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I came across a comment on Reddit by someone who said the 158s really only have about 5 years of use left in them due to their age. That felt wrong to me, so I thought I'd ask a more expert audience. My thoughts had been that they could probably be kept running for as long as operators wanted...

I have observed today that trains are being held at danger bi-directionally before entering the signal blocks between Rochdale and Smithy Bridge. Having followed the signalling on traksy, this appears to be to perhaps avoid having two services on the particular track section at the same time. I...

There is a relatively new (to me) speed restriction in the eastbound direction, which is presumably mirrored in the westbound as well. The viaduct has a quite noticeable dip on the far side from the station, and it appears to have worsened in the last year. That seems to explain the speed...

There's a mad Northern service running directly between Manchester Vic and Wigan NW once-hourly via Lowton Junction. It doesn't stop at intermediate stops, and it's always empty when I see it. Today it consisted of a 4 carriage 156. Meanwhile Blackburn to Rochdale is formed of a single 150...

Hi all, Around a year ago I opened a thread regarding a dispute I had with Northern over a ticket from SMB (Smithy Bridge) to Manchester CTLZ (Manchester Central Zone) and stopping short at SFD (Salford Central) on a flexi season ticket. A forum member kindly advised that it was a valid route...

Morning all, I've managed to get into a little dispute with Northern, relating to an alleged overtravel on my commute from Smithy Bridge to Salford Central. I used to travel to Victoria on a Manchester Central Zone flexi ticket, but on a whim on a return trip one evening decided to see if the...

Hi all, thank you in advance for any views. This is a 'prospective dispute', facts below. Travelling via Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street. Two legged journey, first one with Northern via Rochdale. Second leg on a TPE service arriving at Lime Street for 2pm, wedding starting at 3pm...

One idea that seems likely to gain traction if the current government lasts is the concept of localism. Already many forms of transport in this country are locally run, often supported by funding from councils and area stakeholders. What is the extent to which heavy rail can be locally run? I'm...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49132477 (Apologies if this already has a thread. I did do a search, but the only historic thread I could find was locked.) I suppose we may have to wait a while to get any real news on the proposed route, but I think people would agree it's needed...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48995511 Is this a sign of conclusions to come? It seems to go contrary to the expectations of some who envisaged a greater role for Network Rail in the future. I suspect many on this forum would welcome less government interference, though it would remain...

In the MEN today: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/how-part-manchester-city-centre-16451373 I'm particularl I note the following paragraph: Sounds like NR have no intention of preserving an 'option' to further increase capacity along the corridor in the...

Hello RF patrons, I'm currently vacationing with my partner in La Spezia, not far from the Italian National Museum of Transport (I intend to visit this during our stay). On our way back we will have a day in Genoa, and I intend to spend some time on a platform somewhere to watch the freight...

I'm curious about what the rationale is for having so many semi-fast callers at NlW. I've just joined a TFW service at Earlestown. I changed from a Liverpool to Warrington service at the station. I get onto the usual tatty Class 175, and before we even leave the station the train manager is...

Hi all, I'm in Newcastle today and have an open return which I expect I will use to get home from around 2/3pm. Ideally I'd like to experience some different routes on the way home from the standard TPE route, as I've travelled very few of the lines in Yorkshire. Obviously I don't want to run...

I'm on the TFW scheduled 4:20 to Piccadilly, 50% ex-Llandudno, due to couple to another 175 unit in the station. It appears that the electrical couplings are not engaging properly. Photograph attached for illustrative purposes. The top part of the coupling (which I assume is the mechanical...

Hi all, I first got into train simulators with MSTS, which was a fantastic Simulator, though sadly far too prone to crashes. One of the best features of it was the editor which allowed quite complex timetables for different routes to be set very simply. The downside was that the map editor was...

Good morning, First time poster on these forums, long time lurker. I spotted something yellow and slightly unusual looking moving across towards Philips Park Junction this morning. Unfortunately due to my location I only caught the top parts of the cab as it was over the crest of the hill...