Ertblog

High speed ahead for HS2

The government has given the go ahead to a new high speed rail line from London to Birmingham: HS2.

It's a hugely symbolic act. It marks a new era for the country's railways. At last, Britain won't be the poor relation to its continental cousins, who have been building high speed lines for the past 30 years. We'll have our first new domestic intercity railway since 1899, the year Great Central trains started running from the north to London Marylebone.

But HS2 has been hugely controversial, especially in the Chilterns. As I blogged when Labour announced the original HS2 plan, our own village, Chalfont St Giles, is on the route. As you'd expect, few people here are in favour of a railway that won't benefit us (there won't be any local stations) but whose construction will blight the area for many years. The anti HS2 campaign has been witty and well organised - with posters on the road to Chequers asking prime minister David Cameron if he's on the right track. Local MP Cheryl Gillan has supposedly threatened to resign as Wales Secretary if the government gave the green light. We'll see if she's still in the Cabinet at the end of the week...

I share the many of the misgivings of the protesters. I find it hard to justify the massive price when public spending is a being slashed to cut the deficit. (It seems a strange priority to splash out on an expensive rail line when youth clubs for deprived inner city teenagers are being closed.) If we're going to invest in rail, wouldn't it be better to improve existing rail lines?

But that kind of make do and mend approach isn't good enough. Britain's intercity rail network was born just before Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837. It was the wonder of the world. Nearly two centuries later, the world wonders why Britain is so reluctant to build a new railway. HS2 opponents say we should just modernise the west coast mainline. That line was created from a series of 19th century railways. It has been 'modernised' twice in the last fifty years. It's still in essence a Victorian railway. Its London terminus, Euston, is a soulless place. I pity anyone who has any time to kill there. The same is true at Reading, Cardiff Central, Bristol Parkway and countless stations across the country.

So HS2 is the right thing to do. It will transform the experience of train travel in Britain. Our village will suffer during the long construction years, but I'll be able to show Owen the building of our first new domestic railway since his great grandmother was a child in the 1890s. (I never thought I'd have the chance to emulate SWA Newton, who photographed the birth of the Great Central in Buckinghamshire and beyond.)

PS: Other mainlines were build in Britain after the Great Central, notably the Great Western's 'cut-off' lines before the Great War, but none was a complete inter city line.

Thank you, Virgin Trains

People are quick enough to complain about Britain's railways. (And I've been known to grumble...) But I've enjoyed outstanding service from Virgin Trains today.

I inadvertently got on the wrong train at London Euston this lunchtime. I was booked on the 1300 to Manchester but boarded the 1307 to Liverpool at the next platform. Luckily I realised my mistake as the Manchester train was leaving and got off quickly.

My ticket was non transferrable, but the female ticket inspector at the gate was brilliant. She said the next Manchester train was just 20 minutes later, and marked my ticket so I could travel on it at no extra cost.

It's the kind of kindness and flexibility that makes all the difference to a company's reputation.

I quickly tweeted (from @robskinner) to say thank you to @virgintrains, and got an almost instant response, inviting me to email Virgin Trains so they could pass on my thanks to the member of staff. I was delighted to do this.

It's the second time in a week that I've praised a rail company. Chiltern Railways responded to a tweet offering me help after I got on the wrong train last week. It's good to see our rail companies using social media so well. It will be a talking point at tonight's Some Comms social media awards in Manchester.

And I'll be more careful about which train I board in future!

A King is (re)born: GWR King Edward II's coronation at Didcot

Great Western superpower: A King and Castle at Didcot

Today was a very special day. One of Britain's most magnificent steam locomotives was reborn almost 50 years after ending its working days in my hometown, Cardiff. The Great Western Railway's King Edward II was 'crowned' at Didcot Railway Centre, home of the Great Western Society. 

It was an emotional moment for me. As a teenager, I loved climbing over the engine at Barry scrapyard in South Wales. I made straight for 6023 on my many visits to Barry. Yet I could hardly imagine that anyone would be foolhardy enough to think that King Edward II could ever steam again. But the Great Western Society and Dennis Howells were determined to restore him to the rails. And 6023 was a lucky engine. Fate delivered it and 'father' engine King Edward I to Barry scrapyard rather than the smelters' yard. 

The Kings were the GWR's premier express engines. For most of their life they ran expresses between London and Plymouth. Several were moved to Cardiff Canton at the start of the 1960s to run expresses between the Welsh and English capitals. But the diesels were taking over, and Canton was graced by Great Western royalty for just a couple of years. King Edward II was destined to spend the next two decades in exile at Woodham's scrapyard at Barry Island - just 10 miles from Canton. 

The Barry years

A few acres of ground beside the sea in Wales proved hallowed territory. Dai Woodham's decision not to cut up the hundreds of rusting steam engines in his scrapyard gave preservation societies the chance to save them for posterity. Two Kings were amongst their number: 6024 King Edward I and 6023 King Edward II. The photo above shows 6023 in Barry in 1979. You can see that the team restoring his 'father' engine (King Edward I) have used the tender as an advert for their own efforts. 

Above: March 30 1982. Here. you can see the ruined rear driving wheels, which made restoring this King such a challenging project. This was the result of a shunting accident in the 1960s at Barry. Didcot have put the old wheels on display (below, with Owen and Karen). We were told today that 6023's three pairs of driving wheels were made by three different owners: GWS; GWR and BR.  

A King reborn

Didcot put on a magnificent show today to mark 6023's rebirth. Karen bagged us a prime spot in front of the turntable, where the coronation took place. Steve Davies, head of the National Railway Museum, paid tribute to everyone who made this emotional event possible - especially Dennis Howells, the project leader. It has taken over 20 years since the GWS took on mission impossible, but today made it all worthwhile. The photos below show the ceremony. We love the fact that GWS chose the very unusual early British Railways blue for 6023's rebirth. It suits the King and makes a change from the more common GWR and BR liveries. Didcot will host an even more royal occasion on Easter Saturday, with 'father and son' kings Edward I and Edward II in steam - the first time two Great Western Kings have worked together since the year the Beatles had their first hit, 1962.

 

 

Finally, two year old Owen had a brilliant day. He loved seeing the King, Oliver (4866 0-4-2) and Duck (0-6-0PT). 

Above: Owen and me on the footplate of 4866, the locomotive that launched the Great Western Society 50 years ago. The GWS has done a magnificent job restoring and conserving the Great Western, Britain's longest lasting and best loved railway.

PS: Visit the new Ertblog on Wordpress at robskinner.net!

Twyford, Finmere and Calvert face high speed rail challenge - again

Above: the Great Central main line being built, 1890s. Photo: SWA Newton

BBC Radio 5 Live's Drive programme tonight featured protests against the proposed high speed rail line HS2 by villagers in Finmere, Calvert and Twyford in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.  

The people interviewed explained how the rail link would spoil their villages and the countryside around them without bringing them any benefits - other than the chance to watch a train tearing through at high speed. 

The comments echoed those of friends and neighbours in Chalfont St Giles, which is also on the route. (See my earlier post on HS2 and Chalfont St Giles.) But I was intrigued because Finmere, Calvert and Twyford lost an earlier battle against a new main line. In the 1890s, the Great Central Railway's London extension cut through this part of the world. It was the vision of Sir Edward Watkin, who dreamt of a mainline from the north of England to the continent via a channel tunnel. Its modest London terminus at Marylebone is one of the few remaining monuments to Watkin's dream - or folly. Most of this magnificent line was closed in 1966.

Now the peaceful countryside that once echoed to Great Central expresses faces another rail invasion. Unlike the Great Central, HS2 will have no local stations or trains. But Watkin would have approved this bold project, regarding protest as a mere inconvenience. It will be interesting to see if the 21st century protesters are more successful than their Victorian predecessors. 

PS: the Great Central's construction created far more destruction in Leicester and Nottingham than in the villages on its route. In the words of LTC Rolt, it 'cut ruthlessly through the heart of the old city' of Nottingham. Photographer SWA Newton recorded the birth of the line in a series of extraordinary photos, including this graphic image of Nottingham, below. 

 

 

Remembering South Glamorgan - the locomotive and the county

Owen and I love trains. He was thrilled when I dug out my 1970s and 1980s model engines from their hiding place in the loft last month. Every weekend, I put together a short length of track so he can enjoy seeing them run. I quite like it too...

Today, on a visit to London, I spent a happy quarter hour admiring more modern model locomotives in ModelZone in Holborn. I was just browsing, but suddenly I spotted a fine Hornby OO gauge version of 56 032 Sir De Morgannwg/County of South Glamorgan. This was a powerful class 56 engine built for heavy freight work. Minutes later, I was heading for my next meeting having bought the engine, despite having nowhere to run it other than our weekend track.

It was an impulse buy, but there was a reason for it. My father Bob Skinner was public relations manager for the county of South Glamorgan from the authority's birth in 1974 until 1982, when he retired. He must have been delighted to have seen the county's name immortalised on an impressive railway engine. I can't wait to show him the model when we stay with Mum and Dad in Penarth this weekend. (Owen will be thrilled too!)

The class 56 engines played an important role in the South Wales economy, double-heading Britain's heaviest trains from Port Talbot docks to Llanwern steelworks in the 1980s. Dad's friend, Western Mail editor Duncan Gardiner, officially named one of 56 032's sister engines after Wales's national morning paper at Cardiff Central in 1981. Bizarrely, the first 30 engines in the class (but not 56 032) were built in Ceaușescu's Romania as Brush at Loughborough didn't have capacity to build them. That proved a disastrous mistake. 

Ironically, 56 032 outlived the county whose name it carried. In 1996, South Glamorgan was abolished and Cardiff became master of its own destiny again. But Owen and I will enjoy the engine - and when he's older I'll explain its link with his grandfather. Meanwhile, here a YouTube clip of the engine going through Cardiff Central in 1996. 

Supporting the ferry to Skye

I've never been to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The nearest I've come is the gorgeous road along Loch Linnhe (above) on my unforgettable Land's End to John O'Groats bike ride in 2002. So my decision this week to make a donation to support the ferry from Glenelg to Skye was unexpected.

I was prompted entirely by a tweet by Christopher Main (@RestlessNative2), retweeted by Nicky Campbell, showing photos of a man driving the same car onto the ferry in 1936 and 1992. You can see the two shots on the Glenelg Skye Ferry Blog. The ferries to Skye were threatened by the opening of the bridge to the island in 1995. (The bridge was controversial as it was funded by a Private Finance Initiative that imposed outrageous tolls. Devolution meant Scotland was able to buy the bridge and abolish the tolls.) The Glenelg crossing is unique, as it's a 'turntable' ferry, run and supported by the local community. 

Ferries are special, especially when they cross small estuaries and sounds. I love cycling onto cross channel ferries (though it's over 10 years since I did this), and have long found the idea of island hopping by ferry very appealing. So I hope the Glenelg to Skye ferry lasts for many years. 

 

 

Real trains at Marylebone

Once upon a time, Britain had real trains. Shiny locomotives hauled elegant rakes of coaches. But then our railways discovered so-called multiple-units: powered coaches. Efficient but soulless. 

So I was delighted to find a real train at Marylebone tonight: a train of British Rail blue and grey coaches from the 1970s. Sadly, the sight reflected the demise of Chiltern's sister company, Wrexham & Shropshire, whose train this was. (See my wistful post about Wrexham & Shropshire's last day.) But it was good to see a reminder of the days when a train was a train. 

PS: the 'pushing engine' carried the livery of another departed rail company, English Welsh & Scottish Railway.

Farewell, Wrexham & Shropshire trains

Above: Wrexham & Shropshire staff pose for last-day photos at London Marylebone station

Today was a sad day. A rail company that was loved by its passengers closed, ending the short lived revival of train services from Wrexham to London. Wrexham & Shropshire achieved the best rail customer satisfaction ratings in Britain. But not enough people used the service to make it pay. 

We enjoyed seeing the Wrexham trains race through our local station in the days when Karen and I commuted to London. It was a nostalgic reminder of the days when expresses were hauled by locomotives (Wrexham & Shropshre used class 67 freight engines and sleek British Rail Mark 3 coaches, many still in 1970s blue & grey livery). I hoped to take Owen on the Wrexham train when he was a little older, but we won't get the chance now. 

We were always concerned that the coaches looked empty. Just a year after the service started, W&S ran a successful campaign against Virgin Trains, which threatened to launch a rival service, as I blogged in May 2009. W&S survived that threat, but the writing was on the wall. The Guardian's John Vidal reported that same month that the service was wonderful but slow. W&S was forbidden from calling at busy stations en route but had to crawl through them. But he waxed lyrically about the North Walian train crew and the lamb shank, veg and wine.

By chance, I was in London today and witnessed the sad scenes as W&S staff posed for photographers at Marylebone. I hope they find new jobs, as they will be a huge asset for any organisation that cares about its customers. As I write this, the very last train is on its way north to Wrexham. 

Here are some scenes from Wrexham & Shropshire's last day, including a mug they gave me at Marylebone!

 

 

 

In praise of the gritters

We're enjoying or enduring our harshest winter since 1982, and the critics are having a field day. Why can't Britain cope with a bit of snow? Why do our continental cousins do things so much better? Why didn't our councils grit the roads? 

It's easy to cheer the critics. But life isn't so simple. Few of us have any idea of how challenging it is to beat the weather. We don't know what it takes to keep roads, rails and runways clear. And we can't even tell if a road has been gritted. Our neighbour complained that a local side road hadn't been treated - but we thought it had. 

The photo above shows Buckinghamshire County Council workers treating a steep hill and replenishing a roadside grit bin in Chalfont St Giles. These workers will have been out in all hours, helping us keep moving. They earn a pittance, yet their reward will have been abuse from regulars in their local pub about their failure to clear every minor road. 

We should be praising them.

In praise of our favourite train driver - and Chiltern Railways' use of social media

Have you got a favourite train driver? We have. And thanks to the wonder of Twitter, I now know his name, and discovered that he has dedicated countless hours to visiting schools to teach children about the dangers of playing on the railway.  

Dave Newell is a train driver on Chiltern Railways. He became our favourite train driver on a Friday night over five years ago. Karen and I both commuted to London at the time, and were travelling home together after a night out in town. A group of drunken youths were behaving badly, and we were very impressed and reassured by the firm and effective way Mr Newell challenged them. Yesterday, I was delighted to recognise his voice on the tannoy as I travelled home. He was giving friendly advice to take care on icy platforms. I chatted to him when I got off at Beaconsfield. He greeted me with his characteristic smile and asked if the heating was working inside the train (it was) as he had no heating in the cab.

 

I tweeted about my favourite train driver yesterday, and Chiltern Railways (@chilternrailway) responded. As a result of our Twitter conversation, we confirmed the identity of the driver. Even better, I learned that Dave won Rail Safety Person of the Year award at the prestigious Rail Staff Awards in October. The prize was presented by Pete Waterman and Pino De Rosa.  Tom O’Connor, Rail Media Group, which organises the awards, said: ‘This is a highly deserved award for a person who saves lives and whose influence has directly made the railways a safer place. We should all thank people like Dave Newell." We certainly should, especially when Dave and his colleagues are doing all they can to keep the trains running in arctic conditions.

Chiltern Railways deserves credit for the way it has embraced social media. It responded very quickly to my tweet, and was keen to highlight Dave Newell's recognition. It is active on Twitter and Facebook. It clearly appreciates the benefits of keeping its customers and the community informed about its work.