Tag Archives: transportation

My First Experience of the Pods

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.

Bittersweet Day as FWLE Opens

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December 6^th, 2025, was the day that the Federal Way Link Extension opened as part of Sound Transit’s light rail system in the Puget Sound region. When I moved back to the UK at the beginning of the year, I had thought I would be able to get back for the opening events which I had anticipated would be in early 2026 after another extension opened. As it happened, they were able to open ahead of that other section, and a December date was chosen. The timing of this – along with some other concerns – meant I wasn’t able to go back.

I first got involved with the project in 2017. I had just joined SNC-Lavalin, which was to become AtkinsRéalis, and we started discussions with Mott MacDonald about partnering for the project management role. The rest of that year was spent on preparing the proposal and then the interviews and the result was our selection. Things kicked off in 2018, and we had some immediate ups and downs. However, we got on track pretty quickly and built a strong team between the two partners and our associated sub consultants.

I was not involved in the day-to-day activities of the project, and our team deserve all of the credit. I was on the board of the joint venture, but I did get to spend a lot of time down with the project team and I made sure to regularly get out on site and see what was happening so I could be up to date with the progress as well as the issues that were being experienced. Aside from that, I found it very interesting to see the construction process underway as I was learning a lot myself.

The early stages of the project do not make it apparent how much is happening. Clearing out the land that will be used and prepping for construction is so important but not very glamourous. Then the large structures started to come together. The construction was phased with the northern sections happening before the southern. We re-routed a state route to build the section just south of the airport and then built a whole new road bridge which is now part of the SR509 project that WSDOT is building.

Stations were built at three locations. These were large structures but also included significant parking garages which came with very different but no less difficult issues to solve. The agency makes a big deal on the architecture side of the stations, and they were all to a style but with individual finishes and artwork to reflect the region. Heading up the tower crane at one of the stations gave me a chance to see the wider location from a perspective that few get to experience.

The largest part of the cost of building a light rail system like this is the civil works. Moving large amounts of earth and building concrete structures requires a lot of people and plenty of time. However, the most complex part of the process is installing and commissioning the systems. This includes the track, the power and the signalling elements. Once the civil works are complete, to the passers-by it might look like things are done. However, there is much still to be achieved. Getting the track laid and properly aligned is a major effort. I found the complex track-work to be a fascinating thing to see. Powering up the system was also a big deal, but the overhead wires are dependent on the track location so can’t be done until the track is complete.

The latter stages include getting trains down the track to check for clearances before they can be powered up and operate under their own steam. That was being done at the time I left the country. I didn’t get to see the full tests of trains on the track. That all happened through 2025 and then it was in to trial running to demonstrate not only the capability of the various systems but also the ability to meet the required running times and the integration into the existing operations on the network. I was sorry to miss all of that.

This addition to the system will provide better connectivity to the southern part of the region and the launching point for the next extension which will go down to Tacoma. If you are stuck on I-5 heading northbound early in the morning and you see the train zipping by, maybe you will consider an alternative way to head into Seattle? If you do, I hope you get the train with the livery our project team paid to have added.

Lighting the Christmas Train

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Get to the run up to Christmas and, if you have a heritage railway near you, there is a good chance they will be advertising that they have illuminated trains in operation. The trains will have lights all across the outside and probably within the carriages too. I’m sure they are fun to ride on but, from my point of view, seeing the outside lights is more appealing than being inside.

The Watercress Line is close to Winchester, and they had an illuminated service. In fact, they had more than one. My mum was visiting, and she was also interested in the lights so, late in the afternoon, since it was already getting dark at that time, we popped out to see the train go by. Sure enough, we soon saw it coming up the hill out of Alresford. There is a long stretch where the trees have been trimmed back when you get a good view of it coming our way. Even with the lights, the exposure is still a stretch for the camera. It did okay, though, and a bit of noise reduction software helps.

As they came around the corner into the straight heading at us, the lights would illuminate the embankment on either side of the cutting. There was also a strong yellow glow which, I assume, came from the firebox. The colours were constantly changing and it looked really impressive as the loco pulled hard up the bank. I think that they had swapped to a smaller loco because they had a diesel on the back of the train to support.

We were going to head straight home but one of the other people there told us there was a second train coming down from Alton a little while later. While it was getting a bit chilly and definitely dark, we figured there was no harm in hanging around. We did get the second train as it came down the cutting and then headed back the way the previous train had come. Going that way, they are going downhill so the loco is barely working to get them home. No plumes of smoke and thundering noise.