Class 175s North West Express

[Philip]

Does anyone remember the movements which allowed 175s to move from their Chester base to the North West services in the FNW/TPE days? Did units run ECS from Chester all the way to Barrow and Blackpool to form early morning services and likewise the return back to Chester in the evening? Also did any 175s overnight at Longsight back then?

I know 11 units were required for the North West services, did the North West diagrams get priority for the 3-car units?

 

[PHILIPE]

Does anyone remember the movements which allowed 175s to move from their Chester base to the North West services in the FNW/TPE days? Did units run ECS from Chester all the way to Barrow and Blackpool to form early morning services and likewise the return back to Chester in the evening? Also did any 175s overnight at Longsight back then?

I know 11 units were required for the North West services, did the North West diagrams get priority for the 3-car units?

They were stabled overnight at locations such as Blackpool and Barrow and cycled via Chester. I can't quite recall exactly now but a couple worked to Manchester (or beyond) on services via the Mid Cheshire Line.

 

[CAF397]

I’m fairly sure that Blackpool crews signed to Warrington Bank Quay for ECS moves.

 

[driver_m]

They went on Longsight, yes.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I think there was a mid-day Chester-Warrington-Blackpool service at one point.
175s never achieved full availability for FNW though.
They were also originally supposed to do some Liverpool-Blackpool services as well, but I don't think they ever did.

 

[Stonesourscotty]

They did a few Wigan-Blackpool during 2003/4

 

[Philip]

They did a few Wigan-Blackpool during 2003/4

In passenger service or as ECS?

Anyone remember what the split between 2-car and 3-car units was of the allocation for the North West?

 

[323235]

I remember seeing them operate on the mid cheshire line along with all other FNW traction.

 

[33017]

I remember seeing them operate on the mid cheshire line along with all other FNW traction.

When ATW took control of them there were around ten daily diagrams on TPE services. There used to be a very early morning ECS (c.04.00) from Chester to Manchester that featured three units and a similar train back late at night. The others used to stable overnight at Longsight (one set), Blackpool (three?) and Barrow (also three?). I recall one two car worked an early morning Millom service, another set did the Windermere branch and the rest worked between Manchester Airport and Blackpool / Barrow.

 

[PHILIPE]

When ATW took control of them there were around ten daily diagrams on TPE services. There used to be a very early morning ECS (c.04.00) from Chester to Manchester that featured three units and a similar train back late at night. The others used to stable overnight at Longsight (one set), Blackpool (three?) and Barrow (also three?). I recall one two car worked an early morning Millom service, another set did the Windermere branch and the rest worked between Manchester Airport and Blackpool / Barrow.

There was one worked via the Mid-Cheshire in the morning and I'm pretty sure there were 11 diagrams. All these had to be given priority even if ATW themselves went short.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

They did a few Wigan-Blackpool during 2003/4

In passenger service or as ECS?

IIRC these were actually Manchester/Airport trains running via Wigan for route retention purposes, generally on Sundays only. Something like three each way and split between Barrow and Blackpool services. GMPTE did not like them as they cut across the policy of all Manchester trains from Wigan using Wallgate station. How times have changed...

 

[Stonesourscotty]

This was M-f as i used to see them from Wigan College heading North on 1st break and heading south at lunchtime

 

[Philip]

This was M-f as i used to see them from Wigan College heading North on 1st break and heading south at lunchtime

I think TPE used to keep a unit spare at Blackpool during the day in the latter days, I think this was also used to strengthen morning and evening peak services. Perhaps FNW did the same earlier on and used the spare to run a Blackpool-Wigan shuttle service around this time?

 

[Philip]

In the event of 175 shortages in TPE days, did the contract mean ATW had to provide alternative stock for TPE North West too (ie. 158s?)

Also did they ever work to Cleethorpes or on the North route?

 

[PHILIPE]

In the event of 175 shortages in TPE days, did the contract mean ATW had to provide alternative stock for TPE North West too (ie. 158s?)

Also did they ever work to Cleethorpes or on the North route?

I've mentioned the contract details in Post #10. Had to be 175s

 

[61653 HTAFC]

In the event of 175 shortages in TPE days, did the contract mean ATW had to provide alternative stock for TPE North West too (ie. 158s?)

Also did they ever work to Cleethorpes or on the North route?

They didn't work North TPE services, and to date they're still not cleared for the route. I heard a tale (possibly false) from a guard in FNW days that one of the rare occasions that a 101 was sent to Wakefield was a last-minute sub for a 175 (itself a sub for a defective former "Rochdale-Euston" 158) which had been allocated until someone realised they weren't route-cleared!

 

[northwichcat]

There was one worked via the Mid-Cheshire in the morning and I'm pretty sure there were 11 diagrams. All these had to be given priority even if ATW themselves went short.

It did Chester-Altrincham-Manchester (arriving at around 08:20)-Warrington-Chester-Llandundo, while a 150 left Chester at a similar time and did Chester-Warrington-Manchester-Altrincham-Chester. Those workings remained even after First North Western stopped operating Manchester-Warrington-Chester-Llandudno.

 

[Philip]

They didn't work North TPE services, and to date they're still not cleared for the route. I heard a tale (possibly false) from a guard in FNW days that one of the rare occasions that a 101 was sent to Wakefield was a last-minute sub for a 175 (itself a sub for a defective former "Rochdale-Euston" 158) which had been allocated until someone realised they weren't route-cleared!

Were (are) they even cleared to use Victoria? For a non-intercity unit, they did seem rather confined to a small selection of routes, in their FNW days. I don't remember ever seeing them standing in on Clitheroe or Southport services for example.

In hindsight it would've probably been better had say 6 units been kept to work the Barrow and Windermere services, with 185s working the Blackpool services (and thus allowing more North and South TPE services to be strengthened).

 

[CAF397]

In the event of 175 shortages in TPE days, did the contract mean ATW had to provide alternative stock for TPE North West too (ie. 158s?)

Also did they ever work to Cleethorpes or on the North route?

I was commuting to Manchester when the original TPE franchise started, and on several occasions my train home to Blackpool (usually a 2+3 Cl175) was replaced by a 2 or 3-car TPE Class 158 covering.

 

[Philip]

I was commuting to Manchester when the original TPE franchise started, and on several occasions my train home to Blackpool (usually a 2+3 Cl175) was replaced by a 2 or 3-car TPE Class 158 covering.

Ah was that the one that split at Preston, with the other half going to Windermere? I bet a 2-car 158 was rather cosy on a service which should have had 4 or 5 coaches!

 

[CAF397]

That was the one. It was cosy, but if you were at the right end of the train, the First class seats were up for grabs. No first class on FNW trains, or advertised, so most people didn’t know you could sit in there.