4630

A rare sunny morning in West Yorkshire on 24th February 2024, so an opportunity to enjoy a canal side walk.  And with Spring not too far away now there was a pleasant warmth to the sunshine.

Photos taken along the Kirklees Cut, part of the Calder and Hebble Navigation that links Wakefield with Sowerby Bridge.

GBRf 60056 rumbles westwards along the Calder Valley line at Bradley Hall farm on 24th February 2024 with 6M36, Drax Power Station to Liverpool Biomass Terminal, empty biomass hoppers.

Some rare sunshine in West Yorkshire on 24th February 2024 and the sheep on Bradley Hall farm are unmoved as a Northern class 158 passes by with a service from Manchester Victoria to Leeds...

... and they're also unimpressed with a TransPennine Express class 802 working a service from Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle, diverted along the Calder Valley due to the closure of the Huddersfield line. 

Driver training/route refreshing using a GBRf 69 continues along the Huddersfield line for another week, this time with 69001 Mayflower, approaching Heaton Lodge East Junction on 19th February 2024 with 0Z10, Marsden to Wakefield Kirkgate Whithams Cobra Siding.

With the direct line between Huddersfield and Leeds closed for five days from 18th February 2024 - all services being diverted via Wakefield Kirkgate - a handful of engineers' trains are scheduled to run in connection with the work. 

The first, on 19th February 2024, was headed by GBRf 66703 working 6G93, Crewe Basford Hall to Mirfield East Junction, approaching Heaton Lodge.

42 minutes ago, KeithMacdonald said:

 

One might wonder if the insurers were happy to accept the premium payments, and turn a blind eye, in the hope that any insurance claims could be declared null and void, because whatever.

 

That’s certainly one possible explanation.  The insurers able to invoke ‘plausible deniability’ if anything untoward were to happen.

I don’t know enough about this category of insurance risk, but I would imagine that if liability insurance companies themselves were made financially liable, up to the insured value, for all instances where cargoes being carried that were in breach of agreed sanctions, it might concentrate corporate minds a bit more.  They might then be more inclined to carry out some due diligence before accepting the risk.

It’s a funny old world.  I get quizzed by a high street bank about the source of a cheque  for about £15k - part of my late mother’s estate - because the bank are following ‘money laundering regulations’ yet any cargo, of any value from any source to any destination, can go through ‘on the nod’.  Something definitely isn’t right there.
 

The recent wet weather has, as usual, had an effect on the River Ouse through York on 17th February 2024.

Judging from the condition of the riverside footpath it had been much higher in recent days. 

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In case it's of any help, here are images of de-branded Scotrail 156465 and 156485 passing through Wakefield Kirkgate, working as 5N42, empty coaching stock from Heaton Traction & Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot to Newton Heath Traction Maintenance Depot on 2nd June 2019.

Following on from my last post showing the position at Deighton, I thought it would be interesting to show the state of play at other locations along the Huddersfield line where Transpennine Route (TRU) upgrade work is now gathering pace.

As and when time allows I'll try to cover all the publicly accessible areas along the railway heading east from Huddersfield, where work is either planned or underway.

This update shows the position ½ mile east of Deighton station at Bradley Junction where there is a connection, now a single line, to the former LNWR line to Bradley Wood Junction and the L&Y Calder Valley line.  This connection is primarily used these days by the hourly local services between Huddersfield and Bradford Interchange via Halifax, operated by Northern.

View at Bradley Junction looking west towards Deighton and Huddersfield, taken on 11th February 2024.

The new Fast lines with OHL will be sited on the left of the current formation.  The  Up and Down Huddersfield lines, to be renamed the Up and Down Slow also with OHL, and Bradley Junction are to remain as currently shown. 

The overbridge in the distance - Wheatley's Colliery Lane Overbridge - which is a cycle route is to be demolished and replaced with a new structure.

For historical interest, the building on the right adjacent to Bradley Junction is the former station building for Bradley station which was closed on 4th March 1950 and is now in private hands.

View at Bradley Junction looking east towards Colne Bridge and on to Heaton Lodge Junction, taken on 11th February 2024.

The route for the new Fast lines has already been cleared here.

The overbridge in the distance - B6118 Colne Bridge Road - is to be demolished and replaced with a new structure.

For ease of reference, the following Google Maps link may be helpful for those unfamiliar with this part of God's Own County West Yorkshire;

Bradley Junction

DRS 68034 'Rail Riders 2020' top 'n' tailing a pair of FNA-D nuclear flask carrier wagons with 68002 'Intrepid', passing Colne Bridge on 12th February 2024 working as 6Z30 from Crewe Coal Sidings to Leeds Balm Road.

On 12th February 2024 Freightliner 66572, with a stranger in these parts 59104 Village of Great Elm, passing Colne Bridge near Huddersfield on its way to Leeds Midland Road, working as 0E59 from Crewe Basford Hall.

A stranger in these parts, 59104 Village of Great Elm passing Colne Bridge near Huddersfield on its way to Leeds Midland Road in the company of 66572, working as 0E59 from Crewe Basford Hall, on 12th February 2024.

6 minutes ago, Pete33 said:

Just a quick question: which end of the class 33 diesels are considered to be the "A" end?

Thanks in advance,

Pete

The fan end is the No. 1 end.

I was fortunate to be brought up on the south coast in, what at that time was Hampshire, close to the SW mainline to Bournemouth.

I can vaguely remember being taken round Eastleigh Works on what I guess would have been one of their open days in the mid-1960s.

I had my first bike when I was seven in the summer of 1966 and for my Dad’s enjoyment and exercise as much as mine, we would often go out for an evening bike ride on the local country paths close to the railway line.  Our finishing point was often Hinton Admiral station.  That was my first opportunity to see steam locomotives and trains close up.

I can recall the ‘new’ electric trains introduced in 1967 to coincide with the end of steam along the line to Bournemouth and Weymouth.

By chance I came across an Ian Allan ABC for electric-multiple units in a local bookshop and must have pestered enough for it to have been purchased for me.  That would have been around 1969 and was the start of me taking closer interest in what was running along the local railway.

From that it was the annual purchase of the latest IA combined volume, underlining cops and venturing further afield to seek more exotic traction.  From around 1973 I also had access to a small camera which, with my Dad’s encouragement, I made use of.

From my early teens, when I had the money, I was regularly off, unaccompanied, to London to pursue the hobby further.  Firstly at the mainline stations and later at the various depots.

I stopped recording numbers religiously when I started work in 1977, but I’ve never really given up my interest in the railway, it’s just developed in different directions.  
 

It’s been ever present over the years and I’ve been fortunate that both the current and former Mrs 4630 have been, mostly, encouraging and tolerant.

Shortly after daybreak on 11th February 2024, GBRf 66704 Colchester Power Signalbox sets out on its journey from Bradley Junction to Doncaster Up Decoy Yard, after overnight engineering work around Huddersfield.

Also on 11th February 2024 and also heading to Doncaster Up Decoy Yard, albeit in the opposite direction to 6G82 above, DB Cargo 66097 with 6T52 at Colne Bridge after overnight engineering work between Cottingley and Morley.  The 66 was booked to run round its train of autoballasters at Marsden.

I don't recall seeing this 'Highland Rail' branding on a DB Cargo 66 before.

Just got back from my trip to Donny and to echo what @eastwestdivide said, a really good show, lots of people but not ridiculously crowded, good trade support and many excellent layouts.

The show BRM subscription offer is good too - so I succumbed. 
 

34 minutes ago, Steadfast said:

I can't see the logic of hiring it over a 66, unless GB did it for a really good price. A standard 66 can do 6M40/ 6V14, or cover something else freeing up a 70. There's driver training and fitter training to consider, and it's hardly the most reliable of things either.

Yes, I thought that it was slightly curious.

Hiring in a 66, or another Freightliner 70, you would have guessed would be the more straightforward option.  But clearly what’s actually available for hire and the hire charge would be significant factors too. 
 

I was always under the impression, rightly or wrongly, that 59003 was the ‘runt of the litter’.  Let’s hope it doesn’t sit down somewhere and cause an operational incident. 

Just in case it provides a few more photo opportunities, it’s been reported elsewhere that GBRf 59003 is going on hire to Colas from 12th February.  
 

The suggestion is that driver training will take place on 6M50, Westbury to Bescot Up Engineers Sidings, before then taking on 6M40, Westbury to Cliffe Hill Stud Farm.

It’ll make a change for it rather than its more recent potterings between Westbury and Eastleigh.

Information given in good faith.

1 hour ago, Right Away said:

 

However… as far as percentage increases go, the email received today from Ring (video doorbell) informing of a hike in their subscription from £3.49/month to £4.99/month was an eye opener. There must be something dreadfully amiss with their current business model for their need to impose such a huge, 30% rise.

 

It's probably as well to bear in mind that Ring is owned by Amazon, an organisation not generally known for its philanthropic approach to business.  Their recent change to the pricing of Amazon Prime Video being another case in point.

In a nutshell, in a capitalist world, they impose a 30%* rise, because they can.

I would imagine that their finance people have assumed that the revenue generated by a 30%* increase, with an immediate and direct impact on the bottom line, is still greater than the loss of revenue from subscribers who, metaphorically speaking, put two fingers up and cancel.

* I note from the BBC website that they're quoting a 43% increase.

2 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

Not just that, the user has to wait until Visa posts a new PIN to the users authorised address!

 

And to get that far you have to ring the customer 'help line'

...and then go through the lengthy list of options

...before you join a queue of indeterminant length

...whilst listening to mindless Muzac. 🙄

"Your call is important to us".

We've all been there, unfortunately. 🤯

Just now, Hroth said:

 

Do you have to enter a PIN to start it?

 

And if you get the PIN wrong three times does the engine refuse to start?

A bit more today from the US NTSB following release of its initial findings about Boeing, its 737 Max 9, missing bolts and Alaska Airlines.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68220627

and here too. 
 

https://news.sky.com/story/key-bolts-missing-were-from-boeing-alaska-airlines-plane-door-initial-investigation-finds-13065587

I posted the following image on the class 800 thread but as it's also illustrating some of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) work currently underway, I thought I'd add it here too.

The image is of 802204 passing through Deighton station, east of Huddersfield and shows the vegetation clearance that has been undertaken over the past couple of months.  As can be seen, a site meeting was also underway.

In response to a query that was raised on the class 800 thread regarding the TRU plan at Deighton, as many will know in steam days the formation at this point was wide enough for four tracks, subsequently rationalised to the current two.  The existing Deighton station being a much later addition, opening on 26th April 1982.  

From the TRU plans it seems as though the cutting slope will be reprofiled allowing the existing Up and Down Huddersfield to be slewed to the right.  They will then become the Up and Down Slow.

With the additional width to the formation thereby created, the new Up and Down Fast will be constructed on the left and through what is currently platform 2.

A new station will be constructed, serving only the two slow lines and although mostly on the existing site, the 'footprint' will be slightly further towards Huddersfield.