Hope Valley stopping service

[tom1649]

Does anyone know what regularly turns up on this service these days? I was a regular user in the FNW days of 101s and the occasional 142. I'm looking for a 142 if possible. Yes I'm one of the mad few who like these units, particularly the ones with bench seating - 80s BRtastic.

 

[sprinterguy]

It's generally a mix of 142s and 150s, and you stand as good a chance as any of getting a bus seat 142 as they're Newton Heath diagrams AFAIK.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

A 142 most of the time...

 

[Lampshade]

It's pretty much a guaranteed 142 but it's often a Heaton-based unit that has the Northern Spirit refurb interior. You may be lucky (hock and get one with bench seats though.

 

[tom1649]

Lovely, thank you. That'll be my trip out this week then I think. Sometimes the guard raises an eyebrow when I have a Chesterfield - Manchester return and I'm travelling on the stopper. I just tell them I like the scenic route.

 

[323235]

isn't their one turn that's booked to bring an Eastside unit over onto the Westside?

 

[lm321412]

I have also occasionally seen 156s operating this service.

 

[Boothby97]

I do recall seeing 150s and 158s on this service as well.

 

[37372]

A couple of 150/156 workings morning and evening but throughout the day it's pretty much just Newton Heath pacers, perhaps the odd HT based one.

 

[tbtc]

Tends to be 142s http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebustocrookes/5951671044/ ... though I have had a 156 before. You do get a mix of seats/ types of 142, but ultimately a Pacer is a Pacer.

The advantage is that they have decent sized windows to appreciate the scenery

 

[tom1649]

To be honest it's never been the same since the 101s went. Just wish I'd been born 10 years earlier. Each 101 had its own unique character, and in some cases its own colour scheme and declassified first class. Time to take the rose tinted specs off.

If a 150 or 156 turns up it won't be a disaster, I'll just buy a GM Rail Ranger and go pacer hunting. I don't suppose I'll have to look very far.

 

[Donny Dave]

The advantage is that they have decent sized windows to appreciate the scenery

And plenty of time to look, especially going between Hope and Edale. Pacers struggle to get upto 40mph there, but for some strange reason, have no problem getting towards line speed heading the over way!

 

[CJ]

Yeah they're normally Class 142s, sometimes 150s or 156s.

I do recall seeing 150s and 158s on this service as well.

I've never seen any 158s on this route apart from EMT's Liverpool/Norwich services.

 

[323235]

Piccadilly haven't signed 158s for a few years now so it would have to have been quite somtime ago that one did it.

 

[Boothby97]

Piccadilly haven't signed 158s for a few years now so it would have to have been quite somtime ago that one did it.

I'm sure it was probably between 2002 and 2005, I know it wasn't an EMT or FTPE one.

 

[323235]

TPE had a couple of FNW 158s for a while iirc

 

[Boothby97]

TPE had a couple of FNW 158s for a while iirc

Nope, I remember a 158 performing an all stops service.

 

[ukrob]

Pretty sure one of the diagrams is booked a 156 on a Saturday. Never seen anything apart from a 142 during the week.

 

[Lampshade]

Nope, I remember a 158 performing an all stops service.

A few EMT services are all-stops.

 

[tbtc]

A few EMT services are all-stops.

Not "all" stops, but certainly some (Dore, Chinley...)

 

[tom1649]

Not "all" stops, but certainly some (Dore, Chinley...)

The last train at night was/is all stops CT/EMT from Liverpool to Nottingham. I caught it once in about 2005. It was a 170 on that occasion though.

 

[MCR247]

I'm sure the first service, the 04xx off Nottingham calls at pretty much all Hope Valley stops as well

 

[Boothby97]

A note to last few posts, It definitely wasn't EMT/CT/TPX and was during the day, so it was not the first/last Norwich-Liverpool Service.

 

[Failed Unit]

TPE had a couple of FNW 158s for a while iirc

Yes it did, complete with gold star pre-185s. It also had the regional railways 158 and a lot of ex-ct 158s. Normally on the Cleethorpes route. I remember at Barnetby seeing 2x CT 158s one to Nottingham and the other to Cleethorpes (from Manchester).

 

[WestCoast]

Usually a Pacer by all acounts, although it's not unusual by any means to see a 150 or 156 doing the route.

I've done it quite a number of times, just to escape the crowds really on the fast services, not becuase I am a fan of Mersey/Bench Pacer seating!

 

[northwichcat]

TPE had a couple of FNW 158s for a while iirc

Nope, I remember a 158 performing an all stops service.

Soon after First/Kelios took over the First franchise they sub-leased two 158s from FNW. These mainly appeared on Hull services, which weren't advertised as having FC.

The 158s at FNW were replace by a 4 car mk2 set with class 31s hired from FM Rail. The mk2 set was initially used on a morning St-Annes-on-Sea to Greenbank service and a late afternoon Chester-Blackpool via Stockport service, which ran to similar timings between Preston and Stockport as the class 180s running the Hazel Grove services run now. Due to engineering works the mk2 set was later switched to a morning Blackpool-Victoria and an evening Victoria-Blackpool service. At the end of the FNW franchise the 2x158s were returned and replaced by 158s subleased from CT.

 

[tom1649]

Usually a Pacer by all acounts, although it's not unusual by any means to see a 150 or 156 doing the route.

I've done it quite a number of times, just to escape the crowds really on the fast services, not becuase I am a fan of Mersey/Bench Pacer seating!

Believe me I'm not keen on the Mersey seating. They'd have been better off leaving the originals in.

 

[talltim]

I've done it in a bench seat 142, in November, with broken heating, in the dark. not fun

 

[tom1649]

I've done it in a bench seat 142, in November, with broken heating, in the dark. not fun

I've done it on a power trailer 101, with broken heating, in winter and in the dark! Great fun! There were even one or two commuters (business types) who went all the way from Manchester to Sheffield on it. Whether it was in error, or they just preferred it to the express I'll never know.

Usually a power twin unit was used but it was never a certainty.

Another night we alighted from a 101 at Hathersage to find the station lighting was completely dead!

 

[WestCoast]

Believe me I'm not keen on the Mersey seating. They'd have been better off leaving the originals in.

The Mersey seating is awful, and I haven't found anyone who disagrees.

Now I'm no Pacer cheerleader, but for some reason I think the Grindleford Tunnel on a Pacer has to be experienced. A must for an ALR!!