Stabling during strike action info

[snapperad]

Hi folks,

Apologies if this is in the wrong part of this forum...I'm a news photographer working in the north of England and I'm hoping someone here may be able to help me - a big part of my job at the moment is covering the rail strikes and I'm looking for a way to illustrate them beyond the usual picket lines, empty stations, cancellation notices etc. What I'm particularly looking for ideally is a set of sidings or a railyard where passenger carriages that would normally be in service during non-strike days would be stabled during strike days. Is anyone able to point me in the right direction please? I'm ideally looking for a large number of carriages stabled in the open air (I'm planning on putting a drone up for aerial shots so carriages in sheds won't work) in the north west or yorkshire.

I've tried looking on google earth but my knowledge of rail operations and locations just isn't good enough to know where passenger carriages would be stabled during strike days. Many thanks if anyone is able to help!

 

[D365]

Word of warning, be careful what sidings you choose to photograph. For example, there are a large number of Alstom units stabled at Worksop but this is due to issues with software acceptance, not strikes.

 

[snapperad]

Thanks D365, this is why I wanted to ask enthusiasts and people with knowledge rather than me just taking a guess!

 

[DanNCL]

Heaton Depot in Newcastle could be a good option. You can stand on the footbridge at the adjacent Chillingham Road Metro station (not part of the strikes so will still be open) and get a good shot of a large part of the national rail depot. It’s usually quite full on strike days.

I can’t think of any vantage point for Neville Hill depot in Leeds, which is a shame as that will be virtually full on strike days.

Stations such as York, Hull and Darlington will likely have some trains parked up in the platforms unused for the duration of the strikes.

 

[snapperad]

Thanks DanNCL that's really helpful - the vantage point for Neville Hill isn't so much of a problem for me as I'm going to be sending up a drone for aerial shots, it's really handy to know that it's likely to be full though. Newcastle is a bit far for me really as I'm in West Yorkshire but York might be doable. Thanks very much for your help!

 

[IanXC]

You may also want to have a read of Network Rail's guidance on use of drones near the railway:

It can be illegal to fly a drone on or near the railway. If in doubt please contact the Air Operations team via the Network Rail contact us process or email droneenquiries@networkrail.co.uk

If a train collided with a drone, it could cause a serious accident.

A drone could fly into and damage vital equipment – such as overhead wires or pylons – costing thousands to repair and causing hours of train delays. And a drone falling from the sky – malfunctioning or out of power – could hit a member of public or our staff, and cause serious injury or death.

Network Rail manages nearly 1000 drone flights over track per year. Network Rail needs to know what other flights there are near to our extremely hazardous environment. For that reason talk to us.

Various electrical powerplant that Network Rail use to propel the trains can give off an electrical magnetic pulse (EMP) that can affect the control of the drones, talk to us to manage that risk and gain advice on how close is safe.

Drone safety and the law - Network Rail

It is illegal to fly a drone on or near the railway. Even the cheapest, smallest model poses a risk to the railway, our passengers and staff.

www.networkrail.co.uk

British Transport Police have previously taken an interest, and won't have much else to be doing on a strike day....

Maybe that footbridge at Heaton would be the wise choice!

 

[DanNCL]

You may also want to have a read of Network Rail's guidance on use of drones near the railway:

Drone safety and the law - Network Rail

It is illegal to fly a drone on or near the railway. Even the cheapest, smallest model poses a risk to the railway, our passengers and staff.

www.networkrail.co.uk

British Transport Police have previously taken an interest, and won't have much else to be doing on a strike day....

Maybe that footbridge at Heaton would be the wise choice!

I think as long as the drone remains off Railway property (including anywhere directly above it) and obviously complies with all relevant legislation (ie 50m from other people, 150m from buildings and vehicles, and remain less than 120m from the ground) it’s fine. It would probably be wise to treat the boundary fence of the railway as if it were a building for the purposes of flying a drone.

 

[Ladder23]

correct me if I’m wrong but a sub 250g drone will be fine over railway property unless specified on the radar that it’s a restricted airspace?

i don’t have a drone, but lightly picking up on subtle laws around them, I’d be curious to know for sure

 

[Razorblades]

You might be alright getting shots of Newton Heath depot in Manchester from the adjacent Dean Lane. Worth a look on Google Earth.

The footbridge at the end of Taylors Lane in Wigan gives a view of Springs Branch Carriage Sidings. Again, worth a look on Google Street View.

Hopefully you could avoid use of a drone here, but a step-stool would help with seeing over walls!

 

[class 9]

Word of warning, be careful what sidings you choose to photograph. For example, there are a large number of Alstom units stabled at Worksop but this is due to issues with software acceptance, not strikes.

Makes no difference to the likes of the Daily Hiel, they had a photo of all the withdrawn stock at Ely, saying it was all parked up due to strike action. Ffs

 

[D365]

Makes no difference to the likes of the Daily Hiel, they had a photo of all the withdrawn stock at Ely, saying it was all parked up due to strike action. Ffs

That’s exactly why I thought I should point it out.

 

[Crossover]

Though not a depot, there will likely be trains stabled in the sidings at Huddersfield as well (though they would also be more populated on a Sunday too, from memory)

They would be seen off platform 8, at least (and the station will be open in part, as there are handful of services throughout the day off p4)