Tag Archives: Yorkshire

Rolling blog. Birthday ‘bash’…

27 Friday Oct 2023

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, TPE, Yorkshire

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09:15.

Last night’s pessimism was thankfully unfounded. It seems Trans-Pennine Express have managed to get four of their class 68s into service today, so I’m off for a day out to meet up with old friends and enjoy a few trips behind these trains before their untimely demise. Or, to borrow railway enthusiast terminology, we’re going to ‘bash’ a few! The sorry saga of the Vossloh built Class 68s and their CAF built coaching sets is worthy of a blog of its own. It doesn’t show the railway in a good light, from TPE themselves right through to CAF, the builders of the coaches. Poor decision making and planning runs through the story like the letters through a stick of rock.

Right now I’m still in a very foggy Calder valley, waiting for a late running 09:22 to Manchester Victoria. I’ll be meeting some friends in the city to catch the first working which will carry us back across the Pennines. Watch this space…

A CAF train that does work…

09:50.

We’ve now burst through the Summit tunnel into Lancashire and – as is typical – we have very different weather here. The fog’s lifted, as have the clouds letting the sky tease us with glimpses of clear blue sky.

The change seems to have befuddled my train. The information screens and PA are announcing we’re approaching Low Moor (near Bradford) just as we speed through Saddleworth!

11:20.

The fun begins…

13:05.

We’re back in foggy Yorkshire. What a change from the sunshine of Lancashire. Right now we’re awaiting the road from York to Malton where we’ll be meeting another couple of the group who’ll join us for the stip to Seamer where we’ll pick up a Westbound service back to York. This train’s been busy throughout the trip with a constant churn rate of passengers. These five car sets will be missed when they revert to three car trains.

21:15.

yes, I know, there’s been a huge gap in blogging here. That’s mainly because we’ve been having so much fun together – in real life. Our plans were fluid so the gang ended up meeting up in Malton en-route to Scarbados – sorry Scarborough. Only there was a much more interesting opportunity by changing trains at a pace called Seamer, which allowed us to sample a different Class 68 and Mk 5 set to get us back to York. By which time it was beer o’ clock. So, the four of us adjourned to some of the lesser well-known real ale pubs for a bevvy or two where we could relax, enjoy each others company and talk about all manner of things.

68025. Our steed fom Seamer to York.

The hour we’d set aside turned into several. but what a lovely day. For me it was a chance to enjoy my birthday with some close friends without any pressure to ‘do’ things.

Three of the four, Mr Holcombe was hiding. Thanks to JV for the selfie!

Now I’m back at home as we’ve gone our separate ways. The trains I’ve caught have been packed – so much for the claims no-one’s travelling by rail anymore. What surprised me is that it wasn’t just trains syphoning folk into Leeds, people were travelling much wider. A night out in Halifax? Some folk were going for it!

Now it’s time for me to relax back home and sort out a few pictures. Tomorrow Dawn and I are out with different friends (the five from the 6) to celebrate Kath’s birthday, but there won’t be a train in sight…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Rolling blog. Exploration…

25 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Sheffield, Travel, Yorkshire

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09:35.

There’s been a change of plan. I was meant to be staying at home writing but the weather has changed and given me chance to do the exploring I need to complete an article. So I’m off to Sheffield, although I can do some writing and research on the way. Feel free to follow me through the day and see what I get up to…

09:55.

Not a bad day for being out! Here’s the view across Sowerby Bridge and the Calder Valley taken from my walk up the hill to Spring Edge on the way into Halifax.

10:45.

Hmm, timetables on the Calder Valley seem to be up the spout this morning due to late running. On the bright side I walked straight onto a busy Halifax – Hull service that was ready to depart so I should easily make my connection at Leeds for a Cross-Country service to Sheffield.

11:50.

All’s going well. The 11:11 Leeds – Sheffield is a 9 car so I’ve managed to find a seat, plug in the laptop and do some writing. Now we’re on the apprach to Sheffield where I’ll be swapping train for other public transport.

12:45.

I’ve exchanged train for tram. Now I’m exploring areas of Sheffield I’ve not visited in years!

14:25.

Now I am off piste. Here’s a clue…

It doesn’t look like this anymore!

18:50.

Sorry for the blogging gap but I’ve been busy exploring an area I’ve only passed through before so never got to know. The Don valley out to Stocksbridge proved to be really interesting for a whole host of reasons – most of which I’ll have to blog about later as I’m currently writing this update from my phone whilst sat in the luggage bay of a Cross-Country Voyager from Sheffield to Leeds!

Stocksbridge isn’t the easiest place to get to by public transport. The trams run out at Middlewood. After that its buses, which aren’t that frequent or reliable. There’s a lot of house building in the valley bottom. Much of it cheek by jowel with the old railway. That said, the railway’s really on the wrong side of the valley to be much use. Plus, the original stations closed 60 – 70 years ago. The land surrounding them is now completely built up.

22:30.

Back at home after a very interesting day that’s left me with a lot of mixed feelings and a whole load of stuff to write about if I had the time, but tomorrow I’ve an article to finish on the back of some of today’s research.

I love my job. I love being able to explore the way I have today – even when the experiences aren’t always positive – although I have to say the interactions I’ve had with the residents of the Don valley I’ve met and talked to have been good. That said, seeing someone proudly flying an Ulster Volunteer Force flag in their back garden was rater jarring. I wish I had time to write more about my trip. Instead, I’ll have to leave you with a couple of pictures.

This was once an electrified main-line between Manchester and Sheffield. Now it’s abandoned as the last freight traffic has ended. This is Beeley wood.
The most powerful trams in the UK, but then when you look at the hills around Sheffield, they need to be! Here’s tram 112 on Langsett Rd, Hillsborough working a service to Malin Bridge.

I’ll publish more pictures and links to the article after it’s published. Until then…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

York interlude…

12 Tuesday Sep 2023

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Having been tied up at home recently (not literally you understand) and having had an appointment down in Sowerby Bridge this morning I thought ‘bugger it’ and escaped the valley for a few hours – even tho’ the weather was less than clement. I caught a train from Sowerby Bridge to Leeds via Dewsbury which allowed me a window-seat to observe progress on the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TTU) – not that were huge changes. The most obvious sign that something’s afoot is the amount of new cable troughing that’s sat on pallets by the lineside, waiting to be installed. Well, that and the new stations of course. Morley’s coming along. The old platforms are being demolished and the new station’s slowly gaining a new footbridge with lifts. Farther up the line (or should that be Down the line?) ‘White Rose’ station’s taking shape. I’ll venture out next month to get pictures of progress.

Arriving at Leeds I swapped from Northern to a late-running TPE (surprise, surprise) service to York. There’s TPU work happening on this section too but I’m not familiar with the specifics other than the overhead wires having spread West from Colton Junction to end in the middle of nowhere – for now.

When I arrived at York I found it strangely quiet, although the fact it’s a September Tuesday may have had an impact as there’s bugger-all going on. That said, there’s always something of railway interest, as these pictures prove.

Former East Midlands Trains ‘dogbox’ 153311 is now used as a test train. I managed to catch it in the sidings during its brief layover.
Former Calder Valley class 155 set 155345 rattles the station roof as it rumbles its way to Bridlington. Nowadays, this small class of 7 units are all based at Hull’s Botanic Gardens depot.
Mind the gap. Level boarding is a dream on lots of the railway network, as this shot of passengers detraining from a Blackpool North – York service illustrates.
Grand Central have been having an awful time with reliability of their Angel trains class 180 fleet recently. So much so units have been hired in. Here’s former East Midlands Railway 180110 working 1N95, the 1427 London Kings Cross to Sunderland.

I’ll add these and other pictures to my Zenfolio website shortly. Right now I’m back at home and taking the night off. See you soon…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Rolling blog. A Gooleish day…

17 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by in Photography, Photojournalism, Railways, Rolling blogs, Siemens, Travel, Yorkshire

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09:00

Apologies for the lack of a blog yesterday but the time was taken up with a family funeral. My Mother-in-Law’s sister, known to the family as Aunty Dorothy passed away. A church service was held for her in Marsden, West Yorkshire before a private family cremation, after which everyone returned to Marsden to rejoin the other mourners for food and drinks – and chance to reminisce and celebrate her life.

Today, life goes on and I’m about to leave for Goole to meet up with my RAIL colleague Paul Stephen for a visit to the new Siemens factory there. I’ll update the blog throughout the day as and when…

09:55

I’m on the way. In contrast to yesterday the weather in the Calder valley’s very gloomy today with the clouds threatening yet more rain so I accepted Dawn’s offer of a lift to the station. This allowed me to catch an earlier train (the 09:37 instead of the 09:54) which was just as well as the 54 is already running 11 mins late, leaving me little time for my connection at Leeds.

My train was busy but not overcrowded – until it got to Bradford Interchange where families with gaggles of kids were waiting to join. I’d forgotten about the school holidays! The decible level aboard has now increased dramatically!

11:30.

My steed to Doncaster from Leeds. Another busy LNER ‘Azuma’ heading for London Kings Cross. According to an IPA report these trains were ‘unachievable’!

I’ve just left Doncaster. Getting here was painless as a quick dash between platforms allowed me to catch an earlier LNER service to Doncaster. Joining the train at the last minute was fun as I had to wade through confused families trying to work out where their seat reservations were. There’s lot of ‘newbie’ travellers around at the moment as it’s the season for them!

Having banked an extra 30 mins I was disappointed there was nothing of interest to photograph at Doncaster. The yard was virtually empty and the works siding contained nothing more than a couple of rusting Class 47s and a pair of Cross-Country Mk3 coaches – all in unphotogenic locations behind wire mesh fencing.

Now I’m aboard a Northern Class 170 heading for Scarborough via Hull which will get me to Goole…

16:45.

When I titled this blog I had no idea how appropriate it would be…

I arrived in plenty of time to walk to the new Siemens train factory to meet Paul Stephen and be given our guided tour of the new plant. The site’s impressive. It’s not often you see a new railway centre rise from a brownfield site like this. The first trains for Transport for London won’t begin to roll off the production line until March 2024 but there’s work going on at the centre already and employment will begin to increase from September. I won’t go into detail (you’ll be able to read the full story in a future edition of RAIL) but the site’s already about far more than just building trains – a view confirmed with the discussions we had with the new Siemens joint MD – Sambit Banerjee. Here’s a mock-up of what the new TfL deep level tube trains will look like.

The revised front end for the production line trains.
Inside the train commissioning and testing shed, where the car bodies will be mounted onto their bogies and the trainsets tested as one unit.

Things started to go ‘Pete Tong’ when Paul dropped me off at Goole station where all services were shown on the information screens as delayed or cancelled. Apparently Hull has suffered a major signal failure and all services to from the city are disrupted. So here I am, with no idea when I’ll be able to leave…

17:40.

Escaped!

I’m now on the first train from Goole since lunchtime apparently. Lucky me! It’s a two car unit and its rammed – and sweaty!

19:00.

The homeward leg. Having made it to Doncaster I didn’t hang around but jumped the first available LNER service to Leeds. Today’s problems made it unwise to tarry. The train was busy but not unbearably so as I still found a seat.

Once at Leeds I made a beeline for my train home which was a stark contrast to a 10 car LNER.

Nice!

Northern had thrown out a 2-car 195 on a York-Blackpool North service. It’s ‘cosy’ to say the least – especially as some folk insist their bags entitled to a seat yet some folk would rather stand than challenge them. Not me, so some young bloke’s been told to sling his bag! I’m sat opposite a rarity nowadays and something I’ve not seen (or heard) for ages. A Grandmother’s reading a book to her Granddaughter. It’s ‘Charlie and the chocolate factory’…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Rolling blog. Going to Goole…

18 Tuesday Apr 2023

Posted by in Goole, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel, Yorkshire

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07:45.

Walking to Halifax station was enjoyable this morning. No rain for a change, even if the Calder valley was shrouded in mist.

Traffic was light too though dog-walkers were out in force. Having left the house at 06:50 I had time to spare to catch the 07:39. I ended up walking straight on to the 07:20 which was running 7 mins late due to a fault on one of the two Class 195/0s forming this four car train.

This service calls at Low Moor, the new (ish) intermediate station between Halifax and Bradford. I’m rarely on services that call here so I was impressed to see dozens of folk waiting to join us.

After a rapid exchange of passengers at Bradford Interchange and with enough time for the crew to swap ends we’re now on our way to Leeds. Looking around I’d say this car is 50-60% full. I’ve no doubt that’ll increase on our way into Leeds.

0755.

Sure enough, our call at New Pudsey resulted in one departing passenger replaced by seven joining – and that was just in my car. Passengers on this train are a mix of commuters and holiday-makers. I’m sharing a table with a couple in their mid 30s in high-vis cycling jackets and a young lad whom I’m assuming’s on his way to work.

08:45.

Being ahead of schedule has allowed me to get ahead of myself and take the scenic route. I had 6 minutes in Leeds to make a dash for LNER’s 08:15 to Kings Cross which I’m taking as far as Doncaster. Yes, Doncaster. OK, I lied about the ‘scenic’ bit! My trains formed of a 9-car Azuma and the loadings are healthy. Here’s coach H.

09:05.

My visit to Doncaster was brief. I had long enough to grab a couple of pictures and admire the varied collection of stock outside the Wabtec works (an AET ”Networker’ and Chiltern’s 165004 plus sundry Mk3 coaches) before it was time to jog over to platform 0, which I’ve never used before. I’m now on Northern’s 09:05 to Goole which is being worked by a 2-car class 158.

11:40.

S’cuse the gap. As soon as I arrived at RaiseE I was thrown into a round of introductions or discussions with old friends. Sadly, many of the conversations were pessimistic. Wether it’s Brexit or the shambles that’s government policy and rail finances (not to mention internal problems of some major players) the picture’s not a happy one.

However, the event focussed on the positive aspects and opportunities for the future. More of that later..

Harry Hill from Enable Ltd and Lucy Prior from Trough-Tec Systems Ltd with a joint presentation on collaborating with the supply chain to create a greener rail industry.

17:35.

The conference finished after lunch and after saying some goodbyes I left to make the most of the glorious sunshine. I realised I’d never really taken pictures around this way and that my ladt visit was in 2010 so I decided to make amends. The rail network’s a shadow of its former self as the dock lines are disused and the new Siemens factory – whilst rail connected – isn’t generating any traffic.

However, the docks are still used by shipping and the distinctive ‘salt and pepper’ buildings dominate the skyline nearby.

There’s also this rather interesting building that looks remarkably similar in style to certain London Underground stations. I’m guessing they were designed by the same architect.

Having spent an hour exploring I took a trip to the end of the line at Hull to add a few more library pictures. I’m glad I did. The classic view of the station throat is rapidly being closed off by tree growth.

22:00.

I’m now back at home after retracing my steps from Hull to Goole, back to Doncaster and thence on to Leeds and Bradford before arriving back in Halifax. The weather’s been glorious and the travel really interesting. I’ll flesh out more of this blog shortly but for now here’s a couple more pictures from my travels.

158853 works a Hull – Doncaster service past ‘salt and pepper’ the two water towers that dominate the Goole skyline.
Hull has become a good place to find the seven members of Class 155. Built by British Leyland in 1988 for Calder valley services they’re rarely seen on their former home turf although they do put in appearances on the Hull – Halifax shuttles.
Goole signalbox. It was built in 1909 by the North-Eastern railway to their standard ‘S4’ design. Over the years its lost the external wooden walkways with metal handrails that allowed access to clean the windows. The locking-room windows have also been bricked up which was probably done during World War 2 to add protection from bomb damage.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Thank you!

Whitby weekend (pt 2)…

12 Saturday Nov 2022

Posted by in Photography, Travel, Yorkshire

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It’s late and I’m running out of time to post so I’ll restrict myself to pictures. Today we walked part of the Cleveland Way from Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay. It’s only 6.5 miles, but it’s quite a challenging walk as it’s undulating with quite a few drops and climbs. Even so, it’s worth it because it offers some superb views of the coast. Here’s a few pictures from the trip.

The entrance to Whitby harbour seen from the cliffs by the Abbey.
Saltwick Nab seen from the Cleveland way.
Shipwreck by Black Nab
Fishing boat dropping lobster/crab pots.
Whitby lighthouse is still owned by Trinity House but the site incorporates holiday lets.
The beach at Robin Hoods bay, looking South.
Cliffs North of Robin Hoods bay in late afternoon light.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Thank you!

Whitby weekend (pt 1)…

11 Friday Nov 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Photography, Travel, Yorkshire

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13:00.

And things were going so well…

After a leisurely morning packing and sorting out a few chores before loading up the car to head off to Whitby. It being Friday we were pleasantly surprised by the traffic levels on the ‘cobbled motorway’ (aka the M62) and M1. It was only when we came off onto the A64 skirting to the South of York that it went ‘Pete Tong’ due to a crash. Right now we’re trapped in slow moving traffic approaching the hold-up and have been for the past 25 mins.

15:30.

Made it!

21:30.

Time to relax and put our feet up for the evening. We’ve had a great first day here in Whitby. Well, once we managed to get here anyway. To be honest, we were only about half an hour late. Thankfully, the accident on the A64 wasn’t that serious, it was just time consuming. On the bright side (literally) the weather was far better than was forecast. We had a lovely run across the North Yorkshire moors with the sun breaking through the waning clouds so when we crested the final hill before Whitby we were greeted by the sight of the town basking in sunshine. 10 minutes later we were checking into our hotel up on the North promenade overlooking the beach. We were keen to explore so as soon as we’d settled in we went out to explore. My God – it was windy! No wonder the clouds didn’t hang around long! That said, the weather’s also incredibly mild and as soon as we dropped down to the harbour the wind disappeared. The town looked gorgeous in the late afternoon sunlight making it an ideal time to be out with the camera. Neither of us have been back to Whitby since (we reckon) 2014 so it was great to explore the narrow backstreets and discover places neither of us remember visiting before. The town was busy, but not overbearingly so the way it can be at the height of the summer, which made our perambulations that more pleasant. We did take a break to try a couple of the pubs, one of which was the ‘Little Angel’, a friendly little real ale pub with a great selection of beers.

Dawn suggested we eat at the Magpie, which she’s heard was a cut above your average sit-down fish and chip shop. It was a brilliant choice. The food was excellent. Despite not having booked we managed to get a table on the top floor of the building which overlooks the harbour. We opted to share a starter, so I picked the battered Calamari, which was superb. served with a spicy dip it was melt in the mouth gorgeous! For our mains we both chose the same dish – local scampi in a basket (with chips). The portions were huge. The pair of us were defeated by the chips although I managed to consume all my scampi (washed down by a bottle of Farmers Blonde Ale). Dee had a cuppa to compliment her meal. The whole bill came to £42 which seemed pretty good for what we had – fresh, delicious seafood…

Here’s a few more photos to end the day…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Thank you!

31st August picture of the day…

31 Wednesday Aug 2022

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

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It’s been another busy but relatively peaceful day for me here at Bigland Towers. I’m still wading through mountains of pictures to edit as well as catching up on paperwork so that I can submit some expenses as well as invoices for other work. It’s the far less glamorous side of photographic and journalistic work but it’s one that’s necessary to pay the bills! I’m looking forward to being able to get out and about again, but that won’t be for another day yet. One thing I’ve really noticed since returning from Scotland is just how much the nights are drawing in. I’m typing this around 20:30 at night and the skies are almost dark, but then tomorrow’s the 1st day of September so there’s just three weeks left of summer.

Still, I’ve plenty of projects lined up for the new month – starting with a week long holiday in North Norfolk. Sadly, the weather’s really not looking too good for us at the moment as rain is predicted to be a prominent feature in that neck of the woods. Still, things can change – and there’s plenty to do indoors if we have attacks of showers. Whatever, it’ll be great to kick back for a bit and enjoy the time away, especially as life we be full on when we get back as we’re into the events and awards season. Oh, and more rail strikes. Of course, whilst we’re away we’ve also got the absolutely fabulous news of who is going to be the next incompetent to lead the country. I think we can all guess which particular incompetent that is going to be – God help us…My spleen may need venting, even though I’m meant to be on holiday

So, it’s another short blog from me tonight. I’ll leave you with yet another picture from my recent travels with the hope that I’ll be able to provide you with some new North Norfolk scenes shortly.

Here’s the beach at Saltburn, looking West along the coast towards Redcar beach with the steelworks on the horizon. Out at sea to the right is Teesside Wind Farm, sometimes referred to as Redcar Wind Farm, it’s a 27 turbine installation of 62 MW capacity. 

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Thank you!

30th August picture of the day…

30 Tuesday Aug 2022

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

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After 8 days of continuous travel today’s very much been a day for going nowhere! My legs and back have enjoyed the rest as I’ve had no camera bag to carry and my step count’s been just enough to hit 12,500. OK, that equates to 5 miles which may seem a lot to some people but it’s my minimum daily target that I try to hit every day.

Whilst the majority of my time was spent in the office glued to a computer screen as I began the long process of editing a week’s worth of pictures and checking my notes I did manage to fit in a spot of garden maintenance, ensuring I’d not lost any plants whilst I’ve been away. Gardening’s both a pleasure and a therapy, so I try to get out into that space as often as I can.

There’s no long blog for me, Dee and I need to spend time planning our holiday, so I’ll leave at this tonight, along with a picture from my travels. Here’s another place I’d not visited for many a year. Saltburn, on the North Yorkshire coast, which boasts a 208m long pier originally built in 1869 as a 460m long structure. It’s seen here with the ‘cliff lift’ which is the oldest operating water-balance funicular railway in the United Kingdom.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Thank you!

Rolling blog. Yorkshire roundabout…

26 Tuesday Apr 2022

Posted by in Community rail, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel, West Yorkshire, Yorkshire

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09:30.

Today sees me travelling around the shire from West to South as I’ve a variety of things to do. First off this morning is one that’s familiar – and local. The friends of Mytholmroyd station are having a big volunteer event where Northern Rail staff volunteers are descending for the day to add extra bodies and muscle-power to help tackle some of the bigger and more complex jobs around the station that could do with a hand (and younger sinews). As an old friend of the group I’m dropping in to capture shots of the day, documenting what these partnerships can achieve and also showcase what the community rail sector gets up to.

After Mytholmroyd I’ll be travelling across to South Yorkshire to visit Sheffield where I’ll be catching up with at least one old friend (and maybe more). Feel free to keep popping back to see how things pan out as I document the day.

10:25.

Not the greatest start. Having walked down to Sowerby Bridge station for the short hop to Mytholmroyd I find my train is losing time by the minute. Due in at 10:24 it’s now scheduled to arrive at 10:29, having slipped as each minute’s passed. It’s a minor inconvenience in the scheme of things but it makes me late for the briefing and being late is one of my personal bugbears.

10:30.

Hmm, a 2-car 195 working all the way to Chester. That’s going to be cosy!

12:15.

I arrived just in time to miss the group briefing in the local church hall, but as I’m very familiar with the station and the group it wasn’t a big deal. Seventeen volunteers from Northern rail had turned up to offer a hand and they were allocated a variety of tasks such as digging up old Daffodils, repotting the planters on the platforms, general weeding or moving larger plants that had outgrown their spaces. The place was a hive of activity as people dressed in high-vis buzzed around like a swarm of angry bees! Here’s some examples of the activities.

Northern Rail volunteers clearing out old plants from the recycled plastic planters on the platforms before replanting them with a fresh display.
The platform approaches at Mytholmroyd have steep banks on either side. Here, volunteers clear the entrance to the car park of old Daffodils and weed the area before replanting.
Doing the hard work (digging out and moving plants) under the watchful eye of one of the station friends.
The latest art installation is these terracotta impressions of the various station friends!

Sadly, I couldn’t stay for lunch so I bid adieu and caught the 11:53 to Leeds via Bradford Interchange, which gave me enough time to download, edit and post the pictures as a Class 195 makes a decent mobile office – unlike the train I changed onto in Leeds where a Class 150/2 was waiting to take me to Sheffield. These things have neither tables nor power sockets and I dislike balancing my laptop on my knee. So, it’s back to typing via my smartphone.

My steed awaits…

18:45.

Well, that’s been an interesting day…

Due to timings Richard Clinnick and I ended up catching the same train to Sheffield. I joined it at Leeds whilst Richard picked it up at Wakefield where he’d been to meet the staff at the Rail Business Daily offices where he was inducted into his new role as Editor of Inside Track magazine. On arrival at Sheffield we met up with another rail industry partner in crime – Lucy Prior. The three of us spent over an hour swapping intel and gossip before I headed off to explore parts of the region I wasn’t familiar with. In this case, Rotherham. Having taken a short break between towns I now know why I’d never had it on my radar. It’s a depressing place. Ignoring the fact the station is famous for turning into a place where you’re more likely to use a canoe than a train in heavy rain, the town itself isn’t exactly what I’d call buzzing. Here’s my introduction to the town centre after leaving the railway station.

Nice…

Frankly, if you wanted to make a ‘zombie apocalypse’ film, Rotherham’s your place. Not only does it have the right levels of decay and dereliction it’s also pretty much deserted. Plus, many of the few souls still shambling around the town centre could easily be signed up as extras – and it wouldn’t cost you much money in make-up either…

I didn’t hang around. One lap of the centre was enough. After that I was on the train back to Sheffield!

– but not on one of these tram-trains, seen here approaching Rotherham Central central station earlier. I caught the Northern rail service following behind. At least the fact I managed this shot was worth the trip…

21:15.

I’m now back at Bigland Towers after uneventful journey’s home. Neither of my Northern trains back to Halifax was particularly busy but then neither was Leeds station. Mind you, Halifax was even quieter – almost everything seemed to have closed down for the night despite it being before 8 ‘o clock. Even the pubs had given up and decided to shut up shop.

Now I’m having an easy evening editing pictures from the day. I might as well make the most of my time – Dawn’s gone round to a friend’s for supper, so there’s only me in! Ah well, it’s another day tomorrow…

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