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Northern stock query, two routes

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Wronskian

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As a northerner now exiled down south, I've lost track with what rolling stock typically operates on Northern routes.

Could someone please confirm what stock typically operates the Leeds <-> Blackpool route, and the Manchester Victoria <-> Blackpool routes?

(The background to this is that I'm helping plan trips for my Mum from Durham to Preston/Blackpool, trying to cut down the number of changes but also keep her on what she calls 'decent trains'! So a 185 would be fine, but probably not a 152/153. 158 presumably somewhere in the middle!)

Thank you for any help!
Sam
 
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pemma

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Manchester Victoria-Blackpool will be 142s, 150s or 156s.

Leeds-Blackpool will be booked as 158s but other types of DMU (not 185s) could fill in.

If she's going to Preston it would be possible to do:
  • Voyager to York
  • 185 to Piccadilly
  • 350 to Preston
Without extended waiting times. However, if travelling to Blackpool that would obviously be 3 changes and possibly not a decent train between Preston and Blackpool.
 
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PHILIPE

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As a northerner now exiled down south, I've lost track with what rolling stock typically operates on Northern routes.

Could someone please confirm what stock typically operates the Leeds <-> Blackpool route, and the Manchester Victoria <-> Blackpool routes?

(The background to this is that I'm helping plan trips for my Mum from Durham to Preston/Blackpool, trying to cut down the number of changes but also keep her on what she calls 'decent trains'! So a 185 would be fine, but probably not a 152/153. 158 presumably somewhere in the middle!)

Thank you for any help!
Sam

The Leeds-Blackpool are primarily 158s (3 Cars) but 150s also appear on occasions. Strengthening 153s are possible. Manchester Vic to Blackpool - 142s, 150s, and 156s. 185s no longer work to Blackpool since the TPE Franchise was altered. Other members may be more specific, however.
What is a Class 152 ?
 

pemma

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185s no longer work to Blackpool since the TPE Franchise was altered.

Not correct. Some Airport to Blackpool services are operated by 185s on loan from TPE to Northern but most are now booked as 2 x 156s (which was already the case before Northern took over those services due to 170s leaving TPE for Chiltern.)
 

Wronskian

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Thank you, all - that's really helpful and exactly what I needed to know!

I think the 185-158 balance Durham - Leeds - Preston will be what I recommend, and just hope it really *is* a 158.

The route via Piccadilly could be a good alternative.

(152 in my original post was a typo for 142, apologies.)
 

PHILIPE

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Thank you, all - that's really helpful and exactly what I needed to know!

I think the 185-158 balance Durham - Leeds - Preston will be what I recommend, and just hope it really *is* a 158.

The route via Piccadilly could be a good alternative.

(152 in my original post was a typo for 142, apologies.)

You won't get a 158 from Durham to Leeds. Basically 158 Leeds to Preston/Blackpool (sometimes 150) and Leeds to Manchester Vic, 185 Leeds to Manchester Picc.
 

fishquinn

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Sorry to take this thread back but I thought that it'd be better than creating a new one for this as I think it is similar.

What tends to work the Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe services? Is it just a case of the Northern random unit generator?

Cheers!
 

HMS Ark Royal

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As a northerner now exiled down south, I've lost track with what rolling stock typically operates on Northern routes.

Could someone please confirm what stock typically operates the Leeds <-> Blackpool route, and the Manchester Victoria <-> Blackpool routes?

(The background to this is that I'm helping plan trips for my Mum from Durham to Preston/Blackpool, trying to cut down the number of changes but also keep her on what she calls 'decent trains'! So a 185 would be fine, but probably not a 152/153. 158 presumably somewhere in the middle!)

Thank you for any help!
Sam

152...? There is no 152
 

hairyhandedfool

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Sorry to take this thread back but I thought that it'd be better than creating a new one for this as I think it is similar.

What tends to work the Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe services? Is it just a case of the Northern random unit generator?

Cheers!

Clitheroe services are 150 or 150+153 combinations typically.
 

class17

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As a northerner now exiled down south, I've lost track with what rolling stock typically operates on Northern routes.

Could someone please confirm what stock typically operates the Leeds <-> Blackpool route, and the Manchester Victoria <-> Blackpool routes?

(The background to this is that I'm helping plan trips for my Mum from Durham to Preston/Blackpool, trying to cut down the number of changes but also keep her on what she calls 'decent trains'! So a 185 would be fine, but probably not a 152/153. 158 presumably somewhere in the middle!)

Thank you for any help!
Sam

I would suggest Durham - York - Preston/Blackpool.

The Blackpool service starts from York, so I would suggest this would provide a much better travel experience than changing trains at Leeds. Perhaps add on on an extra half hour for connection times in York if that would make them less apprehensive in missing the connection.

Remind them that the train reverses in Bradford.
 

LNW-GW Joint

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I would suggest Durham - York - Preston/Blackpool.
The Blackpool service starts from York, so I would suggest this would provide a much better travel experience than changing trains at Leeds. Perhaps add on on an extra half hour for connection times in York if that would make them less apprehensive in missing the connection.

The York-Blackpool is also nice and quiet off-peak, at least west of Hebden Bridge.
One of the few Northern services with an over-generous provision.
It's also a stopper York-Leeds-Bradford-Halifax.
 

fishquinn

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Sorry to be a pain but what are the chances that you'd get anything other than a pacer on the Blackpool South-Colne services and the Man Vic to Southport services?

Cheers!
 

pemma

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Sorry to be a pain but what are the chances that you'd get anything other than a pacer on the Blackpool South-Colne services and the Man Vic to Southport services?

Cheers!

150s can be seen working Victoria-Southport services, I'm not sure which are diagrammed to be 150s though.
 

PHILIPE

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Sorry to be a pain but what are the chances that you'd get anything other than a pacer on the Blackpool South-Colne services and the Man Vic to Southport services?

Cheers!

There is a chance you would get a 150 on the Blackpool to Colne, and saw recent posting of a 156 (rare) on Facebook.
 
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61653 HTAFC

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The one that runs through to Leeds via Hudds is supposed to be 4-car but could be any combination of 142 and 150. The only guarantee is no 156s as West Yorkshire crews aren't trained on them and there's a crew change at Huddersfield.
 

pemma

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The one that runs through to Leeds via Hudds is supposed to be 4-car but could be any combination of 142 and 150. The only guarantee is no 156s as West Yorkshire crews aren't trained on them and there's a crew change at Huddersfield.

It's not impossible that a 142+156 could be used to Victoria with the 156 being detached at Victoria. One day a Buxton bound service left Piccadilly as a 150+142 but the 142 was detached at Stockport.
 

RJ21

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About those of a snowball in hell?

Another possible route from Durham to Preston would be TPE Durham > Manchester Victoria and then pot luck on Northern beyond there.
 

Darren R

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Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe services are a mix of 150/1 or /2 and 156s. Two of the three all-day diagrams also (usually!) have a 153 tagged on for good measure. Pacers do still occasionally crop up on Clitheroe runs, but not often as they are still pegged back to 30mph north of Blackburn and it causes delays. Class 142s do appear on the peak extra short runs to Blackburn though, especially on the through train from Huddersfield (which is actually timed for a Pacer.)

Blackpool South to Colne services are almost always Pacers during the week, apart from one diagram which is usually a 150/1. On summer weekends though, class 156s are common.

Back to the original question, Blackpool North to York trains are always a mix of 2 and 3 car 158s, except when something's gone seriously awry - at which point anything from a 142 or 144 to a 155 or 156 can turn up.
 

Shaw S Hunter

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Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe services are a mix of 150/1 or /2 and 156s. Two of the three all-day diagrams also (usually!) have a 153 tagged on for good measure. Pacers do still occasionally crop up on Clitheroe runs, but not often as they are still pegged back to 30mph north of Blackburn and it causes delays. Class 142s do appear on the peak extra short runs to Blackburn though, especially on the through train from Huddersfield (which is actually timed for a Pacer.)

Blackpool South to Colne services are almost always Pacers during the week, apart from one diagram which is usually a 150/1. On summer weekends though, class 156s are common.

Back to the original question, Blackpool North to York trains are always a mix of 2 and 3 car 158s, except when something's gone seriously awry - at which point anything from a 142 or 144 to a 155 or 156 can turn up.

This is a pretty good summary IME. One comment I would add is that Northern are aware that Blackpool Pleasure Beach generates additional demand at the obvious times; with school holidays getting underway the South - Colne services are more likely to see 150s through the week as well as at weekends. This does mean 142s are more likely to turn up elsewhere as a result.

As for the Vic to Clitheroe workings, 150s and 156s predominate. When a 153 is added the other unit will nearly always be a 150.
 

lejog

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Back to the original question, Blackpool North to York trains are always a mix of 2 and 3 car 158s, except when something's gone seriously awry - at which point anything from a 142 or 144 to a 155 or 156 can turn up.

I haven't seen anything other than a 158 on a York-Blackpool service for a long, long time now. If there are 158s short, it seems to be the Leeds-Victoria services that (quite sensibly) get the replacements.

In my experience, 155s/156s appeared occasionally once upon a time, but as posted previously it appears that West Yorkshire crews are no longer trained for 156s and likewise Lancashire crews with 155s. There was certainly a post on this forum suggesting that a 155 having made it to Blackpool was stranded there for some time.
 

Shaw S Hunter

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In my experience, 155s/156s appeared occasionally once upon a time, but as posted previously it appears that West Yorkshire crews are no longer trained for 156s and likewise Lancashire crews with 155s. There was certainly a post on this forum suggesting that a 155 having made it to Blackpool was stranded there for some time.

I think that a fair number of Man Vic crews (drivers and guards) still sign 155s. If so then they have quite an impressive traction card, namely every DMU type in Northern's fleet.
 

fishquinn

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Great stuff, thanks! Do you know which diagram on the Blackpool South-Colne route is a booked 150/1?

Cheers!
 

30907

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Great stuff, thanks! Do you know which diagram on the Blackpool South-Colne route is a booked 150/1?

Cheers!

Can't help, but I have used the 08xx off Colne 4 times in the past year and it has been a 142 each time.

The 14xx and 15xx I have used once each, again with 142, but I wouldn't call that statistically significant!

I must say from random sightings I would have said it was 50/50 rather than 3 to 1.
 

Loop & Link

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0720/1120/1521/1921 etc off Colne booked a 150. Which is 0519/0920/1320/1721 off Blackpool S .Hope this helps.
 
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