childwallblues
Established Member
Thanks for that. Just checked it on RTT and it was at Burscough Bridge.
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Porterbrook Cl.769 'Flex' trains from 319s, initially for Northern
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Jamesrob637
Established Member
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Very slightly delayed at Oxford Road but nothing severe.
Probably will not be known till tomorrow
421, 424, 442 and 450 are all currently out right now and have made it past midday
434 also looks to be on its way back from Scotland as 5Q36 if it runs, should make a very unusual sight coming down the S&C, Blackburn to Bolton via Darwen?? Some circular tour it will end up at Allerton.
27 July (2025....) now being quoted as 769 electric operation extended from Bolton on the Wigan Wallgate route to the new changeover point at Ince.
769434 arrived back at Allerton behind 37884 at 15.50, having come WCML direct but via Golborne Junc, Parkside W and Neton-le-Willows after leaving Wigan NW.
769434 arrived back at Allerton behind 37884 at 15.50, having come WCML direct but via Golborne Junc, Parkside W and Neton-le-Willows after leaving Wigan NW.
Soft Hands
Member
Game over then for 421's first day in service?
Realtime Trains | 2O70 1603 Southport to Manchester Oxford Road | 11/07/2025
Real-time train running information for 2O70 1603 departure from Southport to Manchester Oxford Road on 11/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
zain_031
Member
421 cancelled at Oxford Road after arriving 30+ late. Now appears to be running ECS to Wigan.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
Realtime Trains | 2W24 1727 Manchester Oxford Road to Southport | 11/07/2025
Real-time train running information for 2W24 1727 departure from Manchester Oxford Road to Southport on 11/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
Realtime Trains | 5W24 1727 Manchester Oxford Road to Wigan Wallgate | 11/07/2025
Real-time train running information for 5W24 1727 departure from Manchester Oxford Road to Wigan Wallgate on 11/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
Both, the lateness was caused by it refusing to switch to electric from diesel. Off to the naughty step. Still it lasted most of the day!
childwallblues
Established Member
After only coming back from Kilmarnock this week 769424 according to RTT will be on the 0725 Southport to Stalybridge today
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Sorry wrong unit my apologies.
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zain_031
Member
769450 has just failed at Wigan, I believe it’s something with the doors? Now almost 20 mins late.
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Update: 450s service cancelled. Just seen it leaving Wallgate from North Western, looked like it was going on the tracks for Springs Branch
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Update: 450s service cancelled. Just seen it leaving Wallgate from North Western, looked like it was going on the tracks for Springs Branch
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childwallblues
Established Member
I was at Hindley today and noted 458 heading towards Manchester. I then boarded 450 to Wigan Wallgate. Both units were on diesel power. Any ideas when the 769s will use electrics between Bolton and Ince?
Apparently from 27th of this month....
pokemonsuper9
Established Member
I can only find 769424, 769448 and 769450 on realtime trains, are some allocations missing or did 769434 and 769458 fail at the first hurdle?
Apologies maybe my eyes were playing tricks, I am sure they were allocated work this morning but yep you are right, just the three out!
Confirm that 769421 is still sat on the naughty step at Springs Branch, having refused on its first day out last Friday to change from diesel to electric at Bolton. Went forward (eventually) to Manchester Oxford Road, return (peak hour) to Southport and all its booked services for the rest of the day cancelled. 769421 went back ECS via Wigan North Western to Springs Branch and hasn't moved since. There was a 5Z85 SP-AN at lunchtime but not that. 769424/48/50 have started the day and are still going, 769456 is actually at Brodies, whilst it would appear that the 2 overhauled Brodie units (431 and 434) are at Allerton. The availability of 431 has been far worse since it came back, whilst 434 has, in fairness only been back for about a week! Presume that 769442 and 769458 are at Allerton (or possibly NH). 769452 (the other ex-TfW cavalry unit) has not yet ventured out of Crewe Electric depot.
Plenty short forms again on the Manchester/Stalybridge-Southport services whilst 156426 appears to have given up the ghost at Wigan Wallgate on a (short-formed) Ox Road-Southport this afternoon.
Plenty short forms again on the Manchester/Stalybridge-Southport services whilst 156426 appears to have given up the ghost at Wigan Wallgate on a (short-formed) Ox Road-Southport this afternoon.
It had lost ten minutes by Bolton, there must have been some other problem.
It should, of course, have switched from diesel to electric at Bolton, rather than the other way round. If a 769 won't switch, can it not continue in diesel mode? Is that what it ultimately did? It seems to have taken a long time to resolve the situation one way or the other.
Wyrleybart
Established Member
I am assuming that at least part of the issue is that for the couple of years the TfW 769s were working from Canton they never had 25kV through them. In actual fact they probably never had 25kV from when they were withdrawn from Thameslink duties. Therefore they first got 25kV back in their transformers when they were refitted with pantographs on Crewe IETD and were able to pan up, laast month or maybe three months ago.
Whilst this is welcome, given that the 769s still seem to have a weakness when changing power source, is this a bit of a gamble? At least at Bolton there is another platform for trains behind to pass a stranded unit.
Certainly no one on the ground is keen on 769s full stop so I don't know if this has come down from up high. Perhaps it's a case of "let the chaos commence" before a better plan is put into place till the next timetable change, IE. A regular electric unit to Wigan NW from Oxford Rd and Staly and a shuttle from Wigan Wallgate to Southport till December
pokemonsuper9
Established Member
Well, sounds like more delay repay for me then!
I've only gotten just under £5 so far this year so far.
Dspatula
Member
323s won't be coming to the rescue given half of them are out due to lack of spare parts. From what I've heard I wouldn't be surprised if the 769s outlive the 323s at this point.
Wyrleybart
Established Member
Really ? I wonder how the same fleet was managed by the same Rosco when they were in sole command of the Birmingham cross city line. I don't recall rows of 323s parked up at Soho every day.