Andy's Trips

[Andy Pacer]

LNER First Class & The Final Pacer

I don't often do a trip report as I don't think mine are particularly exciting, but I thought I'd mark the occasion of chasing my final Pacer.

I turned up at a cold Newark North Gate for the 0737 LNER service to Edinburgh, on which I had a 1st class ticket as far as Darlington. Dud 91104 rocked up about 12 minutes late having apparently been delayed around the Biggleswade area.


The usually impressive breakfast offering was served shortly into the journey and we trundled North through frozen countryside. On arrival at Northallerton we were told we would be held due to an XC service ahead of us with axle problems, in the event after about 15 minutes we were on our way and made our arrival into Darlington 24 minutes behind schedule.

The objective of the trip was to hopefully have a ride on my final Pacer, 142092, and being a Heaton based machine I decided a Tyne Tees Day Ranger may be the ideal plan to try and track it down. I'd got some gen on the journey up that sure enough 142092 was out on the Hexham/Morpeth/Newcastle circuit so I made a rough plan on how to get it. After a short break in Darlington I continued North to Durham on 91131 where I spend a few minutes watching people pushing cars up the hill in the snow, and then joined winner 220015 further north to Newcastle.

Here I caught sight of 142092, resting between duties. I could have waited 40 minutes or so to take it to Metro Centre but opted to try and fill the gap and get a shack score too, so I boarded 156443 to winning shack Blaydon and waited a few minutes before 142022 arrived to take me back down the line to Metro Centre on the daily Danby terminating service (destination blind showing 'Nunthorpe' as per last time I used the trip!). Another short wait this time at Metro Centre before winner and class completer 142092 turned up and the class cannons were firing as it transported me back to Newcastle.

As I'd completed my objective by lunchtime I still had a few hours to use, so decided to see if I could get some of my LNER requirements chalked off as HST and 91's are all on varying degrees of borrowed time. An Aberdeen to Kings Cross service arrived formed of 43238 and 43320 so I took that to Darlington which reduced me to two LNER HST power cars on the list. On arrival I joined 185101 back northward to Durham again where I decided a diversion into Wetherspoons for a drink and escape from the snow. Despite having breakfast on the train a few hours earlier it was only polite to eat at spoons...



Whilst having my 'lunch break' I formulated a plan to get 91132 which I knew was heading down from Edinburgh, so back to Durham station I went and joined dud 91130 to Newcastle. I watched the busy northbound Highland Chieftain leave before late running cross country 220029 turned up to take me up the ECML to Morpeth where a quick dash under the subway got me lined up to take winner 91132 back down to Newcastle.

With still a bit of time to kill I spotted 156486 on the Battersby service so I joined that to surprisingly winning shack Sunderland where I wasted 20 minutes before 156454 came along to take me back to Newcastle on its way over to Carlisle.

Time to think about heading back South, so I decided to take the LNER service effectively in front of the one I was booked on from Darlington and another dud 91125 did the honours. A few minutes in the Darlington First Class lounge then before joining my booked 91126 for the journey back to Newark.

Now a moan... I'd been looking forward to sampling the LNER rest of the day menu as most of my First Class trips tend to be at weekends or on weekday mornings. On boarding at Darlington it was fairly busy and the majority of people were tucking in. Also at my table seat pair was a lady who had joined just a few minutes before in Durham and was already finishing her hot meal.

I joined the train at 1758, and was due to alight in Newark at 1919. No staff were seen until 1840 when a drinks trolley came to serve. A couple on the table next to me who had joined at Northallerton enquired about food to be told someone would be along to take hot orders. At 1905 a different trolley came from the front of the train offering "and more food" to anyone who wanted it. As I now had only 14 minutes before alighting I disappointedly had to forgo any ideas of ordering hot food as by the time the order had been taken and it prepared it wouldn't have left me long enough to eat before getting off. I instead had the ham hock and cheese sandwich which is nice and I've had at the weekend but I was sad not to have been seen earlier to order something hot.

Overall though a good day despite the snowy weather, and great to chalk off that last pacer, just a disappointing First Class journey home.


142092 in Newcastle.

 

[87electric]

Well done on the completion of Pacers. A good day out all round for you.

 

[Kite159]

Congratulations on clearing the pacers, this is when the Northern Random Unit generator could have been awkward and had that pacer working services in Lancashire or even as the 'spare' pacer which sits near Middlesbrough.

I suspect the destination blinds don't have Danby as an option

 

[Andy Pacer]

Cheshire Day Ranger - Saturday 22nd June 2019

I do plenty of rovers but rarely get around to posting a report, despite thoroughly enjoying reading other people's.

I decided on the Cheshire ranger for yesterday and made a plan which incorporated a number of required stations (rather than going for an unstructured unit hunt) as the weather was conducive to hanging around on platforms if necessary or for walking between stations. As i'd spent a lot of time over the past couple of years hunting Pacers, I don't actually have many gaps in the Northern or TfW sprinter fleets as I also got a lot of those along the way, so any would be an added bonus as of course when the required numbers get lower it is then more difficult to get them!

Started at my frequent starting point of Marston Green which now boasts direct services to Stafford, Crewe and Liverpool, although i'd got advances to/from Crewe on Virgin from Birmingham New Street as they were very cheap and gave me something different. 350260 rolled up at Marston Green to take me on the uneventful trip to New Street, rather disappointing it was only one unit, as these moves are often handy for ticking off the 350's without trying very hard. A quick change at New Street put me on the 0715 Glasgow service as far as Crewe formed of double winners 221108 and 221111 which were very welcomed and it may be a bit controversial to say but it was a nice change from a Pendolino!

Unfortunately a bit of late running made me miss the first move of the plan which would've taken me to Nantwich, but I made a quick swap which fitted in a move to Sandbach on 323231 with a swift return to Crewe on 323226. I was then back onto the original plan, sadly putting me back onto 323226 onwards to Handforth which must win the prize for the most station boards in different styles ever to grace a station platform. Aleady getting quite warm I had a short wait on the opposite platform until 319367 turned up to take me to my next winning shack Alderley Edge, one of those places frequently seen on destination blinds or departure screens but I realised i'd never actually scratched. Another short wait before 323227 turned up to take me along to Heald Green where I had 11 minutes to wait, so just enough time to dash down to the nearby Subway for a welcomed coffee. Back to the platform to get the now slightly delayed 319370 along to Manchester Airport just as a fill in move really to avoid waiting at Heald Green for ages.

Back on board 319370 on an STP to Preston (according to the timetable this usually goes to Barrow In Furness so would usually be a DMU) just as far as East Didsbury where I dropped back onto the following service 175102 where I was turfed out of my seat by a strange little man claiming he had a reservation. I pointed out there were no reservation labels and he looked like he was going to either burst into tears or wet himself (or both) and said he was going to get the guard. I vacated the seat (as I was going to anywhere before his silly outburst) for the run along to Earlstown. An odd station where half of it seemed to be elsewhere, I hadn't realised there was anything unusual until I noticed the two visible platforms were numbered 4 and 5! My first 'proper' DMUs of the day rolled in on the service from Leeds in the shape of 150220 and 153351, I was very pleased to get the 153 as they seem to pop up anywhere so my short list of requirements is proving quite challenging to get. I rode in the 153 all the way to the end of the service at Chester.

After a quick sandwich and drink purchase it was onto another operator, Transport for Wales and the 1230 departure on the new Liverpool Lime Street service which I was taking to Frodsham and was very pleased to find it was one of my handful of class 150 requirements in the form of 150262. A warm wait at Frodsham before the other unit on the service 150278 took me back down the line to Helsby. I had a bit of time here so walked into what seemed to be the centre although just a few shops, before heading back to the station to meet the same unit to take me northwards to Liverpool South Parkway and the start of the merseyside few hours of the trip. After a few minutes watching a few trains calling and also Arriva buses passing through it was time for the train on my plan, formed of my first 142 of the day being 142009 with 150269 for the run past Allerton depot to Halewood and a station with many steep steps. Down the steps along the road and up to the opposite platform for 142031 and 156429 took me back down the line to Mossley Hill. A steady walk took about 15 minutes to get to West Allerton and meet the next service back to Hough Green formed of 156423 which i'd seen earlier in the day coupled to a friend which it must have dropped off at Lime Street. 20 minutes at Hough Green until the next Manchester bound service formed of 142031 which had lost it's 156 (presumably part of the cycle involves coupling and uncoupling in Lime Street) to my last winning station of the trip Flixton.

Now just a case of getting back for my booked train from Crewe, so a short wait to be reunited with 156423 to Warrington Central, a walk to Bank Quay where I joined dud 390157 for the run back to Birmingham as it would be my train from Crewe. Last winner of the day was 350263 coupled with 350244 for the run back to Marston Green for the end of a productive, enjoyable and warm day in Cheshire!


0649 350260 Marston Green to Birmingham New Street

0715 221108 221111 Birmingham New Street to Crewe

0816 323231 Crewe to Sandbach

0833 323226 Sandbach to Crewe

0848 323226 Crewe to Handforth

0925 319367 Handforth to Alderley Edge

0938 323227 Alderley Edge – Heald Green

1014 319370 Heald Green – Manchester Airport

1029 319370 Manchester Airport – East Didsbury

1042 175102 East Didsbury – Earlstown

1130 150220 153351 Earlstown – Chester

1230 150262 Chester – Frodsham

1307 150278 Frodsham – Helsby

1339 150278 Helsby – Liverpool South Parkway

1411 142009 150269 Liverpool South Parkway – Halewood

1430 142031 156429 Halewood – Mossley Hill

Walk Mossley Hill to West Allerton

1508 156423 West Allerton – Hough Green

1541 142031 Hough Green – Flixton

1628 156423 Flixton – Warrington Central

Walk Warrington Central to Warrington Bank Quay

1740 390157 Warrington Bank Quay – Birmingham New Street

1914 350244 350263 Birmingham New Street – Marston Green

 

[Kite159]

A productive little Cheshire Rover with decent weather

 

[87electric]

I found that combining chasing units for haulage with other interests like photography, museum visits, beer days, graveyard visits (don't ask), rail Galas, City explorations et al kept it all fresh and avoided the boredom and time wasting of just being on a platform waiting for units. When my unit requirements were low that was when I made concerted efforts with gen to nail them quickly. It took 10 years to clear the DMU and EMU stock but I was never racing to achieve it quickly. I did take into consideration the mass withdrawals and introduction of new stock (which we are well into right now) and planned accordingly. Many have left it too late for some Classes of units as well as locos I think.
I welcome all the new stock as I have more targets now.