The future trips sound well interesting, I look forward to hearing about them!
Already got a trip planned for Newcastle for later in the year as I have never done the Tyne & Wear Metro!!!
Bleary-eyed Lancashire Day Ranger – Monday 8th February 2016
Having just finished my stint of nights I decided to stay up during the day to ensure I can sleep well tonight so I head off out on a Lancashire Day Ranger, with gen I had gathered together so I have a plan of attack to knock off more of the Northern fleet, however knowing Northern so well the gen may be out of date within 30 minutes of getting hold of it as they do seem to like to play what I like to call musical trains. How much I’ll get done I can’t say before I have to head home. I now have a goal and have my teeth sunk right into it and can’t see to stop myself and that is to try and clear Northern fleet during the remainder of the year.
So on a wet and cold morning I jump back in my car and head to Sale Water Park park and ride because there is no way now at this time of the morning I would be able to park at Brooklands and it is too wet to walk, so of course I get caught in the rush hour traffic. I was expecting it so it didn’t stress me out and there is always a chance of a high numbered tram on the Airport line. Finally arriving I drive past the stop and notice it’s only 3 minutes until the next tram so I park up pretty sharpish and purchase my ticket and have a minute to wait for dud 3068 to arrive and to take me towards Cornbrook, the tram is already quite busy and it shouldn’t surprise me as it is 8am on a Monday morning. The PIS lady on the tram always tells you to change trams at Cornbrook if you want to head through the city, I never listen firstly because Cornbrook is the coldest tram stop on the network and at this time of the morning it will be sardines by the time I get there.
At St. Werburghs Road I leave the tram and wait for the following tram to Bury that will take me through to Manchester Victoria, again this is formed of two duds 3040 and 3021 so I climb aboard the latter which is already standing room only and was sardines by the time Cornbrook was reached. It soon emptied out though and by the time we got to Market Street I had a seat.
At Manchester Victoria I left the tram and went and purchased my Lancashire Day Ranger and seeing I had just over 15 minutes to wait I thought I would head over to the co-op for a hot sandwich.... none left, so I thought McDonald’s for a bacon sandwich...one person serving slowly, another two just standing around appearing to be doing nothing and time running out so I leave. So you now have a tired and hungry person, I just hope my info is correct. I head for the platform and thankfully it was correct, there sat 153352, my first newbie of the day to take me onto a new shack in the form of Blackburn.
Arriving at Blackburn on time I only have to cross to opposite side of the island for my next train and only have 5 minutes to wait for the 0955 to York to take me to Accrington, which is a dud station but the unit I am on 158787 is not.
The weather is not any better at Accrington. In fact, if anything it is worse and I have 17 minutes to wait for my return journey, luckily there is a Tesco right next to the station and a hot sandwich and fruit was bought and seemed to do the trick and perk me up, coffee when I get to Preston! My train arrived and it was a dud 158849 to take me to Preston, although according to my gen it should have been a useful unit. First round to Northern in today’s game of musical trains.
On my first visit of the day to Preston I didn’t get a coffee, I got a tea and what a mistake. I like my tea with a splash of milk, unfortunately the lady that served me put a dollop of milk in it. Well at least it was hot and I had a bit of shelter from the weather in the buffet bar on platform 1 and 2 while I waited my 10 minutes for my next train which was the 1059 to Blackpool North, although this time I was not going to sunny Blackpool but just one stop along the line (or if you want to get technical it is the second stop from Preston but we didn’t stop at the first, and not many do!!) to Kirkham and Wesham for another new shack of the day.
On arriving at Kirkham and Wesham thank goodness it is only a few minutes to wait as the rain and wind from the outer edges of Storm Imogen was awful (believe the south got hit worse) when dud 150207 arrived to take me back to Preston. I had timetabled it into my plans that I would have got the next train back to Preston in my plans as this was only a 3-minute connection and I was not in the mood to run to the other platform not knowing that this station was an island platform and it served me well.
Back at Preston my plans change, originally I had planned to do a Virgin Trains run on a required unit, however being back early I would have had ages to wait and I spied a needed 319 unit which was departing in 10 minutes time so I proceeded to climb aboard 319371, getting the earlier train from Kirkham and Wesham has really helped as I can now concentrate on the Northern fleet today on the national network.
At Euxton Balshaw Lane (new shack!!!) I leave the train in the pouring rain and blustery wind and head over to the opposite platform via the long bridge and the shelter, by the time I reach the shelter I am drenched through and have a 30-minute wait for my service back. To pass the time in the draughty shelter I play a bit on Candy Crush (still hooked on it) and ate the Satsuma I had got earlier in the day at Accrington. You never would have thought that eating a Satsuma could be engaging did you? Well neither did I until today and it took my mind of the cold for 5 minutes, after finding a pip in each of the first two segments of the Satsuma I decided that if I found anymore and seeing there was no one else around (and to be honest who in their right mind would be stood on a platform in blustery winds and heavy rain!) I decided that should I find any more pips I would spit the out as target practice to get them through the gap between the window and the roof…I found a pip in all but two of the remaining segments. I’ll have to remember this game for the future, and by the way before anyone asks I scored with all but two of the remaining pips

. Now, back to the matter in hand and the reason I am stood on this platform on this day and a dud 319369 arrived to take me back to Preston and I didn’t care it was a dud I just wanted warmth!
Back at Preston I reluctantly got off the train as I was just getting the feeling back in my feet, so off I trudged and had another 25 minutes to wait for my next train so I just kept walking around to keep warm. I was slightly confused with my next move as the gen I had and the RTT didn’t make much sense so this next trip was a punt. Also I think the Preston automated announcing system was confused too as the destination board was saying that my train was the first train on platform 5 and when I got over there it stated a completely different train on the platform 5 screen, so I went back to the destination screen to check and I hadn’t misread it. Eventually the screens sort themselves out and my train is leaving from platform 5 so I head there and wait for a good 156483 to arrive to take me forward.
At Poulton-le-Fylde, another new shack for the day, I leave the train and I have to say I like this station. An island platform with the majority of it canopied and a little buffet bar where they serve pies and bacon butties and the station is one that is maintained by the local community and I have to say I still will need to come back to this area in the future for other stations and may be for new rolling stock but I have already decided I will visit this station again and buy lunch from the buffet bar. I have a 15-minute wait for my next train and when it arrives it is formed of a pair of good 150’s. With 150115 leading and the rear unit being 150135, I jump on the latter for the short trip to Blackpool North.
Blackpool North station, not a new station, and I can’t think of anything good to say about it compared to Poulton-le-Fylde. Except for a lot of lines means a lot of potential, nothing about the station itself. I have a 20-minute wait until my escape and that comes in the form of the two units I arrived on so I jump on the unit I didn’t travel on to get here and settle in on 150115 where I now have a longer journey that will take me beyond Preston to a new shack.
And that new shack turns out to be Buckshaw Parkway, where it is still raining and windy but at least I have a shelter to wait in for my next train which turns out to be an old friend from earlier today 150207 to take me back to Preston, where I have a bit of a wait for my next train from platform 3 so I visit the station buffet for a warm and a hot chocolate, just what was needed. Time flew and it wasn’t long before I headed back to the platform for 150114 (another red pen) to take me one stop along the line to (also new shack) Leyland where I only had about 5 minutes to wait for my service to Liverpool Lime Street which was formed of new 319369. On my way to Liverpool I pass Tuebrook and am happy to see a couple of 66’s, although I won’t know whether I needed them for sighting until I mark them up with 66712 on an unidentified freight train and 66727 appears to be shut down on its lonesome.
I haven’t been to Liverpool Lime Street in ages and I was shocked to see how busy it was with the 319 units and still needing a few it has given me an idea for a future trip regarding the 319 units and the stations out to Manchester over the Chat Moss line. I’m now beginning to think it is time to head home as it is 1630 and I have not been to bed yet since yesterday and am now feeling absolutely shattered and have done well to last this long, but there in platform 1 is a required 319362 working the service to Wigan North Western but I need to get to Manchester so a quick check of the stopping points I realise it stops at Roby (a required shack) and only 5 minutes behind is a stopping service to Manchester Victoria, smashing! So I jump on the needed 319362 to take me to new shack of Roby.
At Roby I depart the 319 unit and wait for the 5 minutes until my train arrives. It is still raining but the wind seems to have died down a bit now but the shelter still makes a useful shelter until a dud 319367 arrives to take me to Victoria where I started this adventure on the national network more than 7 hours ago.
On approaching Ordsall Lane Junction it dawned on me that this is the furthest I have been on an electric train as in the past I have turned right and gone towards Manchester Piccadilly. I have never been on an electric train into Manchester Victoria before and although I have travelled over the track before I pay a special attention to the section of railway between Ordsall Lane and Manchester Victoria.
On arriving at Manchester Victoria on platform 3 I head to the concourse and I have to say the job they have done on the concourse is spectacular compare to the state it was in a few years ago, it still amazes me every time I go on the concourse, also something else I noticed, I noticed it the other day too is how busy the Metrolink station is at Manchester Victoria, it wouldn’t be amiss to think this was central London with the frequency of the tube network as a tram arrives every few minutes. What is it going to be like once the second city crossing is opened and tram frequencies have increased? Are there going to be enough trams? I hope not. I head to the Metrolink platform and having just missed the East Didsbury tram I have a few minutes to wait, not long because from getting off the train to getting on my tram is only 7 minutes and it is a dud 3059 to take me to St. Werburgh’s Road were I change onto another dud 3061 to take me back to my car at Sale Water Park.
I’ve completed this report the morning after as I was too tired to do it last night, also it gave me time to reflect on the day and I have to say I am a person who thinks you have to go to the West Midlands, Scotland, Cardiff or London for a good spotting trip. Yesterday pointed something out to me and that is that you don’t have to travel far for a good and enjoyable spotting trip. I had a cracking time and came away still needing quite a bit in the line of trains and stations (as I still need 59 Northern units, although a trip to the North East will be required for some of them, this is already in hand ) so until the next time, I can’t wait for a North West trip.
NEW SHACKS
Blackburn, Buckshaw Parkway, Euxton Balshaw Lane, Kirkham & Wesham, Leyland, Poulton-le-Fylde, Roby.
NEW UNITS
150114, 150115, 150135, 150276, 153352, 156483, 158787, 319361, 319362, 319371.