The View From the Train

Inspired by one of my recent reads, The View From the Train, by Patrick Keiller, and accompanied by a couple of moments of good fortune, I managed to take some rather pleasing photos from the train windown last week as it sped me to and from London Paddington.

The first couple capture the sun setting over the Old Oak Common train depot. I remember as a kid that this used to be a very busy place, full of all sorts of locomotives, but alas much of it has been demolished now, and what's remaining is forlorn and empty, with just the odd shunter and locomotive engine that's used to pull the Penzance sleeper. The rest are rather boring looking multiple units.

Sunset over Old Oak Common train depot

Good to see the water tower is still there, but not sure for how long.

Sunset over Old Oak Common train depot

Sunset somewhere between London and Reading

Sometimes the annoyance of having to get up for the early train has its rewards, and not long after leaving Newbury I was greeted by the sun as it rose over misty fields.

Sunrise somewhere between Newbury and Reading

And as if the sunrise on its own was not enough, a hot air balloon started to rise up through the mist.

Sunrise somewhere between Newbury and Reading

The only slight disappointment was that the train windows were dirty in places which spoil the purity of the pictures a little, but on the other hand added something too them.

    

Waterloo Sunrise

Last week I had the chance to take a trip out of Waterloo station into Surrey. The day was fresh, but the skies were cloudless and the sun was glorious. Also I was heading in the opposite direction to the rush hour commuters, so even though it was only 9am, the station seemed unusually quiet. Although definitely not a Waterloo Sunset, bringing back memories of the wonderful Kinks song, it was reasonably close to a Waterloo Sunrise.

Entrance to the London Underground, Waterloo station, London

I assume this array of tubing is some sort of ventilation system, possibly coming up from the underground below. On a grey day this would probably be a fairly ugly structure, but today with the clear blue sky in the background and the sun reflecting off the silver tubing, this was transformed into something quite beautiful.

Industrial architecture, Waterloo station, London

Further down the platform I saw the London Eye just peeking out above the top of the station, and nicely framed by the roof supports. A shame about the bin in the first shot though.

London Eye from Waterloo station, London

And a shame about the lamp post in the second shot.

London Eye from Waterloo station, London

    

A wander along the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire

I've just returned from a weekend in Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire. I only manage a tiny bit of research before we went but couldn't help noticing a old railway track to explore, so needless to say that featured high on the agenda. The most impressive part of the former Ross and Monmouth Railway that I saw was the remains of this old bridge, crossing the River Wye to the north of Ross. 

Remains of old railway bridge, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire

Remains of old railway bridge, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire

Remains of old railway bridge, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire

I think this might be some sort of workman's hut, buried in the undergrowth near the former railway line.

Old workman's hut on the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Remains of old railway bridge, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire

Remains of old railway bridge, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire

Remains of old railway bridge, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire

Ok, so that's probably enough pictures of the old bridge. The next few are of the track bed heading north out of Ross-on-Wye towards the north.

Track bed of the former Ross and Monmouth Railway

Track bed of the former Ross and Monmouth Railway

Track bed of the former Ross and Monmouth Railway

Track bed of the former Ross and Monmouth Railway

Between here and the town itself, the track bed pretty much disappears as it has been ploughed over.

Track bed of the former Ross and Monmouth Railway

Back in the town however the track bed re-establishes itself and a number of bridges and remains of bridges can still be seen.

Bridge carrying the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Bridge carrying the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

As we neared the town, just the bridge supports remain, but these ones have been fantastically preserved and adorned with historical information about the former railway.

Remains of bridge carrying the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Historical information board for the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Historical information board for the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Historical information board for the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Historical information board for the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Historical information board for the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Historical information board for the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Historical information board for the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Historical information board for the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Remains of bridge carrying the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

As we reached the end of the walk, the heavens well and truly opened so we cut short the final stretch, but just had enough time to photograph the former engine shed, now in use as a garden centre.

The old engine shed on the former Ross and Monmouth Railway, Ross-on-Wye

Overall a great weekend away, of which this walk was just day one. The town itself is still full of local shops and not blighted with too many brand name shops. There are plenty of small cafés, delicatessens and restaurants, and a fantastic bookshop, Ross Old Books.


    

Cycling close to the former Sprat and Winkle railway line, Hampshire

Whilst trying to make the most of the summer, I've been out and about in the countryside cycling of late, and not doing much urban wandering. For the past few weekends I have ventured south towards Whitchurch and beyond. A few weeks ago I posted about the Whitchurch Town station and disused railway, but my latest two trips have taken me beyond Whitchurch to Long Parish and Wherwell, where the former Sprat and Winkle line used to run.

Much of this part of the line is now private and inaccessible, so I had to make do with cycling along the road beside it. Where the line used to run through Stockbridge through is now a foot-cum-cycling path, but going that far was pushing the limits of my cycling ability, and today's route was 50 miles as it was, so maybe that's one for a day when I take the car out. Here's a link to a good brochure about the Sprat and Winkle line.

All the pictures below are taken between Wherwell and Long Parish. The first four are just the bridge supports, but the last two are of one of the few bridges still intact.

Remnants of bridge along the former Sprat and Winkle railway line, Hampshire

Remnants of bridge along the former Sprat and Winkle railway line, Hampshire 

 Remnants of bridge along the former Sprat and Winkle railway line, Hampshire

 Remnants of bridge along the former Sprat and Winkle railway line, Hampshire

Bridge along the former Sprat and Winkle railway line, Hampshire

Bridge along the former Sprat and Winkle railway line, Hampshire

    

I'm not sure where my next venture will take me. I'm up in London a few times again next week, so maybe there'll be some more Urban Wandering taking place again, but for now I'm slightly obsessed with me sprats and winkles.

A wander around Whitchurch, Hampshire (the former Didcot, Newbury and Southampton railway)

So first things first, this is not one of my usual urban, or even rural, wanders. These pictures were in fact taken midway through a bike ride where I happened to be cycling through Whitchurch. I've been through plenty of times before but never really stopped to admire the former Didcot, Newbury and Southampton (DNS) railway line bridges, and I'd certainly never found the former Whitchurch Town station before. This first picture is of the bridge towards the northern part of the town.

Bridge carrying the former Newbury to Winchester railway, Whitchurch, Hampshire

I must have cycled past this pedestrian walkway which runs beneath the track several times but had never noticed it before.

Pedestrian walkway under the former railway line, near Whitchurch Town station 

Pedestrian walkway under the former railway line, near Whitchurch Town station 

And once I'd got to the other side, there was the former Whitchurch Town station in all its glory. I'm pretty sure this is now a private residence, but it was nice to see that it was steeped in railway nostalgia.

The former Whitchurch Town railway station, on the Newbury to Winchester line 

The former Whitchurch Town railway station, on the Newbury to Winchester line  

 The former Whitchurch Town railway station, on the Newbury to Winchester line 

If you look closely, in the very distance of this next photo you can just make out the bridge carrying the A34, which for much of its route actually uses the former railway line, but fortunately not here where the bridge towards the southern end of the town is still in place.

Bridge carrying the former Newbury to Winchester railway, Whitchurch, Hampshire

As i continued my ride south from Whitchurch, I came across a few more glimpses of the old railway line, but these were far too overgrown to take any decent pictures. Maybe I'll return in the winter or spring when there is less foliage.

    

An Urban Wander from Chiswick to Kew

I've just returned from three wonderful weeks in and around North and South Carolina. I have some pictures to share from that trip but still have a small, pre-holiday backlog to work through first. A couple of days before I left for my summer holiday, I made a small trip to Kew Gardens. Not the the gardens themselves but to the general area. I had originally intended to simply travel there by tube, but there was a signalling problem at Richmond meaning that the trains were not running on that part of the line. I was forced therefore to alight early, at Chiswick Park, and make the remainder of the journey by foot. I've been to Chiswick High Street plenty of times but have never ventured south to the river, so this piece of luck gave me an opportunity to do just that.

The first few pictures were taken walking along the northern bank of the River Thames towards Kew Bridge. The bridge appearing in the photos is the District Line crossing the river towards Kew Gardens and Richmond, and the island in the background is Oliver's Island.

District Line and London Overground rail bridge across the River Thames, London

District Line and London Overground rail bridge across the River Thames, London

District Line and London Overground rail bridge across the River Thames, London

 District Line and London Overground rail bridge across the River Thames, London

River Thames near Chiswick, London

This half-height door is placed in the house wall, well above where I assume the high tide would come

 

Door situated well above the Thames path, near Chiswick, London

I wasn't expecting to see any ghost signs in Kew so was pleasantly surprised when I spotted this old metal sign for the Caxton Name Plate Manufacturing Company, just at the southerly end of Kew Bridge.

Ghost sign for the former Caxton Name Plate Manufacturing Company, Kew Bridge, London

I love old cars but don't actually know very much about them, unless it's glaringly obvious, so unfortunately I have no idea what this first car is.

Old car, Kew Gardens, London

Ok, so this one is a bit easier. I didn't actually see the second Volkswagen camper van driving past until I started uploading the photos to the blog.

Volkswagen Camper Van, Kew Gardens, London

This is a Bentley judging from the winged B badge on the bonnet, but more than that I cannot tell you. Lovely looking car though.

Bentley, Kew Gardens, London

This is a curious building. It seems to have been built as an iron church or tin tabernacle back in the late 19th century. It seems to have been used as a working men's club at some stage but would now appear to be for sale.

Former iron church, Kew Gardens, London

As an enjoyable urban wander came to an end, the sun set on a perfect day. Kew is a wonderful place, only perhaps over shadowed by the near constant noise from the planes as the come into land at Heathrow.

Sunset over Kew Gardens, London