sat inside coffee shops was a very noticeable change, as were busy trams. At Piccadilly station the mezzanine floor has reopened although only a few of the shops and cafes located there have doon the same. Even so, it’s a welcome sign that life’s returning. Many of the shop staff will be travelling to work by train, so there’s a knock-on effect.

I’m currently sat on the 07:55 Avanti service to Euston, which is still very quiet. Mind you, this one goes via Crewe and stops at Litchfield and Tamworth, plus there’s another (faster) direct service leaving Piccadilly just 10 minutes later, so that’s perhaps unsurprising.

08:25.

Oh, Joy! Signal failure at Stockport! We sat on the viaduct outside the station for 14 minutes before being allowed in to the station. After picking up a brace of schoolkids who’re on their way to Wilmslow we crawled out of the station to make our way (in fits and starts) South. We’re now approaching Cheadle Hulme 19 minutes late.

08:40.

We’ve departed Wilmslow in the the pouring rain 25 minutes late. The Train Manager’s come on the PA to announce that the problems were twofold, overhead line issues and a broken down train. This has left us running behind a local stopping service which has slowed us down even more. Ho hum!

09:10.

Thankfully, it seems the rain Gods only have a thing for Wilmslow, almost as soon as we left the skies lifted to become dappled with clouds and blue skies for the rest of the trip as far as Crewe where we picked up a few more travellers. The junctions a real mix of ‘railways through the ages’ with vintage stock and locomotives stabled at the old diesel depot (now LSL) whilst at the Arriva traincare depot stood one of the brand new electric trains for West Midlands services. Now, my train’s speeding down the West Coast at full throttle, hoping to make up some minutes…

10:00.

All station calls completed we’re now racing towards Euston at full tilt – literally! We’re making up the minutes as we go, having clawed back 9 so far. The weather’s brightened up somewhat and the sun’s trying to muscle its way through clouds that are retreating to greater heights. Either way, the weather in London can’t be as dank and dismal as last week, not that it really matters as I won’t be in the capital for long.

17:45.

Sorry for the attack of ‘bloggus intteruptus’ there. I’ve been constantly on the move and haven’t had more than 10 mins to compose my thoughts but I’ll start to catch up with myself now.

I didn’t hang around on arrival at Euston. The weather was as consistent as Boris Johnson so I made my way to St Pancras in the hope I’d get some decent pictures somewhere along the Midland Main Line if I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. My first trip was aboard one of East Midlands Railways newly acquired class 360s. After 20 years in service on Anglia they’re in need of an internal refurbishment. One was planned but has been delayed by Covid. Even so, they make a refreshing change from heading North under diesel power with a biglump of an engine below the passenger saloon. Being electric they’re rather nippy and we reacked Luton without much ado. My arrival coincided with a thunderstorm which made life ‘interesting’ to say the least. Bedford was balmier. I actually got to use summertime settings on my camera! Wellingborough was a highlight as we had some great changes in lighting conditions over a station that’s been substantially rebuilt. Not only has it regained its fourth platform, there also a new footbridge with lifts where stone cladding’s been added to make it blend in with the original Midland Railway building. Talking of original buildings – the time-warp goods shed had had a make-over. The rail access has been converted into a walkway to solve the issue of the narrow platform whilst the old cranes and goods deck have been walled-off in glass to be used as a museum at a later date. Here’s how much things have changed. The first of the Class, 360101 calls at the re-instated and rebuilt platform four at Wellingborough with a service to London St Pancras.

The Midland Main Line’s starting to look very different from the route it has been for decades. Electrification North of Bedford, reinstating four-tracking, re-aligned and rebuilt stations, there’s been quite a shopping list. Then there’s a ‘double-take’ on the train fleets. The old High-Speed Trains (HSTs) were retired last week. In their place has appeared two ‘cast-off’ fleets. The electric Class 360s from Anglia and the diesel Class 180s which have moved between First Great Western, Hull Trains and have now pitched up with EMR. Here’s 180109 powering through Luton with a service from Nottingham to London St Pancras.

Having sampled the new services, enhanced timetable and expanded stations I have to admit to being impressed. I’ll add more detail tomorrow (including a look at Wellingborough and Kettering station improvements. It’s early days yet and Covid’s still an issue but having half-hourly trains to Corby is excellent – especially as they’re electric. The 360s are good trains and they’ll be even better after refurbishment. The enhanced long-distance services to Sheffield should prove to be a winner too – even more so when EMR get their new fleet of bi-mode trains. After being a ‘cinderella’ operation for years since the ‘Meridians’ were introduced, times are certainly changing in the East Midlands. Now, if only the Dept of Transport and politicians can be persuaded to electrify all the way to Nottingham and Sheffield…

The end of the line for electric services. 360102 at Corby, ready to return to London. These trains now run every 30 minutes.

21:45.

I’ve jumped forward in time again as I’m now on the last leg home. I took my leave of the old Midland via Sheffield and the Hope Valley line to get back to Manchester. A stroll across the city saw me back at Victoria to catch a train back to Halifax. The Class 195/0 I’m on is busy – a reflection of the fact that lockdown’s easing. Many (but by no means all) of the trains I’ve travelled on displayed an increase in loadings compared to last week, but there’s still a long way to go before normality is established.

I’ll be out and about again tomorrow only closer to home as Northern finally have the bi-mode Class 769s in squadron service on the route from Alderley Edge to Southport. They’re three years late, but better late then never! Watch this space…

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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!