19th June – A trip towards Settle & Morecambe
Casting my mind back to last August on a trip to West Yorkshire, I got massively delayed heading towards Leeds due to the wiring on the ECML falling down around Newark meaning I had to ditch some of the plans I had for the Friday evening to head towards Skipton & Settle for a photograph. So back in March/April time the announcement that hotels were reopening meant I looked into booking a couple stays in Stockport solely to use up some Travelodge vouchers. As for Travelodges go, the one in Stockport is better than average (close to the station, has AC and is generally quiet).
The day began with an early start from the hotel, a nice feeling of being able to leave clothes & other bits behind when I have 2 nights in the same hotel, and less of a rush to leave to ensure I haven’t left anything behind, i.e. chargers. I headed to the station to catch the first train towards Manchester (06:15 from Hazel Grove) which had a required 331 leading a dud 331, sadly even taking to Salford wouldn’t have been enough to clear for ten miles so it will have to be left for another day. At Piccadilly I popped to the Sainsburys for breakfast before heading to Victoria on the TPE service, changing over to begin some linear hopping towards Leeds.
First up was a 2 coach 195 from Chester which took me to Rochdale, followed by a 158 to Smithy Bridge (more a time wasting move). Next up was a pair of 2 coach units (one needed outright, one for mileage) which took me to Hebden Bridge, noticing a Blackpool 3 coach unit looked very busy. Thankfully a required 195 from Blackpool was quiet for the leap to Bradford Interchange, followed by another train from Chester to take me to Leeds, sadly not enough to clear for ten miles but 9 and a half is better than nothing!
A 150+158 combo bound for Kirkby wait at Smithy Bridge
At Leeds I noticed the idiotic one way system from last year has gone (the one which forced anybody to walk down platform 8 to use the footbridge at that end of the station), making it more passenger friendly. I had a ~ 45 minute wait before heading on the Skipton train, formed of a 4 coach 331 for the trip into North Yorkshire (I always forget how pretty the line is nearer Skipton, certainly an area I will try to return to one day for a decent explore). I had a short wait at Skipton before a busy 158 arrived on the Carlisle bound to take me to Settle, where a good number of passengers alighted.
"Welcome to the Skipton Train" is what this would have said had it been a 333 ;)
I had around 50 minutes before the next Leeds train, so with the nice weather I went for a little walk in the area, following the River Ribble for a short section, a gentle little potter away from the mask in a beautiful area. I returned to the station noticing that a charter train was running early allowing me to take a photograph of it (top & tail 47s with Statesman coaches), before the Leeds train arrived. Good timing of the charter train as it was less than a minute before the 158 popped up, which I took to Hellifield for a 25 minute wait before the next Morecambe train which was another 158.
A 47 heading towards Appleby passing Settle
It’s been a few years since I last covered the line towards Lancaster (the so called “Little North Western” and I had forgotten how scenic it is. The train headed west crossing over the WCML before a long pause at Carnforth before heading towards Lancaster to reverse before going towards Morecambe. I returned to Bare Lane to tick off platform 2 before crossing over to platform 1 to take RAF branded 156480 for the short spin back into Morecambe where I set off for a gentle walk along the old railway line (the old “North Western Railway” line towards Lancaster Green Ayre station (then onwards to Wennington).
The RAF 156 at Morecambe
This line has been turned into a busy mixed use path between the Morecambe area & Lancaster, although I saw no evidence of the old station at Scala Hall. Some nice views of trees and the River Lune nearer Lancaster itself, it was a nice easy gentle walk along tarmac, a couple old railway bridges with evidence I assume of either signal mounts of mounts for the overhead wires, but other than that it was hard pressed to see any evidence of former railway use. Anyhow I reached the “Carlisle” railway bridge which has a footbridge attached to one side allowing walkers to cross the river, and headed along the river front to reach the millennium footbridge, doubling back onto the formation of the old chord which connected the main WCML to the line towards Wennington (the mixed use path continues for another few miles to reach a village called Caton, which is a job for another day).
I reached Lancaster station with time to spare before the next southbound service which was formed of my last Pendo I needed for mileage, previously I had only had 390136 for the short hop between Haymarket & Edinburgh so I was glad the hunt was over. At Preston I had a short wait (spotting the Network Rail ‘950’ unit on platform 5) before a required 195 arrived from Windermere which took me to Wigan. Next up was a 319 for the short run to St Helens Central to intercept a pair of 331s on the next Liverpool train which I took to Preston, making a tight connection (for the 331s were running late) onto a required 195 for the short spin back to Lancaster where I exited the station to head to a busy Maccies, meeting up with my friend, Mr Stu who was in the area taking photos from a riverside location of the bridge.
I headed with Stu back to his spot on the river bank as the Pride Pendo was due to head south, and I think my photo came out reasonably. We headed back towards Lancaster station saying our farewells as he headed back home on a magic bus (as Northern had cancelled a Barrow train) and I boarded a Manchester bound 195, which unusually goes via Bolton (non-stop), just a bit of a novelty of a 195 along this route (the usual route is via Wigan). Surprisingly it wasn’t that busy on board, even after Preston, and it arrived into Piccadilly on time allowing me time to get to a Crewe stopper (which was a busy 323), however 5 minutes after it was meant to have departed the announcement was made that the unit had failed and passengers to transfer to another unit.
Instead of heading to the other 323 I jumped across to board a pair of 150s on a Buxton service, and the 2nd coach was lightly loaded (it was empty after Heaton Chapel!), it even got ahead of the late running Crewe service so a good decision in my eyes. At Stockport I headed back to the hotel room via the recently reopened Sainsburys Local to grab a light snack, and chilled out in the hotel room, the end of a productive day which saw my last handful of Northern stations I needed for photographs ticked off, plus a couple platform requirements. Also it was a nice day out looking out of the train window over some scenic lines before a little walk along an old railway line.
390119 crossing the Carlisle Bridge in Lancaster
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20th June – Onwards to Doncaster
A more laid back day as I was booked on the 14:45-odd departure from Doncaster to London so had a couple options how to reach Doncaster, my first option was ditched due to a Hope Valley service being formed of a pair of 150s, so I decided to go via the Calder Valley. Although the fact that the 09:56-odd Manchester Victoria – Leeds service was formed of a 158+153 combo had nothing to do with it, honest ;)
I exited the hotel, and headed to Stockport station for the train from Buxton, a 156+150 combo which took me into Piccadilly, followed by a gentle walk across the city to Victoria, where I had a short wait before the 158+153 combo arrived from Leeds, before I took a seat in the 153 because they are on borrowed time on Northern, this could easily be my last Northern 153. The service randomly called at the 3 stations before Rochdale (the previous Blackburn service was cancelled) but not Smithy Bridge which limited the dog box thrash, but the tunnel made up for it, afterwards the train started to fill up (I was pretty much alone in the 153 from Manchester).
Dogbox 330 at Manchester Victoria
I alighted from the 153+158 at Sowerby Bridge as I wanted some better photos and the 195 from Blackpool a few minutes behind was required for mileage, so I took that to Bradford for a short fester before the following Leeds train which had a low mileage 195 on to clear that one for ten miles, more a time wasting move as I had time to waste in Leeds (spent watching various movements sitting on a bench) before I boarded a 331 for the run to Doncaster.
At Doncaster I popped outside to visit Sainsburys, and it has certainly changed. Outside the station is now traffic-free and a set of traffic lights across the dual carriageway has changed to be one set for all 4 lanes rather than 2 different sets, less walking required. I grabbed the bits I needed from the supermarket before heading back to the station to await the arrival of the train from Newcastle. It was going from platform 1 which lacks any signs at where to stand for what coach so a lot of passengers were hanging together near the entrance to the platform before the pair of 801s arrived.
The front of Doncaster station
I got my seat in coach D, having to shift someone out of it, and it was a speedy run to London calling only at Peterborough (where it looked like the train emptied out). At Kings Cross I headed along Euston Road to reach Euston station to take a Watford stopper to Willesden, I noticed it was a 378 when I went down the ramp at the busy station. It was my last dual-voltage 378 needed for mileage so I was quite happy as I took a seat for the run towards Willesden Junction, a nice surprise indeed.
At Willesden Junction I headed to the high level platforms to take another 378 for the run to Clapham Junction where I had 25 minutes to fester before boarding a quiet triple 159 for the run back to Grateley, relaxing and catching up with some internet stuff. The end of another trip, and at least an earlier arrival home than the previous week!
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