My Station In Life

This week I'm on a training course in the Welsh capital, Cardiff.

I don't know how much free time I'll have for photography, but most of it will probably be night shots, as obviously I'll be training all day.

It is over a three hour journey by train, and although I arrived at lunchtime, I didn't get the opportunity of getting my camera out, as I had to get straight to the office.

After I had unpacked and had dinner in the hotel, I went for a nighttime stroll. I thought that I would start with the railway station itself, which was built in the 1930s, replacing the original Victorian one.

The pride of place goes of course to the 'Great Western Railway', or "God's Wonderful Railway", as trainspotters call it. Sadly the lines themselves are not as wonderful. I think they desperately need replacing, as whenever a train goes by the lines emit this deafening high pitched squeal. Apparently it's one of the busiest stations in the UK. So an upgrade can't come soon enough.

That Uniform Look

Couldn't help taking a photo or two of these lovely ladies that were waiting at Nottingham Railway Station.

The fact that they were dressed almost the same caught my attention, and the fact that they were standing with identical poses.

The Train At Platform One

A bumper crop of photos today, as Nottingham Railway Station was reopened after being under wraps for the past year.

They've spent the best part of £50million in updating, cleaning up and renewing the station. Take the photo above; this used to be a taxi drop off point and small car park. It was a bit grimy and not very welcoming. But now look, it's light, airy and full of character. It will be even more exciting when the shops open sometime soon.

This is the Booking Hall. Doesn't it look wonderful, now it's been rejuvenated and showing off it's Victorian splendour with a fantastic parquet flooring.

Finally, I was in the right place at the right time, as some of the engineers involved in the revamp posed for an official photograph.  So of course I had to take one as well.

The House On The Hill

Here's a shot of the castle. I took it from the top of the multi-storey car park near the railway station.

I took it with our new Olympus 75-300mm lens, which we got from the Photography Show at the NEC in Birmingham earlier in the month.

I wanted to give it a go, to see what range it has. I think it is about half a mile away, so I don't think it's done a bad job.

I'm not quite sure how much we will use it, but it's a great addition to our camera kit bag.

Lines

They are certainly cracking on with the renovation of the railway station. The new roof has made the interior brighter and it casts some interesting shadows across the newly cleaned brickwork.

There's still a lot of work to do, and it will certainly be interesting to see what it looks like when it's finished. It seems ages since I walked into the booking office or used the platform, that I can't really remember what it looked like.

Glowing

Here's the Jury's Inn hotel down near the railway station, basking in the autumnal sun surrounded by an endless blue sky, occasionaly broken up by small wispy clouds.

The Bridge Arriving At Platform One

Here's a shot of the new bridge that is slowly being constructed over Nottingham's railway station. It is for the new tram line and will join up with the existing tram stop, which you can see in the distance.

The railway station is going to be closing at the end of July for a whole month, as it is presently being renovated and they will be installing some new signals etc.  Buses are going to be laid on to take passengers to the Parkway station, where I was stuck there for a while last month. Here's a LINK to the story, if you want to read more.

All Wrapped Up

Here's Nottingham Railway Station all wrapped and sealed up whilst construction workers turn this Victorian building into the new transport hub of the future.

Well that what it says on the publicity blurb. But I hope they don't destroy too much of this beloved and highly decorative building.

I'm not sure how long people will have to use the alternative routes onto the platforms. I do know that the whole station is closing for a month from this weekend.  Which will be fun for the passengers.

It will certainly be interesting to see what the building looks like when the scaffolding comes down. I will of course if possible, pop down and see the reopening ceremony, if they have one.

It's All Stacked Up

On the way home from London, I had to change at the East Midlands Parkway station.  When I got off the train, I heard an announcement that some trains had been delayed, including one that I was planning to get. Mind you the train that I caught from St Pancras was delayed by 20 minutes, as they couldn't get it to go. So we all had to move to another platform before climbing onto another train, which fortunately worked properly.

So I am stuck at this rather soulless station. It was only built about three years ago, looking for something to do. And what better, than to try shooting the Radcliffe on Soar power station from different angles.

I knew that I was going to stop at the station a little while, so I had my fisheye lens with me. I took this one from the bridge that spans the four platforms. While the one below is my attempt at making the chimneys more industrial, even though it's only steam that's drifting up into the atmosphere.

The Artist And His Muse

Whilst in Whitby, we managed to meet up with top professional photographer Damian McGillicuddy, who was teaching several budding photographers about lighting outside the railway station, and using a local model called Mischkah Scott.

We've met Damian a few times now, the first time was at the NEC. He was there helping to launch the Olympus OMD. We have also been to his studio in Chester, on one of his courses and managed to have a go with the fab camera.

So for my contribution to the City Daily Photo's May Day theme of 'The Artisan', I'm showing you a top photographer in action, who wakes some really stunning images. If you want to see how stunning; here's a LINK to his Facebook page.

To see more artisans in action taken by my fellow bloggers, please follow this LINK to the City Daily Photo page.

Sight Unseen

Yes, it's Wednesday again, and that can only mean one thing - the headbanger Challenge.

Tom's choice this week, and he's gone for yellow. Now how to interpret this theme? I mused long and hard. Do I go for something easy, or something a bit more esoteric.                                                                      
Whilst I was venturing up the multi-storey car park yesterday, I saw just the thing. A number of yellow men painted on the ground.  They looked freshly painted too. In fact the whole of the top storey appeared brand new. Maybe as the car park is so big, no vehicle has had to go up on the roof.

For those that may not realise what it symbolises, it is the sign for the area in which pedestrians can walk safely, without having the fear of being knocked down. But as everybody should know, you should always be alert when around moving vehicles.

Don't forget to pop over and see the rest of the entries.

Talking of vehicles, the musical interlude this week comes courtesy of the Banana Splits. A strange children's show from the late 1960s, where odd looking creatures drove around in six wheel buggies.

Today's post is one of the photos that I took whilst on the roof of the car park. You can see the clock tower belonging to the railway station; the British Waterways building, that is now home to a mixture of bars, a comedy club and a gym. Finally at the back is the castle.

Digging For Victory

I went up to the top floor of a new multi-storey car park today for the first time. It's been open about six months now, but this is the first time that I have ventured inside.

It's a tall one, and is located close to the railway station. I enjoy seeing the city from up high, but I don't like being so exposed. I have a fear of heights, and don't like going to the edge, as I think the wall is going to break and I will plunge to my fate.

So I took this photo with my arm outstretched over the side, camera gripped strongly in my hand, and the strap wrapped around my wrist, so I didn't drop it.

The building site was the original car park for the station, but as you can see they've dug a great big hole and going to fill it with concrete, ready for the new tram stop, or transport hub as the planners are calling it.

So I have two building sites to visit now. Work is commencing slowly on the old Odeon. I had a look today and a lot of the rubble has been taken away. Maybe I'll show an updated picture at the weekend.

Look Where You're Going

Whilst waiting for the train at St Pancras Station to take be back home, I was admiring the fantastic architecture and two great sculptures that are there. The first is of the famous poet Sir John Betjeman. It's about life-size and shows him looking up into the sky.

So instead of showing you that view, I thought I would take a shot of what the statue is actually looking at, which in this case is the rather fabulous vaulted glass roof of the railway station.

If you want to know more about the former poet laureate, here's a LINK to a special website celebrating his life and work.

Today is meant to be the Headbanger Challenge, but being away, I've not had the opportunity of posting. So do come back tomorrow and see what I've come up with on Gail's theme of 'tattoo'.