Intercity Trainings halting at Prestbury Station

[mmc2010]

As a child living in Manchester, once in a blue moon, we would have a trip south and I vividly remember Euston bound Intercity trainings halting at Prestbury station to pick up only and halting to setdown only on the return north bound journey. This would have been in the late 70s/early 80s.

I've now returned to the Northwest and see that Euston trains don't do this. Can anyone confirm that my recollection is true and if so let me know when the "halt" at Prestbury stopped. From my memory I recall that the trains were too long for the platform as well.

The facility, I think, was for the convenience of the affluent stockbrokers that lived in Prestbury....!

 

[flymo]

Not sure if it is of any help but the 75/76 TT shows no stops at Prestbury for the Euston services. Congleton on the other side of Macclesfield had an occasional service to Euston though, not that it is any good to the query however....

The only other TT I have around there is the 84/85 and this also shows similar stops, i.e. nothing at Prestbury but one a day or so at Congleton.

I'm sure someone can fill in the bit in between...

 

[mmc2010]

Thanks Flymo for the info re: Congleton. This may well make sense of my childhood memory. Can you confirm if the halt at Congleton was just for picking up when heading south and setting down when heading north?

Also, if you don't mind (!). When Manchester-London trains went via Crewe &Wilmslow rather than Stoke&Macclesfield, I think there was another "local" station that had a similar privilege...possibly Alderley Edge??? Could you have a look please...?

...and finally just to nail this completely...Does anyone know if a Manchester-Euston Intercity from this era would be slightly too long for the platform at Congleton (and possibly Alderley Edge...or which ever other station it might have been on the Wilmslow/Crewe line)...

I'm a new member of this RailForum think.

 

[flymo]

re. Congleton, in the 74/75 TT it was not marked as pick up or set down, just a departure or arrival time.

Mon-Sat the 17:55 Euston - Manchester stopped there at 19:55 (Stoke 19:40 - 19:42; Macclesfield 20:04 - 20:05; Stockport 20:21s (set down only) arr Piccadilly 20:29.

Southbound Mon- Sat the 07:38 Piccadilly - Euston stopped at Congleton at 08:09 but no notice of pick up only. Strangely enough however, I missed this before, this same train stopped at Macclesfield at 08:00 and it was pick up only at Macclesfield, not Congleton. It arrived Euston at 10:15.
There were other services from Piccadilly at 07:00 and 08:34 which also picked up only at Macclesfield at 07:22 and 08:56 respectively. These did not stop at Prestbury or Congleton and arrived Euston at 09:34 and 11:15 respectively. There was a similar situation in the evening from Piccadilly with the 15:50 and 17:10 picking up only at Macclesfield (16:16 and 17:36) arriving into Euston at 18:27 and 19:51.

No other stops in the area during this timetable (other than noted above), only Stockport, Macclesfield, Stoke and Stafford.

Onto the 84/85 TT and northbound Mon-Sat and Sunday too the 17:35 Euston - Piccadilly stopped at Congleton at 19:44

Southbound the 07:40 off Piccadilly stopped at Congleton at 08:11 and arrived at Euston at 10:24. There was a similar situation with Macclesfield being pick up only on certain services, the 07:00, 07:40 and 16:13.
Sundays southbound the 09:00 Piccadilly - Euston stopped at Congleton at 09:40.

Also no other stops in the area than the 'usual' as in Stockport, Macclesfield, Stoke and Stafford.

Of course these two timetables are years apart, it is entirely possible some services may have stopped at other places in the intervening years. Someone else with access to these may be able to fill in the gaps.

As for the other way, nothing shown in either TT as stopping at any station between Stockport and Crewe other than Wilmslow.

That's all I can help with as the only TTs around this time I have are the 75/76 and 84/85.

 

[chefchenko]

ah them were the days !!!! the northbound ex euston used to overhang congleton by 5 or so coaches, on departure from stoke the guard always told 'any passengers for congleton to move into into the front carriages,and must not alight if not in the platform'or words to that effect. I used to watch the 8.09 southbound before i got the bus to school,always an 87

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Whilst Prestbury is now our local station in our retirement and the one will will be using in the future, it was with some interest that I saw the title of this particular thread, but the very nearness of Macclesfield station in the stated time period would surely have precluded the suggestion made in the first posting, with regard to the London line via Macclesfield.

It would be the same as stating that Alderley Edge would have had inter-city stops on the London line via Crewe, for the same raison d'etre stated in the first posting, again allowing for the close proximity of Wilmslow station.

 

[Stuwhu]

I seem to remember Bramhall had a stop on an express train at some point in the 90s.

 

[87 027]

I seem to remember Bramhall had a stop on an express train at some point in the 90s.

Yes, I remember that one, I think it was around 8.10 to pick up commuters in the morning peak and I occasionally used it myself

 

[tirphil]

Thanks Flymo for the info re: Congleton. This may well make sense of my childhood memory. Can you confirm if the halt at Congleton was just for picking up when heading south and setting down when heading north?

Also, if you don't mind (!). When Manchester-London trains went via Crewe &Wilmslow rather than Stoke&Macclesfield, I think there was another "local" station that had a similar privilege...possibly Alderley Edge??? Could you have a look please...?

...and finally just to nail this completely...Does anyone know if a Manchester-Euston Intercity from this era would be slightly too long for the platform at Congleton (and possibly Alderley Edge...or which ever other station it might have been on the Wilmslow/Crewe line)...

I'm a new member of this RailForum think.

My mother, who has lived near Alderley Edge all her life, remembers London trains calling at Alderley Edge. She does not know the exact details but she says that a train from London called in the evening, certainly during the 1950's. It was for businessmen for The Queens Hotel that was situated on the downside of the station. (Near where 'The Sidings' later 'Brisingamens' night club used to be. Unfortunately thats the best my mother can remember.

 

[chefchenko]

Yes, I remember that one, I think it was around 8.10 to pick up commuters in the morning peak and I occasionally used it myself

i remember the 17.10 picc to paddington called at bramhall for a couple of yrs in early 2000's !!