eastwestdivide
Established Member
Just for a change, I thought I'd record my trains and times on a gentle day out. A South Pennines Day Ranger (£23 plus a day return from Rotherham-Meadowhall) gave me a day out fairly close to home, and a chance to observe various social groups in all their finery on a fine Saturday.
Train 1: the 0815 Rotherham-Meadowhall, 158903, (a Hull-Sheff working I think) partly populated by cartoon characters heading for the Manchester Comic Con. Not entirely my thing, but each to their own.
Train 2: the 0825 from Meadowhall (train from Nottingham), 158790, 17 late due to earlier trespass, to Leeds arr 0930 (due 0919, so clawed back a few minutes en route).
Train 3: the 0936 from Leeds (Hull-Manchester), 185148, dep 2 late due to the previous TP also being late, slow to Cottingley/Morley, probably behind the previous late running one. Huddersfield arr 1004, 9 late. Huddersfield was hen party central, although not too rowdy, as it was still early in the day.
Train 4: Northerns stopper at 1031, 144005, to Mirfield arr 1040, 1 minute late, change and onto...
Train 5: the 1048 (2 late), 158907, a Leeds-Brighouse-Manchester V service, arriving Mytholmroyd 1115, but the doors didnt open till 1119. No idea why.
Walk: through Mytholmroyd and along the canal to Hebden Bridge for lunch. Two social groups here. One was the slightly threatening crusties, one of whom asked if I liked the place - while in the station gents toilet. I always thought toilet etiquette was no eye contact, never pick a urinal next to someone unless its unavoidable, and definitely no conversation. He was peeing and I was drying my hands! The other group that kept cropping up around town was a coach tour party with southern accents, making comments like thats a typical Yorkshire jacket, you dont get many of them back home, while pointing to an obviously Scottish tweed jacket in a shop window.
Anyway, Realtimetrains showed a Liverpool-Drax biomass train approaching, so I found a spot above a tunnel, near the canal, to the W of Hebden Bridge, and managed a poor photo with a mill in the background. Too much vegetation. Onwards...
Train 6: at 1334 from Hebden Bridge (7 late), 150138 on a Blackpool-York, to Halifax arr 1354. Surprised to find a 150 on the Blackpool-York service. A quick march to Halifax Piece Hall, to discover that it only reopens from 1 Aug after a big refurbishment.
Train 7: 1420 from Halifax, 155343 on a Selby-Bradford-Huddersfield working (filling in the 3rd side of the triangular junctions either end of the Brighouse section) to Huddersfield arr 1444 (1 early). Are the 155s common on those services? I was expecting a Pacer. Next group encountered: the booze cruisers doing the Rail Ale Trail across the Pennines, slightly unsteady, but no outrageous behaviour.
Train 8: 1456 Huddersfield (1 late), 185148 to Manchester Picc arrive 1531 (1 early). The sharp-eyed will notice that's the same 185 as earlier, which had been to Manchester and Hull since I last caught it.
Train 9: quick change onto the 1535 London train, 390042 to Stockport arr 1545 (2 late).
Train 10: the 1554 (22 late), a single 158799 with windows open for aircon failure, Liverpool-Norwich service, nearly full. Fortunately, the Hope Valley stopper which normally follows it seemed to have been held at New Mills. GPS speeds showed nothing above 80 before Cowburn Tunnel, then 80 at Edale, 85 Hope, 85 Bamford, 65 Hathersage, 65 Grindleford. Sheffield arrival was 1657 (23 late). The next TransPennine, due about 1710 at Sheffield, must have been behind the Hope Valley stopper, as there was no sign of it by the time I caught...
Train 11: the 1714, on time, 144014 to Rotherham, where you could hardly get off the train for football fans trying to get on.
Not a bad trundle round. Plenty of scenery - hills and mills, if slightly obscured by greenery at this time of year - lots of slightly late running, but no disasters, and only 2 Pacers, both of the least worst variety. Most of the trains were close to full, the kind of full where you can still get a seat but only if you squeeze past the passengers who prefer to stand. And plenty of groups of people having a grand day out, whatever their preference might be.
Train 1: the 0815 Rotherham-Meadowhall, 158903, (a Hull-Sheff working I think) partly populated by cartoon characters heading for the Manchester Comic Con. Not entirely my thing, but each to their own.
Train 2: the 0825 from Meadowhall (train from Nottingham), 158790, 17 late due to earlier trespass, to Leeds arr 0930 (due 0919, so clawed back a few minutes en route).
Train 3: the 0936 from Leeds (Hull-Manchester), 185148, dep 2 late due to the previous TP also being late, slow to Cottingley/Morley, probably behind the previous late running one. Huddersfield arr 1004, 9 late. Huddersfield was hen party central, although not too rowdy, as it was still early in the day.
Train 4: Northerns stopper at 1031, 144005, to Mirfield arr 1040, 1 minute late, change and onto...
Train 5: the 1048 (2 late), 158907, a Leeds-Brighouse-Manchester V service, arriving Mytholmroyd 1115, but the doors didnt open till 1119. No idea why.
Walk: through Mytholmroyd and along the canal to Hebden Bridge for lunch. Two social groups here. One was the slightly threatening crusties, one of whom asked if I liked the place - while in the station gents toilet. I always thought toilet etiquette was no eye contact, never pick a urinal next to someone unless its unavoidable, and definitely no conversation. He was peeing and I was drying my hands! The other group that kept cropping up around town was a coach tour party with southern accents, making comments like thats a typical Yorkshire jacket, you dont get many of them back home, while pointing to an obviously Scottish tweed jacket in a shop window.
Anyway, Realtimetrains showed a Liverpool-Drax biomass train approaching, so I found a spot above a tunnel, near the canal, to the W of Hebden Bridge, and managed a poor photo with a mill in the background. Too much vegetation. Onwards...
Train 6: at 1334 from Hebden Bridge (7 late), 150138 on a Blackpool-York, to Halifax arr 1354. Surprised to find a 150 on the Blackpool-York service. A quick march to Halifax Piece Hall, to discover that it only reopens from 1 Aug after a big refurbishment.
Train 7: 1420 from Halifax, 155343 on a Selby-Bradford-Huddersfield working (filling in the 3rd side of the triangular junctions either end of the Brighouse section) to Huddersfield arr 1444 (1 early). Are the 155s common on those services? I was expecting a Pacer. Next group encountered: the booze cruisers doing the Rail Ale Trail across the Pennines, slightly unsteady, but no outrageous behaviour.
Train 8: 1456 Huddersfield (1 late), 185148 to Manchester Picc arrive 1531 (1 early). The sharp-eyed will notice that's the same 185 as earlier, which had been to Manchester and Hull since I last caught it.
Train 9: quick change onto the 1535 London train, 390042 to Stockport arr 1545 (2 late).
Train 10: the 1554 (22 late), a single 158799 with windows open for aircon failure, Liverpool-Norwich service, nearly full. Fortunately, the Hope Valley stopper which normally follows it seemed to have been held at New Mills. GPS speeds showed nothing above 80 before Cowburn Tunnel, then 80 at Edale, 85 Hope, 85 Bamford, 65 Hathersage, 65 Grindleford. Sheffield arrival was 1657 (23 late). The next TransPennine, due about 1710 at Sheffield, must have been behind the Hope Valley stopper, as there was no sign of it by the time I caught...
Train 11: the 1714, on time, 144014 to Rotherham, where you could hardly get off the train for football fans trying to get on.
Not a bad trundle round. Plenty of scenery - hills and mills, if slightly obscured by greenery at this time of year - lots of slightly late running, but no disasters, and only 2 Pacers, both of the least worst variety. Most of the trains were close to full, the kind of full where you can still get a seat but only if you squeeze past the passengers who prefer to stand. And plenty of groups of people having a grand day out, whatever their preference might be.
