Tag Archives: transportation

Diesel Gala at the Watercress Line

Back to last summer and I was out on the bike for a ride. I was doing a climb over a hill in Bighton and, once I came over the summer, I descended along a road that crosses the Watercress Line. I stopped to have a drink while sitting on the bridge and heard a diesel approaching. It turned out that it was the weekend of their diesel gala and I had timed my arrival well.

A couple of guys were in the process of taking a loco out of the sidings while a train was heading back towards Alresford. I am not a specialist when it comes to diesels but even I can read the number on the side. This was apparently a Class 46 pulling a train of customers. It was entering the station at Ropley and this is one of the passing places on the line so I figured there was a chance another train would be coming the other way.

This proved to be the case. I think the loco coming the other way is a Western but might be mistaken so be gentle in the comments if this is wrong. As it pulled out of Ropley, the air above it was black with sooty smoke. These older locos are definitely not clean burning! Since it was accelerating uphill, it was working hard – hence the serious darkening of the sky! With it on its way, I had taken enough rest, and it was time to continue on my ride.

Wightlink is 100 Years Old

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This year, Wightlink has celebrated its 100^th anniversary. I know they were making some noise about it on social media, and they were flying pennants from the ferries, but I don’t know what else that they were doing to celebrate the event. When I was down on the coast, I decided to wander across and see some of the ferries in action. I wandered around to the side of Spice Island that overlooks the Gunwharf terminal.

Behind me was a view of the old slipway at Camber that they used when I was a kid. I don’t know when they closed this facility down and moved across to the larger space at Gunwharf, but I do have strong memories of waiting on the slipway at Camber as a small kid. In those days – when it was Sealink – the ferries would have a large ramp that came right down onto the slipway unlike the current level loading system (which is much better). You were able to walk down to the water’s edge while waiting and, in the dark, it could be quite a spooky place. One evening my dad managed to get us on the bridge of Cuthred which was quite a thrill for a small boy.

All three of the car ferries were in service on this holiday weekend. It was certainly windy, but they seemed to be doing fine handling the conditions. The Wight Ryder passenger ferries were also heading back and forth between Ryde Pier and Portsmouth Harbour. Watching the skill with which they manoeuvre these large ferries into the narrow entrance to the terminal is very impressive. I also love the way in which they come into the harbour and then pivot the boat on the spot as they line up. Great control of such a large vessel.

The oldest of the three boats is St Faith. The last of four of the Saint class, I don’t know how long she has before she will go the way of her sister ships. I remember St Catherine coming into service – she was known as the Super Ferry when introduced! St Faith was approaching the coast when I was along at Southsea, and she took a wide route in as a result of outbound traffic and then was thrown into a tight turn. The photo might hint at this with the heal that she has on as they turned but it looked far more dramatic in person.

I won’t forget the Yarmouth to Lymington service. Not one that I have made much use of but definitely part of the business. When the Saint class ferries arrived in Portsmouth, Caedmon was cascaded across to this service to join Cenwulf and Cenred. Now they have all be replaced by the current Wight class. Good luck to Wightlink for the next century of service. I’m sure we shall be using it regularly.

My First Experience of the Pods

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I had a flight to take from Heathrow that had an early start. It wasn’t practical for me to use my normal route to the airport and get there in time, so I was going to have to drive. I decided to have my first go with the Pod Parking connected to Terminal 5. I had seen plenty about this over the years and had watched the pods on their tracks while driving around the perimeter road towards the rental car lot when collecting or returning vehicles.

The whole thing was booked in advance, so the number plate recognition system identified me when I got there and let me in. The car park was pretty full, but I got a spot not far from the station B. A short stroll and I was at the station. There were two pods in the station, but both were charging so I had to wait for a minute or so. Amusingly, the screens told me that demand was high and that there might need to be a requirement to share a pod. Since I couldn’t see anyone anywhere near me, I am not sure what congestion that they were thinking of. After a short wait, both pods showed ready and I pressed the screen to get going.

The doors of the station and the pod opened and I climbed in. I had to press one button to close the doors and a second to start on my way. Given I only had one destination to go too, the chances I was in the wrong pod were limited but, once I knew what was needed, we were ready to go. The pod reversed slightly out of the bay and then we were off. There are two stations in the car park, A and B, and they merge in an elevated section of track which then crosses the road and runs inside the airport fencing.

The route brings you around the end of the northerly runway at Heathrow and I had a flight come in over my head as we transited across. The ride was fine if a touch bumpy. It really was a quick run to be approaching the terminal and then we were inside. We loop around the station before approaching the bays where the doors open and I was done. A quick trip up in the lift and I was at the departure level of Terminal 5.

It really was a very simple process and felt like it was a very efficient way of dealing with parking offsite. The same can be said for my return. I collected my bag from the reclaim and headed back to Level 2 of the parking structure. There were two pods waiting and, this time, there was no delay while they charged.

I did have to select which station I wanted in advance. Then, I got in, closed the doors and pressed start – I have learned quickly. Then a quick run back the way I had come before. I was back at the car park in no time and in my car. Since everything was pre-paid, I drove to the gate, and it opened as I approached and I was on my way. If the timing requires it, I will be happy to use the service again.

Some Video of the Hovercraft

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I posted some shots of the Hovertravel operations previously and, at the end of that post, I mentioned that I had switched to video. Sometimes, when the lighting isn’t great, the photos can look a bit dull. However, video seems to work better in such conditions because the motion is more dominant than the colours. It also gives a better impression of what is happening. A still shot doesn’t easily convey that something is drifting sideways or turning tightly. Video gives you that.

The wind meant that the motion was pretty dynamic for the approach and departure from the terminal. Also, there were a few other vessels in the vicinity and that needed to be routed around adding a bit more interest. I realised that, while the conditions weren’t great, it was quite clear looking across to Ryde. With the 200-800mm on one body and a steady support on a post, I was able to video the departure from Ryde and the whole transit. The Wightlink catamaran did time it really badly crossing in front of me just as the hovercraft was rotating on the slipway but never mind. Since it was 4k footage, I was able to do a bit of stabilisation and zooming in when processing the footage afterwards. It would be nice to have had more natural sound, but the wind was so strong, the footage only has the sound of buffeting of the microphones. Here is the video I pulled together from all that I shot that day.

Tracking the Pan Bending the Wires

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I had stopped off to eat some lunch in my car after a meeting, and I was alongside the west coast mainline. There were plenty of trains zipping up and down the track as I ate and I did take a few images while I relaxed. Only as I looked through the images when I was back at home, and I zoomed in to see which images were sharp did I notice the tracking of the pantograph along the overhead wire. The upward pressure was deflecting the wire by varying amounts depending on where it was in relation to the supports. It is interesting how much it can move the wire when passing so swiftly.

A Windy Day with the Hovercraft

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On a quiet Saturday morning, I had a desire to get down to the coast. There were a few photo ideas I had been thinking about and, with no competing things going on, I decided to head down. The downside to this was that the weather was not going to be great. Potential for some showers and definitely some strong winds in the forecast. This might thwart some plans, but the lack of sun might also mean some angles were less problematic from a backlighting point of view.

A trip to Portsmouth means it is unlikely I will miss out on some Hovercraft photography. High winds can mean that the hovercraft service gets suspended but, on this occasion, luck was on my side. Moreover, instead of the regular schedule, they seemed to be running a shuttle with the one hovercraft running back and forth almost constantly. This gave me more chance to get some material without waiting for too long.

Southsea seafront has been undergoing a major refurbishment, and it had reopened on this weekend. The beach had been inaccessible for a long time so now it was possible to get back close to the operations at the Hovertravel terminal. I started off getting a bunch of still shots. The tide was not too high when I got there but there was a bank of shingle on the approach to the slipway. This meant the hovercraft was climbing over this bank before getting on to the concrete. It made for an interesting motion although the skirt accommodated the different sections with relative ease.

Having got a few photos, I decided that I would switch to video for the next rotation. That video will get its own post in due course.

Vacuum Mooring for a Ferry

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I had noticed the marks on the side of the Wightlink ferries at various times. I had thought it was just marks from the dockside when the ship rubbed up against it. However, when walking around Spice Island, I got a look across at the Gunwharf terminal and saw some odd panels alongside the dock. I zoomed in tight on these to see if I could read what was written on the side.

It turns out that these are a vacuum clamp arrangement which holds the ship when it is docked. I assume that this replaces the old process of looping ropes over posts on the docks. The location would explain the marks that I have seen on the ferries. I assume there is some degree of freedom in the connection arms to accommodate the motion of the ferry even while it is in harbour. Now I am going to have to try and see these in operation. Next time we take the ferry, I shall try and get a good look.

Class 89 Again

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Every time I go to Crewe, I find myself looking out of the window of the train is we pull into the station wondering where the Class 89 is going to be. I have posted about it before, so I won’t waste your time repeating my reason for being interested in it. Instead, because it happened to be in a good spot to get a shot as I walked out of the station, here is another shot. That’s it! Nothing more…

Beaulieu’s Monorail

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We made a return trip to Beaulieu with a few of the family in late January. Unlike our previous visit, the weather was a bit nicer, and it wasn’t raining. This meant we were able to have a trip on the Monorail. When I went to Beaulieu as a kid, the monorail was seen as something new and innovative. It runs around the grounds including going through the middle of the museum – shutter doors open and close at each side of the building to give it access without making the museum exposed to the outside weather permanently.

It is a pretty small vehicle. Getting in and out as an adult requires bending over a long way. Once you are inside, it is fine. There are no windows, so you are exposed if the weather is unfavourable which is why we hadn’t gone on it on our previous visit. The train we went on is called Monty – a reference to the Montague family. There is a second train that was stored on a siding as we came by. It is only a short ride but a pleasant trip around the grounds and gives a different perspective on both the buildings and the content of the museum building itself.

Stena Vinga Wasn’t Always Your Name, Right?

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While we were standing along the shore in Gosport awaiting the arrival of the HMS Prince of Wales, the normal traffic from Portsmouth was going about its business. A DFDS ferry was heading out to cross the channel to Jersey. Judging by its shape, it can accommodate a higher mix of freight. It doesn’t look like the regular cross channel ferries that resemble cruise ships these days! As it came closer, there appeared to be a different name built into the side of the hull. The name Stena Vinga had been painted over the top of the original name, but you could still see it. Hammerodde was its name before it was acquired by Stena and they have chartered it to DFDS apparently.