Back on the platform

47403 said:

Well thank you for that pic of Lady Pen, Mr Train, just in case I'd forgot what it looks like and of the one of 66181 too. Nice to see that 66181 is moving at least.
Here's a nice pic of Lady Pen, in its better days, courtesy and permission of Darren Ford.
View attachment 60584
Now doesn't that look much much better.

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Certainly does look a million times better as it was.

As for 66181, I've only seen it the once and that was back in October. I've just checked sightings on Trainlogger and it's been spotted all over the place in March, from Carstairs to Eastleigh so it's definitely working at the moment

NorthWestRover said:

The Warrington BQ to Liverpool Lime St doesn't appear to offer much nowadays, but it's a darn historic route in railway terms. Just after Winwick Junction (where the WCML splits off), you would have passed the site of the old Vulcan Works, birthplace of many a loco, including lots of the Whistlers. Later on you pass through Rainhill, site of the eponymous trials with The Rocket and all. I went to the 150 year anniversary of that - will be 200 soon!!

Oh, and just after Newton-le-Willows when you went to Manchester Victoria you passed the site of the first person killed by a train. Mr Huskisson MP.

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Wow that's some great history and each of those facts is new to me so thanks for that. It's easy to travel along lines these days without considering what has come and gone (mainly gone unfortunately) over the years

Kite159 said:

IIRC a Cheshire Rover is valid as far as Shotton, so in theory you could do Crewe - Chester - Shotton - Bidston - Liverpud.

Although some of the connections at Shotton are a tad pants.

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Thanks Kite, I will bear that in mind. Hopefully next time I go the engineering work is complete so it's easier to get out of Chester

pieguyrob said:

Ecellent trip reports, tge planned maintenance, is that due to making the platforms ready for the 777's?

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Yes, I believe all of the engineering works on the Merseyrail network revolved around platform extensions.

47403 said:

Sorry Mr Train, we seem to have hijacked your thread a bit. My apologies mate.

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Never apologise for that mate, I love that so many people want to get involved, share their stories and offer advice. It's what makes this part of the forum so great if you ask me so feel free to 'hijack' my thread as much as you want

The_Train said:

Thanks Kite, I will bear that in mind. Hopefully next time I go the engineering work is complete so it's easier to get out of Chester

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The platform works should be finished by now so should be easier to loop via Chester into 3rd rail land

Cheshire Day Ranger - Tuesday 12th March 2019

Part 2 - Manchester........united

I'd only visited Manchester Victoria once previously and that was for a connection to some far flung, exotic destination in deepest Lancashire.......namely Burnley. Anyway, I had no real recollection of what Victoria was like so my arrival there was like visiting a new station, particularly with the mainline platforms and tram platforms coming together under the large canopy. Unfortunately, building work was clearly in full swing and the fencing erected meant that I'd need to be on my toes to see anything that arrived into the bays and any tram action if I fancied it.....but who cares about trams?

My arrival into Victoria saw me off to a good start as inroads into the Northern stock were made. 319383 was first into the book and was quickly followed by 150209 with 153304 attached. I decided that platform 3 would be the best spot as it would allow easy access to the bays when necessary and from here I was able to spy 158754 arriving into P4 with 185150 heading in the opposite direction through P3. A major reason for wanting to incorporate time at Manchester on my day out was to try and eat away at the soon to be replaced Pacer stock and 142060 was found hiding in P2 to keep these ticking over. I was still running at a 100% success rate at Victoria and this continued with 185123 which was quickly followed by 142064. After 15 minutes of solid winners, TPE ruined my run by sending me 185136 but it was only a temporary slip up as the pacers were soon starting another winning streak with 142041 and 142025 finding themselves in the winners list. I'd not anticipated any freight movements and was very surprised to hear that well known noise of a shed and despite my age, I was able to move quickly enough to just about catch 66567 heading through with a 'binliner' heading towards Dean Lane. It was soon back to the units though and 150144 was next to revel in being a winner, before 142096 continued a steady success rate with pacer units although it was attached to dud 150114. My next entry into the book of sights was another pairing as the Northern random unit generator continues to throw up just about anything. This one is probably more standard compared to most as 153301 and 156446 made it a quicktime double, before a double pacer set brought a smile to my face as 142033 and 142036 were chalked off in one swoop of the pen. The double units just kept on coming although the next one only yielded a 50% success rate as dud 158795 lead 153378 into the station before I edged ever closer to a complete set of 185s with 185143 heading into the book
TPE 185143 and Northern Trains 142036 await departure from Manchester Victoria by The_Train

Another pair of winners kept the success total rising thanks to 150206 and 150138 before a lonely 150225 made it 3 in a row for the 150s as it crept into P5 with a working towards Blackburn
150225 Sprinter arrives into Manchester Victoria by The_Train

The number of winners was now starting to slow up a little bit and after duds 185108 and 319382 passed through it was left to the pacers to offer some success with 142009 receiving a big tick, but it was a short-lived success as dud 153317 arrived. However, what 153317 couldn't offer, its partner for the day 150137 certainly could as could 150131 and 156455 which also offered a winning pair. An ECS working from Newton Heath threw up yet another winning pairing as 142055
142055 and 150146 arrive into Manchester Victoria by The_Train

and 150146 arrived ready to work a service to Wigan North Western
Northern 150146 and TPE 185141 at Manchester Victoria by The_Train

I'd entered the final hour of my planned time at Victoria but the winners didn't show any sign of drying up just yet, another pacer being chalked off next this time in the form of 142031. P6 was the location for more with unit selection as 142005 and 150128 made up a lovely winning pair with a 156/153 setup giving me another winner not so long afterwards thanks to 156448 - 153301 at the rear not required from this pairing. A lull in winners hit me for a period of time before 150112 broke the barren spell, before it's close relative 150126 also went into the book. Another stroll around to the bays was required as light was fading with 153324 and 158786 terminating in P1 ready to head back across the Pennines soon afterwards. As we edged towards 6pm, my 2 hour stint here was reaching a conclusion and with more duds than winners it was probably the right time to move on. However, my late running TPE service allowed me to nab a couple of extras as I waited with 142028 and 142056 forming yet another winning pair. A few minutes later 185145 arrived to take me on the short journey over the Ordsall Chord to Piccadilly where I will finish this tale next time........
TPE 185145 arrives into Manchester Victoria by The_Train

Oh and for those interested, the trams proved too tempting to ignore and I was able to nab the following winners:

3004, 3006, 3008, 3009, 3014, 3022, 3025, 3027, 3028, 3030, 3031, 3032, 3036, 3042, 3046, 3048, 3049, 3050, 3051, 3052, 3053, 3055, 3056, 3059, 3072, 3075, 3080, 3081, 3083, 3089, 3098, 3102, 3107, 3109, 3110, 3112, 3116, 3117

So Victoria gave me a good return as another 38 mainline winners went into the book alongside the 38 tram winners to go with those picked up earlier in the day.

Did you see the large mosaic map of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway on the wall just outside the barriers?

NorthWestRover said:

Did you see the large map of the railways in the area on the tiled walls, just outside the barriers?

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It's not ringing a bell. Would I have had to go through the barriers to see it?

Yes. Google Manchester Victoria mosaic.

The_Train said:

Never apologise for that mate, I love that so many people want to get involved, share their stories and offer advice. It's what makes this part of the forum so great if you ask me so feel free to 'hijack' my thread as much as you want

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I haven't read part 2 as yet, I did say, we seem to have hijacked the thread, what I meant, was, I had.
I'm of the same opinion, on any thread I start, so I'm glad your ok with it too, cheers.

NorthWestRover said:

Yes. Google Manchester Victoria mosaic.

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Now I've checked, yes I did see it. Got to say that I actually quite enjoyed Victoria and I think a reason for that is how the new canopy is quite modern but then the older parts of the station have maintained a more quaint look to them

A good run of winners there Mr train. The mosaic is a tiled map of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway system.

2 hours at Victoria? Crikey that's quite significant! Mind in back in 2004 I did similar time there, first visit to Manchester and it was all very different back then. For one there was a lot less trams running! Oh and the station was less pleasant to be at too!

Not been myself since it has been revamped.

I've just read the Man Vic report as I'm just about to arrive into Man Vic. Spooky!

Sounds like you had an enjoyable couple of hours.

Don't knock the trams, they run on rails too, and in some places it is difficult to say that they are not trains. I was at Man Vic about a year ago and was impressed with the authentic look of the Refreshment Room.

Cheshire Day Ranger - Tuesday 12th March 2019

Part 3 - The (Manchester) Piccadilly Line

My journey from Victoria to Piccadilly threw up nothing of note and it wasn't until my arrival into Piccadilly that I was able to reactivate the book of winners. A roam around the platforms saw me nail 158818 amongst a raft of duds before 150124 was chalked off along with 150111 (on separate workings)
Northern sprinter 150111 leaves Manchester Piccadilly by The_Train

The winners weren't quite as forthcoming at Piccadilly but 158777 stemmed the flow of duds and also set me up for a run of winners with 175108 completing a TfW service from Wales. Dud 150224 did break the run for a split second but thanks to Northerns multiple multiple workings 150149 was attached and very much needed before 323237 also got that winning treatment and took me to within 2 of completing the Northern fleet of this class. 142012 was next to be chalked off as it became my first winning pacer since departing Victoria. By now a day on my feet coupled with the up and down stairs necessity during the evening time at Piccadilly had left me struggling and in a bit of pain down my left leg but after a quick coffee break I struggled on and was rewarded with a quick fire treble as 150211 and 150222 were chalked off together before I got that little bit closer to getting through the pacer stock as 142090 went into the book as well. Unfortunately 142011 which was attached wasn't required and neither were the next couple of TPE 185s but 156425 definitely was required. It was a busy evening at Piccadilly and it wasn't long before another winner arrived, this time in the form of 150148. A quick check of the departure boards showed that there were a couple of the Anglo-Scottish TPE services due into the through platforms, so a hobble over to that side was needed to see 350405 arriving into P13 and 350410 heading towards Glasgow in P14. Just 6 of the 350s to go now to get the full set complete, a task that should become a lot easier when the 350/4s move to WMT. With time ticking towards my departure (my train was being readied) there was still lots going on
Inside the shed at Piccadilly by The_Train

And the winners were not done yet as 319365 was chalked off before 142029 obliged as well. Conscious that the Pendolino I was due to board would be slowly filling up and the fact I wanted to nab a table to get some fizz back in my phone, I decided to do one more quick (well as quick as my leg would allow) roam around the platforms and after a couple of dud 323s, my time at Piccadilly finished in a good way with 142024 and 142043 waiting to head off into Yorkshire together and 142042 also providing a final winner of the day. That was enough for me so I headed across to board 390119, a winner for haulage if nothing else, and settled in for a slower journey home thanks to the weather causing speed restrictions.

A successful day out around Liverpool and Manchester as summarised below:

For Sight

Winners: 150 (including 1 coaching stock and 38 trams)
Classes completed: N/A
Sub classes completed: N/A

For Haulage

Winners: 11
Total Mileage: 189 miles 72 chains
Classes completed: N/A
Sub classes completed: N/A

Read parts 2 and 3, now that's what I call a productive day.
I'm surprised you never saw any freight movements through Piccalilly. Normally a couple an hour. From what i read, a fair few HT bouncing bombs(142s) knocking round Manchester too. Could keep them there for me too.
Great read as usual and the book of sights, will be a damn sight better off for it too.
Where next for Mr Train?
Talking of the book of sights, I just bought the new NREA, Im now having the unenviable task of marking the damn thing in, I'm just up to the light rail section, just getting there, took me 2 evenings to mark the locos in. Glad I just do this every other year.

47403 said:

Read parts 2 and 3, now that's what I call a productive day.
I'm surprised you never saw any freight movements through Piccalilly. Normally a couple an hour. From what i read, a fair few HT bouncing bombs(142s) knocking round Manchester too. Could keep them there for me too.
Great read as usual and the book of sights, will be a damn sight better off for it too.
Where next for Mr Train?
Talking of the book of sights, I just bought the new NREA, Im now having the unenviable task of marking the damn thing in, I'm just up to the light rail section, just getting there, took me 2 evenings to mark the locos in. Glad I just do this every other year.

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To be honest I may have missed some freight as I wasn't really keeping an eye on RTT while I roamed around inside the shed at Piccadilly. And yeah, I wanted to get more pacers ticked off and the 142s didn't fail me there.

As for where next, I've decided that I may need to revise my planning and start to consider where stocks are likely to disappear from in the near future ie Pacers, LNER 91s etc. Maybe if there is some kind soul who has the knowledge of when withdrawals are likely to start with different TOCs who can inform me....

My physical book of sights is well behind at the moment. I'm about halfway through adding the Glasgow winners from December and then got all of this year to catch up with. I'll get there in the end haha

The_Train said:

As for where next, I've decided that I may need to revise my planning and start to consider where stocks are likely to disappear from in the near future ie Pacers, LNER 91s etc. Maybe if there is some kind soul who has the knowledge of when withdrawals are likely to start with different TOCs who can inform me....

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Immediate disappearance is the GN 313s. Some have been stood down and the 717s service seems to be starting gradually from Monday. And yes, start going for the 91s and HSTs on the ECML.

87electric said:

Immediate disappearance is the GN 313s. Some have been stood down and the 717s service seems to be starting gradually from Monday. And yes, start going for the 91s and HSTs on the ECML.

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I will have to forget about the 313s if it's an immediate disappearance but I've not got masses left to see on the ECML so I think that's definitely worth another trip. Will maybe repeat my Donny trip of last year some time in April

How about a trip to south Wales for more pacer action? Plus plenty of other stuff for you to get in the book.

xotGD said:

How about a trip to south Wales for more pacer action? Plus plenty of other stuff for you to get in the book.

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Yep, a trip to Bristol and Cardiff is very much in my planning. Not sure if it's as urgent as others though - aren't the pacers going to be around for much of this year?

Loitering at the local

Couple of outings to the local have occurred since the Manchester/Liverpool outing. A couple of hours on Friday 15th March only threw up the following duds:

59: 59102
66: 66305, 66424, 66518, 66519, 66523, 66725, 66730
70: 70005
220: 220003, 220010, 220026, 220029
221: 221102, 221110, 221113, 221117, 221131, 221132
350: 350108, 350115, 350126, 350239, 350256, 350258, 350262, 350267
390: 390011, 390013, 390045, 390049, 390127, 390148, 390155

The only thing of note from this little outing was 59102 heading up to Crewe. Seemed slightly out of place considering it's normal operations. The other thing was the very thorough ticket checks in operation with a very heavy police presence and what looked like a metal detector. The staff just waved me through when I told them of my intentions though.

So after that wasted exercise, I returned on the following Monday as I'd noticed a move from Norwich CP to Crewe Electric and this move has invariably thrown up GA winners in the past. My planned hour on the platform turned into a few hours more as I got chatting with a couple of nice guys from Yorkshire and it turned out to be a decent afternoon. As I arrived at the station (ticket checks in operation yet again without the OTT police presence this time - I'm starting to think that this could be the start of barriers going in at Stafford) I was welcomed by the sight of 59102 making it's way back towards Wembley having spent the weekend at Crewe but this time it was not alone as it had 92019 in tow. A good start was made even better not so long afterwards as the move I'd gone to see passed through with 37402 hauling a fairly forlorn looking 90003 to Crewe Electric TMD
37402 hauling 90003 through Stafford by The_Train

There wasn't much else to shout about for the next couple of hours with plenty of units and sheds coming and going but alas them all being dud. There was excitement building around the station though, as a Kings Lynn to Carnforth working was anticipated to be a steam engine and so it proved when 35018 British India Line rolled through
35018 British India Line passes Stafford by The_Train

Hot on the heels of the steam, we also got to saw the other end of the railway spectrum as 68026 came through hauling TPE Mk5 set TP09 with DVT 12809 at the other end
TPE liveried 68026 passing Stafford by The_Train

That would be it as far as the winners for the day were concerned but can't complain at 5 winners and a good variety of rolling stock on show. Full list of what I logged is below:

37: 37402
59: 59102
66: 66416, 66421, 66503, 66526, 66566, 66567, 66598, 66730, 66736, 66744, 66754, 66765, 66952, 66953
68: 68026
70: 70005, 70020
90: 90003, 90042
92: 92019
220: 220001, 220017, 220019, 220020, 220021
221: 221106, 221107, 221109, 221112, 221115, 221129, 221135, 221142
350: 350107, 350110, 350116, 350127, 350231, 350232, 350240, 350244, 350246, 350259, 350263, 350373, 350377
390: 390001, 390002, 390005, 390006, 390011, 390016, 390020, 390040, 390043, 390045, 390049, 390107, 390119, 390124, 390126, 390135, 390148, 390153, 390154
Steam - SR: 35018
TPE Mk5a DTSO: 12809
OTMs: DR80201

And then 2 days later my luck was definitely in as I was sitting outside a Costa enjoying a Mango and Passion fruit cooler in the sun. It so happens that this particular Costa is next to the WCML just South of the Trent Valley junction and from here I was able to chalk off the late running 66094 as it hauled a rake of fully loaded car wagons from Halewood to the docks in Southampton.

And that leaves me with just the one outing to catch up on now. Hopefully I will have that done in the next couple of days so you are all up to date with me

A very good day in Manchester & a reasonable day in Stafford

Not bad for a stint at the local Mr Train.

59102 in Stafford, bloody hell that is a bit of a rarity and very much required by me, can't be many times when any of that sub class, rock up in those neck of the woods.Them damn things avoid me or hide right over the back of Acton Yard, when I go looking for them. Them stupid number plates are an absolute nightmare to ID.

An exceptionally good haul on your Cheshire Day Ranger, especially so considering it's relatively local to you. With more winners producing at the local your needs must be looking quite good at the moment!

If you're after stock that's due to depart soon then Northern's Pacers should be going from May onwards, starting with the 144s. This is all dependent on a number of factors though, most of which are running late. Same goes for TfWs Pacer fleet, but they're in an even bigger hole than Northern in terms of rolling stock.

Elsewhere it's the LNER 43s and 91s in the Autumn as the 80Xs are phased in. A trip or two to Doncaster from May onwards will get you a nice blend of the old and new.

Scotland sees the 314s already being withdrawn, so you might have missed the boat their depending upon how you got on up there when you went, whilst the 315s for TfL Rail are also quickly disappearing. 315s and 317s from London Overground will be going this year too if the 710s ever get their act together.

Lots to consider!

I would imagine the 315s for TfL Rail will be around a bit longer, a few more might go to become razor blades when the FLU 345s eventually enter service on the Western releasing the RLU 345s back to the east.

The Overground stuff, I suggest Hackney Downs
or Bethel Green, but a good session in an evening peak will clear most of the Orange stuff (as well as lots of other GA bits)