Colne to Blackpool South DMUs

[amywok]

Hoping someone can solve a mystery!

At weekends Northern run 4 cars on the route a 142 and 150. The 150 is locked out of use (at least on the Preston - Blackpool South section). Why run the extra cars which can't be used by passengers?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Used west of Preston only; a lot of the halts between Preston and Colne can't take the full length.

 

[D60]

Blackpool Pleasure Beach (with its own station, opened in the 1980s on the site of Burlington Road Halt..) generates a lot of traffic at weekends for the South Fylde Line.. And its winter closure dates also influence the fact that no train service operates from Preston to B'pl Sth on Sundays from a date in Nov to a date in Feb..
Passenger demand between Preston and B'pl Sth at weekend, plus stock availability, produces 4-car trains on the South Fylde Line...
They can be any combination of 142s, 150s, or 156s, and are often a pair of 156s...
I was previously unaware that one set may be locked out on the Colne to Preston section...

 

[BelleIsle]

Even though Preston-Blackpool S can take 4 car units a lot is to do with demand. If you can get everyone in the front unit then it makes it easier to sell/check tickets etc as the 142s have no end gangways. If both units are required then unlock the rear and make an announcement to warn any passengers going through to East Lancs to get up front. There is also the issue of getting the power down. A 142 struggles when heavily loaded and there is little slack doing Kirkham-Blackpool-Kirkham on the single line within the hour.

One thing I have noticed is that even when the back unit is locked the doors unlocked lights still come on when they unlock the front even though you cannot open the doors. This has caused some issues as the punters mash the door buttons on the back unit and cannot get in. Especially when the more worldly wise are trying to choose a 150/156 over a pacer. To mitigate this I have seen drivers deliberately stop short at some stations in order that the back unit is not in the platform.

 

[abbo1234]

On Good Friday a driver stopped short at Bamber Bridge,blocking the level crossing for ages.If i had been travelling i would not have been impressed standing like sardines while 2 carriages are completely empty.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Used west of Preston only; a lot of the halts between Preston and Colne can't take the full length.

I think its a very sad sign of the times that once proud Lancashire cotton towns now have a station that can only take a two coach train.

 

[D60]

I think its a very sad sign of the times that once proud Lancashire cotton towns now have a station that can only take a two coach train.

The contrast with the Aire Valley line, and the consequential contrast in economic fortunes of what might otherwise be similar towns, is quite remarkable..

 

[RichmondCommu]

The contrast with the Aire Valley line, and the consequential contrast in economic fortunes of what might otherwise be similar towns, is quite remarkable..

I concur. My wife and indeed many others have left the area in the last 30 years because of economic despair. What is left is unemployment, poverty and the BNP.

 

[158756]

The contrast with the Aire Valley line, and the consequential contrast in economic fortunes of what might otherwise be similar towns, is quite remarkable..

The likes of Accrington, Burnley and Nelson aren't very well located or connected for commuting to the major cities -too far from Manchester, too far from Leeds, plus awful housing stock.

As far as the railway goes, the fast and relatively uncongested M65 and A56 greatly limit potential usage.

 

[D60]

I concur. My wife and indeed many others have left the area in the last 30 years because of economic despair. What is left is unemployment, poverty and the BNP.

Indeed so..
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The likes of Accrington, Burnley and Nelson aren't very well located or connected for commuting to the major cities -too far from Manchester, too far from Leeds, plus awful housing stock.

As far as the railway goes, the fast and relatively uncongested M65 and A56 greatly limit potential usage.

Chicken and egg scenario, as in which came first..
Yes, the decline in the textile industry, cotton to the west of the Pennines, wool to the east, had a severe economic impact on comparable towns, salvation in Yorkshire came in the form of a fast and efficient transport link by rail centred on Leeds..
In contrast, in Lancs, the direct rail link southwards from Accrington towards Manchester was severed.. yes, the distances may be greater, but the road links you mention parallel the former rail route (is any of the A56 actually built on the former railway formation?)
And as for housing stock, chicken and egg once again..
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
(Not forgetting also closure of Colne to Skipton..)

 

[30907]

Having lived and worked in Airedale and now in East Lancs, I concur (though thankfully the BNP have declined), though I'm not sure the West Riding had such a long history of decline.

However, I think that geography (distance from Manchester the nearest big conurbation for commuting , plus a big hill in the way) is more of a factor, together with the absence of a PTE to promote more frequent trains and cheaper fares).

 

[Welshman]

I think the economies of Halifax and Huddersfield have been restored in recent times by the Lloyds Banking Group and the growing Huddersfield University.

Unfortunately the equivalent ex-textile towns to the west of the Pennines have not enjoyed a similar boost.

 

[D60]

I think the economies of Halifax and Huddersfield have been restored in recent times by the Lloyds Banking Group and the growing Huddersfield University.

Unfortunately the equivalent ex-textile towns to the east of the Pennines have not enjoyed a similar boost.

A decent level of transport infrastructure provision would've helped in East Lancs in attracting the sort of inward investment you describe, rather than the run-down of provision we saw in the 60s and 70s, the legacy of which we see today...
The M65, A56, and M66 were all attempts to address this..
Whereas over in the Aire Valley in contrast, they have the added benefit of a fast, frequent and efficient electrified rail service..
So back to the chicken and egg again..

 

[Dunc108]

I think the economies of Halifax and Huddersfield have been restored in recent times by the Lloyds Banking Group and the growing Huddersfield University.

Unfortunately the equivalent ex-textile towns to the east of the Pennines have not enjoyed a similar boost.

Halifax and Huddersfield also benefit from more frequent Transpennine services and frequency increases since BR days have brought even more trains to Manchester and Leeds. Burnley and Accrington by comparison have no through services to Manchester and only a hourly service to Leeds and half hourly service to Preston (although one of these is an all-stations stopper often in the hands of a 142 unit). Things might improve slightly for Burnley when Manchester services via Todmorden commence.

 

[alexl92]

Even though Preston-Blackpool S can take 4 car units a lot is to do with demand. If you can get everyone in the front unit then it makes it easier to sell/check tickets etc as the 142s have no end gangways. If both units are required then unlock the rear and make an announcement to warn any passengers going through to East Lancs to get up front. There is also the issue of getting the power down. A 142 struggles when heavily loaded and there is little slack doing Kirkham-Blackpool-Kirkham on the single line within the hour.

If the 142 struggles so much, surely it'd be better to put the 150 on the front and put the passengers in there?

 

[Baxenden Bank]

... In contrast, in Lancs, the direct rail link southwards from Accrington towards Manchester was severed.. yes, the distances may be greater, but the road links you mention parallel the former rail route (is any of the A56 actually built on the former railway formation?) .....

The section of the A56 between Rising Bridge (just south of the A680 roundabout) and Helmshore (just north of Grane Road) took over the rail alignment, which included the removal of the tunnel at Haslingden.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

If the 142 struggles so much, surely it'd be better to put the 150 on the front and put the passengers in there?

The problem is, whichever unit is at the front in one direction will be on the rear on the return!

 

[BelleIsle]

If the 142 struggles so much, surely it'd be better to put the 150 on the front and put the passengers in there?

The overall power available to the four car train (2x2 car) is the same regardless of which unit is where.

They tend to put the non Pacer unit on the Eastern end so back unit towards BPS and front unit to Colne. This means when climbing the East Lancs hills you get better adhesion as although a class 150/156 has more power is is distributed over more axles meaning less power per axle and therefore less chance of slipping. Having the passengers in this unit providers more weight which helps too. Moreover, the passage of the front eight axles helps to sweep the rails clear thus giving better rail conditions for the pacer behind.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I think its a very sad sign of the times that once proud Lancashire cotton towns now have a station that can only take a two coach train.

It's not so much the old mill towns that are the problem (Blackburn could easily take 5 double sets!), I imagine it's more the wayside halts at places like Pleasington, Huncoat and Burnley Barracks that cause the problem. Accy, Burnley Central, Nelson and Colne could just about take two units together, Accy certainly could.