Mount Popa to Bagan

Saturday, 29th October 2011

The view from the restaurant terrace was still hazy as I took an early breakfast before leaving Mount Popa Resort at 7.0 o'clock. We headed back towards Bagan, having arranged to meet Dr. Hla Tun at the junction with the road to Htee Pu village at 7.30 a.m. The Doctor was waiting for us in a pick-up truck loaded with gifts. In convoy, we set off down the rutted, sandy track which is the only way to reach the village, passing a series of smallholdings and homes constructed from bamboo, neatly laid out with woven fences surrounding yards and a few buffalo patiently waiting.

Although schools are closed on a Saturday, most of the pupils were there, both boys and girls clad in white tops and green longyi. A group of boys were scooping sand from part of the schoolyard to improve the rutted path to the newest 'Road to Mandalay' building. Bunting was being hung on the verandah of another building, with matting laid on the concrete floor and a battered sound system connected up, to provide a stage for the concert.

We examined the building opened a year ago which now has a permanent brick floor - a year ago, it was still an earth floor. A 2-cubicle toilet block and septic tank, also provided by donors, is nearing completion. There is a large assembly hall now under construction. Part of this building has been provided with a temporary roof and is already in use. Also new is an open-sided workshop where carpenters contruct combined desk and seat units, mostly from reclaimed timber. A number of these units are intended for other schools.

Distributing stationery at Htee Pu.

All the children lined up obediently and the distribution of stationery was made - two exercise books and two pencils for each pupil. Then, with rather loud music from a DVD player, different age groups entertained us with various dance routines - some traditional, some modernised. A further presentation gave a green longyi to each of the teachers, after which a donation of cash was made to the headmaster, to support payments to teachers. Finally, under a new initiative, a number of plastic refuse (trash) bins were presented in a drive to promote tidiness and recycling.

My first visit to Htee Pu was in 2009 and my pictures are here.
I returned in 2010 for the Official Opening of a new building - there are pictures here and also here.
My pictures on this latest visit are here.

The pick-up and my car bumped their way back up the track to the main road and continued towards Bagan before taking another rutted track which, after a couple of miles led to Pon village and its school. I'd not been to Pon before but the arrangement is similar to other locations with classrooms for grades 1 to 5 provided by the government and classroom for higher grades donated by Road to Mandalay and its passengers. Once again, stationery was distributed to the well-behaved children and plastic refuse bins to the headmaster.

Distributing stationery at Pon.

The concert which followed was a fairly impromptu, rather unrehearsed affair with singing in place of a sound system but absolutely charming. We then went to the adjacent wooden monastery building to meet the elderly head monk, whom the Doctor treated whilst other members of our party sat for simple food and drink. A number of the younger children were on the ground floor of the monastery which acts as a creche or safe haven for children during holidays or other times.

Pictures taken on this visit to Pon are here.

We retraced our route back to the main road and carried on towards Bagan. But we were not yet finished - we took another side road which seemed even bumpier and even longer than at Pon to reach our last call at Kyauk Kan (also written Chauk Kan) school.

Road to Mandalay have also provided a new building here but an older open-sided structure with palm leaf roof is still in use. We looked around the various buildings before going to the assembly hall where the children had been quietly waiting. We were entertained by a well-rehearsed concert of a number of dances with music supplied by a battery-powered sound system. The headmaster then invited us to the Staff Room, where refreshments had been provided. As elsewhere, we distributed stationery to the pupils and refuse bins to the headmaster.

The Headmaster receives 'Road to Mandalay' trash bins as part of a new initiative.

There are currently 256 students at Htee Pu, 172 at Pon and 285 at Chauk Kan. Incidentally, pictures of all the schools supported by 'Road to Mandalay' which I've posted so far can be found in the collection 'Educational Support in Myanmar here, but there are a number of other schools supported.

Following our third school visit, we drove directly to the ship at its usual midstream mooring in Bagan. Although I'd seen photographs of the new Clinic building at Bagan (they are here) I got my first glimpse with my own eyes just before the bus pulled up at its destination. It looked splendid. Motor boats were on hand to transport us to the ship, where I received the usual warm welcome. All the other guests were already aboard and completing their lunch, so I quickly took a light lunch myself and deferred checking out my cabin until later. By the time I'd eaten, the buses were being loaded for the tour of Bagan and I joined the guide San on his bus.

The famous Ananda Temple.

We visited the Ananda Temple, the Gubyaukgyi Temple, the 'Everstand' lacquerware factory and the 'Sunset Pagoda' - all places I'd been to before (and photographed) but I was happy to see them again. My pictures on this trip are here.

We were back on the ship around 6.0 p.m. and, at last, I went to my cabin. I'd been given one towards the stern and I was bit worried about the noise. The exertions of the day were beginning to tell so, by the time I'd had a leisurely dinner, I was ready to crash out.

Around Mount Popa

After the exertions of Thursday, I'd planned to stay in the resort on Friday. But Kyaw was keen to help so, when I said I intended to do some walking on the trails around the mountain, he offered himself as guide. We arranged to meet in the lobby at 9.0 a.m. Friday.

Mount Popa is a large extinct volcano, heavily forested, rising to 4981 feet. The Mount Popa Resort is about halfway up, at 2618 feet. The nearby rock column with temples is called Taung Kalat and it rises to 2417 feet. When you view Taung Kalat from the Resort, you are actually slightly looking down on it.

I set the alarm for 6.0 a.m. but woke a little before it went off. I took my time getting ready and went for breakfast on the restaurant terrace at 7.0 a.m. I transferred the text I'd prepared on my Notebook Computer to a memory stick and went to the lobby at 8.15 a.m. to hire their computer. It was a little slow, but it worked, so I was able to send the blog post about Thursday's activities. Just as I was finishing, Kyaw arrived with the driver by car.

The driver had decided he'd also come, so the three of us set off on foot along the trail to the Water Spring. It's supposed to be a one hour trek but with all our stops en route and coming back a different way, we were gone for three and a half hours. We started on a typical forest road - crushed rock overgrown except for two tracks where vehicle tyres ran. The rocks were quite large so I found the going a little tedious. Some areas of trees have been cleared for tea plantations and our route took us past people working in the tea plantations and past the headquarters buildings, with a marvellous view point for Taung Kalat.

Tea Plantation workers. Curiously, their supervisor is using a digital camera.

Road tankers take water from the headquarters to various outstations for irrigation. We passed one tanker returning - a World War II British military vehicle still going strong! Once we left the plantation behind, the track was more overgrown, although still designed for vehicles. Eventually we reached a small pumping station - a wooden building with woven bamboo sides. The worker let me have a look round. About a third of the hut area appeared to be his living space: the rest was taken up by an electric motor driving a small pump through belts and pulleys. There was also a Chinese diesel engine, presumably as backup should the electricity fail.

We carried on to what Kyaw assured me was the source of the spring water. There were two domestic-looking buildings and a third labelled 'Rest House'. An elderly gentleman appeared and solemnly opened the rest house for us, before disappearing to fetch green tea. The Rest House had been nicely constructed on piles in the sloping site, wood panelled, lots of windows and a verandah all the way round. It had got a bit shabby over the years and termites were doing their best to demolish the building - some of the handrails on the verandah has disappeared. It was still a pleasant spot to catch our breath.

There were various concrete water tanks in the vicinity and lots of plastic water pipes running downhill in the direction we then took. This was the hardest part of the trek. Some way down the hill, the water pipes led in and out of a small complex of equipment rooms. Nearby was a shack occupied by a worker clad in a longyi, flip-flops and nothing else except a digital watch and a tattoo.

The worker poses outside his home.

The track now became easier to follow as we continued our descent. There were wheel tracks of a small motor bike but going up and down must be like motor cycle scrambling back home. We came to a concrete road which was much easier walking apart from it continually changing direction and going up and down following the contours. Where we had the chance to leave the road and take another track back to the resort, I was happy to take it.

Kyaw and the driver returned to their accommodation in the village and, feeling peckish, I had an omelette in the restaurant. Suitably revived, I booked another horse ride for three o'clock.

It was the same horse but a different horseman who again led the horse at an easy pace, only occasionally speeding up. We descended on the Resort road, finally making a left turn into the Environmental Education Centre operated by the Ministry of Forestry. There was a rather nice Exhibition Building, locked up until an aged caretaker appeared to open it up. The exhibits were a little sparse and sorry looking but still very interesting. I then toured the extensive gardens of 'Popa Medical Plants'. A second sign said 'Forest Department Medicinal Plantation'. The Medical Plant Library building was locked up and there was no sign of whoever tends the gardens.

Part of the extensive Medicinal Plantation.

I re-mounted my steed (with arthritis, easier said than done) and we made our way back to the Resort. Time for a short swim followed by a simple dinner once again on the verandah of the restaurant and then I'll try to post this report. I'll be sorry to leave the Resort on Saturday, but other attractions beckon.

Exploring Burma

Wednesday 26th October 2011

The aircraft to Yangon was a Thai A330 with 2+2+2 seating in business class. We boarded on time and then sat at the gate for almost an hour with engines stopped. I didn't find out why - probably Air Traffic Control delays. Eventually we taxied to the queue of departing aircraft and took off about the time we should have arrived in Yangon. They served a reasonable meal on the 1 hour flight. We landed and taxied to the International Terminal where the airbridge was promptly attached. After a few minutes walk, I had an early position in the immigration queue for 'Foreigners' and, after the usual amount of checking of passport and visa, I was admitted by the smiling young immigration officer. There was the usual huddle of passengers around the carousel in the baggage hall but I only had to wait a minute or two before my bag appeared. In the arrival hall, I easily found my guide as his board displayed the tour company (Sun Bird), the booking agents (Wexas) and my own name. Outside the terminal, we were picked up by the car for the transfer to my hotel. It was already pitch dark and most roads are not well-lit so there wasn't much to see on the 30 minute journey.

There was the usual warm welcome at the Strand Hotel. My air ticket for the next day's flight to Bagan was waiting so my guide checked the details and arranged to pick me up at 4.45 a.m. the following day. I'm on Asian Wings Airways AWM-891 due to leave Yangon for Nyaung U (Bagan), Mandalay and Heho. I arranged a wake-up call for 4.00 a.m. and a simple breakfast in my room for 4.15 a.m. before retiring to the comfort of room 103.

My computer attached to the hotel's Wi-Fi without difficulty but I was surprised to receive the following screen:-

"Dear Valued Customers,

On 17 October 2011, Due to the failure of SEA-ME-WE 3 submarine fiber optic cable, the Internet connection was unstable. It is being fixed by concerned personnel and during this period, the Internet connection may be significantly slow and possibly offline sometimes. We will keep you informed accordingly and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.
With regards,

Yatanarpon Teleport"

The hotel staff confirmed that the internet was very slow and suggested I might do better on the machine in their business centre. Having tried that with very limited success, I eventually gave up on the internet and went to bed.

There are pictures of the Strand Hotel here.

Thursday 27th October 2011

I was picked up at 4.45 a.m. as arranged and we arrived at the domestic terminal about 5.15 a.m. to catch Asian Wings Airways flight AWM-891. This is a new airline which started up in January this year, operating a couple of ATR-600 turbo-props. Check-in was painless and after waiting in the departure hall, I was surprised when the flight was called at about twenty to six. We sat in the bus for a while and then drove 100 yards across the tarmac to the waiting aircraft.

Boarding the Asian Wings flight at Yangon Domestic Terminal.

We were airborne just on 6.0 a.m. The cabin crew of a steward and stewardess served a simple meal and we landed at Nyaung U (the airport for Bagan area) around 7.15 a.m.

I easily found my guide Kyaw (pronounced 'chore') and, having located my luggage and the car with driver, we were soon on the way. I explained that I'd seen the major temples of Bagan but I was keen to see some of the smaller, quieter locations. We spent a wonderful couple of hours on dirt roads looking at minor temples and ruins. Amazingly, the souvenir sellers have some sort of radar which directs them to a tourist, even when on the 'road less travelled'. One girl with good English insisted she'd seen me the year before and I decided she was right.

The restored features of a once-large monastery.

My pictures of this exploration are here.

After these exertions in the hot sun, we took the hot, sweet tea that the Burmese love at a typical tea shop. The tea is made with condensed milk, as they also take it in India. Green tea is also available. I had one green tea and two cups of sweet tea whilst Kyaw contacted the Doctor on 'Road to Mandalay' by mobile phone to make arrangements for our meeting on Saturday morning. Then we set off for Mount Popa, pausing at Bagan railway station for me to check it out. The service is sparse so, as expected, we didn't see a train but I was able to take photographs of the infrastructure before we continued on the rather rough road to Mount Popa.

There had been heavy rain recently and, at a number of places, short-lived watercourses had flooded across the road. Although the watercourses had thoroughly dried-out again, the sand brought down by the water had been thickly deposited across the road. In addition, the water had damaged the tarmac road surface. We passed various road-mending gangs on our way to Mount Popa. Large heaps of crushed stone had been dumped at the roadside, together with drums of bitumen. A large, yellow road roller was usually in attendance for the final stage. But all the earlier stages of the work preparing the road bed and laying the roadstone was carried out manually, with large gangs of mainly women. I spotted one firepit where the bitumen was being heated ready for laying. A pit had been dug in the verge, a few feet long and a couple of feet wide. This had been filled with brushwood and set alight. Three drums of bitumen had been placed side-by-side across the pit and flames surrounded the drums.

Taung Kalat viewed from Mount Popa.

The flat plain gave way to hills and the road we were on twisted and turned as it climbed through the wooded landscape to arrive at the village at the foot of the astonishing column of rock topped with temples called Taung Kalat. The rock column sprouts from one side of the substantial extinct volcano of Mount Popa. The village was even more chaotic than the last time I'd visited because a section of the village street was closed for re-surfacing. Kyaw and I set off up the 777 steps (I didn't count them) to the temples at the summit. It was hot but conditions were better than on my last ascent when heavy rain had made the steps very slippery. We spent some time checking the views from the top before coming down. There were very few visitors and the souvenir sellers seemed preoccupied with taking lunch. We passed a group of around six Germans making there way up - they'd travelled from Yangon on the aircraft I'd been on.

My pictures of Taung Kalat on this trip are here.

We located our car and driver and our car made its winding way up the mountain to Mount Popa Resort. I was expected and was quickly conducted to just the villa I'd imagined - semi-detached, wood and stone construction with a wooden shingled roof. The building was built on piles on the wooded hillside, with a spacious verandah looking across to the fairy-tale looking temples of Taung Kalat we'd just visited. The one wall of the bedroom was completely glazed so the view from inside was almost as good. I was absolutely charmed by the spot.

The splendid accommodation at Mount Popa Resort.

Feeling a little peckish, I ordered 'Fish and Chip' and a coke from room service which I enjoyed on the verandah. Afterwards, I looked at the infinity swimming pool (which also has views of the temple rock) but decided to try the horse riding first. As I expected, this was a little sedate but still marvellous fun. The horse was led through a forest road to the Deer Park, where I dismounted and was invited to look out for deer. We did spot a couple of deer but they remained a little distance away, suspiciously watching us and ignoring the enticing calls of the gamekeeper.

Jan, on the way back from the Deer Park.

On my return, I had a quick dip in the pool then relaxed a little before going to the dining room for a simple evening meal. I took my meal outside on the restaurant verandah which, of course, had a splendid view of Taung Kalat, now twinkling with electric lights in the warm evening air.

My pictures around Mount Popa Resort are here.

Bangkok and Beyond

We boarded the Eva Air 777-300ER on time but the aircraft was about one hour late pushing back. I'm afraid no announcement was made but there was a lot of bumping and clanging going on under the floor so I rather think they were late loading cargo containers. I couldn't see anything from my (port) side so I assumed loading was from the right hand side. After taxiing a short way in the shadow of the new control tower, we were stopped by red taxiway lights. Within a few minutes, we continued following the line of green lights, making a right turn to head east on the main taxiway which is parallel to Runway 27 Right (the departure runway in use that evening). A procession of aircraft roared past on their take-off roll as we advanced up the queue for departure. After eight or nine aircraft had preceded us, we took off, making a left-hand climbing turn to gain our route across southern England.

View of Heathrow's Runway 27 Right as our aircraft lines up for a rolling takeoff.

I managed to work out how to drive the AVOD system (Audio Visual On Demand) and had a brief look at 'Cars 2', but I wasn't in the mood for CGI so I switched to 'Too Big to Fail' about the banking crisis which I found gripping. Odd that, because it's just a series of scenes with people talking - no action. Meanwhile, they served a reasonable supper before closing all the window shades and dimming the lights. The seats are partially electric recline but not fully-flat and I slept only fitfully, in between watching a bit of 'Boardwalk Empire' and an episode of 'Mad Men'.

Our flight time was twelve and a bit hours, mostly at 600 m.p.h. and 35,000 feet. Our route took us overhead Myanmar (I always fantasise about parachuting out at this stage to avoid the rest of the flight to Bangkok, transiting and flying back to Myanmar). On the approach to Bangkok signs of the recent serious flooding were apparent. We turned south, flying parallel to Bangkok Airport which lay to our left. We continued to the coast, made a 180 degree left hand turn over the sea and a straight-in approach to the runway. Heading east, of course, we'd 'lost' hours so it was 3.15 p.m. local time when we arrived at our stand and the two airbridges were attached.

As I've said before, the architecture at Suvarnabhumi Airport isn't too bad - at least it's light and airy but the distances to walk are huge. The arrival concourse is one floor up from the ground and the departure concourse is up one further level. I followed the signs for 'Transit' and soon came to the security lounge where passengers and their hand luggage are scanned. A whole-body scanner is now in use for passengers. At least the staff are pleasant and helpful and after a few minutes an escalator disgorged me on the departure level, a few yards from the Thai transfer desks where I got my boarding pass and an invitation to the Thai lounge nearest my departure gate - a walk of over half a mile! So the Thai lounge is where I type this update, prior to boarding flight TG 305 for the short flight to Yangon.

View of the Thai aircraft at Suvarnabhumi Airport shortly before boarding for Yangon.

There are more pictures of Suvarnabhumi Airport here.

I don't know what Internet access I'll have in Myanmar but, as possible, I'll keep you updated.

Back to Burma

Another journey starts! I'm returning to Burma (which we should now call the Union of Myanmar) for a short cruise on that magical river the Irrawaddy (as the English spelt it). In addition to the cruise, I'm finding out more about the various charitable initiatives organised through the cruise ship the 'Road to Mandalay' which is operated by Orient Express.

There are so many parts of the world I've not visited, I'm normally content to make one visit and then explore somewhere else. But Burma has had a special effect on me and this will be my fifth visit!

I'm writing this in the Admiral's Club Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3. This is the American Airlines lounge but it's shared by the Taiwanese carrier Eva Air with whom I'm flying to Bangkok this evening.

Alan picked me up at home a little before 5.0 p.m. and drove me to Heathrow, passing through a number of tremendous rainstorms en route. Terminal 3 was reasonably quiet so check-in and security was not as tedious as it can frequently be. The airline lounge is a wonderful oasis of calm to prepare for the rigours of the 13-hour flight to Bangkok.

En route from the airline lounge to the aircraft, I spent a few minutes in the departure lounge - a vivid reminder of just how many people would be sharing the flight tonight!

The departure lounge at Heathrow, just before boarding the aircraft.

This will be my fifth visit to Burma. There are lots of pictures from earlier trips:-

1st Visit in 2008 - Pictures are here. My first visit to Burma was part of a Round the World trip.

2nd Visit in 2008 - Pictures are here.

3rd Visit in 2009 - Pictures are here.

4th Visit in 2010 - These pictures can't currently be viewed, thanks to the demise of the fotopic photo hosting site. I'll re-post them as soon as I can.

One of the charitable initiatives in Burma run by 'Road to Mandalay' is Educational Support in poorer areas of the country. There are some pictures of a new building being opened at Htee Pu school (whilst I was in Burma during 2010) here.

Another initiative is a small Medical Centre in Bagan which started treating patients a couple of months ago. There are a few pictures of the building and its early clinics here. All being well, I'll see the clinic for myself on this trip.

I'll tell you more when I can but, for now, the 'Big Silver Bird' beckons.

Day Out with Thomas: October 2011

The Battlefield Line ran their final Thomas events of the year on the 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th October 2011.

A view from the footplate of 'Thomas' as 'Daisy' slowly negotiates the crossover to Platform 1. This picture was taken late in the day on the 16th October, when 'Henry' (on the right) had already retired to the shed.

On the 9th October I was 'Driving Miss Daisy', the diesel railcar. Every time the service train arrives back at Shackerstone, the DMU dashes onto the single line. Originally, this allowed the locomotive of the service train to run round ready for its next trip to Shenton. However, most service trains in October were being 'top and tailed' so Daisy's foray onto the single line was being curtailed at the second bridge out from Shackerstone. The driver then changes ends and brings the DMU back to Shackerstone, usually platform 1. This allows Daisy's passengers to transfer to the service train on platform 2 for a trip all the way to Shenton.

The local authority have recently closed the footbridge at Shackerstone to await repairs, so at present access from platform 1 to platform 2 is solely via the sleeper crossing at the north end of the platforms. When the railway is closed, this footbridge forms part of a public footpath so local authority signs on the footbridge approach detail the detour which walkers must take.

'Daisy' performed flawlessly and I was able to carry out the 'diagram' as required. Although the ride is short, the passengers inevitably enjoy the 'extra treat' of a ride on the diesel railcar.

On the 16th October I was in charge of Thomas. Things didn't quite go to plan as there was no fireman and no trainee for 'Thomas' so I was faced with lighting up and oiling round on my own. Although the boiler was warm from the previous day's service, I hadn't obtained working pressure by 9.30 a.m. when 'Thomas' was booked to enter the station with the Fat Controller on the footplate and break a tape stretched across the line. Mick and Chris were in somewhat better shape on 'Sir Gomer' so we coupled the engines together and 'Sir Gomer' propelled 'Thomas' into the platform. By this time, 'Thomas' had 'made' reasonable pressure, so 'Thomas' was able to move independently, with Chris or Dave on the footplate with me. During the morning, we carried out the usual activities around the station. The Engine Races are always popular!

'Thomas' taking water. Chris checks the 'Bag' and Dave works the water valve.

We made a visit to the water column at the south end of platform 2 to top-off the side tanks ready for the 'Lunch with Thomas' service. Counter-intuitively, you turn the water valve on the column clockwise to open it. Perhaps this is an oddity of the Island of Sodor Railways? 'Bo-Co' (with the usual pair of wheels missing as our loco is actually a 'Bo-Bo') arrived from Shenton on Platform 1 and we backed 'Thomas' onto the train, which rapidly filled with passengers.

'Thomas' at the head of the 'Lunch with Thomas' service ready to depart from Platform 1 at Shackerstone.

Although he was unfamiliar with the engine, Mick came on board as fireman for the run. With a heavily-loaded 5-coach train and 'Bo-Co' as a trailing load, 'Thomas' was worked quite hard but Mike maintained good boiler pressure throughout the run. Quite a few passengers got on or off during our stop at Market Bosworth then it was on to Shenton. Because we were top and tailing, we had no more work to do for a while as 'Bo-Co' hauled the train back to Shackerstone.

Once back at Shackerstone, we spent the afternoon doing Engine Races, playlets (this time it was Jan who had water thrown at her), singing the 'Thomas' song and even giving Brake Van rides. 'Thomas' picked up the 'Tidmouth Dairies' milk tank wagon and a brake van and gave rides from the north end of Platform 2 to just past the signal box.

The last train of the day was 'Tea with Thomas' so we watered and stood clear whilst the main train arrived in Platform 2. 'Bo-Co' uncoupled from the train for we were to take it 'on our own'. Mick was to fire again but Danny (who'd been on 'Henry' all day) came as well, to give some pointers to Mick. We had a good run, stopping at Market Bosworth then continuing to Shenton. We ran round fairly smartly and returned to Shackerstone with a brief pause at Market Bosworth as the sky darkened.

Once uncoupled from the train, we shunted to Platform 1 opposite a spare locomotive spring which was lifted onto the footplate. Rather than go on shed, the locomotive was to be loaded onto a waiting low-loader for the road journey back to Llangollen.

By 6.30 p.m., it was already dark and a low-loader was in position, being prepared for hauling 'Thomas' aboard. The following day, 'Thomas' was returning to Llangollen by road.

Having cleaned the fire and filled the boiler, Adrian took over the engine and moved it to the north end. The transport contractor then positioned the low-loader trailer stradding the track so that 'Thomas' could be winched onto the trailer.

After a fairly heavy 12-hour shift, I was happy to 'Book Off' at this point and leave them to it.

My pictures taken on the 16th October are here.

NADFAS visit to Brewood Hall

Jan Ford talks about the history of Brewood Hall.

On the 13th October 2011, around 40 members of the local branch of the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) visited Brewood Hall. The members gathered in the Lounge Hall at 11.30 a.m. and Jan talked about the history of the Hall and the conservation work which has been carried out. Members had been asked to bring at packed lunch so at 12.30 p.m. individual groups of members settled down for a snack, distributing themselves in the dining room, lounge hall and (since the weather was mild) the kitchen yard and the front steps.

A group of NADFAS members taking lunch.

For the tour of the principal rooms on the ground and first floors, the visitors were divided into two groups. Whilst Jan conducted the first group on a 30-minute tour around the building, the second group were invited to explore the 1 acre of gardens and see the inside of the restored Small Barn. Jan then took the second group around the Hall allowing the first group to visit the garden and Small Barn.

Jan taking the visitors around the building, accompanied by Marion's dog Harry.

NADFAS are a substantial organisation in both education and conservation in connection with our heritage in decorative and fine arts. They are active at around 340 locations in the U.K. and Europe. For more information, go to their website.

Jan and visitors chatting in the Victorian Sitting Room.

All the visitors appeared to enjoy the opportunity to see a little more of Brewood Hall. Once again, thanks are due to Marion Reeves for her help with this visit. There are more photographs of this visit here.

Tai 1996 - 2011

On the 8th October 2011 I lost my dog Tai to the inoperable tumour that had been growing for the last four years.

There's an earlier piece on Tai here and pictures in the set Tai and Friends. He was a very gregarious dog so he also pops up in the set Friends and Family at Brewood (and a few other places). He was a loyal and loving companion and, even at the end as his mobility became compromised, his spirit was undiminished.

He was a very special dog and will be greatly missed by me and all his many friends.

The Stour Valley Line

In the early 1960s, I was a regular visitor to a number of signal boxes in the West Midlands and there's a series of posts about my experiences. At the time, I lived in Wolverhampton but most of the signal boxes I visited were in the Tipton and Dudley Port area. I was working for a local company as an Electronics Engineer, so most of my visits were on a Saturday. Going through the Notebook I've recently found for Sedgeley Jn., I'm surprised at what a regular visitor I was. It seems that most Saturdays saw me leaving home early to visit one of my friends in a Signal Box.

My home was about 30 minutes walk from Wolverhampton High Level Station and I must have set off somewhere between 6.0 a.m. and 6.30 a.m. Occasionally, I'd get a trolleybus to town (yes, Wolverhampton had trolleybuses until 1967) but they were a bit thin on the ground at that time of day so I'd usually walk.

On arrival at the station, I'd get a return ticket to either Tipton or Dudley Port (according to where I was headed and what trains were running).

The Sedgeley Jn. Notebook includes brief details of some of these journeys, so I thought we'd take a look. Original notes are in italics with recent comments in square brackets.

Visit to Sedgeley Jn. Mon 24th December 1962

From Wolverhampton platform 2 with two ‘Type 4’ in multiple – D268 and D229. [Clearly, a London service].

Visit to Sedgeley Jn. Sat 12th January 1963

I travel on 1B03 departing Wolverhampton at about 7.15 a.m. The 6.55 a.m. Up Local is still stuck in the Down Bay, boxed in by a 2-car DMU. 1M16 arrives just before we leave.

Visit to Sedgeley Jn. Sat 26th January 1963

I travelled on an Up DMU which arrived Dudleyport at 8.59, departed 9.0 a.m. I later discovered that the Guard arrived back on foot at 9.08 to report the DMU failed in the section. With a Wrong Line Order, the Parcels Engine went onto the DMU at 9.23, dragged it back and cleared the main line at 9.36. It was arranged that the passengers off the stranded DMU would be taken forward by 1B08. There was one passenger for Oldbury so a Special Stop Order was issued to 1B08 so that the Oldbury passenger could be set down. The failed DMU was left at Dudleyport until an engine could be found to drag it back to the Depot. [The Wrong Line Order would be issued by the Dudley Port Signalman to the driver of the Parcels Engine, allowing him to return to Dudley Port, dragging the failed DMU. An impressive example of an operational problem swiftly dealt with].

Visit to Sedgeley Jn. Sat 9th February 1963

To Dudleyport from Wolverhampton behind 46228, "sounding like an engine!". [Presumably a London service and a welcome change from diesel haulage]. Noted that 61018 is ‘Gnu’ [?]

Evening Visit to Sedgeley Jn. February 1963

50460 is Dudley end of local. 6.30 p.m. Wolverhampton – Burton is a 2-6-0 tender first with a British Rail 1st/2nd Composite and an ER Brake/2nd Composite! [Rather cryptic, I'm afraid].

The London and North Western Railway

The London and North Western Railway called itself 'The Premier Line' for some years. The railway could not be accused of false modesty! It was run for many years by Captain Mark Huish (1808 - 1867). Later, with Sir Richard Moon (1814 - 1899) as Chairman and with the towering, if controversial, figure of Francis William Webb (1836 - 1906) as the Chief Mechanical Engineer ruling his empire at Crewe with a rod of iron, the railway was bound to have a high opinion of itself. But in many ways, that opinion was justified. The railway was a joint stock company, owned by its shareholders, so the first measure of success was did its shareholders receive a good dividend? Yes, they did - consistently.

The railway boasted some of the finest permanent way in the country, made possible by the steelworks using the Bessemer process set up at Crewe so that the railway could manufacture its own rails, in longer lengths than otherwise available, reducing the number of rail joints and improving ride quality.

Webb believed that manufacturing in-house led to highest quality and lowest cost to the railway so Webb is also responsible, amongst other things, for the distinctive L.& N.W.R. signals and signal boxes. There's a little on L.& N.W.R. signalling here and on the 'Crewe' All Electric signalling system here. Steam Index has a wonderful Webb collection here.

1054 at the Battlefield Line in 1997 (Photo: John Fairclough).

But, of course, Webb is best known as a locomotive designer. The only Webb locomotive I've had an opportunity to drive is the preserved 'Coal Tank' number 1054, when she visited the Battlefield Line in 1997.

Slideshow at Brewood

Clockwise from left front: Phil, Mick, Ian, Dave, John, Keith.

My friend Phil arranged for Keith to give a slideshow on 18th March 2011 to a small group of interested people. Keith talked about his involvement in the partial restoration of the main station building at Wolverhampton Low Level. Needless to say, there was also animated discussion during the evening of other historical railway subjects. Present were Phil, Mick, Ian, Dave, John, Keith and Jan.

Clockwise from left front: Dave, John, Keith, Phil, Mick, Ian.

World Travel

Jan at the summit of Hyana Picchu, Machu Picchu in 2005.

In applying for a Russian visa for my trip in 2011, I had to list the countries I'd visited in the last ten years. I was quite surprised at the list:-

2002 Thailand, Fiji, USA, China.

2003 Poland, Germany.

2004 Canada, China, Macau, Hong Kong.

2005 Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Ukraine, New Zealand, Brazil, USA, Peru, Egypt.

2006 Australia, India, Equador, Chile, Hong Kong, Mexico, Tahiti.

2007 Australia, Japan, Argentina

2008 Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Mexico, Panama, USA, Cuba, Dubai.

2009 Myanmar, Thailand, Jordan, Egypt, India, Bhutan.

2010 Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Norway.

2011 South Africa, St. Helena BOT, Ascension BOT.

At the top of the blog, you can click an entry in the list 'Labels to select a blog topic' to find the posts on a particular location. Some of these labels are still in code - for instance, 'RTW5' means my fifth trip round the world. Alternately, 'Search' in the header at the top of the blog will find posts including a particular word or phrase.

Following the collapse of the 'Fotopic' photo hosting site, most of my travel photographs have now been moved to various 'Collections' on my 'Flickr' site here.

I'm sorry that many of the picture links in the blog still point to the dead 'Fotopic' site but I'll update them as soon as I can.

I've been very fortunate to be able to see all these exotic places for myself.

'Thomas' visits MOSI

Thomas waits patiently as passengers board the train.

The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (MOSI) first ran 'A Day Out with Thomas' event in 2010. On that occasion, I was overseas so was unable to participate. However, when the event was repeated in 2011, I managed a day driving 'Thomas' on 1st September 2011, the first day of the four-day event.

The locomotive was the East Lancashire Railway's 'Gothenburg' in disguise. I'd driven this 'Thomas' at Shackerstone back in 2007 (see article) and, before that, I'd known the locomotive on the East Lancashire Railway in its handsome dark green livery over twenty years ago.

'Gothenburg' was numbered '32' by the Manchester Ship Canal. She was built by Hudswell Clarke (works number 680) in Leeds back in 1903 - I hope I'm as lively at the age of 108! It's one of a batch of 0-6-0 side tank locomotives with 15.5 x 20 inch inside cylinders and 3 foot 1 inch coupled wheels built for the Manchester Ship Canal which operated an extensive railway system. To facilitate operation on the tight curves of the dock railway, the centre pair of wheels are flangeless and the coupling rods have articulated joints.

Don Thorpe's book 'The Railways of the Manchester Ship Canal' (ISBN 0 86093 288 5) is an interesting history of Manchester's dock railway system.

My pictures of Thomas at MOSI are here.

Summer Saturday with a '2884'

Mike and 3803 ready to come 'off shed' at Shackerstone.

Former Great Western 2-8-0 locomotive number 3803 has been a popular performer at the Battlefield Line this summer. My first rostered turn was on Saturday 27th August 2011 when the locomotive was required to make five round trips to Shenton with a 5-coach service train. Mike was 'marked' as fireman, Danny (who'd recently passed out as a fireman) was also on hand and Danny's sister had the cleaner's 'spot'.

The locomotive had been left with a warming fire on Friday night so it was possible to clean the grate and resuscitate the fire with wood and coal. It's a big boiler so we were anxious to bring it into steam gently to avoid the rapid expansion which can increase maintenance costs through the increased stress on rivets, stays and smoke tibes. In the meantime, I got on with oiling round and the driver's daily examination of the locomotive. Outside cylinders mean that quite a few oiling points are accessible from outside but the link motion between the frames (see 'Layout of Valve Gear' below) requires you to lean in (or climb in) from the footframing to attend to some of the oiling points.

We were ready in good time, came 'Off Shed' and coupled up to the 5-coach train in Platform 2 on a nice, sunny morning. We set off, tender first, and I was at once impressed by the power and smoothness of the locomotive. Although running tender first, the low Great Western tender gives reasonable visibility to the rear, provided the coal isn't too heaped-up in the tender. I was obviously comparing this Swindon product with the Stanier '8F', about which I'd commented "The standard Stanier tender is not ideal running tender-first as far as visibility is concerned, so it's particularly important that the driver and fireman work together as a team." (see full article).

On my first trip with '3803', I drove fairly cautiously whilst I got the feel of the unfamiliar locomotive. As is my usual practice, as soon as we were moving, I linked well up on the 'pole' reverser to a position sutiable for drifting. The effort required to adjust the reverser was very moderate, as you'd expect with Piston Valves (which are 'Balanced' valves, unlike standard Slide Valves). With our featherweight train, acceleration was still good linked-up and, when we reached line speed, I could simply slam the regulator shut, re-open it on the 'Jockey Valve' (to make sure there was still a steam supply to the Sight Feed Lubricator - see below for further information) and coast. However, I was disappointed to find I was losing time. I'd been warned that I'd have to run fairly hard to keep to time now that trains are making a stop at Market Bosworth station. In addition, there are still a number of 'slacks' (speed restrictions) of 5 m.p.h. and 10 m.p.h. to be observed. We arrived at Shenton, ran round our train and set off back to Shackerstone, chimney leading.

On the approach to Shackerstone, the engine crew are always on the lookout for the Outer Home signal. The road bridge in front of this signal means that the sighting distance is reasonably short. If the arm is horizontal (nine o'clock clockface), the signal is 'On' and the train has to stop at the signal. If the arm is raised through 45 degrees (ten thirty clockface) the signal is 'Off' and the train can proceed to the Inner Home signal near the signal box. During the hot weather, it's been common for the signalman to struggle to give the correct 'Off' indication but on this day, I'd commented to Mike that we were getting a good 'Off' indication.

Shackerstone's Outer Home (lever 2) 'On'.

Back at Shackerstone, we ran round, and started our second trip of the day. Now the temperature dropped and it started to rain quite heavily. I'd taken the precaution of bringing a waxed jacket but the rain seemed to be coming horizontally across the low tender as we made our way to Shenton. As I squinted into the rain to 'watch the road', I remembered my own saying "Anybody can work on engines in good weather - it takes railwaymen to do it in bad weather". Many locomotives had 'Storm Sheets' which could be rigged between the cab and the tender to give some protection. I gather one had been ordered for '3803' but had not yet arrived. We used to keep storm sheets on the Great Western tender engines at Tyseley Railway Museum, but I was never too keen on using them myself because they do inevitably somewhat restrict your lookout running tender first.

One the second trip, I ran a little harder and just about managed 'even time'. Approaching Shackerstone's Outer Home on the return journey, the drop in temperature had tightened the signal wire and this time, the arm was almost pointing straight up. "If it gets any colder, the arm will be over the top" I joked, telling Mike about the time that happened to me on the 'Big Railway' (one of the 'Recollections' in the article on Tipton Curve Junction).

It was agreed that Mike would have a break for lunch and Danny would fire the third trip. Once again, we made the run to Shenton, ran round and returned chimney leading. The rain was still pretty bad. The Great Western did have large, sensible hinged spectacles at the front of the cab (visible in the heading photograph). Stanier lost no time in using a similar spectacle on his designs for the L.M.S. after he moved to Derby. I'd been running with the driver's spectacle open but an awful lot of stinging rain was being thrown into my face so I slammed the spectacle shut. Within seconds, there was so much rain streaming down the outside of the glass that I could see nothing ahead, so I reverted to running with the spectacle open.

I made the usual cautious approach to the Outer Home at Shackerstone and, to our surprise, the arm was at about one o'clock clockface. My prediction had come true, the arm had gone 'over the top'! This counted as a signal aspect "imperfectly displayed" which should be treated as a danger signal, so I brought the train to a stand. It was still raining quite hard but Danny made no complaint at the prospect of walking to the signal box to advise the signalman and obtain his instructions. Danny returned with permission to pass the signal and we made our way into the platform. I'm sorry I didn't get a photograph of the arm in the odd position.

Mike came back on the footplate and we completed our last two runs in rather better weather. Danny attended to the Outer Home so, when we returned to Shackerstone on the fourth trip, we received a proper 'off' indication. We enjoyed a pleasant fifth trip and disposed of the locomotive after an excellent day.

Background to the '2884' class

One of Churchward's original designs for the Great Western was a 2-8-0 for heavy goods work. The first locomotive '2800' was introduced in 1903 and the build totalled 84 locomotives. The '28XX' class was a great success and so when Collett, Churchward's successor as Chief Mechanical Engineer at Swindon, needed more heavy freight locomotives in the run-up to the second World War, he continued to build the Churchward design with very little change. The standard Collett cab, with glazed side windows, was the most obvious improvement. The numbering carried on from 2884 to 2899, then continued from 3800 to 3866. The Collett engines are often called the '2884' class.

The Great Western had published the first of its 'Engine Books' in 1911 and periodically this was updated. The 1946 edition (priced at two shillings and sixpence) included the page reproduced below describing the 2-8-0 tender engines (this is taken from the David and Charles composite edition of 1971, ISBN 0 7153 5367 5). Note that the official works photograph of 2840 shows the original Churchward cab but the lower line drawing depicts the Collett cab.

Click on the above image to enlarge.

Layout of Valve Gear

All the 2-cylinder Great Western designs feature Stephenson Link motion with four eccentrics mounted on the driving axle between the frames to provide the necessary valve events. With inside cylinder designs, the valves are usually between the frames and can be readily driven from the expansion links via the dieblocks and valve rods. However, where outside cylinders and valves are required, a means must be provided to translate the movement of the dieblocks from inside the frames to outside the frames. Swindon devised a typically rugged arrangement using rocking shafts which is illustrated below.

Click on the above diagram to enlarge.

In this arrangement, the dieblock is attached to an Intermediate Valve Rod, the lower end of which is supported by a swing link. The upper end of the intermediate Valve Rod is attached to the inner of two valve arms attached to the rocking shaft mounted on the framing. The upper end of the intermediate valve rod describes an arc when driving the rocking shaft, necessitating the swing link at the lower end to accommodate this non-linear movement. The outer valve arm drives the short valve rod which connects to the valve spindle. The set of pictures of 3803 (link below) has a number of pictures of the valve gear illustrating how the layout in the diagram above is implemented in practice.

Sight Feed Lubricator

Moving parts in contact with steam (such as the valves, pistons and regulator valve) require lubrication with a special, compound mineral oil, formulated to retain its properties at high temperature. Sight feed (or hydrostatic) lubricators are often used for this purpose and Swindon developed a range of suitable lubricators. Whereas many railways left the management of these lubricators to the fireman, the Great Western placed the Sight Feed Lubricator in front of the driver. Through training and the issue of circulars, Swindon ensured that drivers understood the method of operation and the importance of the Sight Feed Lubricator. A copy of Great Western Circular 5801 issued in November 1937 by C.B. Collet can be accessed (and downloaded) here.

My pictures of 3803 are here.

Lionsmeet 2011

The Steaming Bays at Chelmsford

The 2011 'Lionsmeet' was held on Saturday, 30th July at the Chelmsford Society of Model Engineers' track at Chelmsford.

We were using their elevated multi-gauge railway which has provision for 3.5-inch, 5-inch and 7.25-inch gauge vehicles in the form of a dumb-bell. There's a Sector Switch Unit (traverser) giving access to the steaming bays which are served by a traverser and a station area with a substantial umbrella roof, clubroom and refreshment facilities. A footbridge links the station area with an exhibition area where a marquee contained a display of various 'Lion' and other early locomotive models and gave access to the steaming bays.

Around the elevated track, a dual-gauge ground level oval track supports 5-inch and 7.25-inch models. This line had some very impressive dual-gauge pointwork.

Alan Bibby was on hand to make sure everything ran smoothly and OLCO President E.F. Clark, OLCO Chairman John Brandrick and OLCO 'Lionsheart' magazine editor John Hawley were in attendance. The morning was spent in preparing locomotives and earnest discussions. After lunch provided by the host club, the competition started at 1 p.m.

Once again this year, there were four competitors on three 5-inch gauge 'Lion' models. By convention, the previous year's winner (Andrew Neish) ran first, followed by his father, David Neish on the same locomotive. Then Jon Swindlehurst performed his run and, finally, Adrian Banks with his newly-built 'Lion'.

Each competitor was allowed an untimed lap or two to determine what load he wished to carry behind the Chelmsford dynamometer car, followed by ten minutes to try to produce the maximum work done. David Neish has recently designed and built a 'LIONsPOWER' measuring unit which replaces the drawlink between locomotive and train and displays work done on a small electronic unit. This unit was used to collect comparitive readings, but the contest was awarded based on the results from the Chelmsford dynamometer car.

The performances are summarised below:-

Name	Work done (ft./lb.)	Position
Andrew Neish	51081	3
David Neish	53843	2
Jon Swindlehurst	74605	1
Adrian Banks	6775	4 (retired)

Adrian had only recently completed his model - indeed, there is still more work required - but he very sportingly agreed to compete. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire after a piston gland worked loose during the run. Andrew and David put up their usual strong performance but it was Jon, taking a much heavier load, who produced the winning result.

E. F. Clark presenting the Mike Parrot Memorial Cup to Jon Swindlehurst.

Jan's pictures of the event are here.

Leaving Russia

Tuesday 26th July 2011

The ship had made arrangements for transport at appropriate times to ferry the departing passengers to St. Petersburg airport to go our various ways. My departure time was 11.30 a.m. and I was determined to squeeze the most experience out of the remaining time by making a 'whistle-stop' visit to the city centre.

I established that the first shuttle bus to the Metro station was at 9.00 a.m. so I was waiting for it in good time. The bus made good time across the river to the Metro station and purchasing a ticket was no problem. When I got to the platform level, I realised that the station lacked any signage in 'Romanised' characters but the Metro map I was carrying only had the place names in 'Romanised' form, so I struggled to determine in which direction I should be heading. A train came in on what I thought was the right direction so I caught it. After a fair bit of worrying and trying to guess the meaning of words in Cyrillic characters each time we stopped, I arrived at Gostiny Dvor in the centre of the city.

St. Petersburg street scene.

It was another sunny morning with plenty of people about and I happily wandered around for a while until fear of getting back to the ship late overcame me so I entered Nevsky Prospekt Metro station, purchased a ticket and made my way through the underground passages to get to the Gostiny Dvor platforms, aided by at least some of the signs using 'Romanised' as well as Cyrillic characters.

With some relief, I boarded a train going in the right direction and counted off the stops. When we arrived at the stop before mine, I realised my carriage was now empty. A minute later, the driver walked through the train 'shooing' any remaining passengers off the train. The platform edge doors closed and I heard my train rumble away. I'd no idea why the train was being taken out of service. After a few minutes, the following train arrived and I was able to continue my journey. By now I was worried that I would miss the shuttle bus back to the ship so I sprinted up the long escalator until I was panting heavily, emerged into the sunlight and impatiently waited for the traffic lights to stop the traffic and allow me to cross the road. By now, I could see the shuttle bus but my watch suggested that the bus should be about to leave. Two passengers were still on the pavement - 'Plenty of time' they assured me and, indeed, it was about a minute before the bus moved off with one relieved passenger still breathing heavily.

After this adventure, I was back at the ship with time to spare before saying my final goodbyes, identifying my luggage and joining the coach to the airport. The coach initially took the route we'd used the previous day going to the Catherine Palace at Pushkin before taking the airport road, passing a large retail park and pulling up at a surprisingly small airport terminal building. This was Pulkovo II which appeared to be for international flights. As we'd arrived, I'd seen another terminal in the distance crowned with what looked like five cooling towers and I assumed this was Pulkovo I for domestic flights. The terminal was fairly crowded with a number of queues snaking towards check-in desks placed around the outside of the space. According to the passenger displays, I had at least an hour to wait before I could check in so I found a relatively quiet corner of the terminal, sat down on my large case and took out my notebook computer to pass the time preparing text for the blog. To my amazement, the computer immediately connected itself to a free, fast 'Wi-Fi' so I dashed off a couple of e-mails. I was quite happily typing away and didn't at first notice that check in had started at two desks for my flight to Zurich.

One desk for Economy had a very long queue but the other desk for Business had a short queue which I joined. There seemed to be a group of French ladies at the head of the queue attempting to check-in (in English) but the check-in girl was repeatedly directing them, with extreme politeness, to the other queue. I assumed they didn't have Business Class tickets. Next, the French contingent tried to book in by speaking French. Once again, the check-in girl declined with great courtesy, responding in French. One of the French ladies then insisted on remaining directly in front of the check-in desk, glowering at everyone in sight. The check-in girl then processed the Business class passengers very efficiently and I commented on her patience. Check-in complete, I made my way through security and immigration, with the French ladies still attempting to picket the Check-in desk.

I found the nice, quiet Polkovo business lounge which had extremely friendly staff and a reasonable range of snacks. Once again, the 'Wi-Fi' worked well and it was soon time to make my way to the Departure Gate for my flight. The advantage of the small terminal was that it only took a couple of minutes to get from the lounge to the gate. There are plenty of airports where they warn you to allow 20 minutes!

Taxiing away from Pulkovo II terminal at St. Petersburg.

Once on the aircraft, I was able to relax and catch my last views of Russia as we made our way to Switzerland. It was sunny and hot when we arrived in Zurich. The terminal seemed very crowded but, to my relief, my flight was called quite soon and I boarded the bus taking us onto the apron where the aircraft for the Birmingham flight was waiting. The flight was uneventful and we arrived at Birmingham on time - a satisfactory conclusion to what had proved a stimulating and fascinating tour.

More pictures.

Last full day in St. Petersburg

Monday 25th July 2011

Various optional tours (chargeable) were offered on the Monday. I'd elected for the Catherine Palace in Pushkin during the morning and the Yusopov Palace in the afternoon. The bus to the Catherine Palace didn't leave until 9.15 a.m. so, after an early breakfast, there was time for a walk along the four-lane highway which followed the river into the city centre. I explored one or two side roads but the mainly residential area was fairly nondescript - it could have been a million miles from the grandeur of the civic buildings and palaces in the city centre.

The four-lane highway passing the River Station leads to the centre of Saint Petersburg.

Just after 9.00 a.m., the usual coaches were lined up to take us to the Catherine Palace and, once everybody had been sorted onto the appropriate coach, we set off in convoy, this time negotiating the complex of slip-roads leading to the cable-stayed road bridge next to the River Terminal for our journey in a new direction to Pushkin.

The palaces and parks we were to see were developed by Empress Elizabeth and later re-developed to the taste of Empress Catherine in the late 18th century. The centrepiece is the massive baroque palace called the Catherine Palace after Peter the Great's second wife who was the Empress Elizabeth's mother. The architects Rastrelli, Rinaldi, Cameron and Quarenghi were all involved in the creation of the 'Russian Versailles'. The area has, once again, started to be known as 'Tsarskoye Selo' (the Tsar's Village) but that name fell out of favour following the revolution so the area is also known as 'Pushkin' after the revered Russian poet.

Our coaches dropped us off on the approach road to the Catherine Palace and we joined the throng of visitors walking towards the Palace. We eventually joined a large queue awaiting admission to the palace where we were entertained by a group of uniformed musicians. As I listened to the music, I realised they were not mere 'buskers'. I was so impressed, I purchased the CD their leader was selling (stopping playing his trumpet to serve customers and then picking up the tune again). The sleeve notes told me that they were the 'Catherine Palace Orchestra', now established 20 years and having played at numerous official functions during that time. I was quite sorry when the queue finally shuffled forward and we moved into the Palace itself.

The Catherine Palace Orchestra performing for the queue.

The Catherine Palace is certainly impressive, if somewhat 'over the top' for me. The Germans got as far as St. Petersburg during the second World War and during their occupation of the Palace, it suffered considerable damage. Considerable resources have been expended (some from War Reparations) to bring the palaces and parks to their present state of renovation. Our tour was necessarily brief but we saw the Main Staircase, the amazing gilt and mirrored Great Hall (which was used for balls), a number of Anterooms, the Arabesque Room, the Chevalier, Minor White and Green Dining Rooms, the White, Crimson and Green Pilaster rooms, the Portrait Room, the Picture Room, the Drawing Room of Alexander I and a rather grand Waiters' Room. The Amber Room is perhaps the most famous room, completely inlaid with pieces of ambers in various shades of toffee colour. It's definitely baroque and cleverly executed, but a little sickly for my taste.

The Catherine Palace, viewed from the Catherine Park.

Once outside, at our Guide's suggestion we gave the Alexander Park (with the large Alexander Palace) a miss and spent the rest of our time exploring the Catherine Park. All too soon, we were hurrying back to our coaches which took us back to the ship for lunch at 1.00 p.m.

Pictures of the trip to the Catherine Palace in Pushkin are here.

At 2.30 p.m. I departed by coach with the group visiting the Yusupov Palace, situated on a bend of the Moika River near the city centre. Our guide had arranged to purchase photographic permits for those who wanted to take pictures but, when we arrived at reception, we were told that the people who dealt with the permits were on break so photography would not be possible. Mindless bureaucracy is still alive and well in the Russian Federation!

The entrance to the Yusupov Palace at 94 Moika.

A little background ... Apparently Tsar Peter the Great never liked Moscow, his original capital. He built a new capital at what is now called Saint Petersburg where the River Neva flows into the Gulf of Finland. The area was originally swampland so construction was no easy task. The city is still penetrated by numerous minor rivers and canals, giving rise to its description as "The Venice of the North", although I was more reminded of Amsterdam. Numerous grand residences were built to accommodate members of the Royal court and the city delighted in its sophistication. Even today, Saint Petersburg regards itself as the cultural capital of Russia. There was a wooden palace on the site of the Yusopov Palace at the beginning of the 18th century and ownership changed hands many times. The 'golden age' for the Palace was initiated by its purchase by Prince Nikolai Yusupov in 1830. Nikolai Yusopv was from an ancient family of Russian nobility, educated in Europe. His immense wealth allowed him to indulge his taste for collecting. On the death of Prince Nikolai in 1831, the Yusupov Palace passed to Nikolai's only son, Boris. The palace received the attentions of the finest architects and artists to create a suitable home for the Prince's collections. The rebuilt Palace included a private theatre! In the 1860s, there was a further major reconstruction of the Palace carried out by Nikolai Yusupov the Younger, followed by yet further improvements in the 1890s. The last Yusupov to own the Palace was Prince Felix Yusupov the Younger who commissioned the final changes to the Palace between 1911 and 1916.

The relationship of the Royal court with the Tsar's familiy had become threatened by the power gained by Grigory Rasputin - a peasant from Siberia who had become close to Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra through his apparent ability to help the Tsar's haemophiliac son Alexis. Rasputin was lured to the Yusupov Palace in December 1916 and murdered in the basement. In the following year, the Russian Revolution swept away the previous hierarchy and the Yusupov Palace was seized by the State. The custodians of the Palace realised the importance of the Palace and its collections and it remained more or less intact until the Second World War when aerial bombing and a serious fire caused major damage. At the end of the war, the State carried out meticulous restoration so that visitors can once again view the Palace as it was at the end of the 19th century. The building is now the 'Palace of Culture of Education Workers' but it is referred to as the 'Yusupov Palace' without embarrassment.

There were quite a few parties touring the Palace but the lady attendants in each room were diligent in closing the doors to each room as parties entered and left so it wasn't the 'scrum' we'd experienced elsewhere. I found the private rooms quite atmospheric. As you might expect, there were drawing rooms of various colours, dining rooms of various colours and grander rooms for balls and banquets. There was a series of Picture Gallery rooms for the display of various types of art. Much of the art had been removed for display elsewhere, but impressive displays remain. There was a rather gloomy Oak Dining Room and an equally gloomy smaller dining room in Prince Yusupov's Apartments improbably sporting embossed, coloured leather 'wallpaper'. Equally improbably, this room is now used as one of the souvenir shops. I did rather like Prince Yusupov's Study, filled with bookcases. The Moorish Drawing Room with mosaic floor, elaborate wall decorations and marble columns was rather over-the-top. I was perhaps most impressed by the threatre with its elaborate gold leaf and painted ceiling. Monighetti was the architect in 1860 but it was then 'modernised' to accord with the then-current taste by Stepanov in 1899. The guide book refers to the theatre as "a precious casket, created with intricate virtuosity". We descended to the basement and a re-creation of the events surrounding the demise of Rasputin. I couldn't help thinking that, having despatched Rasputin in violent fashion, less than a year later the whole of the aristocracy was either killed or exiled in the shattering events of the Revolution.

We returned to our coaches but, to our surprise, we were delivered to the landing stage by the Hermitage, to complete our journey back to our ship by hydrofoil. This made a pleasant conclusion to a busy day.

Pictures on the journey to and from the Yusupov Palace are here. I took no pictures inside the Palace, as explained above.

An Evening at the Ballet

Sunday 24th July 2011

The Auditorium of the Hermitage Theatre, just before the performance.

Sunday had already been quite busy (Peterhof in the rain in the morning, exploring the Metro and Moscow Station in the afternoon) but we were not done yet. Dinner was at 6.00 p.m., comprising soup and a man course only to ensure that we'd be ready to leave the ship by 7.00 p.m. The dessert was to be offered to us on our return! We'd been offered two choices for the evening's entertainment - The Menshikov Hall Folk Show or Ballet at the Hermitage Theatre. Well, the Ballet Company might not be the famous Mariinsky (formerly the Kirov) but the performance was at the Hermitage Theatre so it was no contest. I joined one of the buses for the ballet and we drove downtown.

We entered the Winter Palace through a modest doorway and climbed stairs to the first floor. We passed through a large salon which formed a bridge over a canal. The salon had been renovated and was quite grand, if bare. Large windows on either side gave views of the canal on one side and the Neva River on the other. A small souvenir and programme stall looked rather out-of-place in the grand salon. We passed into the theatre itself which had also had extensive renovation. The theatre seats around 250 and is quite intimate. Steeply raked semicircular seating rows ensure good views. A few rows of chairs, very close to the orchestra, filled in the semicircle. Guides from the ship acted as usherettes to find seating for us all. Most of the audience appeared to be tourists, but I did spot one old Russian lady who looked as if she might be a regular.

The performance started on time. I'd not seen 'Giselle' so I was quite glad of the programme notes. I'm not a fan of the ballet but I enjoyed the two-acts of 'Giselle'. After the performance, the audience were generous in their appreciation of both the dancers and the orchestra.

The Company and the Orchestra take their bow after the performance.

We retraced our steps through the salon, down the stairs and out into the street, where our coaches were waiting to return us to the ship. Those with the appetite (and energy) were offered dessert to complete the evening meal. Altogether, a very satisfactory day.

Pictures of the trip to the ballet.

Saint Petersburg Metro

Sunday 24th July 2011

Route Map of the Saint Petersburg Metro. (Larger image).

After the morning organised visit to the Peterhof, in the afternoon I briefly explored the Saint Petersburg Metro on my own. Any journey costs 25 Roubles and all stations have one or more staffed ticket windows where you can purchase the necessary coin token. There were a few automatic ticket machines but I never worked out quite how they worked. Moscow Metro uses credit-card sized printed tickets but Saint Petersburg uses coin tokens similar to those I found in Kiev a few years ago. The automatic gates themselves which give access to the platforms are similar to Metro systems the world over.

Russian Metros seem to run quite deep - 70 metres below ground is typical. Descending to platform level usually involves one long escalator and steps or a short escalator. Each station is formed from three parallel tunnels - two outside tunnels for the tracks and a central concourse tunnel for passenger access which is sometimes highly decorated. At many stations there are platform edge doors so you can only hear the arriving trains. The row of heavy steel doors set in arches either side of the concourse tunnel rather gives the impression of a prison. At other stations, the arches allow you to walk through to a conventional platform which shares the tunnel bore with the track. Digital displays are often provided on the end walls of the concourse showing how long has elapsed since the previous train departed. Even on a Sunday, trains were running every two or three minutes.

There are now five separate Metro lines in St. Petersburg, all end-to-end, with seven interchange stations. The lines are known as M1 to M5, but always using a stylised 'M' looking like a letter 'V' in a tunnel - (V). All signage, of course, is in Russian using Cyrillic characters. In the city centre, many signs also carry station names or other clues in the 'Romanised' or 'Latinised' form but away from the city centre Cyrillic rules. To add to my confusion, interchange stations have a separate name on each line. I started my tour at Gostiny Dvor on Line 3: had I walked through the pedestrian tunnel to Line 2, I would have been at Nevsky Prospekt.

My first trip took me just one stop on Line 3 to the interchange station of Mayakovskaya/Ploshchad Vosstaniya where I emerged to look for 'Moscow Station' - the main line railway station for trains to Moscow. I spent a happy half hour wandering around this station before returning underground to continue my Metro tour. This time, I took Line 1 for two stations to reach the interchange station of Pushkinskaya/Zvenigorodskaya. The rolling stock on lines 1 and 3 had been the fairly basic Russian Metro design but, transferring to the later Line 5, more modern trains were in use and there was a lot of electronics in the driver's cab. I only travelled one stop to the three-way interchange of Sadovaya/Sennaya Ploshchad/Spasskaya. Wandering through the pedestrian tunnels, I was amused to find a pair of double doors labelled in Russian and in English 'Spasskaya Telecontrol Centre' which I assume was a signalling control room. This time, my journey took me three stops on Line 4 to my final interchange of Ploshchad Aleksandra Nevskogo. Oddly, the two stations here share the same name, with a suffix 'I' or 'II'. Three stops on Line 3 took me to Proletarskaya. Here I was to get the Shuttle Bus back to my ship at the river terminal. Worried that I would miss the bus, I panted up the long escalator, crossed the main road and panted along the street opposite which I hoped would lead to the bus stop. Fortunately, it did and the bus set off a few seconds after I boarded. A rather breathess end to an interesting tour.

My rather indifferent pictures of the Saint Petersburg Metro are here.

My equally indifferent pictures of Moscow's Metro are here.

More St. Petersburg

Sunday 24th July 2011

The day started dull, became very wet and then, in the afternoon, became warm and sunny. After my usual 7.0 a.m. breakfast, I decided to take a walk ashore.

We were tied-up on the outside of two other river cruise ships from the Vodohod group so, to get ashore, I had to go through the reception area of the 'L. Sobolev' (I presume this is named after Sobolev the mathemetician who died in 1989) and then the 'Konstantin Fedin' (the Russian author who died in 1977 - article here. We were at the newer river terminal of Utkina Zavod, situated on a busy dual carriageway with follows the north bank of the Neva.

I walked in a downstream direction past what is principally a residential area. I passed some modern apartments but most of the housing was 3- 4- and 5-story apartments, in pretty poor condition somewhat relieved by trees, grass and children's play areas. There was a small bus station with people commuting to work. I was amused by a queue of passengers formed up in the middle of the tarmac area, waiting where the bus would ultimately arrive. I couldn't help thinking that they were about to break into a spontaneous performance of Village People's hit 'Y.M.C.A'. In the forecourt of an old factory, there was a badly-wrecked saloon car. It looked as if the emergency services had cut the roof open to extract the unfortunate occupants. I wondered how long it had sat there, a grim reminder of the perils of road travel.

The adjacent factory had once been a large engineering complex but had clearly been abandoned for years. In places, there were holes in the walls and some of the windows and doors were missing. Inside, I could see partly-dismantled, rusting pipework. Thinking about what might have happened to all those who became unemployed when the factory closed, it made a sad sight. In the days of the Soviet directed economy, I'm sure the place buzzed with activity even if it was not profitable in the conventional sense. I wondered whether the Soviet system had ultimately collapsed under the weight of its own internal economic inconsistencies.

In places, pairs of large-diameter, heavily lagged district heating pipes emerged from the ground and wandered around, like large worms. Wisps of steam rose from the ground at one point where there was a manhole set in concrete and, presumably, some sort of valve underground. On the river side of the dual carriageway, a typical Russian floating crane had moored and its grab was unloading gravel from a river cargo ship, producing clouds of dust in the process.

An unexpected sight was a 5-story hexagonal brick tower, complete with battlemented turrets! It appeared to be used as apartments now and I could not guess at its origins, unless it was originally an impressive gatehouse to the adjacent works. I turned back towards the ship near a Soviet-era apartment block, opposite the older river terminal on the south bank of the river. The architecture of the apartment block was impressive but it now wore a tired and uncared-for appearance. At least the rainwater down pipes had been replaced not too long ago, with the Russian pattern of large diameter sectional pipes made from sheet sheel. But, inevitably, where a tall archway gave access for vehicles to the yard at the rear of the property, the down pipes had become battered by numerous impacts from the small lorries and vans which seemed to infest the place.

The epic architecture (and battered rainwater pipes!) of Stalin-era apartments.

When travelling to and from the city centre the previous day I'd spotted, at strategic locations, modern pontoons with a bright yellow awning connected to the river bank by steps. I passed one of these on my walk back to the ship. These are the landing stages for the 'Aquabus' system - a network of small motor cruisers which dash up and down the river.

Later in the morning, we set off from the ship for a visit to the Peterhof Gardens. We travelled by hydrofoil 'Meteor' class number 185 but to board this, we had to pass through the normal neighbouring ships to reach the embankment, walk along to the next pier and cross through two or three different moored cruise ships to reach the hydrofoil itself. We set of downstream, past the remarkable contrasts we'd seen previously but, this time, we carried on towards the sea, past navy ships, a number of floating docks and the tall cranes constructing a new arena. I was amazed to see six or seven ocean-going cruise ships in the new port area, presumably all disgorging thousands of tourists into the crowded city. The coast had dropped behind us and and we were surrounded by grey sea, so the passengers were surprising when the engines suddenly dropped to idling. The explanation became clear as a massive Spanish cruise ship crossed in front of us, heading for the port. As soon as he was clear, we set off again. Whilst we were drifting, another hydrofoil has almost caught up with us and I could see a third following us both! Perhaps it was my imagination, but our captain appeared to increase speed to prevent the following hydrofoil from overhauing us. A flag-bedecked jetty appeared and we quickly docked and disembarked. We had arrived by the 'Royal Route' because Peter the Great was accustomed to travelling by sea from the city to Peterhof.

View of the Great Palace at Peterhof from the Marine Canal, in the rain.

It was raining fairly hard and I was glad of my raincoat. Some of our group had been rather optimistically attired and must have been rather miserable by the time we got under cover. We walked alongside the Marine Canal which leads from the sea to the Great Palace and had our first views of the impressive architecture. We toured the Lower Gardens in the rain. Situated here are a number of smaller Palaces and Pavilions. After queueing in the rain, we were admitted to one of the elaborate Pavilions, where we discarded our wet coats and fitted plastic overshoes in a cloakroom before being allowed to walk on the original wooden floors. After the tour, we were back in the rain where a balustraded promenade gave us the view of the Gulf of Finland so beloved by Peter the Great (a bit grey when we were there). We looked through the windows of Peter the Great's favourite Pavilion - 'Monplaisir' built to give views of the sea.

The Park incorporates 176 fountains and four cascades, powered entirely by hydraulic pressure, the water being led in a pipeline from the inland hills. Some of the fountains are 'Trick' fountains, where the unwary are given a soaking either by treading on one of the stones that releases water or just by mistiming their movements passing through the target area. Apparently, when these were built, this was considered a capital joke. We passed an aviary for exotic birds and a hothouse for exotic plants. There were water features everywhere, none more famous than the huge Grand Cascade in front of the Great Palace. Adorned with dozens of gilded figures, this discharges into the Marine Canal.

By this time, the rain had abated and, near the Grand Cascade, a brass band was playing. All of the instruments were in the form of a straight horn of various lengths and diameters. Two large metal tables supported the larger instruments, so the instruments were not exactly portable! There was time to explore more of the Lower Gardens (and spot a couple of red squirrels scurrying between the mature trees) before we made our way to the coach park for the return journey. We were given a choice - a coach right back to the ship or, since the afternoon was free, a coach to the city centre. I was surprised at how few of my fellow passengers elected, like me, to go to the city centre. A lady guide was provided to describe some of the sights and I found it a fascinating journey.

The coach skirted the Upper Park if the Peterhof and followed the broad Peterhof Highway back to the city centre. We passed various buildings associated with the Peterhof before skirting the impressive Konstantinovsky Palace. In recent times, this has been restored to its original grandeur and was famously used as the venue for the Russia - European Union Summit in 2003. Like a number of grand buildings in St. Petersburg, the Palace is now available for hire. We passed a huge modern building that looked educational. I was puzzled by the marine radar scanner rotating on the roof, until our guide explained that the building was the Academy for Russian Merchant Seamen. Apparently, its completion had been delayed for years and it had become something of a local scandal. A double-track tram system ran parallel to the road on reserved tracks and I was surprised at just how many one- and two-car trams were in traffic and well-patronised for a Sunday afternoon. We passed tall, modern apartment blocks and 'retail parks'. Apart from all the signs being in Russian, we could have been anywhere in Europe.

Narva Triumphal Arch

Our route into the older part of the city took us past the Narva Triumphal Arch, brick-built with cladding and ornamentation in copper. This was completed in 1834 to celebrate Russia's triumph over Napoleon in the war of 1812. Badly damaged in World War II, it was restored in 1951. There's more here. The coach dropped us off near the monument to Catherine the Great and the guide gave us directions to our various destinations. I opted for the nearest Metro Station, Gostiny Dvor.

More later.

Pictures of my visit to the Peterhof Gardens are here.

Pictures of the trip back from the Peterhof to the city centre are included in the set 'Around St. Petersburg'.