Season 2, Episode 12: The Mancunian Way (air date September 13, 2018)
Well... As noted in another topic, I've recently conducted a review of the locos and units needed for sight, which brought home some thruths. Despite believing I was doing pretty well with Northern - and indeed I was if consideration was limited to 143s, 158s, 323s and 333s - it turned out I still needed plenty, most of them working off Newton Heath (Manchester) or Allerton (Liverpool). So a plan to attempt to grasp some of the 12 Class 142s, 18 Class 150s, 6 Class 153s and 29 Class 156s I needed to see was hatched...
And so the fateful day dawned - 13th, but thankfully not a Friday. It was cheaper and easier to leave the car at the NET Toton Lane Park & Ride and take the tram than to drive to Nottingham station, which also avoided the hassle of getting into town. So at around 08:45 I bought a ticket at the machine, just missing dud 225 in the process and having to wait a few minutes for dud 234 to arrive to convey me to the station. By the time the tram had arrived at Nottingham Midland duds 205, 207, 211, 216, 219, 222, 227, 228, 230, 231 had passed in the opposite direction. Sadly thee was no sign of the two I needed for sight - 204 and 221 - but the day wasn't meant to be about trams.
I picked up the pre-booked rail ticket after a brief altercation with the TVM and progressed to the platforms to review what was around:
EMT 43052+43081
EMT 156405 156406 156410
EMT 158777 158812 158813 158852 158858
EMT 222016 222017
NOR 158903
There was now't good in that lot, so onto 158812 (one of two, partnering with 158858) working 09:47 1R66 Norwich-Liverpool Lime Street for a one and a half hour ride to Manchester Piccadilly. Nothing much was worth noting on the first part journey, other than dud GBRf 66721 'Harry Beck' in London Underground livery near Alfreton hauling a rake of yellow wagons from Cliffe Hill to Doncaster, and AXC 221121 just north of Dore & Totley. Sadly EMT services to Manchester use the wrong end of the station to view any Northern Metro units on the other platforms, so the reverse at Sheffield was a bust.
Earles Sidings at Hope was my only 'hope' on the way through Edale, and FLR 66413, 66539, 66603 and 66614 were duly noted along with two others obscured by tank wagons. None of the Sheds were any good but 413 certainly stood out in its orange Genesee & Wyoming-style livery (the first time I've seen it as such). Although the paired Sprinters sped on, 1R66 was four down at Manchester Piccadilly (MAN) thanks to delays into the Stockport area and a rather slow crawl into Platform 14. By then Northern dud 319372, dud TPE 185110 and Longsight depot shunter 08451 (another dud - there was a trend developing) had also entered the book.
At 11:41 instead of 11:37 as booked - not bad I suppose, given the service's reputation for delays - and three hours in, I'd made a sum total of zero! It wasn't as good as I'd hoped, but much as I'd expected.
Piccadilly
The plan was to stay at MAN for an hour and a half, mainly because the TPE Nova set hauled by a Class 68 was due through around 13:00 on its return to Manchester International Depot from Bletchley. After that had gone through, the idea was to head over to Victoria for a while.
I quickly set myself up, initially at the end of Platform 13/14, but later moving to the eastern end of 9/10 where it proved easier to identifying the Pacers heading into the lower numbered bays. Almost immediately a steady flow of winners commenced, led by
142031,
142037,
156421 and
156443. Within a few minutes the 150s got in on the act too, with
150110 being the first to hit the mark. Just what I was after! The Pendolinos were coming and going too, but as all of them were duds they did little for me other than being more numbers to note for completeness. However, in an otherwise quiet moment winner TPE
185142 slipped past on a Manchester Airport to Newcastle working, reducing the number outstanding to three. Sadly Arriva Trains Wales were being far less cooperative, failing to deliver the one 175 I needed.
Half an hour in and I was able to open the day's TPE 350 account, with winner 401 heading north to Scotland and dud 409 coming the opposite way. The winners continued to roll in at a steady rate, mainly 142s, 150s and a few 156s although another TPE 350 - goody 408 snook through before the unmistakable growl of a Caterpillar loco could be heard in the Oxford Road direction. By that time several more enthusiasts were on the platform brandishing cameras, so it must have been an eagerly anticipated move. After pausing twice on Platform 13, 68020 with the DBSO leading slowly merged onto the mains to make its way back to the depot. Very nice but sadly the loco was a dud for me.
ATW 175011 175107 175114 175115 175116
AXC 220006 220007 220034 221123
DBC 66172
EMT 158783 158788 158852 158856 158863
NOR 142005 142022 142027
142029 142031 142037 142040 142041
142043 142044
142051 142093
NOR
150110 150114 150120 150128 150135 150137 150142
150146 150150 150204 150205 150206 150211
150224 150268 150273
NOR
156421 156427
156443 156452 156459 156460 156466
156468
NOR 158861
NOR 319362 319367 319372 319375 319377 319380 319381 319386 319458
NOR 323223 323227 323229 323231 323232 323233 323235
TPE / DRS 68020+Nova3 set 1
TPE 185103 185108 185109 185110 185115 185121 185124 185130 185133 185132 185136 185140
185142 185151
TPE
350401 350408 350409
VWC 390002 390020 390040 390103 390104 390118 390125 390152
Northern lash up into Platform 14 at Piccadilly - including one of the sought after 156s
I noted pretty much everything that moved during the almost two hours at Piccadilly, partly to avoid any oversights and also to give some background to the likes of
Mr. Train of this parish who is considering a Manchester trip. Picking up 17 wasn't a bad result as far as I was concerned.
Anyway, by 13:30 I felt it was time to move on and with a direct train due I made a leap. In the past transferring between Piccadilly and Victoria has necessitated a ride on the Manchester Metrolink tram, or a two train trip via Salford Crescent. But TPE services between Manchester Airport and Newcastle now use the Ordsall Curve to link the two every half hour. And so with my Nottingham - Manchester Stations super offpeak ticket still valid, at 13:33 I boarded dud 185109, operating 1P27, for the ride across the city (booked for 11 minutes, actually 14 minutes due to a crawl through Salford Central). On the way I noticed Manchester Metrolink trams
3019,
3051 and
3079 near Deansgate and wondered whether to make a note of others I saw. At the same time, EMT pair 158812 and 158858 headed back east towards Norwich on the return of the working I'd used earlier.
Victoria
So by 13:50, I was established in the dingy gloom of Victoria, waiting with anticipation. Almost the first things I saw, NOR
150111 and
150228, were winners - and I hoped a portent of a good couple of hours to come. Surprisingly a Freightliner 66 also passed through before I'd really established by bearings, trailing a smelly rake of waste bins. But after that it was back to unit - unit - unit for the most part. I settled on the end of Platform 4/5 at the east side of the station for the most part, in the sunshine although a few runs to the other end were required to catch the occasional inbound from the west that reversed.
Shiny 150 on Platform 4 at Victoria with another unit attached
FLR 66513 (Runcorn - Brindle Heath)
NOR 142005 142007 142014 142032 142038 142040 142044 142056 142058 142094
NOR 150101
150102 150103
150111 150118 150119 150121 150129 150131 150132 150139 150142 150144 150145 150203 150204 150209
150218 150210 150212
150228 150269 150270
NOR 156489
156491
NOR 153301 153316
153330 153359 153360
NOR 158754 158756 158757 158759 158784
NOR 319371
TPE 185104 185105 185106 185112 185121 185123 185125 185128 185135 185139 185144 185145 185148
A Pacer, a 158 and a tram pause under the canopy at Victoria
At 15:40, partial winner GBRf
66787 headed east from Hope Street to Peak Forest - I'd seen it previously as 66184 but not carrying its new identity. By then I felt in needed a break, and headed out of the station to find something to eat and drink. Half an hour later I was back for another stint, with only those differing from earlier being noted - the repeats were starting to pile up;
NOR 142013 142034 142050
142054 142061
NOR 150112 150113 150115 150141
150143 150146 150201 150218 150224
150271
NOR 153304 153331
NOR
156444
NOR 158793
TPE 185101 185119 185126 185134 185142 185151
At 16:40 FLR 66513 sped through again in the opposite direction, it's load presumably discharged and the bins now empty.
Another 156 (and two 153s if I remember correctly) in the gloomy part of Victoria
I can't say I particularly liked Victoria. The eastern end of the station is OK, out in the open near the new canopy, but Platforms 3 to 6 are dark and gloomy, and the atmosphere is filled with diesel fumes. So as rush hour developed, my plan to go back to Piccadilly was thwarted by TPE terminating a Middlesborough-Manchester Airport working in Platform 2 at Victoria due to late running - that meant, with the link being only half-hourly, it was 17:55 before I got back to Piccadilly where I noted:
ATW 175001 175011
AXC 220011 221134
NOR 142004 142009 142014 142015 142033
142089
NOR 150110 150128 150268 150273
NOR 156445 156468
NOR 319365 319376
NOR 323227 323230 323232 323234 323237
TPE 185103 185130
185137 185150
VIR 390016 390020 390104
Nearly time to go home - Pacers and 323s under the roof at Piccadilly
NOR 150110, 150268 and 156468 were winners earlier but duds now, point to the fact that the repeats were piling up. Winning TPE
185137 and another Pacer were small blessings, brining my requirements of the former to just two and the latter more than halved. However, boredom was setting in and twenty minutes was all I gave it...
Homebound
Having decided I'd almost had enough for the day, I initially resolved to get the EMT 18:42 1L16 service all the way through to Nottingham. However, I suddenly realised that there were choices, and decided to try the 18:19 TPE service to Cleethorpes. My idea was that the earlier train would give me a break en route, enabling me to pop into the Sheffield Tap for a quick bevy. 185150 duly arrived from Manchester Airport but was rammed, which almost prompted me to revert to plan-A with EMT. However, I suddenly noted an unoccupied unreserved seat in Coach C and hopped on board. Latecomers weren't so lucky and by the time 1B88 departed one late the service was full and standing and remained that way despite stops at Stockport and Dore & Totley. The only things of note on the earlier part of the journey were dud TPE 350402 and 350410 working 1S82 from Manchester Airport to Edinburgh, EMT 158812 and NOR 323228 at Stockport. Sadly the two FLR 66s still at Earles were obscured by more wagons. A delay into Platform 1 at Sheffield put the train 12 down at 19:20 but placed me right next to the Sheffield Tap - it was too tempting to resist, even though there was precious little time for imbibing prior to my planned 19:37 EMT departure to Nottingham.
The initial idea was to have a quick drink in the Tap, but with the arrival delay and departures to Nottingham every half hour-ish one pint soon turned into two - the Thornbridge Jaipur (ABV 5.9%) is really rather pleasant. While I was enjoying the IPA, the following entered the book (plus some 144s which I could not be bothered to note):
AXC 220024 220032
EMT 158783 158866
EMT 220002
NOR 142031 142037 142088
NOR 150106
NOR 158842 158843
158870 158872
Second-born Meridian about to leave Sheffield for Pancy
Any other day I'd have been really pleased to get two potentially winning Pacers (031 and 037) at Sheffield in one visit, but as luck would have it they'd been caught at Piccadilly earlier in the day. The winning 158 was still in Scotrail livery and brought my current Northern 158 needs down to zero again. Anyway Sheffield rarely delivers much for me these days and by half past eight I was ready to move on. EMT's 1L17 Manchester - Nottingham worked by duds 158813 and 158783 showed up more or less on time at 20:41, surprising given all the stick for a lack of punctuality the route has been getting recently. A mere 45 minutes later and the two Sprinters were back home, with me rather tired but with still a tram ride and a short drive to go. Before walking up to the NET platforms I took a quick look around a fairly quiet Nottingham station:
AXC 170102
EMT 156415 156497
EMT 158783 158799 158813 158854
GBR 66705 (Ratcliffe-Immingham)
Alstom Citadis 229 soon arrived for the trip to Toton Lane and en route 211, 214, 216, 219, 226, 229 and 233 were seen - all duds of course, and so the day had ended as it began.
Summary
Throughout the day the Northern 150s fell at a regular rate, brining me down to needing just eight for sight. It was also great to cut the Northern Pacers down (twelve to five, all allocated to Newton Heath).
But where were the Allerton 156s? I went needing 29 for sight but only managed to knock that down by seven. I assumed they'd be regular through Victoria but only three (one winner and two duds) put in an appearance - they were actually more prevalent at Piccadilly. Clearly they are lurking somewhere (maybe in Jordieland) so research and a plan needs to be hatched to make inroads into the remaining 22. By contrast I started out the day needing 18 Northern 150s for sight and brought that down to eight, a fair result. And actually I've always liked Piccadilly but have developed a dislike of Victoria as despite me having high-hopes it didn't deliver particularly well. I enjoyed the day and it was entertaining to see some of the lash-ups the Northern Random Unit Generator (a
Mr. Kite term if I remember correctly) put out - 156+two 153s, not a problem; 150+142, yup we can do that; 158+153, why not... I noted almost exactly 200 units and locos, which was a good haul, and 33 winners from that wasn't bad but to echo an earlier comment: not as good as I'd hoped but much as I'd expected. One final thought though...
Did I mention trams?
I knew some of the Manchester Metrolink tram routes passed through Victoria, but I had no idea how intense the service was or how easy the vehicles were to see from the mainline platforms. I've said several times before that I don't do trams and that remains broadly my thinking - I certainly don't go out of my way for them and I'd always put heavy rail ahead of the lighter side. However, if there are trams in front of me, I've decided it might be worth taking a note of them for sight. And the following were observed during my time in Manchester:
3001 3002 3003 3006 3008 3009 3010 3011 3012 3014 3017 3018 3019 3020 3021 3023 3025 3026 3027 3028 3032 3034 3035 3036 3037 3038 3040 3041 3043 3046 3047 3048 3049 3050 3051 3054 3055 3057 3064 3065 3066 3069 3070 3074 3076 3077 3079 3082 3083 3085 3086 3088 3089 3090 3091 3094 3096 3101 3105 3107 3108 3109 3112 3113 3116 3117 3120
Adding 64 at Victoria to the three I saw earlier - 67 out of a fleet of 120 - was a result when I wasn't really expecting to do any. If those were added to the heavy rail vehicles a total score of 100 winners would have made for an excellent day out. But I don't do trams, do I. I just begs the question: will I have to go back to the area to try to finish the job off? No, no - the 156s I mean!