Sheffield to Manchester rolling stock etc

[BlueDanger]

Hello people

As a southerner who rarely gets north of London these days, I will be up in the Peak District this bank holiday weekend, and may get the chance to travel on the Sheffield to Manchester line.

What sort of rolling stock is up there - I'm guessing Northern -Pacer (never been on one); EMT - Turbostar; TPE - Desiro?

Any tips for the journey or things I should look out for?

Thanks in advance

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Northern (hourly weekends; 2 hourly during the week) - usually 142 (or 150 on occasion)
EMT (hourly) - 158
TPE (hourly) - 170 or 185, I think the former is more common

The line from Totley Tunnel to Hazel Grove is beautiful, but you spend 4 miles or so in tunnels!

The EMT / TPE services tend to be overcrowded, but they are way faster. The Northern goes via Brinnington, the expresses go via Stockport.

 

[driver9000]

EMT use 158s (don't think they have any Turbostars)
Northern is a mix of 142s and Sprinters
TPE use 170s and 185s

 

[trickyvegas]

If you have the time to spare, I would recommend the Northern stopper service which really gives you the oppotunity to take in the beauty of Hope Valley.

 

[strange6]

Yes, we really do have quality stock up in the North

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Yes, we really do have quality stock up in the North

Better than having nowt! I'd rather have 142s than have no railways at all!

 

[strange6]

Better than having nowt! I'd rather have 142s than have no railways at all!

Give me an Atlantean anyday. Today has made me want to buy one

 

[Phil6219]

Give me an Atlantean anyday. Today has made me want to buy one

If I'm thinking of the same type of Atlantean as you I wouldn't say no to a proper GM Buses livered one...

Anyway, the Northern 142 stopper service is a pleasure, it gives you an opportunity to see the hope valley properly not to mention it is nowhere near as crowded as the fTPE 185s which run the expresses along the line.

EMT have a once hourly (or two hourly) service operated by 158s too.

 

[BlueDanger]

Thanks for the details. Sounds like it should be a pleasant journey - so long as I can get a seat.

Think I may get the express one way and the stopper coming back.

Will be interesting to see what the Pacers are like - previous threads on this forum have certainly set my expectations pretty low!

 

[tom1649]

I used the stopping service on the Hope Valley a couple of Saturdays ago. The three diagrams were a 142, a 150 and a 156. Sometimes I've seen all three as 142s though I'm sure.

 

[tbtc]

Think I may get the express one way and the stopper coming back

I'd probably recommend getting the Pacer westbound, as the service is a fairly suburban Manchester one at the west end of the journey (basically its a bi-hourly extension of a half-hourly local Manchester service), so it may be busier leaving Manchester (depending on time of day).

As the Pacer doesn't serve anywhere *that* big at the Sheffield end you should get a seat easier (apart from rush hour services).

TBH, much as we criticise Pacers, the big windows (and slow speed!) make them the best suited of the units on Hope Valley services...

 

[Donny Dave]

TPE (hourly) - 170 or 185, I think the former is more common

The line from Totley Tunnel to Hazel Grove is beautiful, but you spend 4 miles or so in tunnels!

It's still officially only 2 booked 170 turns on the South TPE route a day, so 185s are slightly more common, but you do spend a touch more distance in tunnels that you stated ....

Totley tunnel is 3.5m miles long, and Cowburn tunnel is about 2.1 miles long. If you choose an EMT or TPE service, then you have Disley tunnel as well which is just under 2 1/4 miles in length ....

 

[BlueDanger]

Thanks to you all for the info. Yes - a very scenic journey to Manchester.

In the end, I traveled on an EMT 158 to Manchester and came back on a Northern 142.

I thought the 158 was a very good example of the class, with plenty of room and was well maintained - although I guess it may have had a recent refurbishment.

As for the Pacer...It was probably the worst train I've been on in this country! I couldn't believe the cramped layout - especially the three abreast "airline" seats. Luckily, the train I was on wasn't too busy.

Saw a good variety of units at Sheffield and Piccadilly - quite different from my usual fare in 3rd rail country!

 

[sprinterguy]

Thanks to you all for the info. Yes - a very scenic journey to Manchester.

In the end, I traveled on an EMT 158 to Manchester and came back on a Northern 142.

I thought the 158 was a very good example of the class, with plenty of room and was well maintained - although I guess it may have had a recent refurbishment.

Yeah the EMT 158s have undergone a pretty thorough refurbishment, which has brought the interior of their 158s back up to an excellent standard. It's really vibrant. There's a world of difference in the quality of different TOCs' 158s at the moment, depending on which operators have deigned to undertake refurbishments of their stock, and to what standard they have carried them out.

As for the Pacer...It was probably the worst train I've been on in this country! I couldn't believe the cramped layout - especially the three abreast "airline" seats. Luckily, the train I was on wasn't too busy.

Sounds like you got one of the Merseytravel seated 142s: Bad luck! You lost the Northern Rail rolling stock lottery there I'm afraid

Saw a good variety of units at Sheffield and Piccadilly - quite different from my usual fare in 3rd rail country!

Shorter, tattier, older, slower...Yep, a far cry from the South Easts' rolling stock

Though granted that you lot have only got shot of sixties and seventies vintage slammers in the last decade...Though they were in general still faster and longer than the Northern stuff which continues to soldier on! (Granted they were also expected to ferry about much larger volumes of passengers as well, I only mean this light heartedly rather than trying to start yet another North v South rolling stock debate)

 

[tbone]

I've spent a lot of time staying right next to the Hop Valley line whilst on holiday on 5 occasions. This year I saw:

TPE: 185s and for the first year 170s, normally in multiple but mostly 185s
NR: 142s & 150s mostly 142s
EMT: Just 158s

Over the past few years since 2006, I have altogether seen:

TPE: 185s and 170s
NR 142, 150, 156
EMT/CT: 158, 156, 153 and 170 in various different liveies! I know 222s have been known to work this route in the past

With regards to freight, I've seen FL and EWS/DBS 66s but nothing else, do anyother clases go along the Hope Valley Line?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

As for the Pacer...It was probably the worst train I've been on in this country! I couldn't believe the cramped layout - especially the three abreast "airline" seats. Luckily, the train I was on wasn't too busy.

You said that you are a Southerner who rarely gets north of London these days, in your original posting. Your comment above with regard to the Pacers sounds just like the culture-shock that I expected.

As I said in a recent posting:-
Imagine the views of the commuters at Paddington if all their usual commuter service stock were suddenly taken out of commission and 10-car Class 142 Pacer unit sets were the only stock available to replace them.

 

[sprinterguy]

With regards to freight, I've seen FL and EWS/DBS 66s but nothing else, do anyother clases go along the Hope Valley Line?

There's 60s working out of Peak Forest and Great Rocks quarries, though I don't know if the majority of their booked trains are routed towards Manchester rather than Sheffield, so they'd only be on the Hope Valley west of Chinley.

I swear I saw a 59/1 at Chinley once, but that would make it somewhat off its' beaten track...

 

[tbtc]

As I said in a recent posting:-
Imagine the views of the commuters at Paddington if all their usual commuter service stock were suddenly taken out of commission and 10-car Class 142 Pacer unit sets were the only stock available to replace them.

Given that the commuter DMUs into Paddington are the two coach 165s (or three coach 166s), with 3/2 seating, would it really be *that* much of a culture shock?

 

[Via Bank]

Given that the commuter DMUs into Paddington are the two coach 165s (or three coach 166s), with 3/2 seating, would it really be *that* much of a culture shock?

Given that the replacements would have bus seats and doors, and suspension that feels like riding on the back of an elephant in the middle of an epileptic fit, yes.