BLS 750v tracker

[Old Yard Dog]

The BLS 750v tracker left Hooton station exactly 150 minutes late at 1202 yesterday after ice-on-the-power rail closed large sections of the Merseyrail network.

Nevertheless the train covered almost all of its planned itinerary missing just one siding at Southport and the bay platform at Hooton.

It arrived back at Hooton bang on time at 1948, having recovered two and a half hours of delay. Is this some sort of record?

 

[Tubeboy]

Lots of slack timings there? Was there a planned break?

 

[table38]

We managed to make up a lot of time by some very fast reversals, thanks to Merseyrail having drivers at both ends.

We did wonder if the fact that Merseyrail is virtually a "closed" system also helped, so the Merseyrail controllers only had to deal with us and their own trains.

Credit to some very well choreographed station breaks, given there were over 300 people on the train and no toilets on 507/508s. Merseyrail staff were fantastic, allowing use of the staff facilities at Aintree, and coordinating some mixed use of the Ladies loo at Southport. (Some "alternative arrangements" were also offered later in the day which we suspect may have involved a bucket and a cab window )

 

[12CSVT]

One of the unplanned highlights of the day while we were all shivering on Hooton platform was seeing this 18-car ice breaker come through. On its return from Chester, two units formed the railtour. BTW did anybody notice what the other four units were ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSNzGt1-0b8

 

[Robert Taggart]

One of the unplanned highlights of the day while we were all shivering on Hooton platform was seeing this 18-car ice breaker come through https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSNzGt1-0b8

Not enough of a 'gain' to make up for all the pain - methinks !
This one time obsessive gricer be suffering from schardenfraude after reading these reports !!
There being so little in the way of hard to grice branch lines now, and bearing in mind other BLS tours over recent years - mefears they be reduced to picking off the twigs and stubs (loops and sidings) from now on ?
FTR - oneself was at home, in he warmth, watching the telly - thinking of them !!!

 

[STANDISH]

Good afternoon Robert,

Think of the good news from this Tour. I believe it raised nearly £20,000 for the Clatterbridge Cancer Charity.

 

[Robert Taggart]

Think of the good news from this Tour. I believe it raised nearly £20,000 for the Clatterbridge Cancer Charity.

Indeed, but, methinks it would not have made up for the two and a half hour delayed start and the freezing conditions endured PLUS the last three hours or thereabouts of travelling in the dark.
It may well have 'warmed the cockles of your heart', but, what about your 'brass monkeys' ? ! All told this tour would have left us cold !!
Desperate stuff these BLS 'trackers' these days. :-x