Gnolife's Cheshire Day Ranger 01/04/13

[gnolife]

Good morning all

This here's goimg to be my trip report for a Cheshire Day Ranger that I'm doing today. I'm going to try and provide a brief update while I'm on each train that I'll be travelling on.

My day started out at the nice, sociable time of 0300, with me catching up with the eggcelent sense of humour of assorted members of the forum. After getting ready at my own pace (snail), I made my way in the direction of the nearest bus stop, on Broadoak Rd. While I was on my way there, I had a typical sort of me moment, by noticing my bus going down the road, and thinking that I wished I had my camera out, before realising it was actually my bus and going chasing it down the road. Unusually for the route, number 105 (N), it was a MagicBus liveried ALX400, which is what threw me at first. Once I'd caught up with it, about half a mile down the road, the driver then decided he was running early and would wait out time . We made our way down through a completely dead Wythenshawe to Manchester Airport interchange, where I am now, arriving at just before 0350. So I made my way down to the platform, where I was treated to watching a group of people leave the waiting room at 0359 for the 0400 service for Blackpool. It was quite funny watching the difference in speed before and after the platform staff had blown the whistle.
Anyways, I've not really got too much to say now, so I'll check in again when my train, the 0438 for Liverpool shows up.


Oh, and for those of you who were at Merseyside PTE challenge in October, I've got another mad dash through Lime Street planned
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So 156485 turned up for this, and I"m not sure whether to jump for joy that it isn't a pacer, or cry, because its absolutely filthy. I was also surprised to find that we've been routed through Warrington rather than St Helens, given that I think that via SHJ is shorter and faster.

It feels really odd to have gone through Oxford Road, and will be going through Warrrington non-stop, given how often I use those stations. I'm not even sure of where I am anymore .

Anyways, I'll next check when I'm on the train from Lime St to Ellesmere Port. I'm just hoping that the Wirral Line is more reliable than a certain Water/Psychic type Pokemon was saying it is last time I used it.

 

[156441]

Watching this thread with interest as I'm sat spare at work and bored stiff!! More updates please!!

 

[hairyhandedfool]

.... I was also surprised to find that we've been routed through Warrington rather than St Helens, given that I think that via SHJ is shorter and faster....

The Chat Moss line is closed over night Sunday-Thursday, I don't think it opens 'til about 5:30.

 

[gnolife]

The Chat Moss line is closed over night Sunday-Thursday, I don't think it opens 'til about 5:30.

I suppose I should have guessed something like that, although the train's quite fast given that the normal 'fasts' by TPE and EMT take about 15 mins longer with 3 stops each.

Anyways, I'm on a Merseyrail train that's just the lovely sounding Spital. I've not really got to much to comment on at this point - we're making good time, and the trains got exactly 4 people on - me, the driver, the guard and one of them byelaw enforcer people, who's basically getting paid to sit down and do nothing

I'm next planning on checking in at Ellesmere in about half an hour.
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I'm now on the 'main attraction' of my travells today, the 0653 from Ellesmere Port to Warrington Bank Quay, which I'll be ditching at Runcorn East. Unfortunately for me, its a pacer, albeit a very comfortable one as far as pacers go, 142092. As expected, its dead as a dodo on here, although there was a large group of scousers on at Ellemere Port, the driver went through and booted them all off. The look on their faces when the Liverpool train went without them was priceless
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Correction: One person did Helsby to Frodsham. Its now back to being just me and the staff for the run to Runcorn (apologies for the choice of words )
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It seems like ATW now do coach reservations on the 0650 service from Manchester Picc to Llandudno Junction, because coaches B and C have about hald a dozen people in each, and my coach, coach A, has just me (not counting the driver here). 175101 has turned up for this, and, to be honest, I think I would have preferred a 158, because I've not had one of the refurbished 158s yet. That's not to say that I don't love the 175s, its just that it'd be nice to have something different. I'm not on this for too much longer, I'm changing at Shotton for the Borderlands line.
With my seat reservation though, it does seem fairly embarrassing that its the only one on the train.

I'm thinking that I might be having to break into my emergency rations though, a packet of chocolate digestives. I'm absolutely starving now, having decided that making the train was more important than breakfast
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I'm now at West Kirby, having had an hours freezing in Shotton - thank you Arriva Trains Wales for cutting service on the Borderlands line to every two hours on Bank Holidays . I'm just waiting out time for this train to take me back to Birkenhead North, from which I'll be going to New, and even worse than the original, Brighton and back to Lime Street for the promised run, to whichever platform the Scarborough train will be going from - I've got 4 mins to make it from the squirrel line before the train leaves. I ain't looking forward to it

 

[156441]

You should get lucky with the TPE. Usually goes off 9.

Also usually late!

 

[JonathanH]

So 156485 turned up for this, and I"m not sure whether to jump for joy that it isn't a pacer, or cry, because its absolutely filthy.

Your observation seems unlikely. 156485 is a Scotrail unit.

 

[gnolife]

Your observation seems unlikely. 156485 is a Scotrail unit.

I blame early mornings and appalling handwriting.


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You should get lucky with the TPE. Usually goes off 9.

Also usually late!

The TPX may have been late, but so was the train from New Brighton, meaning that I still had to go at breakneck pace.

Well, after a nice leisurely lunch break in Manchester, I'm now back on the move, and its a return to Arriva Trains Wales for the 1250 service to Llandudno, which I'll be taking to Chester. And it seems that ATW have decided to listen to what I said before, because 158822 turned up for it. And these seats are so bloody comfotable - this has probably sold the idea of doing the Cambrian line to me - its something that I've been hald tempted to do for a while now, but having not seen what the 158 refurb was like, and not liking the siver and blue 158s, I wasn't prepared to cough up I-don't-actuaLly-know-how-much for the tickets. And this ATW service is much busier than either of the two previous ones I caught - most seats have gone heading out of Oxford Road, and there's some kid howling at the top of their voice. Not quite the relaxing journey I had in mind...

Once I get to Chester, I'm leaving trains behind for a bit, I've got a football match to watch Alty lose . The next train I've got planned is the 1745 from Chester to Liverpool. This may be subject to change depending on how busy Sealand Road is.