45022
Member
Last Monday night I stayed in Manchester to watch the United v Arsenal FA Cup Quarter Final, wrong result for me, but that's a different thread - so decided that instead of going straight back home in the morning, I would have a few hours around Manchester travelling on as many different classes as I could. It was also taking me back to my mid-Eighties bashing on the Pennines.
So starting the day at Altrincham, I bought my £12 Day Wayfarer ticket and boarded a pretty full 959 to Piccadilly (via Stockport) with Northern's 150228. I suppose that unless it went on the old freight line (in my ancient rail atlas) it would have had to gone down the Tram lines. The 150/2 was roasting so I was glad to alight at Stockport.
My last visits to Stockport were many years ago and I remember there used to be centre roads where the electric was put back on the front after a drag from the WCML. I can also recall the need to shunt out a Buffet Car on a Pathfinder Railtour from the 90's. Anyway, my wait was short before EMT's 158773&788 arrived in on a Norwich-Liverpool service. The interior of these units are really good, and I was able to enjoy a table of 4 for my journey through Piccadilly, past the Theatre of Dreams and out to Warrington Central.
A quick platform leap made a +2 for Northern's 156423 on a stopper back to Manchester Oxford Road bay platform (new line I think for me!!). The 156's are certainly showing their age - I recall when they were first introduced in Scotland and they were quite a comfortable and efficient ride. A +2 for the following EMT 158810&865 for the mileage move to Piccadilly!
At Manchester Piccadilly I made a quick dash across the concourse to make a -1 for the 1141 to Hull with First TPE's 170303. This was in excellent interior condition but I did smile at the complimentary refreshments in First Class which seemed to be a choice of two or three packets of biscuits. I stood for the 15 minute run to Stalybridge. My memories of Stalybridge are from changing off the Scarborough-Holyhead onto the Stockport unit in the bay, for the 31/4 to Sheffield for 1M10 - 2357 to St. Pancras. I certainly can't recall 5 platforms there, but I do remember the Pub on the Platform! Liquid refreshments were tempting, but I rejected beer for 156427 on the 1208 to Victoria.
Manchester Victoria is another station that has changed over the years. My memories were of the very long Platform that the 744 to Bangor used to leave from, and the pointwork from the Western approach that I always thought would derail the pony wheel on the Peak, but I guess that's progress!! Yet another 156, this time 421 was used for a short hop to Salford Crescent, where I alighted for a train to Manchester Airport. This was TPE's 185129, which I was very impressed with internally.
There is significant development work going on at the Airport, with extra platforms being built, to cope with a station that wasn't even in my Rail Atlas! I was planning to catch a different 185 back to Piccadilly, but on the adjacent platform a Northern Electric 319 arrived on a Liverpool service - so I thought I would have a run on 319363 instead as they had only started running the previous day. The acceleration on these units is impressive and despite reading quite a few negative comments I thought they portrayed a smart and useful capacity increase to the North West.
At Piccadilly, I made a further leap across the concourse for the 1355 to Euston with 390137 which glided me effortlessly to Stockport. I could not fail to notice how busy the station seems to be these days, with the various local units being supplemented by Virgin and Cross-Country services every 30 minutes both ways. Here I had a 20 minute wait for 150145 which I took back to Altricham via the curve into Navigation Road that provides excessive tyre screeching as you go around it!
So even if my main bashing was done with Peaks in the 80's, there is still some interest and variety around as this 5 hour mini-bash shows. The only classes I missed out on were 142 & 350, but I feel slightly ashamed to say that the red pen was needed for all of the units I had during the day!
So starting the day at Altrincham, I bought my £12 Day Wayfarer ticket and boarded a pretty full 959 to Piccadilly (via Stockport) with Northern's 150228. I suppose that unless it went on the old freight line (in my ancient rail atlas) it would have had to gone down the Tram lines. The 150/2 was roasting so I was glad to alight at Stockport.
My last visits to Stockport were many years ago and I remember there used to be centre roads where the electric was put back on the front after a drag from the WCML. I can also recall the need to shunt out a Buffet Car on a Pathfinder Railtour from the 90's. Anyway, my wait was short before EMT's 158773&788 arrived in on a Norwich-Liverpool service. The interior of these units are really good, and I was able to enjoy a table of 4 for my journey through Piccadilly, past the Theatre of Dreams and out to Warrington Central.
A quick platform leap made a +2 for Northern's 156423 on a stopper back to Manchester Oxford Road bay platform (new line I think for me!!). The 156's are certainly showing their age - I recall when they were first introduced in Scotland and they were quite a comfortable and efficient ride. A +2 for the following EMT 158810&865 for the mileage move to Piccadilly!
At Manchester Piccadilly I made a quick dash across the concourse to make a -1 for the 1141 to Hull with First TPE's 170303. This was in excellent interior condition but I did smile at the complimentary refreshments in First Class which seemed to be a choice of two or three packets of biscuits. I stood for the 15 minute run to Stalybridge. My memories of Stalybridge are from changing off the Scarborough-Holyhead onto the Stockport unit in the bay, for the 31/4 to Sheffield for 1M10 - 2357 to St. Pancras. I certainly can't recall 5 platforms there, but I do remember the Pub on the Platform! Liquid refreshments were tempting, but I rejected beer for 156427 on the 1208 to Victoria.
Manchester Victoria is another station that has changed over the years. My memories were of the very long Platform that the 744 to Bangor used to leave from, and the pointwork from the Western approach that I always thought would derail the pony wheel on the Peak, but I guess that's progress!! Yet another 156, this time 421 was used for a short hop to Salford Crescent, where I alighted for a train to Manchester Airport. This was TPE's 185129, which I was very impressed with internally.
There is significant development work going on at the Airport, with extra platforms being built, to cope with a station that wasn't even in my Rail Atlas! I was planning to catch a different 185 back to Piccadilly, but on the adjacent platform a Northern Electric 319 arrived on a Liverpool service - so I thought I would have a run on 319363 instead as they had only started running the previous day. The acceleration on these units is impressive and despite reading quite a few negative comments I thought they portrayed a smart and useful capacity increase to the North West.
At Piccadilly, I made a further leap across the concourse for the 1355 to Euston with 390137 which glided me effortlessly to Stockport. I could not fail to notice how busy the station seems to be these days, with the various local units being supplemented by Virgin and Cross-Country services every 30 minutes both ways. Here I had a 20 minute wait for 150145 which I took back to Altricham via the curve into Navigation Road that provides excessive tyre screeching as you go around it!
So even if my main bashing was done with Peaks in the 80's, there is still some interest and variety around as this 5 hour mini-bash shows. The only classes I missed out on were 142 & 350, but I feel slightly ashamed to say that the red pen was needed for all of the units I had during the day!
