Ellesmere Port area

[rm88]

Couple of Points,

Once again I was conned into buying a £4.00 day return from Chester to Ellesmere port, despite there is a £3.50 day ticket :l .

Secondly, why is the track at Platform 1 at Hooton randomly buffered only for the track to branch off again 20 yards up, if you get what I mean.

Thirdly, While at Ellesmere Port I saw a 150 with a mustache on both ends. No one was on the train to get off and no one got on, what a waste of a service.

and lastly, If I got on at Ellesmere Port on the 16.04 and asked for a day return to Warrington Bank Quay, how would I get back?

 

[headshot119]

Couple of Points,

Once again I was conned into buying a £4.00 day return from Chester to Ellesmere port, despite there is a £3.50 day ticket :l .

Secondly, why is the track at Platform 1 at Hooton randomly buffered only for the track to branch off again 20 yards up, if you get what I mean.

Thirdly, While at Ellesmere Port I saw a 350 with a mustache on both ends. No one was on the train to get off and no one got on, what a waste of a service.

and lastly, If I got on at Ellesmere Port on the 16.04 and asked for a day return to Warrington Bank Quay, how would I get back?

You saw a 350 at Ellesmere port. I assume you mean a 507/508, or something in the 15X range. the overheads stop at Warrington

 

[ATW Alex 101]

The Hooton buffers are from the days when the Helsby-Ellesmere Port trains used to terminate there, when they were cut back from Rock-Ferry. On platform 0 there is a picture on the wall from c.1987 of a Pacer in that platform. In July, a Northern 156 ran an excursion to Hooton and use the same platform. Terminating Merseyrail services and RHTT trains also use it. The bit of track further on is some sort of freight loco turning siding, although I would need an expert to confirm this.

The 350 you saw would have been a 150 on the well known 'Parly' service. It runs 4 times a day, twice through to Warrington. Not many passengers use it, but it still runs regardless, I use it often if I'm bored just for the fun of it. If you asked for a return to Warrington, you would be expected to come back via Liverpool or Chester, both of which I have done. If you peg it to Warrington Central, there is a Northern service to Liverpool at about 16:49ish, but if you miss it, there is the 16:59 EMT service which overtakes it anyway.

 

[vjm1975]

Couple of Points,

Once again I was conned into buying a £4.00 day return from Chester to Ellesmere port, despite there is a £3.50 day ticket :l .

Was this from Chester ticket office or the TVM? From my experience staff always sell the £3.50 Day Saver when asking for a return or single to Ellesmere Port. (A single is £3.60). Not seen the area G (Which covers Hooton-Chester/Ellesmere Port) Day Saver in the TVMs at Chester, only the all areas one.

 

[rm88]

Thanks for the info about Hooton Alex.
Staff at the ticket office at chester sold me on 2 occasions the £4.00 ticket.

However I might be moving to Ellesmere port, right close to the station aswell, atleast there is some trains to see. I will use the Helsby train when I go Manchester for the day.

What ticket do I buy at Ellesmere Port that costs £3.50?
Plus the "K" doesnt work on the touch screen at Ellesmere Port ticket machine, I wanted to know the return fares to Knighton. (I know now because there is a drop down menu on the right side of the screen.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Next time ask for an area G saver at an office. Type in area G with a TVM. I noticed the K didn't work last time as well, it did when I nearly snapped my finger in half pressing it though.

Be aware, however, the trains towards Helsby leave at 06:23 IIRC and 06:53 in the morning, with the latter going through to Warrington. The 06:23 simply goes back at Helsby. They then don't appear again until 15:34 to Helsby then 16:04 to Warrington. No Sunday service and only the 16:04 makes it to Warrington on a Saturday.

It wont be possible to go to ELP-HSB/WBQ-MAN then MAN-WBQ/HSB-ELP in a day (realistically), you would have to go via Chester and Hooton coming back (or maybe Liverpool, depends on the ticket held).

 

[vjm1975]

What ticket do I buy at Ellesmere Port that costs £3.50?
Plus the "K" doesnt work on the touch screen at Ellesmere Port ticket machine, I wanted to know the return fares to Knighton. (I know now because there is a drop down menu on the right side of the screen.

The Area G Day Saver is the £3.50 one, it's the second option on the popular destinations page on the TVM at the unmanned stations south of Hooton.

The screens are awful for responsiveness, "A" is also a little blighter. Shame the ticket office at E.Port isn't open on Saturday mornings as late morning there can be a long wait to get a ticket. Though having said that, the queue at Hooton station on Saturday mornings can be out the door and a bit of a wait. But at least there's 6 trains an hour to Liverpool from there.

 

[rm88]

Yet there is a sign on the ticket machine saying "press hard on the screen", it should say "Press hard on screen until finger snaps or screen cracks" lol

 

[alwaystouchout]

Spotted some mustaches on a couple of Northern 142s last week. I imagine it's something to do with 'Movember.'

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The Hooton buffers are from the days when the Helsby-Ellesmere Port trains used to terminate there, when they were cut back from Rock-Ferry.
The bit of track further on is some sort of freight loco turning siding, although I would need an expert to confirm this.

Platform 0 and 1 at Hooton used to be the Fast lines between Birkenhead and Ledsham Jn, half-way to Capenhurst.
The main electric platforms 2 and 3 were the Slow lines.
There were also two more platforms to the west (for the West Kirby branch), and a proper bay platform on the east face of 0 for the Helsby line.

When they de-quadded the route in the late 60s, they kept the Slow lines and lifted the Fast, except for the half-mile through Hooton which was used as a run-round facility for reversing freight trains towards Helsby (then mostly oil trains from Stanlow, but now little used).
That's why there is a dog-leg of the electric lines past the signal box, as they retained the Fast lines south of Hooton rather than the Slow.
It also means the rather nice old canopy on P0 is rather pointless, and forces everybody to use the bridge to catch a train.
P0 used to be the main Chester platform.
My dad worked at Hooton before it was butchered.
They only recently replaced the old staff hut with the fancy new bike shed!

 

[rm88]

The newish footbridge is quite smart.

I remember Hooton about 5 years ago, I had to listen to a ticking sound coming from a broken clock on the bay platform.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

I still keep wanting to turn right at the entrance where the old wooden one was!

 

[rm88]

What's being done at Ellesmere Port station building?

 

[table38]

I've joined a few Rail Tours at Hooton "Platform 0", the loop is handy for running round

[youtube]2vfpvVlkXzU[/youtube]

 

[rm88]

Haha the old Hooton footbridge.

 

[yorkie]

Once again I was conned into buying a £4.00 day return from Chester to Ellesmere port, despite there is a £3.50 day ticket :l .

Can you provide more information surrounding the circumstances of your purchase please? What did you ask for, what were you sold, what reasons were given?

 

[rm88]

Strange how Ellesmere Port has no departure screen on P2. Is the station joint owned half and half.

I got off the train at chester and went to the little hatch and asked for a return to Ellesmere port and she said where have you come from, which was a silly question considering i was at chester. Then realised I was on the wrong side of the barrier so I would have come off a train. I showed my ticket from sandbach to chester so I got charged £4.00.

On another note, If I got on a train lets say for exmple at crewe and went to chester, I could get off at chester and go the hatch and say single from bache to chester please. not sure if id save money. How would they know I came from Bache or not, would it be questioned?

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Strange how Ellesmere Port has no departure screen on P2. Is the station joint owned half and half.

I got off the train at chester and went to the little hatch and asked for a return to Ellesmere port and she said where have you come from, which was a silly question considering i was at chester. Then realised I was on the wrong side of the barrier so I would have come off a train. I showed my ticket from sandbach to chester so I got charged £4.00.

On another note, If I got on a train lets say for exmple at crewe and went to chester, I could get off at chester and go the hatch and say single from bache to chester please. not sure if id save money. How would they know I came from Bache or not, would it be questioned?

If you haven't come from Bache, don't buy a ticket from Bache. It's not a worthy risk to take. Always buy before boarding where you can.

 

[Eagle]

Strange how Ellesmere Port has no departure screen on P2. Is the station joint owned half and half.

No, it's fully operated by Merseyrail. There's no departure board on 2 presumably because only a few services a day use it, so most of the time it would be blank.

 

[rm88]

I will be making use of the service to Helsby to change for Chester. It is the same price from the port to chester via helsby and hooton, dont matter which way you go either way.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

I will be making use of the service to Helsby to change for Chester. It is the same price from the port to chester via helsby and hooton, dont matter which way you go either way.

IIRC the services don't connect to Chester services great at Helsby, they have long connection times.

 

[rm88]

I think one service connects at Helsby to Chester, I will come back via Hooton.

 

[vjm1975]

I will be making use of the service to Helsby to change for Chester. It is the same price from the port to chester via helsby and hooton, dont matter which way you go either way.

The £3.50 Day Saver isn't valid as that's Merseyrail only, but the £4 anytime return is.

Platform 4 at Helsby has departure boards, despite only seeing the limited service.

 

[Polarbear]

The run around loop just north of Hooton is occasionally used to stable the royal train overnight when there's a visit in the North West or North Wales.

Given the amount of security the last time this happened, I think one of the royal family must have been aboard.