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The Merseyrail Underground & Overground Explorer

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Mathieu

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Joined
11 Jul 2016
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245
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Oban
Sunday 26 January 2020

The Branch Line Society is delighted to act as booking agent for a low cost, easy day out railtour operated by Merseyrail, featuring a 6-car EMU.

£25.08 Adult
£0.01 Child (must be with 1 adult)

Provisional validated timings and route submitted to Network Rail:

Birkenhead North P1 (10.08 PU)Liverpool Lime Street P1 (10.21 PU) – Ellesmere Port (RM) – Hooton P1 (RM) – Chester P7 (RM) – James Street P2 – Stock Interchange/Holding Line – Liverpool Central – Hunts Cross P2 (RM) – Kirkby P1 (RM) – Sandhills Reversing Siding (RM) – Southport P2 (RM / break) – Sandhills Reversing Siding (RM) – Ormskirk P1 (RM) – Liverpool Central (RM) – Stock Interchange/Holding Line – James Street P2 – West Kirby P2 (RM) – Birkenhead North Signal 577 (RM) – New Brighton P1 (RM) – Birkenhead North P1 (17.08 SD).
 
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HSP 2

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4 Dec 2019
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What is the cost?
Just to save us from having to go to the BLS web site.
 

D365

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Joined
29 Jun 2012
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11,396
A six car EMU railtour? That’s impressive!
 

EbbwJunction1

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25 Mar 2010
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I realise that this might be a silly question but what are performance and pathing allowances, please?
 

johnmoly

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26 Dec 2014
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109
Location
liverpool
You can't go on the stock interchange line on a regular service. I agree with you though buying an all area saveaway for £5.55 will take you to most of the stations/lines.
 

notabasher

Member
Joined
29 Mar 2013
Messages
31
You can't go on the stock interchange line on a regular service. I agree with you though buying an all area saveaway for £5.55 will take you to most of the stations/lines.

A Saveaway will take you to all of them. And you can bash the "City Lines", buses and ferriers to your heart's content once you are done with the Merseyrail network.

I never did Helsby-Runcorn when it was a parliamentary service, £20 to do Central Low Level - James Street, a journey of half a mile or so (in the dark) - well you'd have to be a pretty desperate track-basher.
 

Mathieu

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Joined
11 Jul 2016
Messages
245
Location
Oban
A Saveaway will take you to all of them. And you can bash the "City Lines", buses and ferriers to your heart's content once you are done with the Merseyrail network.

I never did Helsby-Runcorn when it was a parliamentary service, £20 to do Central Low Level - James Street, a journey of half a mile or so (in the dark) - well you'd have to be a pretty desperate track-basher.
The extra £20 will be going to good causes
 

Entertexthere

Member
Joined
15 Sep 2018
Messages
189
Location
WIthin L&Y territory
Sunday 26 January 2020

The Branch Line Society is delighted to act as booking agent for a low cost, easy day out railtour operated by Merseyrail, featuring a 6-car EMU.

£25.08 Adult
£0.01 Child (must be with 1 adult)

Provisional validated timings and route submitted to Network Rail:

Birkenhead North P1 (10.08 PU)Liverpool Lime Street P1 (10.21 PU) – Ellesmere Port (RM) – Hooton P1 (RM) – Chester P7 (RM) – James Street P2 – Stock Interchange/Holding Line – Liverpool Central – Hunts Cross P2 (RM) – Kirkby P1 (RM) – Sandhills Reversing Siding (RM) – Southport P2 (RM / break) – Sandhills Reversing Siding (RM) – Ormskirk P1 (RM) – Liverpool Central (RM) – Stock Interchange/Holding Line – James Street P2 – West Kirby P2 (RM) – Birkenhead North Signal 577 (RM) – New Brighton P1 (RM) – Birkenhead North P1 (17.08 SD).
I take it that what is classified as child is under 5? because £0.01 for any child under 18 would not make that much sense revenue-wise .
 

notabasher

Member
Joined
29 Mar 2013
Messages
31
The extra £20 will be going to good causes

One could just give £20 to a good cause then.

I don't want to knock your society, and the low-cost rare-track sort of railtour can be quite interesting. But I don't get this plan of staggering from signal to signal inbetween the very frequent all-stations trains, on the country's most boring suburban network, in stock which (whilst comfortable enough) offers the worst window views of any in Britain.

A fast run from Hunts Cross to Southport might be a fun novelty but won't happen unless you clear he network of other trains. If one wants to clear Merseyrail, service trains will give a picture of the people joining and alighting at each station (which is much the most interesting part of the system anyway).
 

bluegoblin7

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10 May 2011
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1,356
Location
JB/JP/JW
‘Not a basher’ but quite happy to bash the exploits of others.

If it’s not for you that’s fine, but you don’t need to go on this crusade. Others may have this right up their straße.
 

NewSt

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24 May 2019
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379
Location
A Class 172
I take it that what is classified as child is under 5? because £0.01 for any child under 18 would not make that much sense revenue-wise .

No, it's under 18. Under 18s can only travel accompanied by an adult, though so under 18s can't just get on the tour for 1p.
 

bramling

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Joined
5 Mar 2012
Messages
17,685
Location
Hertfordshire / Teesdale
One could just give £20 to a good cause then.

I don't want to knock your society, and the low-cost rare-track sort of railtour can be quite interesting. But I don't get this plan of staggering from signal to signal inbetween the very frequent all-stations trains, on the country's most boring suburban network, in stock which (whilst comfortable enough) offers the worst window views of any in Britain.

A fast run from Hunts Cross to Southport might be a fun novelty but won't happen unless you clear he network of other trains. If one wants to clear Merseyrail, service trains will give a picture of the people joining and alighting at each station (which is much the most interesting part of the system anyway).

At the end of the day it’s worthwhile for people who want to cover the stock interchange line, with a couple of other relatively rare moves thrown in. Having said that, a couple more sidings or similar wouldn’t have gone amiss!

I wouldn’t describe Merseyrail as boring though. There’s plenty of interest for those who know where to look.
 

Skymonster

Established Member
Joined
7 Feb 2012
Messages
1,726
Was a rather excellent and relaxed day out, with the units well loaded but not so full it was uncomfortable and there was some space left to spread out a little. 507001 and 508134, plus all the staff, put in a sterling effort and the entire trip never ran more than a minute late, occasionally ran a tad early, and started and returned to Birkenhead North bang on time.

To those who challenge the value (and I’m not a track basher at all), I think it was well worth the fare. Yes, the £5.55 saveaway is an alternative, but is it REALLY possible to do the entire Merseyrail network - taking in trips out to Chester, Ellesmere Port, Hunts Cross, Kirby, Southport, Ormskirk, West Kirby, New Brighton and all the rest in both directions - in a single day or even in seven hours or so, and without starting or finishing at stupid o,clock? This tour delivered it all, plus a few unusual bits, in an easy manner without any need to stand out in the cold waiting for another train, while starting and ending at sensible times.

Well done Merseyrail and BLS.
 

Mathieu

Member
Joined
11 Jul 2016
Messages
245
Location
Oban
Was a rather excellent and relaxed day out, with the units well loaded but not so full it was uncomfortable and there was some space left to spread out a little. 507001 and 508134, plus all the staff, put in a sterling effort and the entire trip never ran more than a minute late, occasionally ran a tad early, and started and returned to Birkenhead North bang on time.

To those who challenge the value (and I’m not a track basher at all), I think it was well worth the fare. Yes, the £5.55 saveaway is an alternative, but is it REALLY possible to do the entire Merseyrail network - taking in trips out to Chester, Ellesmere Port, Hunts Cross, Kirby, Southport, Ormskirk, West Kirby, New Brighton and all the rest in both directions - in a single day or even in seven hours or so, and without starting or finishing at stupid o,clock? This tour delivered it all, plus a few unusual bits, in an easy manner without any need to stand out in the cold waiting for another train, while starting and ending at sensible times.

Well done Merseyrail and BLS.
Another great thing was all the high speed runs through places where it would be impossible due to how close the stations are together. The tour was perfectly timed to not follow a passenger train too! Well worth my £25. Also at the end I overheard the guard letting us know we raised over £3,000 for the charity!
 

John Luxton

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Joined
23 Nov 2014
Messages
1,653
Location
Liverpool
I would just like to add that I thought it was an excellent day out. I turned 60 a few months ago and now have a Merseyside residents over 60 travel pass and can use Merseyrail for free.

However, I had no hesitation to sign up for this trip. Since I joined the BLS a few years ago this is my third Merseyrail tour and they have all been good.

It was announced that the tour had raised £3000 for Alder Hey Chldrens' Hospital somewhere that has helped many children from North West England and North Wales.

I was born with a club foot and it was Alder Hey which corrected it for me as a baby. Certainly a good cause.

Also fun on a tour like this is speeding through the stations and the expressions on some of the passengers when the train doesn't stop!

I imagine when the new stock comes on line there will be another tour in the offing. Hope so!

John
 

youngiecj

Member
Joined
26 Feb 2012
Messages
365
Echo others sentiments. An excellent day out, enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. The fast running was a personal highlight although there wasn't much track that I needed. A good atmosphere on board, the BLS team really do a great job,
 

johnmoly

Member
Joined
26 Dec 2014
Messages
109
Location
liverpool
One could just give £20 to a good cause then.

I don't want to knock your society, and the low-cost rare-track sort of railtour can be quite interesting. But I don't get this plan of staggering from signal to signal inbetween the very frequent all-stations trains, on the country's most boring suburban network, in stock which (whilst comfortable enough) offers the worst window views of any in Britain.

A fast run from Hunts Cross to Southport might be a fun novelty but won't happen unless you clear he network of other trains. If one wants to clear Merseyrail, service trains will give a picture of the people joining and alighting at each station (which is much the most interesting part of the system anyway).

Surely the most boring and offers the worst window views of any in Britain is the London Underground.
 

_toommm_

Established Member
Joined
8 Jul 2017
Messages
5,843
Location
Yorkshire
Certainly a great day, and the timing worked well as light faded just as the tour ended. It was my first railtour, and my first experience of BLS and both were very positive. I had a bay of 4 all to myself all day, and it was definitely worth the money.

Well done to everyone who donated too - to say we went from £800 midday to over £3,000 by 5 is a Stirling effort!
 

AnthonyRail

Established Member
Joined
11 Jan 2015
Messages
1,208
Sounds like excellent day out.

What's the reason for the strange pricing?
£25.08p

Why 8p
 
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