Stockport, Nottingham, Derby & Leicester

[palmersears]

As part of my mammoth unit spotting quest I'm looking to spend 4 August visiting Toton, Derby and Leicester to pick up some of the lesser-spotted stuff in the various depots.

Starting at Stockport I reckon 0800-1800 should allow me to cover all of the above in ample time, including the tram to Toton. What I'm not however sure on is the best route to take and the most effective tickets to buy? Do I go via Crewe/Stoke and get an East Midlands Day Ranger, or via Nottingham and then separate tickets for each leg? Indeed what's the best route to take overall to hit these three locations?

If anybody could provide a rough itinerary and ticketing info that would be most appreciated.

 

[cuccir]

I suspect that the itinerary will depend on how long you want to spend spotting!

If you're setting off at 08:00, then an East Midlands Day Ranger + a Virgin Train Only Anytime Day Return from Stockport to Stoke is likely to be the cheapest option.

An alternative, if you can make the times fit with your day (which probably depends on the spotting that you're doing!) is to use a Super Off-Peak Day Return from Stockport - Nottingham, which is £19.20. This is valid via Derby and East Midlands Parkway (EMD), so could be used in combination with an EMD to Leicester Off Peak Day Return for £7.00 to visit all stations.

The catch is that the earliest train out you can use this on is at 09:54, and it's also not valid on trains which depart between 15:28 and before 17:47. For added flexibility though you could always get an Off-Peak single for a few pounds from EMD to Nottingham or Derby if you were travelling up from Leicester in that evening restricted period.