A few days in and around Pen-y-ffordd.

[FQ]

Hi all, bear with me as this is my first trip report so feel free to comment at what to put in and what to take out next time.

Day 1, Penyffordd-Cheshire (part 1)

After a fairly good night sleep at my granny's in Pen-y-ffordd, my phone alarm rang at 07:45 on the 1st of August 2014. I got out of bed, got dressed and grabbed a couple of slices of toast in the kitchen and ate them before getting my train-spotting books and camera ready for the day I had ahead. My mum had volunteered to drive me down to Pen-y-ffordd station for the 09:08 train to Wrexham, my first move of the day, but she over-slept so my granny taken me to the station instead. My train to Wrexham General, 150284 rolled in 5 minutes late at 09:13 and departed a minute later. For people who haven't traveled on the borderlands line south of Pen-y-ffordd, it is an utter stagger, taking 19 minutes (if perfectly on time) to go 6 miles and 70 chains. I arrived at Wrexham General at 09:31 and I got off, walked over the bridge onto platform 1 and bought a child return to Ruabon at the ticket office. Having already bought my return from Penyffordd-Chester on 150284, I waited for the train to Ruabon, the 09:42 to Cardiff Central, hoping I would make my connection there.

My train arrived in at 09:42, formed of a 2 car 175, 175007. I boarded the far coach and walked through the train looking for a seat, which was surprisingly easy. This was my first time on a class 175 and, thinking it would be a horrible journey, quite enjoyed it. The seats were quite comfy, the underfloor engine wasn't loud and the guard was very quick at checking tickets. I leaped off at Ruabon and ran over the footbridge onto platform 1. I then strolled down the platform a bit and stopped. Upon seeing what was coming around the bend at the end of the station, my blood froze. 158825 had pulled in to the drizzly station of Ruabon on the 09:54 service to Holyhead, my train to Chester. Having traveled on an ATW 158 before, and hating it, I groaned and reluctantly boarded. I had to stand in a cramped vestibule all the way to Chester and to make things worse, all the way there was a high pitched noise in the unit. The guard came down the train but only sold people tickets if they needed them, he didn't check tickets at all. I was very glad when I got off at Chester and away from the 158. I walked over the bridge from platform 4b to the barriers where I shown the man there my ticket from Pen-y-ffordd to Chester and he let me through. I then walked to the ticket office and waited for about 5 minutes in the queue before being served. I bought a Merseyrail all areas saveaway, £2.50 for a child, and decided to go to Bache. I walked over to platform 7b to see that 508140 was leaving on the 10:31 to Liverpool Central so I had to wait 15 minutes.

15 minutes passed and I boarded the 10:45 train, 507028 to go to Bache. I passed Chester 175 Alstom depot, which had a few units there and then a few sidings with the rails rusted before arriving at Bache. I got off the train and strolled over the footbridge, looking at how easy the Morrisons opposite the station was to get to as I was planning to go there for lunch. I then walked down onto the other platform and strolled along it, with 3 minutes to spare. My train came in and I boarded it, able to get a seat for the 3 minute ride back to Chester, which ended up being 6 minutes on 507007. I jumped off at Chester on platform 7b and looked over at platform 3b at Chester to see 175112 leaving on a Llandudno bound train. I began to walk down platform 7, towards the Northern Rail part of Chester where I saw 2 class 150s sat in the 2 platforms, 1 ready to work the slightly delayed 10:59 service to Manchester Piccadilly and the other just sat in platform 5 doing nothing. I walked back to platform 7b and waited for the 11:11 arrival from Liverpool, but it arrived at 11:09. I boarded the train, 507005 ready to do it to Bache. We left on time and arrived at Bache right time. Again I went over the footbridge and down onto platform 1. My train came in, 508134 and taken me back to Chester. I stayed on 508134 back out to Bache, as I was planning to catch the 11:55 train to Crewe and needed to kill some time. It arrived to Bache, where instead of strolling, I sprinted across the footbridge and made the +1 back to Chester on 508108. I then ran over the bridge at Chester and down onto platform 3 before walking up to platform 1 where 150242 arrived to take me to Crewe.

I think that is enough for part 1, part 2 will be soon (hopefully).

 

[Techniquest]

Shuttling up and down Chester to Bache seems a HUGE waste of a Saveaway!

Glad you enjoyed your first 175, shame you didn't have a good experience on the 158 but they're better generally than they used to be since refurbishment.

I assume you'll detail the rest soon, interested in seeing what else happened

 

[FQ]

Shuttling up and down Chester to Bache seems a HUGE waste of a Saveaway!

Glad you enjoyed your first 175, shame you didn't have a good experience on the 158 but they're better generally than they used to be since refurbishment.

I assume you'll detail the rest soon, interested in seeing what else happened

Yep, it will be up soon. It is a waste but I did do something else; I wasn't allowed so far out of Chester.

 

[Techniquest]

Seems reasonably understandable that, given you don't seem that old going by your avatar at present.

Sounds like you need to get a family member to go with you for bigger adventures!

 

[FQ]

Seems reasonably understandable that, given you don't seem that old going by your avatar at present.

Sounds like you need to get a family member to go with you for bigger adventures!

Yep, my dad is interested in trains (not units just locos) so he usually takes me out. I have managed to convince him to take me on a Merseyrail bash with my friend (on here as nat67) from Rugby and get all of the Northern line track done (it is all winner) and then I can do the Wirral line myself from Pen-y-ffordd by changing at Birkenhead. He has also promised to take me to Glasgow on the sleeper, mainly because he has relatives in the area. On September the 4th I should be going to Doncaster with one of my friends (not nat67) and her mum.


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Day 1, Pen-y-ffordd-Cheshire (Part 2)

I boarded 150242, noting the rank smell of the toilets. By the time we left Chester the train still had seats available, and definitely would for the rest of the journey to Crewe, as there were no more stations along the line. The main reason I had decided to take the 150 was because I needed the class 60s sat at Crewe Electric, and I would enjoy seeing what ever else was there and at the Heritage centre. Having only ever been on class 150s on the Borderlands line, where there are stops every 4 minutes (average, some 3 some 5), I loved going at 75 miles per hour towards Crewe, where I saw the class 60s and my last Arriva Trains Wales class 67, 67003. I then got out of my current seat and went in the one opposite, which was free, to view Crewe Heritage Centre. A few steam engines were there, including 60009 Union of South Africa, which was in steam. We arrived at Crewe and everyone but me got off the train and headed for the exits. I moved back over to the other side and got another facing window before loads of people boarded and took up every other seat, including the one next to me. There were about 3 people standing in the doorway nearest to me and another 3 in the other doorway of the coach. As we set off back towards Chester I stood up to see Crewe Heritage Centre again, as I missed the number of one of the steamies on the way into Crewe. I then sat down and put my head next to the window, which was vibrating like hell, and saw the first row of rusty, demic class 90s at Crewe Electric, which looked like they were ready to be scrapped. I then stood up to see over the depot wall, where I saw a load of Class 92s and 90s. It surprised me at how it was built up around Crewe and then how the train goes under a bridge and we are in the countryside. It was also strange at how the second we went into the countryside each way, the rain hammered down but when we reached Chester or Crewe the rain stopped.

I baled off of the 150 at Chester, exactly an hour after leaving, and walked over to platform 7b. By then I had got all of the 507s and 508s for haulage that day on the Chester line, excluding 508140 which I had missed earlier in the day. According to my stomach lunchtime had rolled round so it was off to Morrisons opposite Bache station. My auntie goes to the cafe there a lot with my cousins so I had heard that the food was good. When I got over to platform 7, I saw that the next Merseyrail unit was due at 13:01 so I walked back up to the Northern Rail section and saw 2 class 150s, 150146 was still there. I got my camera out and took a picture of the other, 150205, before walking back down the platform to get the Merseyrail unit to Bache. It came in on time with 508134, curses, the third time for haulage in 1 day. But my tummy was rumbling and wanted lunch as soon as possible so I boarded anyway and in 3 minutes was at Bache.

I ate my lunch, an all day breakfast, before walking back up onto Bache station. I looked at the departure board on platform 1, only to find out that the 13:52 service to Chester was expected at 13:59. I walked over to platform 2, 8 minutes before the 13:48 to Liverpool was due, so I decided that if it were 508140 I would do it to Hooton. It rolled in as 507028 so I hit my head as that meant if I had got to the station a few minutes earlier, 508140 would have been on the train calling at Hooton. Deciding to flag doing 507028 to Hooton, I walked back over the footbridge and waited another 10 minutes to go back to Chester on 507007. I arrived back at Chester at 14:02, where I hopped off and checked the departure board between platform 7 and 4. It said there was no trains between the train I had just came in on and the next Merseyrail so I just lingered around platform 7 waiting for the unit to come in that would form the 14:15 to Liverpool Central. The train arrived at 14:12, as 507005, so I boarded and got a seat at the very front of the train. We left Bache on time and started to pick up speed, darting along at 75 miles per hour. A couple of minutes before we arrived at Capenhurst, 508134 shot by on a train to Chester (thank god it won't be my one back). I arrived at Hooton just as 508108 was leaving towards Chester, so I wandered over the bridge and into the little shelter on the Chester and Ellesmere Port bound platform. I had a bit more of my drink I bought at Morrisons before going outside the shelter as the 14:42 service to Chester arrived as 508140.

I leaped on, a grin on my face and decided to do it back to Chester, even though Capenhurst is a winner station. The reason I wanted to do it back to Chester is because if I did it to Capenhurst, I would need to take the 14:54 train back up to Hooton, which I knew would be 508134. I arrived at Chester on time, at 14:57. Whilst doing my plans to get to Chester, I had also worked out moves to get me to Helsby for an Ellesmere Port bound class 70 by taking the 15:46 175 to Helsby and then the 16:41 175 back to Chester. I decided to stick with those times so I spent and hour taking photos at Chester before making my way over to platform 4a for 14:45. I rolled my eyes as I looked at the departure board again, to see my train to Helsby was 10 minutes late. I waited the 10 minutes saying to myself it had better be a 175 as I had seen a pair of 158s on a Llandudno-Manchester train earlier and there was a single 158 on a Llandudno train earlier as well. I was relived when 175113 rolled in but in the end I didn't really like the journey, mainly because it was heaving on departure from Chester. People were completely blocking the passage instead of attempting to cramp into the vestibule and they got annoyed when a gentleman and myself tried to get through to get off at Helsby even though the gentleman asked them kindly to move. We got through in the end and I got off as quickly as possible. I looked at the station and my jaw dropped. It was lovely. Thinking it would be a foul station smelling of urine, I was hugely surprised. I read the load of station signs on the signal box, which was strangely on the platform, which said that Helsby station had the best kept station gardens in Cheshire 2011 and things like that. The main station building, on platform 1 was made of stone and looked nice but the main thing that caught my attention was the waiting room for platforms 2 and 3. It had a basket of flowers drooping over the entrance and had 2 stone chimneys. As I took a picture of the station the signal-man stuck his head out of the signal box and asked if I needed the 16:14 Northern train to Warrington as that would be on platform 4. I said no and that I was here to see the coal train to Ellesmere Port. He said sorry and that it had already gone through, as our train was late arriving. I said thank you and walked over the bridge onto platform 4 to take a few pictures of the Northern service to Warrington, and do it to Frodsham if it was a 156. I heard the track squealing way before the unit came in, formed of 156425. I smiled as I boarded the front coach and walked into the main train. I walked right down that coach and through the next and was absolutely stunned at seeing that I was the only passenger on the train. I got a facing seat in the front coach next to the partition so I could see out of the whole window but before I knew it we were approaching Frodsham. I got in the vestibule and opened the door before jumping off but I decided to go down to the end of the train and ask the guard if the Northern unit would arrive at Runcorn East before the Llandudno bound train. She said it would so I climbed back on the train, my ticket being valid to Runcorn East. I chatted with her all the way there, got off and watched the 156 leave. I then walked up the ramp to the footbridge and went over it to platform 2. My mum rang while at Runcorn East station, just before catching my train back to Chester, the 16:33. My train came in at 16:36 and left at 16:37 on its way to Llandudno. Between Runcorn East and Frodsham 175112, our train, raced past an unidentified 175 on its way to Manchester. We arrived at Chester about 5 minutes late and I baled before walking over the stairs to the main concourse and asking the dude at the barriers to be let through. He did and I wandered into the Costa. After seeing the length of the queue I walked out and over the concourse to WH Smith and grabbing bacon and egg sandwich and an oasis. I walked over to the bench on platform 4b and ate my sarnie and drank a bit of my oasis before shoving it in my camo bag and watching a 158 leave. After that I walked back over the bridge and saw that there was virtually no queue so I went through the barrier again and got myself a strawberry and cream frappe. By the time I had finished that I had to make my way over to platform 3b for the 17:55 Llandudno train, which I was to do to Shotton. It rolled in as 175106 and I had to wait for people to get off before boarding myself. I knew the journey to Shotton was quick, only 8 minutes, but I only had a plus 6 to get a 150 back to Pen-y-ffordd, which I thought might be a problem because the high level and low level are in different places. We arrived at Shotton right time (thank god) where I hurriedly got off the cramped unit and ran down the ramp into the street. I then ran along the pavement to where the road turned off and I headed towards the high-level railway bridge. I saw the sign on the bridge with an arrow pointing up for Bidston and under the bridge for Wrexham so I went under it and up the cobbled ramp until reaching the top. After reaching the top and looking at the 'next train' board, I sat in the crowded bus shelter to get out of the rain. About 5 minutes later, my train arrived as 150252, a dud one for haulage, and I had no trouble finding the seat I liked, right had side with a window and facing. When the guard came down, just after Buckley, I shown him my return ticket from Pen-y-ffordd-Chester and he nodded and walked away. We arrived at Pen-y-ffordd 4 minutes late and I saw my granny’s car waiting in the car park so I stepped off and walked down to the gate into the car park next to the barrow crossing and went through it, before walking to her car. I watched the 150 leave a few seconds before getting to the car.

That is where my journey ended, a fun day.