March 19th – Back to work, and off to Telford. It was a gorgeous, bright but frosty morning. My chosen station of departure, Shenstone, looked as beautifully rural as ever. Despite having nor real facilities and problematic accessibility – only steps on the northbound side – it remains one of my favourite local stations. It’s usually quite easy to get your bike on the southbound train here, too, A real joy to travel from.
February 27th – I like bike cargo hacks. This one was locked in the stand at Telford Station, and is rather well executed. A standard plastic crate, of the kind you can buy at hardware stores and DIY chains, with holes drilled in the bottom. Secured with cable ties, the ensemble only loses points for the untrimmed ties. Love the reflector and rear light attached to the box itself. Wonder what the rider carries?
February 21st – There is a place in New Street Station, Birmingham, that is only known by a select few: those who use the lifts. This happy club includes cyclists, wheelchair users, those of limited mobility and service personnel. The platform access is so shambolic that only on two platforms do lifts connect to the concourse above; for the remaining five, you can only go downward to a connecting subway. This makes every platform change an absolute joy. If you actually want to get out, and land at, say, platform 2, you have to go down to the subway, and come up via tone of the two lifts connecting to the concourse through other platforms. These two lifts are very busy and the wait can be considerable. The connecting subway is dark, dingy and contains lots of horrid, dark corners. But never mind, it’ll all be better soon… and there will be jam for tea, too, I’m told.
November 28th – A day in Leicester again, so I shot down to Lichfield Trent Valley before dawn. Dawn itself came just before Nuneaton, where I change trains. From the platform, the railway and it’s peculiarly universal vanishing points made for in interesting view in the golden morning sunlight. Sometimes, the oddest things can be precious.
November 21st – I didn’t foresee the rain this evening, and had dressed for dry weather. Feeling damp and disconsolate, I stood waiting for my train to arrive. Telford Central is a horrid Station – incredibly busy, yet few facilities. With the winter closing in, it just seems even more bleak than usual. I’m praying for some dry, cold, clear weather of the kind we’re used to in November
November 14th – Lichfield Trent Valley railway station at night appears even more grim than it does in the day. The harsh lighting, surprisingly dark corners and hard, human-unfreindly surfaces make it oddly photogenic. I hate this station with a passion, and curse every time I carry my bike over that footbridge, but the metalwork and gas discharge lighting hold my attention at night. Dystopia or beauty? I can’t decide.
November 3rd – Another early start, and a deserted Shenstone station at 6:15am. I was lucky today; the forecast was for heavy rain, but it had passed when I hit the road. It was also unseasonably warm. Approaching the station from Lynn Lane, I surveyed the platforms from the over bridge, as I often do. I love this station. It’s like a little period piece. Even at 6:15am on a dark, wet November morning.
October 26th – Shenstone Station, 6:15am. Dark. Cold. Empty. Beautiful. I love this little, semi-rural station. It has few facilities; the ticket office is rarely open, and the wind whistles through here in the winter. There is, however, a gorgeously old-railway feel to the station, traditional benches and canopy. I’ve been starting journeys here for the past thirty five years, and I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather do so.
October 6th – A late return from Telford gave me another chance to shoot Walsall in the dark. The weather had been awful, and Walsall was largely cold, wet and deserted. Spotting this view from the ramp on Walsall Station, I couldn’t resist it. Station Street is still a little bit of ‘old’ Walsall; despite the pedestrianisation and new buildings, I imagine this is a lot like Walsall before the town planners wrecked it.
August 4th – Nuneaton Station is a lovely interchange. I really don’t mind being there at all – good lifts, decent coffee shop, clean and tidy. Certainly one of my preferred stations, and when visiting Leicester, I change trains here. Have to say though, that’s one of the most horrific public murals I’ve ever seen. It’s vicious. Careful now, it’ll have your eye out…
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