6am Barrington Road Blue Tugged Biomass 20240628--015
60026 Helvellyn is at the head of 6N84 04.50 Tyne Coal Terminal - Lynemouth Power Station loaded biomass, pictured approaching Bedlington on the line from Morpeth. 66712 Peterborough Power Signalbox is on the rear, and will lead the train after its reversal south of Bedlington. [Pole, 3/6 sections (~4m)]
This was my main reason for spending a few days in the north-east. Lynemouth biomass trains were being diverted via Morpeth while work to prepare their normal route south of Bedlington for the reintroduction of passenger services was being completed. The line between Bedlington and Morpeth normally sees very little traffic, essentially only the alumina trains between North Blyth and Fort William, which run two or three times each week, and at times which make them very difficult to photograph on the line. I'd seen a heavily backlit shot of the empties along this stretch, taken a few years ago late one summer evening, and realised that the light angle would be perfect early in the morning... The diverted biomass trains looked like they would provide the perfect opportunity to do the shot, especially after driving along here when I visited in April. The line runs almost east-west at this point.
But the first biomass train was booked to arrive at Bedlington at around 6am - and back in April, that was just before sunrise. The empties going back (with a loco on the rear, of course) and the next loaded train (if it ran) would be over four hours later, by which time the sun would be almost exactly in line with the track. My only hope was that there would be some good weather during May half term week (when it would be light enough at 6am), and that this train ran.
But the weather during half term was poor, and I stayed at home. However, a few weeks later (closer to the summer solstice - so a slightly earlier sunrise) there was a sunny week forecast, so I took a week off work. Unfortunately, I wasn't free to drive up until Monday and, typically, the forecast changed so that Monday was wall-to-wall sun but Tuesday and Wednesday mornings were to be thick cloud (Wednesday was also misty), and Thursday and Friday were "sun and cloud". Early Saturday morning was initially looking very good (that subsequently changed to full cloud), but there were no trains running - I assume there was an engineering possession. In the end I drove up on Wednesday (having spent much of Monday ill in bed!) - although that meant I was around at home when GBRf's Colas-liveried 60096 was hired to DCR and worked to and from Brandon (getting three shots of it on Tuesday's empties).
Then the news came through of a serious warehouse fire at the Port of Tyne, which had started on Wednesday afternoon, and it looked like there would be no trains to Lynemouth on Thursday - and there weren't (although the train which had spent the night there did eventually make it back to Tyne Dock - see this photo). But it was looking good for Friday's trains - one set of wagons only, so just two return trips rather than the four for which schedules existed - with 6N84 having been "called" (activated) and with locos showing before I went to bed the previous evening. The alarm was set for 4.15am.
Bedlington is about half an hour's drive from my mother's house (as long as there are no traffic queues at the Tyne Tunnel), so I was here in plenty of time, although the train had set off before I did. But as I drove along Barrington Road, I began to wonder if it had all been in vain: I'd not accounted for the low sun still being behind some tall trees on the north side of the road - and where I'd planned to shoot the train, a stretch completely clear of lineside vegetation and with the railway only a few feet higher than the road, was still in shadow. There was also a lot of cloud around, and it was difficult to see whether the sun would rise enough in the short time to at least light the train, but it looked very unlikely. Luckily I found a spot further along that was shadow-free, but the difference in levels between the road and railway was greater and, more significantly, a few low bushes partly blocked the view of the train; the shot wouldn't be anything like as good.
So I set up here to make the best of the situation. The original plan to use a slight telephoto lens went out of the window because the gap between the bushes was so short, and I needed to stand closer to make the most of the gap. There was also the added complication that the lower road meant I needed to use the pole, but it was a very windy morning... I just about managed to hold it steady at this height, but I've had to combine two frames in order to restore the top of the lamppost to the shot where the loco was in the best position. The sun had been out when I arrived, but had soon dropped back behind some thin cloud, although there was another gap on the way - but probably not soon enough, so I was resigned to getting a dull shot. However, miraculously, as the train came into view - six minutes early (so just before 6am), there was a brighter burst, with some weak shadows; I clung onto the pole to try my best to keep it steady, pressed the shutter, and hoped for the best!
I was amazed how well it has come out, especially given the aperture is larger than I usually like to use. When the images were viewed on the back of the camera, the train leapt out (probably helped by the dark sky), and I drove off happy. In processing, I've increased the brightness slightly and used the haze reduction function a little, albeit less than I sometimes do on sunny pictures.
Bedlington railway station was built slightly to the east of Bedlington, and, as has happened in many places, a new settlement grew up around the station - so this area is officially known as Bedlington Station, although both Bedlington and Bedlington Station have expanded to become a single built-up area. Barrington Industrial Estate (as on the road sign) was built on the site of Barrington Colliery, established in 1821 on land leased from Lord Barrington, and closed in 1948. All the "Barrington" references in the area are about the one-time local landowner - but it made me smile as I'd started this week photographing the spoil empties from the landfill site that was once Barrington Cement Works close to the Cambridgeshire village of Barrington!
I ended my day of photography, over fourteen and a half hours later, stood further down this road and looking the other way...
Visit Brian Carter's Non-Transport Pics to see my photos of landscapes, buildings, bridges, sunsets, rainbows and more.
6am Barrington Road Blue Tugged Biomass 20240628--015
60026 Helvellyn is at the head of 6N84 04.50 Tyne Coal Terminal - Lynemouth Power Station loaded biomass, pictured approaching Bedlington on the line from Morpeth. 66712 Peterborough Power Signalbox is on the rear, and will lead the train after its reversal south of Bedlington. [Pole, 3/6 sections (~4m)]
This was my main reason for spending a few days in the north-east. Lynemouth biomass trains were being diverted via Morpeth while work to prepare their normal route south of Bedlington for the reintroduction of passenger services was being completed. The line between Bedlington and Morpeth normally sees very little traffic, essentially only the alumina trains between North Blyth and Fort William, which run two or three times each week, and at times which make them very difficult to photograph on the line. I'd seen a heavily backlit shot of the empties along this stretch, taken a few years ago late one summer evening, and realised that the light angle would be perfect early in the morning... The diverted biomass trains looked like they would provide the perfect opportunity to do the shot, especially after driving along here when I visited in April. The line runs almost east-west at this point.
But the first biomass train was booked to arrive at Bedlington at around 6am - and back in April, that was just before sunrise. The empties going back (with a loco on the rear, of course) and the next loaded train (if it ran) would be over four hours later, by which time the sun would be almost exactly in line with the track. My only hope was that there would be some good weather during May half term week (when it would be light enough at 6am), and that this train ran.
But the weather during half term was poor, and I stayed at home. However, a few weeks later (closer to the summer solstice - so a slightly earlier sunrise) there was a sunny week forecast, so I took a week off work. Unfortunately, I wasn't free to drive up until Monday and, typically, the forecast changed so that Monday was wall-to-wall sun but Tuesday and Wednesday mornings were to be thick cloud (Wednesday was also misty), and Thursday and Friday were "sun and cloud". Early Saturday morning was initially looking very good (that subsequently changed to full cloud), but there were no trains running - I assume there was an engineering possession. In the end I drove up on Wednesday (having spent much of Monday ill in bed!) - although that meant I was around at home when GBRf's Colas-liveried 60096 was hired to DCR and worked to and from Brandon (getting three shots of it on Tuesday's empties).
Then the news came through of a serious warehouse fire at the Port of Tyne, which had started on Wednesday afternoon, and it looked like there would be no trains to Lynemouth on Thursday - and there weren't (although the train which had spent the night there did eventually make it back to Tyne Dock - see this photo). But it was looking good for Friday's trains - one set of wagons only, so just two return trips rather than the four for which schedules existed - with 6N84 having been "called" (activated) and with locos showing before I went to bed the previous evening. The alarm was set for 4.15am.
Bedlington is about half an hour's drive from my mother's house (as long as there are no traffic queues at the Tyne Tunnel), so I was here in plenty of time, although the train had set off before I did. But as I drove along Barrington Road, I began to wonder if it had all been in vain: I'd not accounted for the low sun still being behind some tall trees on the north side of the road - and where I'd planned to shoot the train, a stretch completely clear of lineside vegetation and with the railway only a few feet higher than the road, was still in shadow. There was also a lot of cloud around, and it was difficult to see whether the sun would rise enough in the short time to at least light the train, but it looked very unlikely. Luckily I found a spot further along that was shadow-free, but the difference in levels between the road and railway was greater and, more significantly, a few low bushes partly blocked the view of the train; the shot wouldn't be anything like as good.
So I set up here to make the best of the situation. The original plan to use a slight telephoto lens went out of the window because the gap between the bushes was so short, and I needed to stand closer to make the most of the gap. There was also the added complication that the lower road meant I needed to use the pole, but it was a very windy morning... I just about managed to hold it steady at this height, but I've had to combine two frames in order to restore the top of the lamppost to the shot where the loco was in the best position. The sun had been out when I arrived, but had soon dropped back behind some thin cloud, although there was another gap on the way - but probably not soon enough, so I was resigned to getting a dull shot. However, miraculously, as the train came into view - six minutes early (so just before 6am), there was a brighter burst, with some weak shadows; I clung onto the pole to try my best to keep it steady, pressed the shutter, and hoped for the best!
I was amazed how well it has come out, especially given the aperture is larger than I usually like to use. When the images were viewed on the back of the camera, the train leapt out (probably helped by the dark sky), and I drove off happy. In processing, I've increased the brightness slightly and used the haze reduction function a little, albeit less than I sometimes do on sunny pictures.
Bedlington railway station was built slightly to the east of Bedlington, and, as has happened in many places, a new settlement grew up around the station - so this area is officially known as Bedlington Station, although both Bedlington and Bedlington Station have expanded to become a single built-up area. Barrington Industrial Estate (as on the road sign) was built on the site of Barrington Colliery, established in 1821 on land leased from Lord Barrington, and closed in 1948. All the "Barrington" references in the area are about the one-time local landowner - but it made me smile as I'd started this week photographing the spoil empties from the landfill site that was once Barrington Cement Works close to the Cambridgeshire village of Barrington!
I ended my day of photography, over fourteen and a half hours later, stood further down this road and looking the other way...
Visit Brian Carter's Non-Transport Pics to see my photos of landscapes, buildings, bridges, sunsets, rainbows and more.