Stockport–Stalybridge: a 100 per cent improvement

[STANDISH]

On the 14th June the BLS Tour The Nosey Peaker picks up at Victoria and stops at Reddish South for a break. Unfortunately it has been full for some time. A chance to see three 37's at Reddish for photographs.

 

[edwin_m]

Its precise purpose, as the original BR service was, would be to make connections between South Manchester services and North Manchester ones including TPE. Though I do think running it to Vic would be more useful than Staly.

It was a relic of the LNWR and later the LMS which ran quite a few services, including portions of London trains, from Stockport to places like Oldham and Huddersfield.

 

[Bovverboy]

The previous service kind of made sense, as a box-ticking exercise, since it took a turn that was running ECS from Stockport back to Newton Heath (via Denton) Monday to Thursday, so little extra resource required to divert it via Stalybridge on a Friday.

The full ECS working on Mondays to Thursdays was 5J05, 0833 Manchester Piccadilly to Newton Heath TMD via Styal, Wilmslow Reversing Siding, and Denton. On Fridays it became 5J45, 0833 Manchester Piccadilly to Stockport via Styal and Wilmslow Reversing Siding. So instead of it continuing via Denton to Newton Heath, it was indeed a relatively minor diversion via Stalybridge on Fridays.

http://www.charlwoodhouse.co.uk/rail/liverail/train/10809396/16/05/18

But that begs the question as to why 5J05 existed in the first place. It could hardly have been for retention of route knowledge Stockport to Newton Heath, since there are other workings between those points anyway. Could it have been simply to keep a path open for the Friday service? That suddenly makes it a very expensive once per week service.

I can't find any equivalent to 5J05 on the current workings.

 

[Bovverboy]

What does the new (return service) run off though?

There is at present no sign on RTT of any ECS workings to/from Stalybridge. Looks like we'll just have to wait until the service actually operates to find out.

 

[Ianno87]

The full ECS working on Mondays to Thursdays was 5J05, 0833 Manchester Piccadilly to Newton Heath TMD via Styal, Wilmslow Reversing Siding, and Denton. On Fridays it became 5J45, 0833 Manchester Piccadilly to Stockport via Styal and Wilmslow Reversing Siding. So instead of it continuing via Denton to Newton Heath, it was indeed a relatively minor diversion via Stalybridge on Fridays.

http://www.charlwoodhouse.co.uk/rail/liverail/train/10809396/16/05/18

But that begs the question as to why 5J05 existed in the first place. It could hardly have been for retention of route knowledge Stockport to Newton Heath, since there are other workings between those points anyway. Could it have been simply to keep a path open for the Friday service? That suddenly makes it a very expensive once per week service.

I can't find any equivalent to 5J05 on the current workings.

I assume there was literally no other way to get the ECS out of Piccadilly other than to sent it via Styal, as it would've crossed too much stuff at Ardwick. Depending where it spent the previous night, it may have needed to get to Newton Heath for fuel.

 

[Bovverboy]

Will the official easement of allowing the return journey via Manchester be retained, in view of there now being a return trip ? Or is this an exercise in trying to get the said easement abolished ?

There's only going to be a return trip from Stalybridge to Stockport and back, not the other way round. So anyone wanting to go from Stockport to Stalybridge and back will need to come back via Manchester, as they did before. So I wouldn't see the addition of the Stalybridge to Stockport journey as being any justification for abolition of the said easement.

 

[BurtonM]

Is Stalybridge still known as Stalyvegas?

To some, yes it is, but the nightlife that bore the name is no more. I tend to hear it mostly ironically locally though - but further afield (outside GM), anyone that knows of it will refer to is as 'Stalehvehgas' (always pronounced with a strong Lancashire accent, despite historically being in Cheshire).

 

[Ash Bridge]

Just observed the Stalybridge bound service as it passed by our house, formed of a class 142 with approximately a dozen passengers from what I could see. Running approximately 7 minutes late as it appears to have had to await a Runcorn bound 'Binliner' service to clear the single line section between Denton & Ash Bridge Junction.

 

[Crossover]

Looking at RTT it looks like it is split off a diagram on the Stalybridge to Manchester Victoria circuit.

2E92 0820 Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge terminates in p2 at Stalybridge at 08:37
2J44 0846 Stalybridge to Stockport and 2J93 0900 Stalybridge to Manchester Victoria then depart Stalybridge p2

2J45 0945 Stockport to Stalybridge and 2E94 1023 Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge terminate in Stalybridge p2
2J95 1100 Stalybridge to Manchester Victoria then departs Stalybridge p2