I’ve not done one of these for a while as I’ve been spending a lot of time away from the route but earlier this week I did manage to nip over to Huddersfield and Dewsbury to take a look at progress. Here’s a few pictures.
At Deighton, 185146. passes the TRU four tracking work whilst working 1K17, the 1054 Liverpool Lime Street to Hull. Overhead masts have appeared since my last visit. Work progresses on the new road bridge in the background. Beyond that is the site of the new station.185123 stands under the refurbished and restored roof at Huddersfield with 2U55, the 1300 Manchester Piccadilly to York.Looking down on progress with building the two new through lines and associated canopies. The amount of steelwork that’s appeared is impressive, Looking up into the restored old trainshed roof, where the centre panels have been replaced after many years instead of this part of the roof being open to the elements.Looking towards Leeds. Several OLE portals have been installed with more to follow. Four-tracking as arrived at the other end of the viaductLooking up into the Northlight roofs over the new platforms. Another view looking towards Leeds. One of the OLE supports can be seen projecting through the new canopy.Meanwhile, at Dewsbury, 185139 stops with 1P24, the 1253 Scarborough to Manchester Victoria. The extension to the existing station canopies stand out behind the unit.
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Another month staggers towards a close – having seemed to fly by – although I’ve done little with it since getting back from Europe as most of my time’s been spent working from home. October’s always a bit of an odd one, partly because it contains my birthday but also because the clocks change here in the UK and the evenings become rather dark and dismal, making it the last of the fun months of the year.
My birthday was a low key event this year. Dawn was otherwise occupied so I spent much of the day working before strolling into Halifax on my own to pick up some shopping, have a quiet pint and watch the world go by – which it did in no-time! That’s another year added to the clock…
That said, the past few days have been productive as I’ve managed to edit and caption several hundred pictures, which means the end of my European travels are starting to appear in sight. I’ve finished hundreds of pictures from Germany and uploaded them to my Zenfolio website. You can find the railway ones here and the travel ones here. I’ve also been kept occupied trawling through my archives for potential library shots for a client, which was rather time consuming although an interesting trip down memory lane. Even I forget what pictures I’ve got stashed away sometimes!
Now I’ve moved on to Switzerland and uploaded the first few images. Finishing the rest will keep me out of trouble for a few days but I may put the process on hold in order to get back into my fitness regime. I’ve just taken delivery of a new Fitbit Charge 6 as my old Charge 5 was failing on an almost daily basis. The thing would shut down and I’d lose 1000s of steps as well as other data. I had to start carrying a battery pack to keep rebooting it which was frustrating. It’s completely skewed my stats for October, so I’m going to try and claw a few back for the month ends. Thankfully, the weather forecast looks like it’s going to co-operate so I’m not going to need to endure torrential rain or gales!
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which is from Switzerland and the Bernina railway through the Alps to Italy. Here’s the Brusio spiral viaduct where the train loops up and over itself. It’s quite a sight! I’d love to go back when the weather’s right and spend a morning getting lineside shots. Maybe next year…
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Well, that was a wild and windy weekend! Whilst storm Boelo didn’t wreak the sort of havoc it caused in other parts of the UK it certainly made life interesting here in West Yorkshire as gusts of wind shredded trees, bringing down leaves and branches all over the place. We have a lot of woodland where we live, many of the roads around Bigland Towers are lined with old trees which made walking potentially perilous as you never knew what size of branch may descend as you were passing.
My waterproofs have certainly had a good outing, protecting me from the worst of the rain and keeping me windproof, although (to be honest) I’ve not really ventured far anyway. I’m still up to my ears in picture editing from my European trip. Right now I’m wading my way through my several trips in and out of Germany, which have left me with hundreds of pictures to collate, edit and caption. Today I passes a numerical landmark as the 100,000th picture was uploaded to my Zenfolio website. By the end of today I’m already way past that number – but I’ve still a hundred plus German pics in the queue.
You can find the railway ones here and the travel ones here. I’m hoping to have Germany finished by tomorrow (then I can move on to Switzerland) but as tomorrow’s my birthday (which will be low-key due to ‘events’) and as I have other work to do as well I may take some time off. In the meantime, here’s today’s picture from Dresden, Germany.
The Fürstenzug is a 102 metre long mural made up of 23,000 porcelain tiles which adorns one of the walls of Dresden Castle.
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Today’s been another one where I’ve hardly left Bigland Towers due to work and the weather. Work because I’m still wading through 1000s of pictures from my recent travels as well as slowly getting used to a new laptop and software. To be honest, it’s lovely to have a new machine that doesn’t throw the odd spanner in the works just when I need to rely on it. But then my old machine was battle-weary. It’s been to dozens of countries and covered hundreds of thousands of miles whilst seeing almost daily use in all climates and conditions, so I can forgive it. Hopefully, my new machine will prove to be just as reliable and capable then my old one can be put out to pasture as a backup once it’s had some TLC.
Most of my day’s been spent picture editing whilst acting as Butler to Dawn whilst she’s been slaving away in her little office. Part of my job’s been to keep her supplied with coffee, lunch and the odd treat. Tonight was something a little more exotic as I batch cooked a fiery Thai green curry with chicken whilst Dee wrapped up her day and headed for a bath.
I had hoped to get more than my basic 12.5k (5 mile) steps in but the weather really wasn’t encouraging and I didn’t fancy getting soaked – or blown away! Gales are forecast for the weekend but the weather decided to get some practice in this afternoon, when it got really rather blowy, which can be ‘fun’ when you’re walking through old woodland. You’re always keeping eyes and ears open just in case a branch comes crashing down on the unwary. It’s why I never go out wearing headphones.
Now it’s evening time. We’re fed and watered (and in Dawn’s case – bathed) so it’s time to relax with a film before another busy day tomorrow. I’ll leave you with one of today’s edited images from Poland.
An ex-Polish railways TY51 class 2-10-0 steam engine plinthed at Rzepin station. 242 of these engines were built by H. Cegielski in Poznan between 1953-58. They were withdrawn from PKP regular service in the 1980s but were included in the strategic reserve (intended to haul military trains) and many were kept operational until 1990.
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Tuesday dawned a wet and windy day here in the Calder valley, with heavy skies and high winds that sent clouds of autumn leaves skittering along the road before they got stuck to the wet tarmac. It was a good morning to be working from home as heavy rain showers kept lashing the windows. That said, it’s still incredibly mild, with temperatures in the mid-teens, so I shouldn’t really complain.
Whilst Dawn worked in the office I set up my laptop upstairs in the bedroom so that I could enjoy the view across the Calder valley, well – when the rain cleared! We’re still in the process of redecorating the living room so it’s cosier upstairs and it’s easier for Dawn to pop in for a chat when she needs a break.
Most of my day was spent picture editing. I’d started working on shots from Sweden yesterday afternoon and a concerted few hours work allowed me to get most of them edited and captioned. After that it was time to take a break and shift some paperwork, just for a bit of variety! By early afternoon the weather had broken, bringing mostly blue skies, so I nipped out for my daily constitutional and wander through our local woods ahead of the next shower. Leaves are really starting to fall now, soon there’ll be a thick carpet blanketing the paths, but at the moment the trails are still pretty clear – and not too slippy, or with hidden surprises thanks to lazy dog owners.
Later, Dawn had to nip out to a couple of appointments, so I had the cottage to myself which allowed me to really plow on with the pictures and finish the fourth of the twelve countries I visited. Sweden is now all loaded onto my Zenfolio website. You can find the railway images here and the travel images here. Next in the queue is…Tallinn, in Estonia. So, here’s a teaser from Tallinn…
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After the 1000s of miles I’ve travelled over the past month and finally getting home after working in Swindon I was looking forward to a restful night at home. Only that didn’t quite work out that way. I woke up in the early hours of the morning feeling very itchy, a quick feel of my legs and backside confirmed my worst fears. I was having an allergic reaction to an insect bite – something I’d not had on that scale for over 20 years. I had to wake Dawn up to check that it wasn’t my imagination. Dee was shocked at what she saw as it’s never happened to me in all the time we’ve been together. On further investigation we found it had also spread to my torso and arms. Bugger! Fortunately, ever since it first happened to me in India in 1991 I’ve always ensured that I have anti-histamine tablets to hand – just in case. These worked a treat and the rash, swelling and itching disappeared within a couple of hours, allowing me to get some sleep.
I have no idea what the damned thing that bit me is, but the reaction isn’t much fun. Thank the Gods for anti-histamine tablets…
Friday began wet and miserable so I was content to have a duvet morning, working from a horizontal position whilst sipping coffee and editing pictures – content in the knowledge there was nowhere I needed to be other than home! There were no hotel deadlines to check out to, no trains to catch and no sights to see. I could kick back and listen to the rain bouncing off the bedroom window.
Admittedly, I did start to get restless by late-afternoon, but by then I was sufficiently rested and recovered to potter around the house and consider nipping out for a pint in my local, where I’ve not set foot for over a month. Besides, it was Friday and there was free pork pie to be had!
The Big 6 in Halifax always has a fantastic selection of real ales – and free pork pie on the bar on a Friday
Now I’m gradually making inroads into the 1000s of pictures from my travels which are in the queue for editing and having captions added. Here’s links to the first two galleries – both from France. First up are the travel pictures, next are the railways gallery. Time permitting, I’m planning to clear the Belgian galleries over the weekend.
The day ended with Dawn making a cracking supper – spicy prawns with her superb home made focaccia bread.
Dawn’s excelled herself with her focaccia making skills. The dough has to prove in a warm space. Dee improvised. Rather than turn the heating on she used a baking tray, cooling rack and a hot water bottle!One of our favourite dishes. Spicy prawns (with lots of chilies). Just make sure you’ve put a toilet roll in the fridge ready for the next morning!
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I’ve been back in Halifax since Saturday but tonight’s my last night for a while. Tomorrow morning I start my ‘grand tour’ of Europe (North and South) so I’ve been busy catching up on various activities back home whilst I can. Sadly, the rainy weather put the kibosh on some of the outdoor DIY jobs I’d planned. Let’s face it, repointing and wet weather don’t really mix! Still, we managed to get a few indoor jobs done to begin getting the cottage ready for the winter. Winter – God, what a thought. Admittedly, the nights are already drawing in but I’m not in the mindset to contemplate those long cold winter nights just yet!
Instead I got into cooking mode, something I’m not going to be doing for a while. Whilst Dawn was busy with her parents and various appointments I nipped out to get my daily steps in and pick up various items of shopping. Back home I first prepared a dish that will go straight into the freezer for Dee to enjoy whilst I away. Cucumber curry! Yes, I know it sounds weird, but it’s actually a simple but stunning dish. Here’s the ingredients prepped ready for cooking.
Having that one under my belt I moved on to tonight’s evening meal. Seabass in a Lemon, Basil and Vermouth sauce, served with peas and spinach. The vermouth adds a wonderful flavour to the fish without overpowering it whilst the spinach and peas add an ideal veggie accompaniment.
Now it’s time for a quiet night her at Bigland Towers as I prep for an early start. Tomorrow will see me travelling down to Dover by train before getting a ferry from Dover to Calais. Hopefully the black-clad, balaclava-wearing morons pretending to be ‘patriots’ will be bothering someone else and not buggering up ordinary people’s travel plans. I’ll be ending the day by catching a train from Calais to Lille where I’ll be spending the night. Whilst I’ve passed through many times recently I’ve not spent any time in Lille for 20 odd years, when I was working their for a company supplying train simulators, so I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted.
After that – wait and see. I’ll be doing a daily rolling blog (internet permitting) which means the next few weeks blogs will have plenty of variety (and countries) on offer!
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
We’ve kicked off another week with something everyone’s been desperate to see – rain. Only there’s been nowhere near enough of the stuff. It hasn’t even matched the forecast predictions. Some hours of the day delivered little more than a smattering. Just enough to dampen the dust and little else. Even so, it’s welcome. The landscape here in West Yorkshire’s as dry as a bone – and we’re nowhere near as bad as the South of England.
Anyone with half a brain can see that the climate’s changing before their eyes. We’re breaking record after record, but there’s always a few who refuse to believe what they see and take refuge in conspiracy theories and fossil fuel lobbyist propaganda. Their problem is none of it will stop what’s actually happening.
I’m hoping that the new Labour leadership will step up to the plate and start tackling the issues that face us. There’s a few encouraging signs but not that much of a sense of urgency – despite the fact the country’s already started burning. One wonders what sort of event will need to occur before there’s that ‘oh, shit!’ moment when things become very real indeed?
Still, there’s more rain supposed to be on the way for us, which is a blessing. Well, apart from the fact I’ll be off on my travels again later this week. On Wednesday I’ll be down in Birmingham on an HS2 site visit, then I’ll be back in Southport for the weekend. The rail network has been very fragile of late due to the long dry spell and heat so travel could get ‘interesting’. Our Victorian network simply wasn’t built with these conditions in mind – and it’s starting to show. Climate change coupled with a cutback on investment is causing havoc across several routes, and there’s little sign of the powers that be grasping the implications.
On the bright side, expect more blogs from the week as I start to stretch my wings again.
In the meantime, here’s today’s picture. You may remember that last year I did a series of ‘reservoir blogs’. I’ve not the time to do it again this year but Dawn and I did visit one location recently that featured heavily. Baitings reservoir has a sunken bridge that appears when levels get very low. This time last year it was almost fully exposed. It’s not as bad as that (yet) but levels are dropping rapidly.
Peek a boo! The old bridge in the foreground is gradually being exposed. Normally, the water levels are just below the new bridge in the background. This used to be a rare event. Now it’s becoming almost yearly. This picture was taken a week ago. Water levels have dropped a lot more since.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Yesterday I took advantage of the weather to take a look at TRU work at the locations mentioned above. Here’s a selection of shots from my travels.
A Liverpool – Hull TPE class 802 sweeps through Deighton. The new station is being built on the site of the old behind the bridge (itself being replaced) in the background. The new Fast lines will be laid to the left of the picture.Here’s the new Leeds Rd bridge the previous picture was taken from. When fully open it will contain two lanes for vehicles, cycle lanes and footpaths. The old bridge is behind the barriers to the right of the picture. Bradley Junction, where the single line chord to/from Brighouse joins the Trans-Pennine route. The junction and all other lines have been renewed in recent blockades. Preparations for laying the new Fast lines to the left have reached the stage where the original formation has been dug down ready for membrane to be laid before ballasting up to the required level to allow sleepers to be laid. I’ve zoomed in to show the new single span steel Colliery footbridge which replaced the old double arch stone bridge which can be seen in the next picture which was taken last year. The new bridge isn’t open to the public yet, but it’ll make a fine vantage point when it is. Looking in the opposite direction at Bradley Junction. Yet another new bridge can be seen in the background. The same view as 802211 working 9E09, the 0953 Manchester Piccadilly to Newcastle speeds past some of the new OLE masts which have been installed during previous possessions. Here’s a view from the West side of Deighton where four-tracks have been installed. The tracks to the right (which will be the Fast lines) were the original lines. The 802 is running on the newly laid track. In the background the platforms and footbridge lift tower of the new Deighton station are taking shape. Welcome to the UKs newest four-track main line! Here’s a view looking towards Huddersfield as 185147 working 2U47, the 1101 Manchester Piccadilly to York traverses the new tracks.A view from the new footbridge at Huddersfield looking along the viaduct to the East of the station. The new Fast lines will be laid across the right of the viaduct whilst the new through platforms are taking shape behind the camera to the left. A wider shot to the last showing the new platform canopies and extended platforms at Huddersfield.Work continues to build the new island platform. The walls are partially in place, now they’re being filled in to platform level. Looking across the site of the new island platform. This area was once the stabling sidings. Work continues on refurbishing the main trainshed roof. Worthy of note are the counterweights in the foreground. These were used on one of the stations water columns used for topping up steam engines!
If you want to browse other pictures of upgrade work I have a gallery dedicated to the TRU on my Zenfolio website, just follow this link. You’ll find photographs going back as far as the start of the project in 2021.
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/
A few days ago I took time out to visit the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) work at Batley and Dewsbury stations. Both have seen a serious amount of work carried out during recent blockades. Here’s a look at what’s been going on recently, with a few old shots added to compare.
Looking towards Leeds from platform 1. The extent of the rebuilding is obvious in this shot. The new footbridge is open, although the lifts aren’t working yet. The subway has been filled in and all the platform shelters have been replaced whilst the platforms themselves have been lengthened and resurfaced.
Here’s a comparison shot from 2021 looking across to platform 2.
Looking down onto the platforms from the new footbridgeThe origianal station building remains intact although most of it is disused. Only the right hand side is occupied. Here, the former cafe is used by the station friends group.The building is a memorial to Jo Cox MP, who was murdered by a far-right activist on the 16th June 2016. Jo was a member of the station friends.Looking along platform 2 towards Dewsbury. The first OLE masts have started to appear. New station signage bears the inscription and logo for the ‘Weaver Network’ A TPE Class 185 approaches the station from Leeds, past some of the new OLE masts that have been installed. Looking towards Dewsbury. All the track through the station has been renewed as part of the recent blockade.
Meanwhile, over at Dewsbury…
The old station canopies are being extended with new steelwork which incorporate copies of the spandrels used in the originals. New steelwork on the end of the Leeds bound platform.The Leeds bound platform is being extended to take longer trains.
I’m planning to get out again in the next couple of days in order to have a look at TRU work at Huddersfield and Deighton.
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/
