Where the hell’s March gone? We’re a quarter of the way through the year which seem to have flown by. Well, more like blown by up here in West Yorkshire as we seem to have had nothing but high winds for weeks! I’m afraid it’s a short blog from me today as the evening is already late. I’ve been busy catching up with picture editing after a long local stroll yesterday and preparations for the week ahead – with Easter on the horizon.
At least the days are getting longer, even if they’re not getting much drier or warmer, but I hope to be getting out and about – and further afield in April. Well, if the madman in the White House hasn’t crippled or blown up the planet before then!
In the meantime, here’s today’s picture which was taken on my perambulations around Halifax yesterday.
One of Northern’s 2-car Class 195s arrives at Halifax with service for Chester. Old woollen and flour mills dominate the landscape but the buildings just behind the train have a very different purpose nowadays. This is the Nestlé sweet factory that’s been producing ‘Quality Street’ chocolates since 1934.
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I’d half-hoped I might be able to venture further afield today but the weather had other ideas. Whilst yesterday’s gales subsided overnight we were greeted by rain-lashed windows when we opened the bedroom blinds this morning. Said rain was soon followed by snow showers, which made conditions even less attractive. As a result I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and spent the first part of the day in the warm and dry, finishing off picture editing whilst keeping one eye on the madness coming out of America. It’s hard to keep up with Trump’s pronouncements as he’s seemingly incapable of fcompleting a coherent sentence and the position or claims he starts off with can change completely by the end of it. God help us when he’s talking in paragraphs as you have to read it back at the end to see just how many contradictory claims he’s made. He’s like an American version of the ‘Little Britain’ character ‘Vicky “yeah, but no” Pollard’.
By the afternoon the weather had dried up sufficiently for me to chance my arm and walk down into Sowerby Bridge to pick up some shopping. I took the camera with me as the Magnolia is blooming in the local churchyard but what I hadn’t bargained for was just how storm-battered these early blooms are which is a real shame. Hopefully the later buds will have an easier time.
I managed to make it home before the weather changed yet again and the next set of storms came in. Here’s how it looked from our front door.
I’ll pass, thanks…
Sadly, the forecast is for much of the same tomorrow, but I might just decide ‘bugger it’ and venture out anyway now that I’m all caught up with work. We’ll see.
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What a glorious day here in the Calder valley! We’ve had sunshine all day, whilst temperatures have been racing upwards to reach what’s probably been the hottest of the year so far. It’s been so warm I’ve been able to work in the garden in a singlet. With not having got away to Asia this winter I’ve really missed feeling the sun on my skin so today was a real tonic.
What was less of a tonic was observing the latest antics of the madman across the pond in Washington, who seems to have got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning (doesn’t he always? Ed). His latest ranting on ‘truth social’ is posted here.
I mean, where do you start with unhinged, fact-free nonsense like this? The man’s completely lost the plot. First he’d won the war within a couple of days, then he wanted NATO and everyone else to back him up and join in, then he didn’t, then he did as it was all going tits up in the Straits of Hormuz – and now he doesn’t (again). If he wasn’t the most powerful man in the world it would be hilarious, instead it’s bloody scary. All the checks and balances the founding Fathers built into the American political system seem to have collapsed, leaving Trump basically unopposed and running riot, both in the USA and the world.
His Iran adventure (egged on by the Israelis) is proving to be a political and strategic disaster. Some maintain the military outcomes could still be a success but no-one seems to have told the Iranians that and they seem to have other ideas. They may not be chucking as many missiles around as they were at the start of the war, but politically it’s getting worse. Informed sources suggest Trump’s replaced one Ayatollah with another one who’s backed by even more hardline people than his father was, so that’s going to turn out well. This shows all the signs of becoming a protracted conflict – even if Trump loses interest, claims he’s ‘won’ and tries to walk away. Meanwhile, he’s trashed America’s reputation around the world and alienated just about every ally the US has.
In one of life’s ironies I’m reminded of the Vietnam war (which I’m old enough to remember) and the title of a 1966 play which became a popular slogan at the time, “Suppose they gave a War and Nobody Came”. I suspect there’s a few old US allies who’re rediscovering it right now too. Of course, Trump, who repeatedly dodged the draft for the Vietnam war (a doctor signed him off with ‘bone spurs’) has probably never heard of it…
No doubt I’ll be revisiting this tragi-comedy again soon, but in the meantime I’ve more pressing matters as tomorrow the pair of us head to Derby for a few days for the 2026 Community Rail awards, which should lead to some more light-hearted blogging!
In the meantime, here’s a couple of pictures from today’s stroll around my ‘manor’.
Looking down on Sowerby Bridge from the promenade above Scarr woods. The Wainhouse Tower looking fantastic against a clear blue sky.
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What a difference a day makes! Yesterday we had gorgeous sunshine and temperatures that (whilst hardly Mediterranean) made being out in the sun a delight. The pair of us decided to make the most of the day, so got up early and walked into Halifax as Dawn needed to do some shopping. Whilst we were there we popped in to the Piece Hall to discover they courtyard was hosting a market. Food stalls competed with craft shops, and the quality of both was really rather good. We’re not normally ones for impulse buys but one stall selling craft ironmongery caught our eyes. We ended up buying a couple of cute little metal robins to fix on the cottage. Then Dawn’s attention was grabbed by a lovely birdbath mounted atop a metal pole, something she’d been hankering after for a while. It looks really good and if nothing else, watching the local Squirrel population trying to scale it should provide some amusement! So, our visit to the Piece Hall turned out to be an expensive one!
The Piece Hall looking sublime in the sun.Yep – it’s a round Robin!
After walking home as we drove to our local Asian supermarket to stock up on half a dozen slabs of tinned tomatoes, chick peas and kidney beans along with other tasty treats. Well, if Trump is about to pitch the world into another economic disaster at least we’ll have food supplies in, and the side-effects of all those pulses will allow us to keep the cottage warm for free!
Sunday was meant to be a day for pottering around at home. Dawn wanted to sort out various bits around the house whilst I’d plans to work on the garden. Yet again we were let down by the weather which delivered unexpected heavy rain showers which put a damper on many of our plans for the morning. By mid-afternoon we decided ‘bugger it’ and ventured out in the car to dispose of recycling and fill the car with fuel before prices get even more stupid (thanks, Donald).
By the time we returned home the weather was threatening to improve, so the pair of us threw caution to the wind, donned out waterproofs and walked down into Sowerby Bridge along the canal before climbing back uphill to home, so at least we got our steps again this weekend, leaving us to feel virtuous.
Now the evening’s here. I’m catching up on blogging whilst Dawn’s taken over the kitchen again. Having made another batch of the Koftas and a lemon meringue yesterday, tonight Dee’s cooking fish before we enjoy a quiet night in, which will be the lull before the storm.
Next week we have the annual Community Rail Awards in Derby. It’s an event that keeps us both busy and this year it that’s going to be truer than ever as there’s a record attendance, with over 600 people booked. Despite all the hard work it’s a great opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues from across the rail industry and see what people have achieved over the year – which makes it a very positive event.
I very much doubt I’ll have any time to blog from the event but expect a few more blogs in the run-up. Right now, it’s time to sign off and eat. See you next week…
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Another week flies by! After my day out on Wednesday, Thursday was very different. The weather turned wet, windy and cold, making walking through the local woodland ‘interesting’ to say the least. The amount of broken branches and twig detritus would have kept a wood-burner going for weeks. Stupidly, I timed my daily stroll to coincide with the arrival of a rainstorm so it turned into a very soggy experience. After that, I decided discretion was the better part of valour and hunkered down for the evening at home.
Friday’s been a little different. Sunshine appeared and as Dawn was out for the day I decided to head over to Todmorden to restock our freezer from the excellent butchers in the delightful covered market – and to get a few pictures. It sounded like a great idea but the weather decided not to play ball. We may have had sunshine, but we also had Baltic winds, showers and the threat of snow which cut my trip short.
There were a couple of freight services scheduled to pass through whilst I was there so I braved the conditions just long enough to grab some shots.
66712 thunders through Todmorden station with another load of biomass for Drax power station which has been imported from North America via Liverpool docks.Meanwhile, in the opposite direction, DB’s 66078 hauls the empty ‘binliner’ service from Wilton (Teeside) to Knowsley just outside Liverpool.
Having decided frostbite was over-rated I gave up photography and headed for the warmth of the market to enjoy a pint in the refurbished pub, the Todmorden Market Tavern before catching a train back to Halifax. You can’t grumble when you can get an excellent pint of real ale for just £3.40!
A quiet pint for now but this place can get very busy indeed…
Back home I called in my local for a ‘swifty’ and to give my apologies for the quiz that evening, then headed home to cook some of what I’d bought – spicy lamb koftas. I’ve found a gorgeous recipe which I tried for the first time the other week. (spicy lamb kofta with spiced chickpeas and bulgar wheat). We’ve found that you don’t really need the bulgar wheat as the rest is filling enough, and the ready made kofta from the butchers fit the dish perfectly. Next time I must remember to take a picture of it before we tuck in!
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Yesterday, Valentine’s day – and for one day only, the weather decided to give us a break from continuous and monotonous rain. Mind you. it had dumped several inches of snow on the high ground, just to make things more interesting! That said, where we live in the Calder valley was just too low to be in the snow line. We could see the stuff on the high ground on the opposite side of the valley, but we had barely a sniff. That worked to our advantage…
Saturday began with clear blue skies and the sort of weather that – after weeks of rain- made you itch to get out. But where to go? Having perused maps and looked at where the snow lay we decided to drive out South, through Ripponden and across the M62 motorway in search of higher ground. We found what we were looking for at Moss Moor, off the A672 to Oldham where you’re over 450m above seal-level and there’s nothing stopping the wind anywhere. Even on a hazy day you can see the city of Manchester miles below. On a good day you can pick out the Lancashire coast.
Leaving the car we headed off South along the Pennine way. Here’s how the world looked…
Looking out over Moss Moor, which is the origin of the river Tame apparently.Wind conditions in such an exposed location led to some great photo opportunities, where the grass had literally frozen, then was backlit by the low sun. Dawn strolling through the snow towards the White Hill Trig pint (466m). Believe it or not, the M62 motorway’s just out of shot to the right. Conditions underfoot where ‘interesting’. The fresh snow and drifts were easy to walk in but every so often you hit an area that had been stripped bare by the wind so that you were walking on sheet ice. Looking across to Close Moss and Marsden (beyond). There’s a very long railway tunnel under here – somewhere…
Having had our fill of the high moors we decided to head back via Baitings reservoir, which was a regular entry in last year’s ‘reservoir blogs’. Here’s how it looked in August last year.
See the modern bridge beyond the old bridge? It’s here, in the distance. This is how full and overflowing the reservoir is today, with snow on the surrounding hills that will add even more water.
Sadly, the weather’s reverted to type. Today we’ve had grey skies and intermittent rain, a pattern that we seem to be stuck with. Never mind. Bugger the weather, tomorrow I’m having another day out to head over to Manchester and Southport in order to look at two very different events…
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Typical! Just as we’re packing up to return home tomorrow, the weather picks up! Friday started optimistically enough. The skies were cloudy but the weather was dry, so I headed out with the camera in the hope of photographing some different railfreight flows. I should’ve know better! Almost as soon as I got to my favoured location atop a bridge overlooking Hall Royd junction the rain and sleet started. I managed a couple of shots, including this one of a Liverpool Docks to Drax power station loaded biomass train before the light was so low and the rain so miserable that I gave up.
GBRf’s 66755 powers a trailing load of 2400t through Todmorden, heading for Drax power station in shitty weather.
Despite the weather I was determined to have a wander and at least get my daily steps in – even if photography was a bust. It was a shame as there’s some really interesting backstreets and odd buildings I’d like to photograph. West Yorkshire’s blessed with many odd-shaped dwelling which follow strange footprints so have weird shapes. God know how you fit furniture in rooms that mirror New York’s famous ‘flatiron’ building.
Finally defeated, I called in for a pint and a warm in what’s become our local pub here, the ‘Alehouse’. I enjoyed a pleasant interlude chatting to staff and customers alike about local life and international politics. As you can imagine, Donald Trump’s latest mad utterances and disrespect of British army service men and women who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan was causing a lot of anger.
– and relax…
Back ‘home’ I took time off before Dawn finished work, when the two of us wandered back into town to reprise our great Thai meal at the Three Wise Monkeys. We’d enjoyed the fish dishes we’d had so much that we ordered exactly the same again, only this time accompanied by deliciously crisp stir-fry veg in a delicious sauce.
Suitably stuffed, we stopped for one last drink at the Alehouse before returning home, where our feline charge ‘Luna’ decided to have a mad half-hour, zooming around the place like she’d discovered a secret stash of catnip!
Today’s been our last full day, so the weather’s taunted us with the promise of better things – if only we could stay. We’ve made the most of it by walking into town to hit the market, which has become a firm favorite. Whilst the indoor section remains unchanged Saturday’s the day the outdoor section changes from bric-a-brac to food, with a wide range of fruit and veg, artisan breads and cakes and other edible delights on offer.
We stocked up on a host of things, including excellent home-made sausages from Fieldings butchers.
Here’s my weakness. A cheese shop!
After the market, Dawn wanted to check out a spiritual shop, so whilst she did that I had one last chance to explore with the camera as the sun played across the town, creating interesting opportunities with shadows and light.
A break in the clouds allowed the sun to illuminate the frontage of the grade 1 listed Tod town hall, seen from the cobbled Water St.
We’ll miss Todmorden. We’ve both seen it in a new light after spending so much time here. It’s a town with a lot to offer and it’s in a great location at the junction of two valleys surrounded by some great hill walks. But, as we only live up the road, we’ll certainly be coming here more often in the future.
Of course, we’ll also miss the feline person we came here to look after – ‘Luna’, who’s proved to be a delightful charge.
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The weather’s really cramped my style here in Todmorden as it’s been bloody awful these past couple of days. My plans to get in some walking up on the valley tops have been frustrated by rain and low cloud that’s made it pointless. I’d have spent my time slipping around in the mist for nothing.
Instead, much of yesterday was spent working from home, editing the pictures I’d taken so far whilst sorting out others for future magazine articles and blogs. The weather’s been no better today as the rain’s been almost a constant companion. Even so, I decided to get out for the day, explore more of Todmorden and get a few pictures. Here’s the results.
I spotted these buildings at the back of some large Victorian houses a few days ago but couldn’t get pictures due to cars parked in the way. I took me a while to realise that they’re ornate sheds that combined a coal store (hence the wooden hatch) and an outside toilet. They were probably still in use as both up until the 1950s. It was only after the war that the new Labour government started funding home improvements that allowed people to install indoor bathrooms. Central heating to replace coal fires wouldn’t have been common until the 1970s.Unlike most West Yorkshire mill towns sho’s economy was wool based, Todmorden was a cotton town. It’s hard to imagine how it looked in Victorian times when there were 110 mills here! Today the daily empty ‘binliner’ from Teeside to Knowsley (Liverpool) was hauled by a smart looking 66011. I didn’t hang around after getting this shot as the weather was too miserable! Thursday is ‘tat’ day on Todmorden market with stalls selling bric-a-brac, old tools, clothing plus books and CDs. It was business as usual in the indoor market. This is our favourite butchers (one of several in the market). Nick Fielden is this butchers name. They have an excellent range of home-made sausages which we’ve been busy sampling. Their lamb Koftas aren’t bad either. We’ll be stocking up on supplies to take home with us before we leave. There’s also a cracking cheese shop nearby. Exchange coffee Co is a very popular stall with an great range of coffees from around the world. Drink in or take out – or buy in bulk…Dawson’s in a classic old hardware shop and stall of the sort men especially love to mooch around or admire. For a town of its size, Todmorden has more than its fair share of antique or arts and crafts shops, along with bookshops, making it an enjoyable place to wander around.
Sadly, tomorrow’s weather forecast is no better so I can’t see me getting into the hills at all. Instead I’ll try and get pictures of some of the more interesting buildings here. Then, once Dawn’s finished work we’ll be heading out for a couple of drinks and another excellent Thai meal. It’s a hard life!
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Hooray! The weather finally cleared today, giving me the opportunity get out with the camera and enjoy decent visibility for a change. We even had some sunshine, but as usual, it was always at the most inopportune moment!
As the freight train I’d been stalking was running along the copy pit line today I decided to head out along the line to get pictures. The location I wanted was a good hour’s walk away, but that didn’t deter me as it gave me chance to explore along the Burnley road as far as my destination, just outside Cliviger, the site of the old colliery that was known as Copy Pit.
It was an interesting if somewhat sad walk, past many old mills, some converted to housing, other derelict and decaying. The mixture of housing styles was also interesting. Old stone farmhouses rubbed shoulders with Victorian terraces and bigger homes that betrayed how wealthy the area was when it was a hive of industry based around mills and coal. All these buildings were squeezed together in what’s actually a narrow valley. Nowadays much of it is tree covered, but go back 70-100 years and it would’ve been quite a bleak landscape, and polluted too, with all the soot and smoke from coal fires being trapped in the valley.
Just before Cliviger the valley opens up and you cross the modern-day boundary between West Yorkshire and Lancashire. I was headed for a bridge over the railway at a place called Dean Farm, which allows great views along the railway. On arrival I found that the train I was waiting for was running an hour late so I filled my time by walking further up the Burney road which parallels the railway at this point, allowing me to get shots like this, looking back towards Dean farm.
BR built class 150 number 150142 passes working 2K67, the 11:19 Blackburn to Headbolt Lane (Merseyside). The rural nature of this section of line is a marked contrast to the area the train’s heading in to.
Having managed various shots I headed back to the bridge in time to capture the train I wanted.
Direct Rail Services Class 66 number 66429 hauls 6E73, the 09:09 Shap Summit Quarry to Doncaster Up Decoy yard. Copy Pit was just out of shot behind the train, behind a road bridge on the Burnley Road. There used to be a loop line to the right of the train but this disappeared many years ago. Back in the 1950s-early 60s this bridge would have been shaken by the thunderous roar and clank of steam engines hauling (and banking) heavy coal trains up the hill. Looking the other way from the bridge as a Blackpool North – Leeds service passes. Where the light coloured houses are by the railway was the site of a goods yard and sidings that served Portsmouth station which was just out of sight around the curve. The station was closed in July 1958 and no traces of it remain.
Having achieved my aim I headed back into Todmorden. Remembering that I now have a bus pass (which I’d never used) I caught a bus back into town, reflecting on the fact that I’d chosen to walk all the way uphill, then get a bus back downhill. D’oh!
Back in ‘Tod’ I stopped off to get one last picture before calling it a day. I’d spotted this view the other day but wanted to wait until the weather had improved.
150144 crosses the wonky viaduct in the centre of Todmorden whilst working a train from from Headbolt Lane to Blackburn.
Sadly, tomorrow’s weather is due to revert to rain, so my chances of doing much are minimal. That said, Dawn’s not having to commute to Halifax, so I’m planning to take her into ‘Tod’ to explore, so there may be some pictures to be had…
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Another working week begins, but this one’s different due to our change of location. In truth, today wasn’t that different for Dawn as she had to head back to Halifax and work from our real home for various reasons. For once Dee had a real commute rather than just wandering across the landing for the bedroom to the office!
I stayed behind in the Todmorden ‘annexe’ to look after our feline charge, although to be fair to Luna, she doesn’t take much looking after. Being a young female cat (just a big kitten, really) she’s very independent, doesn’t crave much attention and spends most of her time outside. My main task is to keep here fed and ensure she doesn’t get up to mischief in the house.
As the weather here is so closed in, with very low clouds and mist, I wasn’t going to be venturing far anyway. Plus, most of Todmorden’s closed on a Monday, which adds to a general feeling of isolation. Undeterred, I went for a wander to at least try and get a few photos, despite the murk, and check out a few new photographic possibilities – just in case the weather does pick up. I also wanted to get a shot of the only scheduled freight service via the Copy Pit line to Burnley which is a limestone train from Shap in Cumbria to Drax power and the return empties. The loaded train only runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but the empties are scheduled to run Monday to Friday.
Long gone are the days when there would be banking engines based at Todmorden to assist heavy coal trains up the line to Burnley. The engines vanished at the end of steam traction in the late 1960s and the coal trains a couple of decades later. Until recently there was a regular oil train between Lindsay oil refinery in Lincolnshire to Preston docks, but that finished last year. Now, there’s just the stone train. So, I thought I’d try and get a picture for posterity. Only the bloody thing was cancelled! Still, I did manage a few other shots, as you’ll see here…
The classic view of Tod over the rooftops, with two trains passing on the viaduct. As you can see, the weather was less than ideal…Taken at the same location, a Headbolt Lane (Kirkby) to Blackburn service crosses Stansfield Hall Jn on the Todmorden curve which was only reopened in May 2015. Before then a short spur had been retained as a siding for banking engines, but it hadn’t been used for decades. Nearby is Hall Royd Jn where the line to/from Burnley (on the left) joins the Calder valley line. Here’s a DB Cargo Class 66 working an empty Tees Yard to Knowsley (Merseyside) empty ‘binliner’. It’s Monday, so the shops are (mostly) shut, including this cafe in the lovely former Co-op building. ‘Tod’ does have its bohemian elements, hence this book repository fixed to a telegraph pole on one of the backstreets. Having climbed the hill behind the town I found this gap in the trees for a more elevated view of the viaduct. Now, if the weather would only clear…
As the clouds closed in I returned to our temporary home to warm up and make the place cosy for when Dawn got back. I think Luna appreciated my efforts too!
Tomorrow’s weather isn’t expected to be any better than today, but I’m going to have another crack at that stone train…
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 