A Day Out With Northern - 3rd July 2017

The day started off well for me with a good cup of tea and some french toast - known to me for all my life as "eggy bread" - before having my dad take me to the station in plenty of time to pick up my Northern Day Ranger. I headed to Platform 2 for 2R82 0902 Hull to York which, this day, had Class 142 142012 in charge. This has become a booked pacer turn as it was once a Pacer turn, then a 155 turn, back to a Pacer, then a 156 diagram before ending up as a 158 run. The return to it being a 142 run is very much welcomed by me!

After arriving at Selby, I got off and watched the unit disappear into the distance to finish its journey to York

There was then a 12 minute wait on the adjacent Platform 3 until 2W69 0954 Selby to Huddersfield set off in the charge of Class 144 144009 and Class 153 153307 - the 144 was leading on this service. The run in was good until Bradley Junction (I believe) when the train started riding the brakes for a quarter mile until the signal post - waiting a good sixty seconds for the local bobby to clear the signal to allow us to proceed.. It was quite an experience to be sat at a red in the middle of the Yorkshire countryside with nothing but the gentle throb of the train engines and bird song outside. However, we were soon on our way and got to Huddersfield which has a quaint charm all of its own.

Above and Below: the units, having arrived, now wait to form a train to Leeds.

There was a half hour's wait until my next train and, after some thoughts, I went to the station buffet on the island side of the station where a delightful and very large bacon sandwich was obtained for £2.20 - the bacon cooked fresh and to how the customer wanted. From the inside fittings, I suspect it may well have been some sort of parcels office - in connected to a waiting room which seemed to have Regional Railways North East tiling and signs - however, it was in a very good state of repair although I did not enter it. I sat on Platform 4 at Huddersfield and ate the bacon sandwich as I watched trains going to and fro. My train was already in, another Class 142 Pacer - this time, 142003

I got into the leading end and had the company of two young ladies with small children moaning about how they "hadn't had me money paid... Have to ring up f*****g social now". Thankfully, they got off at Slaithwaite which meant I was left on my own for the next twenty minutes. With the knowledge that a good few tunnels were due along this section of track, I went round the carriage and opened up all the windows and then sat down to enjoy the full throttle thrashing the driver was giving the Pacer. The noise with the open windows in the tunnels was so great that the guard simply mouthed "Ticket please" to me. Of a curious note was that the exhaust, normally thrown clear into the roof of the tunnel actually entered the passenger saloon. 

142003 has, for the most part, been left in original condition with only minor changes where needed or mandated by changes in law. It still has the original bus style seating and, at least at the end I was at, even had the internal bulkhead and fittings for the sliding door which could be used to secure the area behind the cab for parcel carrying use!

After arriving at Manchester Victoria, I checked the time and realised I had a lot of time to kill off, so elected to continue the journey another two stops to Salford Crescent before getting another train back inwards to Manchester Piccadilly and then book into my hotel.  Waiting a few minutes at the station, I noticed that one of the stations signs seriously needed a good scrubbing with some soapy water or even a powerjet wash!

To my complete surprise, the next train was another Pacer - 142033 which was working 2A12 1223 Southport to Manchester Airport. I was beginning to wonder if the Bearded One upstairs was throwing as many Pacers at me as possible!

I went from the national rail part to the trams and got a service one stop to New Islington where the Ibis Budget is located. Not only had I stayed there for one night just over a year ago, but the same woman was on reception and remembered me well as "The Gentleman for the last train" (I stayed there the night of the last Northern service under the old franchise before it became an Arriva franchise). I sat in the hotel room with the air con set to the lowest it would go - 16°C - and cooled down whilst lying on the bed watching an old episode of Top Gear on the room's TV and eating some of the sandwiches I had brought with me. A rearrangement of my main bag, and I got another tram back to Piccadilly where I met my good friend and Northern guard Jon - the same man who had guarded the last MAN - CRE and CRE - MAN via the airport last year and whom we had kept in touch with each other since. A train to Chester was in order, so I boarded his service and had an enjoyable trip down in the hands of 142041 which formed 2D48 1517 Manchester Piccadilly to Chester.

There was just enough time to quickly step outside the station for a picture of the Welcome to Chester sign in order to tease Vicki from All The Stations

As well as a quick snap of a Chester station sign

We then set off on the return journey with the same unit forming 2H33 1659 Chester to Manchester Piccadilly with a slightly late arrival time. I then returned to my hotel, picked up the other box of sandwiches and some bottles of drink before heading back to Piccadilly to catch 2K37 1904 Manchester Piccadilly to Crewe in the charge of 323228. Upon arriving at Crewe, I sat down three quarters of the way up Platform 1 and had a sort of picnic dinner/supper watching trains go by - be prepared for a fair few pictures!

Soon, though, it was time for the unit to return from the CET sidings back to Platform 1 to form the 2H42 2053 Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly. This got us in 1L but it didn't matter much as I got the same unit back again to Crewe as 2K40 2204 Manchester Piccadilly to Crewe.

Now, we were supposed to go a certain route as 2H48 2313 Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly but this was put paid to by a series of broken points so it was all stops to Wilmslow and then miss out the remaining stops and go non-stop via Stockport to Manchester Piccadilly. Still, the 323 was very empty on the way back...!

Because of this, we had a 7L arrival which, to be honest, didn't bother me as Jon, bless him, had agreed to give me a lift back to the hotel which was gratefully accepted. Once back at the hotel, my tablet was placed on charge, alarms were set, a tea obtained from the dining area downstairs before retreating back to my room and getting into bed for a well earned rest as I had to be up early to get the second train of the day back home to Hull.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this blog about one day's travel and loved the pictures - feel free to leave a comment below or, if you know my email or twitter accounts, send me an email or DM and tell me what you think