oddiesjack
Member
Trip Report – Yorkshire pub crawl, Easter Monday.
I don't really have enough interest in DMUs to take numbers or even identify the different classes, so if you are looking for a “technical” report, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere. However, I do have more than a passing interest in real ales, so you might reasonably expect some details of these instead. However, it was such a successful day out that I have little recollection of what was imbibed, so this report will also be a failure in that respect, too.
For those still interested in the day, here is my tale:
The day began for me with my usual 15-20 minute walk to Chinley station to catch the 08.32 TP express “fast” train to Piccadilly, this being a Doncaster-Manchester Airport service. Upon arrival at the station, I was surprised to see 3 local acquaintances on the platform, who informed me that the 08.03 fast train to Piccadilly had not yet arrived. (It was now around 08.20, so I had had a fairly brisk walk there). Their train (an EMT Nottingham-Lime Street DMU) arrived a couple of minutes later, so I joined them on that. They were off to the Model Railway Exhibition at York, theoretically getting the 08.57 TPExpress off Piccadilly to Middlesbrough. When the guard came round, he was confronted with a full set of Senior Railcards on our table, issued them with their CLY-YRK tickets, and me with my South Pennines Day Ranger. He explained to my pals that his machine wouldn't do Senior tickets, but they had been given Y-P ones instead. As the youngest of the 4 on our table at 62, I was more than a little disappointed that my ticket DID say “SNR”!
Arrival in Piccadilly was at 08.55, and thanks to a very quick walk over the footbridge from Platform 13 to Platform 3, and a sensible despatcher by the 08.57 (another DMU of some sort), seeing us hustling down the steps, we were able to catch this.
An on-time arrival of the train in Leeds was effectively an early arrival for me – one of those occasions where a late-running train actually provides a faster trip for one or two “lucky ones” - so I went for a bite of breakfast in Wetherspoons.
I wasn't aware I had previously met any of the other participants as I made my way over to platform 13, and saw 2 people who I wondered if they were going to be this trip, but being a little cautious about approaching strangers, decided not to say anything at this point. Incidentally, I did think I recognised someone who had been on the Cheshire Day Ranger trip a few weeks ago texting furiously in the shopping mall area, but not wishing to attract the intention of BTP by chatting up young men, decided against speaking to him! Anyway, just as I and the two “probables” were getting on the train, we simultaneously decided to introduce ourselves, and the two likely lads turned out to be TheBlackWatch and Jordy. We were soon joined by YorksRob, who curiously didn't speak Yorkshire.
So the trip proper began, on a NorthernRail DMU ( a pacer I think) heading for Manchester Victoria via Wakefield and Brighouse, which we left at Sowerby Bridge. The rest of the day would have all trains provided by Northern Rail. We were trying our first pints in the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms on the station even before our train had departed. It was at this point I realised I shouldn't have been giving the early drinkers in Leeds Wetherspoons disapproving looks! Although the room itself is somewhat cavernous, the railway enthusiast owners have provided lots of interesting things on the walls to provide some character. The owners are men after my own heart, liking both railways and real beer, so the two pints I had in there (from a choice of 6 or 7) went down really well. We were joined by a 5th attendee while there, whose forum nickname the various beers have successfully eradicated from my memory, so sorry to whoever you are!
Our next hop was on the 12.59 train to Todmorden, where we repaired to the excellent Queen Hotel right opposite the station entrance. Again, we all had excellent pints in very comfortable, but friendly hotel-style surroundings. I had something from the Dent Brewery.
We left the Queen Hotel to retrace our steps a little, towards Hebden Bridge, and probably caught the 14.14 that was heading for Selby. By this point the beer was helping to confuddle my memory cells, as you can no doubt tell. A walk from the station towards the town centre brought us to the Railway Hotel, a pub where a rather nondescript outside is at odds with the fantastic real pub atmosphere inside. Again, we had a decent choice of ales, and I could happily stayed there longer, but we had a schedule to stick to, so meandered our way back to the very characterful station where we caught the next train to Halifax, which may have been the 15.21.
According to Yorksrob, there are 23 recommended pubs in Halifax, but my liver is eternally grateful we stuck to 2 – the Pump House, which served a fabulous pint of Golden Pippin from the Copper Dragon brewery (or it might have been Copper Pippin from Golden Dragon brewery). After this, a short walk brought us to Dirty Dicks, where I had another couple of rare-for-me pints of ale, a hoppy bitter, and a strong dark mild. I was happy to note that no matter which pub you go to in Halifax, its always downhill to the station. After a slightly late departure from Dirty Dicks due to an overflowing retention tank fitted to one of our number, a hasty walk to the station just got us there in time to see the 17.06 disappearing towards Huddersfield, our appointed stopping place for our tea (We had already had the conversation in one of the pubs regarding dinnertime and tea time, so have no qualms in calling it Tea) . A brief discussion resulted in the re-arrangement of the schedule so we could eat in another pub in Halifax – The Goose, I think, and the 2 pubs became 3. They served some decent beer, and were thankfully prompt in bringing the food, which was very good value. On our second walk down to the station, we arrived in time to get the 18.06 direct to Huddersfield.
It was another Northern DMU.
After a pint bought for each of us by RetroRailtours in the Kings Head on Huddersfield station we joined the music train to Sheffield via the Penistone line. It was the first time I had been on one of these, and I really enjoyed it. There was a real ale bar (this is the best DMU I have ever been on) and the 3 piece band played 60's classics all the way to Sheffield, entertaining the full train all the way there. I can't remember the last time I saw such good-natured dancing in the aisles.
At sheffield, I had a -1 connection to the Hope Valley train, so left without saying ta-ra or thanks to the others, and made a very fast (for a 62yr old fat asthmatic!) dash for platform 2c, where the Hope Valley train wasn't. It turned out it was on platform 8, and was a little late. Thank heavens! I made it, and ended my trip out with my last Northern pacer of the day.
