Mid Cheshire Line

[Northerngirl]

I wonder if anybody actually uses the 1850, it's so unreliable

 

[mangyiscute]

I wonder if anybody actually uses the 1850, it's so unreliable

I took it a couple months back as the 1906 from Ellesmere Port to Helsby as I had to tick off Ince & Elton, I was the only passenger on the train until Helsby. I think 1 or 2 did get off at Ellesmere port when it arrived tho. I'm just happy I managed to get a non cancelled day

 

[grumpyoldman01]

According to the SA, Mouldsworth Down platform (Chester bound) is only 55m, so too short for any 4-car formation. Mouldsworth Up, Delamere Up and Down, Cuddington Down and Greenbank Up and Down are all too short for a 86m 156+150 combo. Several of these are 77-79m, so marginal for a 80m 4*150 with doors at thirds.

Out of interest, is this due to only parts of platforms being surfaced to current standards and other parts fenced off, or have the original platforms actually been shortened?

I regularly traveled between Chester Northgate and Manchester Central in the late 1960s on pairs of class 108 2-car sets which were easily accommodated in all platforms, and I'm even old enough to remember 5 car suburban trains hauled by ex GCR Directors; they certainly didn't have selective door opening controls !!!

 

[Rail Ranger]

Class 108 cars were 17.7 metres long. Class 150 cars are 20 metres and class 156 cars are 22.385 metres.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Is the issue at Mouldsworth that a portion of the Chester-bound platform is underneath the road overbridge, where it's both narrow and isn't being maintained?

 

[Trains1]

Think the two and a quarter mile section of line, from Sharston Junction to Cheadle Village Junction, was singled back in the 1970s, to facilitate the building of what's now the M60 motorway. Of course, at the time, most passenger rail traffic to/from the Mid Cheshire line would have been routed via Sale, rather than via Northenden, which ended with the coming of the Metrolink tram system in the early 1990s.

Does then beg the question as to whether there is still space in the locality for reinstatement of double track between Sharston and Gatley, and, if so, what the potential Mid Cheshire line passenger train service improvement would be, if double track was re-instated.


That can indeed be sub-optimal, particularly so on Sundays, when the usual service provision is just 1tp2h.

Have also been puzzled by Northern allocating four car trains on to the Mid Cheshire line, comprising 150 and 156 units joined together, but with the one (or maybe two?) of the rearmost carriages locked out of use, which doesn't seem to be the best use of limited resources, but perhaps it is?! Is this still the case in 2024?

I have seen the rear carriage locked in 2024

 

[setdown]

Indeed, and the corridor connection locked out between 2x150/2 and 150/2 & 156.

 

[Trainman40083]

I guess it depends upon if all the units have selective door opening. If they haven't, cars will be locked out. As for more trains, is there even capacity from Stockport to Manchester Piccadilly?