Southport to Manchester - a nice surprise

[gazthomas]

Hi all

I'm writing this from a hot and busy 150/2 on a Southport to Hazel Grove service. I am on the way to Milton Keynes and fancied something different to via Liverpool or Wigan.

I have been genuinely surprised with the line. Very rural east of Southport and some nice stations along the way. Hindley in particular.

I should do these little diversions more often!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I am impressed with Bolton station too. Getting a wonderful massage from the vibrating underfloor engine on this 150/2!

 

[FQ]

I guess you are going to change at Manchester Piccadilly onto a 390 to get to Milton Keynes.

The MKC stoppers are around Quarter past every hour.

 

[gazthomas]

I am indeed. Thanks for the advice. I just missed one but it gave me time for a beer and some station shots on this gloriously sunny day. Always amazes me how many different operators here - ATW, XC, Virgin, Northern, First TPE, EMT (think that's it if you exclude Metrolink!). Incidentally is that a record?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Nope, the most operators question has been done to death It's Doncaster and Crewe IIRC with seven (?) each - though I think Piccadilly-Stockport is the most operators between two stations.

 

[Kite159]

Can't see anything else on the map which can beat 6 TOCs between 2 stations

 

[Green Lane]

Hi all

I'm writing this from a hot and busy 150/2 on a Southport to Hazel Grove service. I am on the way to Milton Keynes and fancied something different to via Liverpool or Wigan.

I have been genuinely surprised with the line. Very rural east of Southport and some nice stations along the way. Hindley in particular.

Posting on another thread has just reminded me of this thread.

Yes, over the last couple of years I have visited all stations from Southport to Ince (Wigan) inclusive on foot. I have still to visit the some of stations east of Ince though. It was very enjoyable, particularly the most rural stations. Having travelled the line a few times by rail I was fascinated to explore the areas in the vicinity of the stations on the line. Regrettably I did not have time to share my trip reports on here. (Or maybe I did mention it but I have since forgotten - which is entirely possible ).

For me, Hoscar was the most memorable. I was not getting a train to or from Hoscar (2 hour frequency IIRC), but I did stop off there for about 20 minutes on a windswept yet intermittently sunny Autumn afternoon. Quite a charming place to sit down inside the shelter on the Southport-bound platform for a while. Winds sweep right across the miles of flat fields, rattling the perspex panels of the shelter and at that time on a Saturday afternoon with the next stopping train over an hour and a half away, virtually guaranteed to have the whole station to yourself. Pure bliss for the likes of me!

On that particular trip, I simply used an All-Zones Merseytravel Saveaway ticket to get me to Ormskirk, I then walked to New Lane, Burscough Bridge, Burscough Junction, Hoscar and then back to Ormskirk on the same day.

Photo taken at Hoscar on 26th October 2013:-