Blog

It’s not very often I travel long distances by train but a quick trip to Glasgow to support a client through
their audit (which was a successful pass!), allowed me to let the train take the strain for a change.
As I have my birthday in a few weeks I decided to treat myself to a First-Class seat for the return
journey. A big shout out to the staff on the 09:40am Glasgow to Euston #VirginTrains service this
morning for your service with a smile. After a hearty cooked breakfast and enough tea to float a
battleship I sat back to watch the stunning scenery of Southern Scotland and the Lake District slip
passed the window.
#WCML should rank as one of the best journeys in the UK. From the dramatic hills and mountains of
#Scotland, stone crofters huts and lots of sheep, to the wonderful architectures of Carlisle station it
was a spectacular picture. On through to the Lakes stopping briefly at the beautiful station of
#Oxenholme alongside the #M6 and its queues of traffic makes me realise I made the right choice
using the train.
Glimpses of the stunning #MorecombeBay passed by as I passed over the #RiverLune into
#Lancaster. I’ll apologise now, but #PrestonStation requires a lick of paint in places!!
On entering the historic railway town of Crewe and it’s now unhappy looking and derelict Art Deco
#Crewe South signal box – now here’s an idea. Shouldn’t we at least make these glorious buildings
look a bit more respectable? After all, this our industrial heritage. Yes, it’s been replaced but should it
be forgotten?
It’s mid-November and a great time to travel by train, as the leaves begin to fall like views open of the
English Countryside that are practically unchanged in centuries. Rolling hills, dense woodlands, rolls
of bailed hay-like cotton reels adorn every other field, fast-flowing rivers and isolated hamlets.
On the fringe of the Black Country now and rising from a coppice of trees in the distance stands a tall
brick chimney, a solitary reminder of Britain’s industrial past. Flocks of Canada Geese decorate the
marshlands outside #Stafford. As the train continues to race alongside the canal I’m reminded of the
men known as Navvies who built our railways who ‘cut’ their teeth by digging the countries canal
system.
The countryside slowly starts to make way as urbanisation as we pass the outskirts of Birmingham.
Through #Atherstone which is exactly 102 miles from #London according to a placard at the station.
#Nuneaton passes in a blur, as we wind our way alongside the #OxfordCanal with barges in a
kaleidoscope of colours. The brick viaduct south of Rigby passes in the blink of an eye but still, it’s an
impressive looking structure.
Alongside the #M1, and we are flying past the fast-moving traffic, and instead of being stressed out
and tired behind the wheel and eating my own body weight in midget gems and wine gums, I’m sat
here enjoying yet another cup of tea and a fresh fruit salad! I know what you’re thinking, “he never
eats fruit”. But rail journeys allow you time to think, to contemplate and try new things; like
Pomegranate seeds (my new favourite thing!).
#MiltonKeynes suddenly passes in a flash, #Bletchley the same, and we are back in the open
countryside again. Softer and gentler than the towering hills and deep valleys of #Cumbria and
#Scotland, but the Autumn colours of reds, browns, yellows and golds catch the sunlight and are
dazzling here as they were 300 miles away.
I caught sight of a #Buzzard in flight above a grassy plain gliding effortlessly in search of prey. A lazy
single beat of its wings to keep its height it continues to float softly through the sky.
As we approach the busy metropolis we call #London, our capital city and home to #EustonStation,
#London’s first Inter-city terminus station which in 17 years from now will be 200 years old!
It was a fascinating and memorable journey. Rail travel is like a “behind the scenes” experience.
You’ll see parts of the country you’ll never see from your car, and the best bit is you actually have
time to “see” them and enjoy the moment – you don’t get that opportunity on the #M6.
I’ve been in the rail industry for over 20 years, I’ve been a patrolman, worked on relays, alongside
tampers, and worse than that I’ve worked behind tampers boxing in! I’ve dug out wet beds, greased
points and even changed DC insulators with the juice still on. The UK rail system is close to my heart,
my soul and like many I’ve known it gets in your blood somehow, it becomes a part of you. It’s like an
old car, or dare I say it, like a wife or husband – you might not always like it but you’ll always love it!
And it’s this dedication and respect shown by the thousands of railwaymen and women that literally
keep the wheels turning.
Ok, so it’s not the best railway in the world, that accolade (in my opinion) goes to the #Swiss. I
travelled some of their mountain railways earlier this year and was blown away (almost literally at the
top of the Jungfraujoch) by their precision, timetabling and cleanliness. But our railways have a
uniqueness to them, they have a history that can be seen at almost every station and every step
along the line. That ornate looking milepost has probably been sat there longer than I’ve been on this
planet (I’m 51 in a few weeks!) and that the 17th December 2019 marks the 173rd anniversary of
passenger trains at #Lancaster station. I don’t think any other country in the world can emulate what
we have as a nation and achieved. We should be immensely proud of our railways, proud of its
achievements and its history. But most importantly of all, we should be proud of every single man,
woman and child who have helped make it what it is today. From the engineers who had the initial
visions to the navvies that dug the first cuttings, and especially to those that gave the ultimate
sacrifice.
And last but by no means least to my friends, colleagues and every one of you working in the industry
– “I salute you all”