Goods trains on the CLC Hunts-Cross / Southport line

Can anyone please tell me where I can get advance information regarding any goods trains that may use the Hunts Cross - Southport line?

I live within earshot of Cressington Station and although a regular user, I have only ever seen one non-regular passenger service use the line, (a southbound engineers train just before the last service was due to depart Moorfields).

Not much freight on that line.

Freightmaster would be your best bet, but that isn't free.

Open data sites (of which there are many, including Open Train Times) have the schedules, but they often "run as required" and it may not be easy or even possible to know in advance if a schedule is going to be activated and actually used.

Note that some trains may appear as "freight" but might not actually be freight, e.g. maintenance trains.

At the time one is due to run, you should be able to see it using real time maps, such as Traksy or Open Train Times.

You might want to keep an eye out for the 8th December as there is a Branch Line Society railtour heading in that direction, joining the Merseyrail network at Bootle Junction

Kite159 said:

You might want to keep an eye out for the 8th December as there is a Branch Line Society railtour heading in that direction, joining the Merseyrail network at Bootle Junction

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OK thanks, what rolling stock will be used and what time is it scheduled?

I've had a look on your website, so no need to reply now thanks, (but you are not passing through Cressington unless I've missed something)?

Grumpy Git said:

OK thanks, what rolling stock will be used and what time is it scheduled?

I've had a look on your website, so no need to reply now thanks, (but you are not passing through Cressington unless I've missed something)?

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Timings haven't been confirmed, but it won't be passing Cressington as it will be on the northern end of the line.

Grumpy Git said:

Can anyone please tell me where I can get advance information regarding any goods trains that may use the Hunts Cross - Southport line?

I live within earshot of Cressington Station and although a regular user, I have only ever seen one non-regular passenger service use the line, (a southbound engineers train just before the last service was due to depart Moorfields).

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Look for notices on stations, or on the Merseytravel website to see if any sections of the line are to be closed for engineering work. There is often (but not always) one or more engineering train during such work. Apart from that, there are rail head treatment trains - leaf clearance season only, and occasional visits by network rail test / inspection trains - the latter often overnight.

Grumpy Git said:

Can anyone please tell me where I can get advance information regarding any goods trains that may use the Hunts Cross - Southport line?

I live within earshot of Cressington Station and although a regular user, I have only ever seen one non-regular passenger service use the line, (a southbound engineers train just before the last service was due to depart Moorfields).

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Any train working through the Merseyrail underground, unless in an engineering possession, needs to have tripcocks fitted, and also anything diesel is heavily restricted for obvious reasons (the Network Rail MPV just about gets away with it, I think by coasting through the underground stations so as not to fill them with fumes).

A freight train could work through Cressington and get as far as Brunswick, but there is no easy way to reverse a train there so in practice it would not happen. The section between Hunts Cross West Junction and Sandhills will in normal circumstances be Merseyrail trains only.

The sole exception is the Network Rail MPV which does leaf-clearing runs in the Autumn and also shows up when cold weather is forecast to act as a de-icing train. It is currently running daily and will pass through Cressington at least once a day in each direction. here is the schedule from last Friday, for example. Look on RTT for trains starting and/or terminating at "Wigan L.I.P." with operator code ZZ.

Various NR track recording trains have visited - I think the most recent was a top+tail working with two class 73s earlier this year - but they tend to work through in the small hours of the morning when there are no passenger trains about.

If checking Realtime Trains for engineering trains, bear in mind that movements within an engineering possession may not always appear on RTT, you may have to do a bit of sleuthing to work out where the possession starts or ends and you may find a train there.

Someone will no doubt have more precise info, but I think the last freight along the line operated in 1977, although by then it was much reduced from the line's heyday. There was an oil terminal at Brunswick, and occasional trains worked from there to Garston docks, via a branch which diverged at Cressington Junction, west of the station. Indeed, for much of the 1970s they would have been the only traffic on the line - passenger services were withdrawn in 1972 and only returned in 1978 with the coming of Merseyrail.

Thanks for the replies. I completely understand there is no "regular" freight traffic so to speak, but I sometimes work silly hours through the night (when I don't get disturbed), and I have heard what I presume is a diesel locomotive close by (hence my original question). The Network Rail MPV is the one I have seen trundling through Moorfields prevoiusly, (travelling south about 23:30/23:45 time), I guess it probably this I have heard at Cressington?

Would this NR MPV show-up on "raildar.co.uk"?

There was a RHTT on the line yesterday. It run from Southport to Hunts cross platform 3.
It was sandwiched between two WTT services, the first left P3 and went to Southport, the RHTT train pulled into P3 and the service following it called at Hunts cross Platform 2 on the main line.
The WTT service terminated and then made the return journey to Southport and the RHTT followed it back to Southport, it then terminated there, then went back Up the Liverpool line as far as Bootle Oriel Road station and then went to Edge hill from there over Bootle Junction onto the Up Bootle, went to Edge Lane Jn, then to Olive Mount Jn onto the Up Chat Moss to Roby Jn then Huyton Jn onto the Springs branch, Ince Moss Jn to Sidings Jn and then under the WCML into Wigan sidings...

It happens often. Then you also get a Sandite train there too as that area is prone to poor rail head adhesion.

As to freight workings you wont see any, apart from not having time to path a train because of the 15 minute service Merseyrail offer Cressington is half way on the way to nowhere, only a Class 66 or Class 37 can use the tunnel sections and then only under an engineering possession. Even then you cant book a path over it as its a subsidised railway. So no freight...
Those reasons should tell you why the up coming rail tour wont be starting at Hunts cross and take in Cressington station and instead starts its Northern line tour at Bootle Junction.

Maybe and its a big maybe you will see one at 18:48 today in the Up direction towards Hunts cross then again going back at 19:31 after theres nothing booked for a couple of weeks that I can see...

That line used to be teeming with freight moves when I was a lad. The freight used to come up from the south docks at Herculanium to Manchester or to the north docks via the line through Gateacre. You also used to get reversals into the Freightliner depot years later over a junction that used to be just up from the station called Cressington Junction. Class 08 shunters would reverse into what is now called the Down Southport line towards Liverpool and then propel the train back into the depot. or a reverse move was possible too from the station. into the yard. All gone now of course, the junction was removed with Merseyrail and when they built the bypass it put the tin hat on any chance of re linking those two pieces of track together.

Sorry, the RHTT run to the Hindley branch instead.

It’s on the move now. Left Southport 0648. Expected LPY 0732.

He took the Stock Interchange and is now treating the Wirral line. Chester or Ellesmere I dont know yet.

ElectroSoldier said:

He took the Stock Interchange and is now treating the Wirral line. Chester or Ellesmere I dont know yet.

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The Wirral is normally treated by a separate Mpv that enters the network via Chester around 5am. That runs up to Birkenhead and back to Chester. Then in this order should treat the West Kirby, New Brighton and Ellesmere Port lines before leaving the network via Chester around midday.

Oh right, thats good to know.
I guess there were two out at the sameish time then, one Northern line to other on the Wirral line.

I saw him head off to Ellesmere port from Birkenhead park i think it was then stopped watching as I was busy ...