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Stockport to Stalybridge: now runs in both directions; is it still a "parliamentary" service?

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Ianno87

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Has any "Open Access-type" operator ever proposed the use of this line in any of their proposed routings?

I think Alliance / Grand Central once floated a Euston-Stockport-Huddersfield-Leeds type service, but now they're going for Blackpool instead.
 

Howardh

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Currently...Stalybridge 1013 (1033)
Stockport 1043 (1105)
The return leg takes longer...must be uphill!!
 
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Was the Stockport - Stalybridge service one of the first in Greater Manchester to go over to DMUs, with 79XXX Met-Camms, or am I thinking of something else in that area?

I travelled on the line one night in (I think) 1967, on what was then the Aberystwyth - York; a Manor brought the train into Crewe (where I joined), one of the first generation AC electrics hauled it to Stockport (think it was an 85) where a Stanier 5 took over for the journey over Standedge to Leeds, then an A1 for the last bit to York.
 

Peter Bonner

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Was the Stockport - Stalybridge service one of the first in Greater Manchester to go over to DMUs, with 79XXX Met-Camms, or am I thinking of something else in that area?

I travelled on the line one night in (I think) 1967, on what was then the Aberystwyth - York; a Manor brought the train into Crewe (where I joined), one of the first generation AC electrics hauled it to Stockport (think it was an 85) where a Stanier 5 took over for the journey over Standedge to Leeds, then an A1 for the last bit to York.
In the very last days of the Deltics they occasionally hauled the York to Stockport leg IIRC
 

billh

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I was a very young trainspotter on Guide Bridge station around 1960. If I remember correctly, the Stockport -Stalybridge trains were DMUs then , coming in on platforms 1 and 2, about the only passenger trains using those, since the OAGB trains to Oldham (always steam) finished in 1959(?). At the time, DMUs were regarded as rather boring so no numbers or class types recorded. Of more interest was the arrival of the boat train from Harwich with an EM2 , the engine change to steam, or vice versa. This entailed a lot of light engine moves around the station with loads of electro-pneumatic point changes.
 

LRV3004

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I remember the 101s being used on that route! Me, my brother and my mate did it one Friday and there was a team of journalists from the Manchester Evening News on board doing an article on the service. They said their photographer was at Guide Bridge so as we pulled in we all leaned out and waved! Not sure what I ever did with that edition when it came out - possibly buried in my parents store room somewhere!!!
 

Ash Bridge

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Was the Stockport - Stalybridge service one of the first in Greater Manchester to go over to DMUs, with 79XXX Met-Camms, or am I thinking of something else in that area?

I travelled on the line one night in (I think) 1967, on what was then the Aberystwyth - York; a Manor brought the train into Crewe (where I joined), one of the first generation AC electrics hauled it to Stockport (think it was an 85) where a Stanier 5 took over for the journey over Standedge to Leeds, then an A1 for the last bit to York.

My childhood recollections from living by the line during the early-mid 60s were of the service mainly worked by green livered Met Camm sets some still sporting the front end whiskers until small yellow panels started to appear. Though any pictures I have ever seen of Met Camm DMUs operating through Stockport from approximately 1958 onwards appear to be of the later 5xxxx series units which became the 101s so can't confirm if the earlier version ever did operate the Stockport-Stalybridge service back then. What I can confirm is that Derby Lightweight sets numbered in the 79xxx series did do. from time to time up to a least 1965, there is photographic evidence of this.
In the very last days of the Deltics they occasionally hauled the York to Stockport leg IIRC

Your memory is spot on, there was even an occasion as far back as February 1974 when 9019 actually worked the York - Stockport and return leg.
 

martin2345uk

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My childhood recollections from living by the line during the early-mid 60s were of the service mainly worked by green livered Met Camm sets some still sporting the front end whiskers until small yellow panels started to appear. Though any pictures I have ever seen of Met Camm DMUs operating through Stockport from approximately 1958 onwards appear to be of the later 5xxxx series units which became the 101s so can't confirm if the earlier version ever did operate the Stockport-Stalybridge service back then. What I can confirm is that Derby Lightweight sets numbered in the 79xxx series did do. from time to time up to a least 1965, there is photographic evidence of this.


Your memory is spot on, there was even an occasion as far back as February 1974 when 9019 actually worked the York - Stockport and return leg.

I thought your username sounded familiar (“,)
 

Llandudno

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How well used would an hourly 153 shuttle service be running between Stockport and Stalybridge?
 

xotGD

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How well used would an hourly 153 shuttle service be running between Stockport and Stalybridge?
One factor would be whether journey planners gave people itineraries using the service for journeys such as Leeds - Stoke or still routed them through Man Pic.
 

Llandudno

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One factor would be whether journey planners gave people itineraries using the service for journeys such as Leeds - Stoke or still routed them through Man Pic.
Good shout, a proper clock face hourly service could give some useful connections and take some pressure off the number of passengers alighting and boarding at the notorious platforms 13 and 14 at Piccadilly
 

plugwash

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The problem is there are only two trains per hour from Stalybridge to Leeds, and they are 8 minuites apart, so depending on what time you end up at Stalybridge you could have a pretty long wait.

So for a Stockport to Staylybridge shuttle train to be useful for transit passengers it would have to be 1: timed to fit well with connections to/from Stalybridge (preferably the ones that don't already go to/from Piccadilly) and 2: both it and the trains it connected with would have to be punctual and reliable.
 
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Kaydee

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My childhood recollections from living by the line during the early-mid 60s were of the service mainly worked by green livered Met Camm sets some still sporting the front end whiskers until small yellow panels started to appear. Though any pictures I have ever seen of Met Camm DMUs operating through Stockport from approximately 1958 onwards appear to be of the later 5xxxx series units which became the 101s so can't confirm if the earlier version ever did operate the Stockport-Stalybridge service back then. What I can confirm is that Derby Lightweight sets numbered in the 79xxx series did do. from time to time up to a least 1965, there is photographic evidence of this.


Your memory is spot on, there was even an occasion as far back as February 1974 when 9019 actually worked the York - Stockport and return leg.

I can shed some light on the early dmus on the Stockport - Stalybridge line, both as a trainspotter at Stockport and because my primary school at Heaton Chapel overlooked the line! A batch of 4 Metro Cammell 2 car units (later class 111) were delivered to Longsight on April 1957 numbered M50134-7 (driving car) and M56090-3 (trailer). The power cars had more powerful Rolls Royce engines then the other Metro Cams (later class 101) which had BUT engines. They were used on the Stalybridge line (2 units) plus one seemed to be outstationed to Buxton for the Millers Dale shuttle. They worked the Stalybridge line until at least summer 1962 after which they transferred to Newton Heath. After this the Stalybridge dmus were typically Derby-built 2 car units provided by Reddish depot, in the 79xxx or 509xx series. I think I recall seeing 79xxx series in 1956/7 just before the Metro Cammell units started but it would not have been for long as they arrived at Longsight in summer 1956.

Loadings were always light - I don't recall seeing a train with more than perhaps 15-20 passengers, often less than this. However they did provide a useful way of avoiding Manchester if travelling to Yorkshire from Stockport or beyond and they were well timed to connect with Trans-Pennine trains at Stalybridge. After the Trans-Pennine trains were diverted through Piccadilly the line lost most of its "reason to live", such that by the late 1980s the timetable had shrunk to 3 or 4 a day for the few remaining local passengers.
 

Ash Bridge

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I can shed some light on the early dmus on the Stockport - Stalybridge line, both as a trainspotter at Stockport and because my primary school at Heaton Chapel overlooked the line! A batch of 4 Metro Cammell 2 car units (later class 111) were delivered to Longsight on April 1957 numbered M50134-7 (driving car) and M56090-3 (trailer). The power cars had more powerful Rolls Royce engines then the other Metro Cams (later class 101) which had BUT engines. They were used on the Stalybridge line (2 units) plus one seemed to be outstationed to Buxton for the Millers Dale shuttle. They worked the Stalybridge line until at least summer 1962 after which they transferred to Newton Heath. After this the Stalybridge dmus were typically Derby-built 2 car units provided by Reddish depot, in the 79xxx or 509xx series. I think I recall seeing 79xxx series in 1956/7 just before the Metro Cammell units started but it would not have been for long as they arrived at Longsight in summer 1956.

Loadings were always light - I don't recall seeing a train with more than perhaps 15-20 passengers, often less than this. However they did provide a useful way of avoiding Manchester if travelling to Yorkshire from Stockport or beyond and they were well timed to connect with Trans-Pennine trains at Stalybridge. After the Trans-Pennine trains were diverted through Piccadilly the line lost most of its "reason to live", such that by the late 1980s the timetable had shrunk to 3 or 4 a day for the few remaining local passengers.

Many thanks for this, very interesting. I thought the Met Cam units used back then were unlikely to be the earlier 79xxx type as they didn't have the jumper units fitted below the driving cab windows as the early sets all appeared to have, never would have guessed they were the RR engined versions though. On the subject of primary schools, I have a strong feeling I attended the same one as you as I also live in Heaton Chapel!
 

Peter Bonner

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Many thanks for this, very interesting. I thought the Met Cam units used back then were unlikely to be the earlier 79xxx type as they didn't have the jumper units fitted below the driving cab windows as the early sets all appeared to have, never would have guessed they were the RR engined versions though. On the subject of primary schools, I have a strong feeling I attended the same one as you as I also live in Heaton Chapel!
I remember very distinctive looking class 100 dmus on this service in late 1970s
 

Ash Bridge

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I remember very distinctive looking class 100 dmus on this service in late 1970s

Yes I remember them well, travelled on many of them from Reddish South to both Stockport and Stalybridge during the period 1969 - late 70s. M56111 sticks in my mind as a regular performer on the route during this period, below is a class 100 just emerging from Ash Bridge on a Stockport-Stalybridge working during 1973, (please excuse the low res scan)
 

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Peter Bonner

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Yes I remember them well, travelled on many of them from Reddish South to both Stockport and Stalybridge during the period 1969 - late 70s. M56111 sticks in my mind as a regular performer on the route during this period, below is a class 100 just emerging from Ash Bridge on a Stockport-Stalybridge working during 1973, (please excuse the low res scan)
What a great pic. One of the 100s lasted way into 1980s with Cravens dmu 50812?? Dont think either were preserved.
 

Ash Bridge

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What a great pic. One of the 100s lasted way into 1980s with Cravens dmu 50812?? Dont think either were preserved.

That really was a crying shame, I think it did a few turns on "The Dodger" in that form too. Didn't it get affectionately christened "The Mobile Museum" or something similar?
 

Peter Bonner

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I'll pass on that label but the beauty of those first generation dmus was that you cd get a great view from the front seats-provided the driver didnt put tne blind down!
 

Ash Bridge

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The great thing was that with perhaps the exception of the hours of darkness drivers virtually always kept the blinds up at least in my experience, this seemed to change by the late 80s early 90s though.
 
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