Chemin de fer.

I had to pop home over the weekend. Helen was gutted to be left moored close to the shops in Liverpool 1, and the massive Marks & Sparks, but she suffered in silence. She managed to book herself on a walking tour of Liverpool and I am hoping to benefit from what she learned when I get back.

Helen 'set' me from the boat to Lime Street Station. The place was really starting to fill up with folk on the way to Aintree for the National, many were dressed up, in appropriately in my opinion, but I'm old now. Many seemed to be well on the way to missing the race as they wouldn't be able to stand by 5 o'clock! The original station for Liverpool was Edge Hill outside the centre. Lime Street was opened in 1836 and until 1870 the engines were removed at Edge Hill and the carriages descended to Lime Street via gravity, controlled by a brakeman. To return up the hill a stationary steam engine pulled them up via a rope. Lime Street is the oldest Grand Terminus mainline station still in use, in the World!! The beautiful curved roof was added in 1849. The station was closed last year for a few weeks to build two new platforms and lengthen and widen others. It is going to be closed again in June this year too.

The route of the trip took me to Warrington but I could see the Runcorn bridges in the distance. As we came into Manchester we passed Castlefield Basin and spied the canal at stages through the buildings. If anybody is interested there are moorings available! From Manchester we followed the Huddersfield Canal to Stalybridge and through the Standedge Tunnel to Huddersfield so got my fix there. As we approached Leeds we passed the start of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal too.

There were two stations serving Leeds after the rails came to the City in 1834. These proved to be not best suited and a new one was built in 1869 called, with typical Yorkshire humour, was called New Station! It is partly built over the River Aire. It has undergone several major changes over the years. In 1938 a neighbouring parcel depot was incorporated in to the Leeds City Station. Another major update occured in 1967, but by 2002 that was thought to be inadequate and again was remodeled. The 1967 metal panelled roof was replaced with the current glass one to bring more light in. The new HS2 terminal will be added to the railway but at 90deg to the current lines and partly over the River Aire, if and when it gets built.

You know you are close to Hull when you travel along the edge of the Humber and the Humber Bridge comes into view. If you get the timing right, about 90 to 60 mins to HW Hull, or the same after HW you may be lucky enough to ships travelling up and down to the Trent or Goole via the Ouse. The Humber Bridge may no longer be the longest suspension bridge in the world but it is still a stunningly beautiful and graceful one.

I also ook out for these brick pictures in the gable ends. This one of rugby players going for the tackle.

And this one of a trawler. They have been there a good few years now and make a great addition and do show a bit of the skill of the brickies.

Just before the station is the first of several wall murals that have been painted. This one is of Lilian Bilocca who was the leader of the so called 'headscarf revolution when she led the women of the fishing community to agitate for better safety conditions on the ships following the Triple Trawler Tragedy in the winter of 1968 when three Hull trawlers were lost in a couple of weeks and 58 men lost their lives.

Bernard Sharp

Hull Paragon Station was originally opened in 1849 as the station for the city. The original Manor House Street station was down by the river. This was closed to passengers and used as a freight only terminal. The five arched roofs over the platforms were added in 1904. Queen Victoria stayed at the Station Hotel, becoming the Royal Station Hotel, in 1853. In the 1960's a modern office block was plonked right in front of the station. This has recently been removed and a bus interchange tacked on to the side of the station. The station is so unaltered that it has been used as a period setting for films in the past.

I am heading back to the boat on Monday for a couple of days, but this time changing at Manchester Piccadily.