Although I have visited Manchester several times over the years (mainly for meetings) and sampled the railway network, it has mainly been the London & North Western and the Lancashire & Yorkshire metals I've traversed. After recently completing the Cheshire Lines Committee routes earlier on this year, this left me with the Great Central Railway/Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway, and Midland Railway metals to cover, as with the exception of Manchester to Guide Bridge, and the connecting link from Hazel Grove to Midland Railway line to Sheffield, I've hardly covered the aforementioned routes. This was a matter that was needing rectified, as I felt that anything to do with Midland Railway metals in terms of levels of service, infrastructure improvements, etc, are normally last in line, and it would be a sense of injustice if I neglected to cover the MR metals of Manchester.
Anyway, I had the GM Wayfarer issued at the Intercity booking office at Glasgow Central with no problems as I already had a note of the code for it on me. Now, I did not use my normal mode of transport to get me down to Manchester (I used the overnight Stagecoach Megabus, departing Glasgow Buchanan Street at 23:40 the previous night), as I had already dipped into what I had budgeted earlier in the year when I did my previous bashing trip on Sheffield Supertram. As I would arrive at Shudehill Interchange at 04:35 on the Friday morning, I would use this as an opportunity to shack attack both Patricroft and Eccles at the same time, have a large veggie breakfast from a Wetherspoons, and walk to Ardwick to pick up an inbound service to Piccadilly before getting stuck right in to the main bash.
Arrival at Shudehill Interchange was on schedule, and as I had a bit of time to kill, I had a gentle saunter to Lincoln Square, where the statue of Abraham Lincoln is displayed, and his contribution into abolishing the slave trade, of which the city of Manchester overwhelmingly supported. It was then another gentle saunter towards the town hall, then via Arndale Centre back to the football museum and to Victoria station. This early morning stroll helped wake me up, as I took a couple of sleeping tablets before the bus journey.
After collecting some tickets from the machine for these couple of brief spins I was doing (the Wayfarer comes into play after 09:30 on Mondays to Fridays), it was through the gateline to Platform 3 for the 05:39 Liverpool Lime Street service, formed by
156468 and now a new super dud 150134 for the short run to Patricroft. It was left out the station, then left into Cromwell Road, continue into Chadwick Road and Russell Street, left and across Peel Street towards the railway bridge before turning right down a pathway that leads to Vicarage Grove and Eccles station. It was down the stairs to the platform, and while waiting for the Manchester bound service, 319365 was spotted working the 06:09 towards Liverpool.
It was on board the slightly delayed 06:10 Manchester Victoria service, which was formed by
319368. It was then a gentle saunter towards the Piccadilly Tavern, as it opens at 7AM. When I arrived, I noticed a sign mentioning that food is served from 8AM, which that would have been no use to me due to my next planned move. Instead, I walked across in the generic direction of Oxford Road/St Peters Square to my old favourite The Paramount, and got a veggie breakfast and tea there. While conscious of the time, I had to be out the door no later than 07:40 to be on the safe side after I had my breakfast.
I had realised that as I had a cross Manchester return from Stockport to Patricroft, this allowed me to use Metrolink, so I walked the short distance to St Peters Square and took a tram to Piccadilly. I exited though the car park on to Sheffield Street, then left Travis Street, right St Andrews Street, left Fairfield Street, continue across ring road (Mancunian Way), right Chancellor Lane, down to the railway bridge, across to the other side, left into Blind Lane to Ardwick station. I was glad I made it, as I was trying not to lose sight of the railway line along the route. The path from Blind Lane takes you to a very narrow stairway, which appeared to be a steep ascent to track level, continuing past what is probably a relay room (or something to do with the overhead line equipment), then via a rusty bridge to the island platform.
During the 10 minutes or so I had at Ardwick, 185119 and 185135 were spotted heading to Scarborough, 390115 to London Euston, 323228, 323232, 323225, 142036 to Rose Hill Marple, 185139, 390131 to MAN, and 221117 were some of the trains passing through on both the L&NWR and GC/MR metals that I managed to get the numbers of. It was on board for a lonesome me on the 08:23 to MAN, formed of
142003 and
142049. For information, there were 2 passengers who alighted from this service at Ardwick.
After arriving at MAN, it was a brief wander to a convenience store along Piccadilly to purchase something that was cold and wet, due to it being very warm. I wandered back to the station to board the 09:07 Bristol TM service to Stockport, formed by
220011. Now, as this is Friday, and scheduled arrival at SPT is 09:15, you can probably guess as to what my next move would be. It would be indeed me boarding the 09:22 Stalybridge Express ghost train departing from Manchester bay Platform 3a, formed today of
150116, dud 142047, and
142046. There were 5 other passengers with me who boarded this service today at SPT, where we were going all the way to Stalybridge. Also of note, there were an additional 2 passengers who boarded at Denton. On the approach to Guide Bridge, the express was held for a couple of minutes, hence the arrival at Stalybridge being a couple of minutes behind schedule. Also, Freightliner 66601 was spotted attached to coal wagons in the goods yard just after passing Guide Bridge.
It was to the adjacent platform at Stalybridge for the slightly delayed 09:46 Wigan Wallgate via Victoria service, formed by
142041 for the short hop to Ashton-under-Lyne. While waiting for the 10:07 eastbound local all stations to Huddersfield, 185105 was spotted whizzing through with an eastbound Liverpool LS – Newcastle Central service. It was a now new super dud 150144 that did the honours for me for the eastbound run to Greenfield, where it was a very slow trot to the westbound platform to await the next service. It was starting to get busy now, and the 10:36 Wigan Wallgate service was 5 minutes behind schedule according to the screen. It was
142004 (winner) and super dud 142044 that took me on the westbound run to Victoria.
I then went to get something cold and wet again, due to the soaring temperature before boarding the 11:29 local shuttle to Stalybridge, formed by now super dud 150133. It was then a trek from Platform 5 to Platforms 1 – 3 for the 11:50 Liverpool LS service to Piccadilly, formed by
185150 which was quite busy. As I had built in some recovery time, my next intended move was the 12:46 Crewe via Manchester Airport service. However, I glanced at the screens and noticed that the 12:14 local shuttle to the airport was delayed, so immediately made my way to Platform 8, where
323325 was 4 minutes behind schedule and would take me for the short hop to Burnage. On the approach to Burnage, 323229 was spotted departing northbound, and I made a note that it would most likely be the intended 12:46 CRE via MIA departure.
At Burnage, I made my way to the bus stop on the main Kingsway, where a couple of minutes later, the 130 took me for the short hop northbound to Mauldeth Road. It was a short walk from Kingsway to the station, where a few minutes later, it was indeed
323229 that formed the 12:53 departure to CRE, where I would alight at Wilmslow. It is noted that this is the lunchtime southbound departure that calls at Styal, where 2 passengers alighted. At Wilmslow, it was to the other face of the island platform for the 13:27 MAN service from London, formed by
390131 “City of Liverpool” for the short run to Stockport. It was then to Platform 1 to use the lavatory before boarding the 13:51 Alderley Edge service to Handforth, formed by
323226. After alighting, I admired the various signage of the station name in various railway networks, such as Northern Ireland, Netherlands, France, Hong Kong (or somewhere in East Asia), Merseyrail, London Underground, and Docklands Light Railway were some of the signs on the southbound platform.
Anyway, it was over to the northbound platform for the 14:20 MAN service to Levenshulme, formed of fresh dud 323229. It was over to the southbound platform for the 14:43 Alderley Edge service to the next stop Heaton Chapel, which was formed of
323223. As this was a couple of minutes behind schedule, it would be very tight to make the 14:50 northbound MAN service from Hazel Grove or Buxton. Needless to say, due to the booking office being closed after lunchtime, this meant a trek down the lane on the opposite side of the road, then down the ramp and under the bridge on to the northbound platform, and the train pulled away just when I was at the top of the ramp. I noted the number of the unit (possibly the rear one) being 150211, which was dud.
Meanwhile, it was a 20 minute wait for the 15:09 to MAN, which was running a few minutes behind schedule, and was formed of fresh dud 323226 from Alderley Edge. Again, I had built in some recovery time for this section, and made a note of a possible crank by running out to Stockport and back (2 minutes from Platform 1 & 2 to Platform 3 & 4 – it would have been pushing my luck slightly here), which I decided against due to missing the previous departure at Heaton Chapel. Upon arrival at MAN, it was over to Platform 2 for the 15:34 Rose Hill Marple via Hyde Central, which was formed by
142036. I would alight at Guide Bridge, and got myself something cold and wet again from a convenience store, before boarding the 15:55 service to Manchester Piccadilly via Glossop, Hadfield, and Dinting East and West junctions, covering all three sides of the Dinting triangle. This was formed by dud 323232, and I would alight at Flowery Field on the way back from Glossop and Hadfield.
It was a walk towards Carter Street, right Dow Street, left Markham Street, left Johnsonbrook Road and along the cobbled roadway going underneath the railway bridge, then left up some steep stairs to the car park, through a gate on to the northbound platform then over the footbridge to the southbound platform at Hyde Junction/Hyde North. After a minute or two after getting my breath back, the 17:02 Rose Hill Marple service arrived, formed by
142030 for the whole route to RSH and back north to Romiley. There was a heavy shower here, so decided to remain on the platform for my next move. While waiting, Freightliner 66601 that I spotted earlier at Guide Bridge was passing through Romiley northbound with coal wagons, and taking the Hyde Central route. It was soon on board the 17:40 MAN via Bredbury service that was running 4 minutes behind schedule, which was formed by
142053 and
142042 for the hop to Ashburys. It was then over to the other side for the 18:08 Marple service to Brinnington, formed by fresh dud 142030.
You may ask why I chose Brinnington as an alighting point for my next southbound move. As I consulted Google Maps in conjunction with the timetable, and that it is 2 or 3 minutes between Brinnington and Bredbury, it is not easy to walk between these stations due to the motorway being in the way, and would involve a loopy route if walking between the two stations. Also, the trains appear to be timetabled to pass at Brinnington a minute or two apart, which would be pushing luck a bit too far when doing a future crankfest. By choosing to alight here at Brinnington, it makes it easier as I've eliminated an awkward station regarding the timetable.
Anyway, it was on board the 18:28 to New Mills Central (calling Strines), which was formed of
142040 and
142039. It was a wander up the hill into the centre, where I eventually located a supermarket and purchased a meal deal before heading back to the station. It was on board the 19:16 Sheffield service, formed by
142014 for the one stop to Chinley. I had a brief wander round the village centre, with the most notable thing is the local Conservative Club appears to also double up as a local watering hole, with me hearing somebody doing a rather dreadful impersonation of Elvis Presley. It was back to the station and while waiting on the platform, 185107 was spotted whizzing through from Cleethorpes to MIA, and 185141 was spotted soon after in the opposite direction. I began to fantasise about London St Pancras services being reinstated to and from Manchester, calling at either New Mills Central or Chinley, Peak Forest, Millers Dale, Bakewell, Matlock, Derby, Leicester London Road, Kettering, Bedford, St Albans City or West Hampstead Thameslink, and London SP. One can dream
.
It was on board the delayed by 6 minutes 19:55 MAN via New Mills Central service, formed by double duds 142003 and 142049. I was thinking that I would not be able to pick up the southbound service at Marple back to NMC, as my 6 minute connection had disappeared due to the delay. I was thinking that I can do the walk between both New Mills stations another time, and remain on the train to MAN instead. However, on arrival at Marple, I noticed the screen on the southbound platform had my intended 20:14 as 4 minutes delayed, so I alighted here and crossed to the southbound platform. It was on board
142035 for the short hop to NMC, calling at Strines.
It was down the steep pathway to the riverbank, across the bridge, up some steep steps by the mill, then through the car park onto a side street that took me onto the main road, where I continued up the hill to New Mills Newtown. It was through the station car park onto the southbound platform, then over the bridge to the northbound side. I had under ten minutes or so before getting my breath back before boarding the 20:52 MAN service to Stockport, which was formed by
150117 and
150224. It was then onto the 21:17 Crewe service to Wilmslow for me, formed by
323239. The train had to pause for a minute or two at Cheadle Hulme, while both the guard and driver was dealing with something. Anyway, at Wilmslow, it was over to the northbound Styal line platform, for the 21:38 MAN Intercity service from London. This is one of the PSUL trains that avoids the airport spur, running direct Heald Green South – North junctions, meaning that I have today covered all three sides of the Heald Green triangle. The train was dud 390154
“Matthew Flinders” for the non-stop run to MAN, which arrived 2 minutes ahead of schedule.
As I had achieved everything I intended to do today, with everything running smoothly and to plan, I had plenty of time to kill as my Megabus was due at 01:30. I had scheduled a mini crankfest that composed of 3 trips each way to and from Stockport to mainly target Intercity and regional services, and to finish off with a run to the airport and back. I had also made a note of alternative services if my original targeted trains were delayed. It was over to Platform 5 for the 22:07 Birmingham NS service, which was formed by
220023 for the short hop to SPT. As I boarded, there was a couple in the vestibule area, with the lady's suitcase/treasure chest/storage container blocking the doorway, and asked kindly if they would mind moving it so as to let me and any other passengers get by. The item of luggage was moved away and after I proceeded into the saloon area, they obviously muttered something at me and accusing me of being a weirdo.
As the train was getting ready to depart, the lady came into the saloon and sat in the left hand row directly in line with me (as my favourite is the right hand side facing direction of travel, so as to see oncoming trains). I was minding my own business but a few minutes after departure, she tossed a half-eaten snack towards me. I very quickly glanced across to my left, and she then started shouting insults at me, saying that I'm weird, and saying that I need to let Jesus Christ into my life, as I need to be saved. Also, she started to quote some passages from the bible, and that she would do God's work in punishing me. At this moment in time, I could tell that she would have set about me if I gave her the chance, as I saw it in her eyes, and also, it seemed that she had either been dropping some LSD or snorted a few lines of cocaine, or both, as I could tell by her behaviour. Fortunately for me, the train was slowing down as it was approaching Stockport, and made my way towards the front of the train to alight, rather than the nearest door behind me so as I do not get trapped if she decided to set about me. My festival stewarding skills came in handy here, as if an individual is getting heated about something, it is best to have an escape route so as to walk away.
After alighting at SPT, I was immediately next to the stairs which was fortunate, and very gently made my way to Platform 3. As I had 10 minutes before the northbound hop, I tried to gather my thoughts together regarding the commotion that I was caught up in, and started to have a very brief flashback to last summer, when my former partner assaulted me in a drunken rage and snatched my spectacles off me and attempted to break them. I began thinking to myself if I have somewhere inside me a nutter magnet, as I seem to attract most nutters. Meanwhile, after thinking things through, I realised that that is the only downside of today's bash, and that I had already achieved what I had set out to do, and that these few MAN – SPT runs were optional.
Anyway, it was on board the 22:25 to MAN, formed by
220036. It was very quickly across to Platform 8 for the 22:36 Shrewsbury service, formed by
158826. It was then to Platform 3 at SPT for the 22:53 Cleethorpes – MIA service, formed by
185143 to MAN, then on board the 23:10 Buxton service, formed by
150206 and
150141 for my final outward run to SPT. It was over to Platform 3 for the slightly delayed 23:28 final northbound run to MAN, formed by
220018. I purchased something cold and wet again from the Sainsbury's in the main concourse before taking a gentle stroll to the island platforms for what will be the final part of the mini crankfest. It was around a 10 minute wait before boarding the 23:59 MIA local all stations service, formed by
156471 and
156459. At MIA, the train arrived into Platform 1, then it was to Platform 3 for the 00:38 York service, but was altered to Platform 2 due to the heavily delayed 350407 coupled to another 350 arriving into Platform 3. It was
185124 that was to be my final train of the evening for the non-stop run northbound to MAN, where I walked briskly to Shudehill Interchange for the 01:30 Megabus, which was delayed for almost 80 minutes, arriving at Glasgow BBS at 07:15 one hour behind schedule.
Overall, there may have been times when it felt like that I pushed my luck slightly regarding the timings, especially the walk between Patricroft and Eccles, wondering if I would find Ardwick station, the 3 minute connection between the Stalybridge Express and the westbound service to Wigan, the walk between Flowery Field and Hyde Junction/North, the walk between both New Mills stations, and the most critical of all, the 4 minute connection at Stockport for the 21:17 Crewe service to Wilmslow, so as to do the PSUL at Heald Green. Plus, despite me being caught up in some commotion with a passenger when finishing off with a mini crankfest, all the trains I landed were winners, so it was a worthwhile exercise in the end. On a final point, I'm of the view that the stairs from platform to street level at Charing Cross Glasgow are pretty tame compared with the hike from street level to the platform at Ardwick, the hike from Platform 5 to Platforms 1 – 3 at Stalybridge, from street level at Johnsonbrook Road to the southbound platform at Hyde Junction/North, and the walk between the two New Mills stations, where it is not possible to avoid steep gradients.
