The Planning
What can you get with £10 these days? Lucky enough to get 4 pints down the pub or two bags of fish and chips with a little spare change. Failing that I could always buy about 6 litres of diesel which wouldnt get me far out of York. Blimey, it even costs £2 just to get to the bloody station on the ****-poor excuse for a service on First buses.
Well if you havent guessed already, £10 will buy me a Northern flat fare ticket for this Saturday. Under the offer, you can travel as far and wide as you like in the Northern network for one day. Ive often heard about jammy sods getting one of these as compensation for a delay, whereas I normally just get rail warrants. Glove is on the other hand now, my turn for something as rare as this.
Those of you who have read my other basing notes will know I havent put one up about the planning stages, but the planning stage can be as fun as the trip itself. There is a certain thrill to working out the connections and co-ordinating stops for a pint or food. These days it is made a whole lot easier thanks to online timetables and a friend from Derby. To make good use of the ticket Ive chosen this Saturday to spend the day on the rails, and hopefully increasing my Pacer mileage for the year, but Im not going for a 100% record on this one (although it would be a bonus if it was).
The first Northern train off York is the 06.05 service to Selby, which if Ive checked properly forms the 06.41 service through to Leeds. The past few Saturdays where Ive been on the station that early this has been a 142 every time so hopefully it should be once again this weekend. Getting to Leeds gives me a helluva lot more options for Northern services than York. Unfortunately Ill just miss an early morning service to Man Vic so Ill make do with the 07.29 to Sheffield via Woodlesford and Barsnley. Again Pacertatstic traction is expected. Arriving at the Steel City at 08.55 gives me 20 or so minutes to grab breakfast and get onto a new line for the day Hope Valley. Once in Manc I can just about get over to Oxford Road to catch the 10.44 to Liverpool Lime Street, failing this Ill wait for the 11.01 off Piccadilly for the same destination. Leaving Lime Street almost as soon as I get there, off to Wigan NW for a pie and to change to Wallgate for the 13.20 to Man Vic. A short 20 minute wait and it is on the all-stops 14.27 to Huddersfield. This one is causing most of the worry due to a) the possibility of a 150 being on it and b) the 100% chance of it being packed to the rafters. Ive done it a few times, both on a 150 and both times having to stand all the way and I dont want to do it again. If it gets all too much Ill bail at Stalybridge and console myself with another pint. Hopefully that wont be the case and I can get in some more Pacer action over the Penistone line. From Sheffield I venture further into South Yorkshire and catch the 17.57 to Donny (working through from Lincoln), and then get a train to Leeds via Wakefield. Almost guaranteed a 321 on this service so will be a rather large bonus indeed if it turns out to be something of the diesel variety. Back into Leeds in time to see if the 20.29 to York via Harrogate is something desirable, otherwise it is onto the Blackpool train and ending back at York at 21.31, 17 minutes ahead of the train going around the loop. In all it should be approximately 15 hours of travelling, and one Im looking forward to immensely.
What can you get with £10 these days? Lucky enough to get 4 pints down the pub or two bags of fish and chips with a little spare change. Failing that I could always buy about 6 litres of diesel which wouldnt get me far out of York. Blimey, it even costs £2 just to get to the bloody station on the ****-poor excuse for a service on First buses.
Well if you havent guessed already, £10 will buy me a Northern flat fare ticket for this Saturday. Under the offer, you can travel as far and wide as you like in the Northern network for one day. Ive often heard about jammy sods getting one of these as compensation for a delay, whereas I normally just get rail warrants. Glove is on the other hand now, my turn for something as rare as this.
Those of you who have read my other basing notes will know I havent put one up about the planning stages, but the planning stage can be as fun as the trip itself. There is a certain thrill to working out the connections and co-ordinating stops for a pint or food. These days it is made a whole lot easier thanks to online timetables and a friend from Derby. To make good use of the ticket Ive chosen this Saturday to spend the day on the rails, and hopefully increasing my Pacer mileage for the year, but Im not going for a 100% record on this one (although it would be a bonus if it was).
The first Northern train off York is the 06.05 service to Selby, which if Ive checked properly forms the 06.41 service through to Leeds. The past few Saturdays where Ive been on the station that early this has been a 142 every time so hopefully it should be once again this weekend. Getting to Leeds gives me a helluva lot more options for Northern services than York. Unfortunately Ill just miss an early morning service to Man Vic so Ill make do with the 07.29 to Sheffield via Woodlesford and Barsnley. Again Pacertatstic traction is expected. Arriving at the Steel City at 08.55 gives me 20 or so minutes to grab breakfast and get onto a new line for the day Hope Valley. Once in Manc I can just about get over to Oxford Road to catch the 10.44 to Liverpool Lime Street, failing this Ill wait for the 11.01 off Piccadilly for the same destination. Leaving Lime Street almost as soon as I get there, off to Wigan NW for a pie and to change to Wallgate for the 13.20 to Man Vic. A short 20 minute wait and it is on the all-stops 14.27 to Huddersfield. This one is causing most of the worry due to a) the possibility of a 150 being on it and b) the 100% chance of it being packed to the rafters. Ive done it a few times, both on a 150 and both times having to stand all the way and I dont want to do it again. If it gets all too much Ill bail at Stalybridge and console myself with another pint. Hopefully that wont be the case and I can get in some more Pacer action over the Penistone line. From Sheffield I venture further into South Yorkshire and catch the 17.57 to Donny (working through from Lincoln), and then get a train to Leeds via Wakefield. Almost guaranteed a 321 on this service so will be a rather large bonus indeed if it turns out to be something of the diesel variety. Back into Leeds in time to see if the 20.29 to York via Harrogate is something desirable, otherwise it is onto the Blackpool train and ending back at York at 21.31, 17 minutes ahead of the train going around the loop. In all it should be approximately 15 hours of travelling, and one Im looking forward to immensely.
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