Avanti Pendolinos
Tag: railways
Railways and particularly high speed trains are usually a popular subject for my stock collection. During this time of “lock-down” I am being responsible and limiting my outdoor activities to the permitted local geographic range for outdoor exercise. Cheshire constabulary is one of the most effective in the North West and they are frequently stopping and questioning cyclists and generally doing a good job of enforcing social distancing policy. In such circumstances the local railway always becomes a good subject for photography and the secluded crossing is also one of my favourite places to relax.
The pictures show London Euston – Manchester services which are now operated by Avanti. The disappearance of Virgin liveried Pendolinos was literally instantaneous, I wonder where they have gone?
Main image exif: –
- Aperture: ƒ/5.6
- Focal length: 50mm
- ISO: 100
- Shutter speed: 1/500s
Alderley Edge Observations
Tag: railways
A curious wooden bus shelter in Alderley Edge with paper textures. Had a few very enjoyable days out cycling over to the west side, the equally ‘posh’ and rarefied side of Cheshire; but my intention is often to look for things that rarely get photographed – in these parts at least. These are just a few pictures from a trip to Alderley on the 13th May, I have many more including plenty of stuff in colour but today (16th) I also continued on to Jodrell Bank in preparation for my trips down to the Blue Dot festival and got many more pictures that are, for me, essential studies of the locality.
- Aperture: ƒ/8
- Focal length: 10mm
- ISO: 100
- Shutter speed: 1/250s
Hale Station Cheshire
Tag: railways
A few semi-experimental pictures from a night on Hale station. This is a very special location for me, and a place that featured prominently in my childhood. I spent many hours here watching trains, generally relaxing, or occasionally taking a ride to Chester or Llandudno and for many in Hale and Altrincham it was the holiday line. it was also a favourite retreat in my school lunchtimes.
The station is a listed building and quite deservedly so. The beautiful canopies date back to the era of the Cheshire Lines Committee, the organisation responsible for building and operating the Mid Cheshire line in its earliest days. Hale station building, or more specifically the canopies, and the now sadly out of use signal box, are very important townscape features and a focal point in the large suburban village of Hale, much of which was developed around the railway and rapidly became a well-healed retreat for commuting Manchester cotton tots. Though in my life-time the setting has changed a lot!
The route was always very busy with a variety of freight mostly heading to and from the industrial heartlands of west Cheshire, Liverpool and Warrington which included the iconic Tunstead to Northwich stone trains. The line is continuing to see a growth in both freight and passenger traffic today with a dramatic increase in night freight traffic due to a lack of day time capacity – some of this traffic is literally travelling from one end of the country to the other. The mid Cheshire is quite a well connected line and can be used as a relief route for anything heading for any part of the network in the south including London, Wales and the West country but is still designated as a secondary route – not a main line.
- Aperture: ƒ/5.6
- Focal length: 19mm
- ISO: 100
- Shutter speed: 2s
Prestbury Pendolino
Tag: railways
London bound ‘business is great’ pendolino speeding through Prestbury, Cheshire. These trains have been the mainstay of the Manchester to London, Euston service for more than ten years now. I wish I had the foresight to take pictures here when I first arrived in the area because the line was still being ‘worked’ by what is now considered to be classic or heritage traction including first generation diesel and electric locomotives and 125 HSTs.
- Aperture: ƒ/8
- Focal length: 50mm
- ISO: 100
- Shutter speed: 1/500s
- Aperture: ƒ/16
- Focal length: 50mm
- ISO: 100
- Shutter speed: 1/30s
Peak Dale Quarry – Buxton
Tag: railways
A small part of the large railway operation in the heart of the Peak District. Limestone quarrying has been a feature of this location for more than 100 years and now it is the origin of some of the longest running railfreight flows in the UK. Over the years this expansive site has produced aggregates for everything from construction to catalytic processes in the chemical and petrochem industries. It has been run by many different companies including British giants like ICI, Tilcon and Blue Circle but is now mostly operated by Cemex of Mexico and much of the railfreight aspect is controlled by Germany’s DB Schenker.
The quarries and associated logistics operate on a 24 hour basis, it is the only mineral production site in the UK that operates 24/7 and continues to contribute significantly to the local economy and the prosperity of towns such as Chapel-en-le-Frith and Buxton.
Main picture EXIF details: –
- Aperture: ƒ/8
- Focal length: 50mm
- ISO: 100
- Shutter speed: 1/500s
Class 142 Pacer
Tag: railways
One of the much maligned ‘pacer’ units at New Mills Central in Derbyshire. The cute little train that couldn’t. The class 142s are destined to disappear from most of the network within the next two years as relocated older, but larger and more powerful units, move up from the south.
- Aperture: ƒ/4
- Focal length: 10mm
- ISO: 100
- Shutter speed: 1/250s
These shots were taken whilst I was on a cycle/train trip up to Castleton. A very scenic but demanding ride from Prestbury in Cheshire. The trip now involves a first leg to New Mills where I then catch a train to Hope. From Hope it is just a two mile cycle ride to Castleton village. The return is an amazing mostly down hill trip of almost 20 miles via Chapel-en-le-Frith, the A6 and Middlewood Way. The train is now a necessary part of the outward trip for me as the climb from Chapel-en-le-Frith to Castleton is very punishing on the legs; six miles of continuous ascent!
- Aperture: ƒ/4.2
- Focal length: 11mm
- ISO: 100
- Shutter speed: 1/125s
