Liverpool

Notes:
As before my thanks to Real Time Trains for the material in the links.

Operations on the Day

A bacon sandwich in the hotel where they kindly arrange to open the kitchen early and I am on the platform ready for the train onwards to Shrewsbury which started some hours earlier at Swansea.  Any points problems have been fixed as it rolls in on time.

New track never previously covered from here to the junction with the line to Craven Arms.  Shrewsbury to Wrexham has been covered previously but the Borderlands line between Dee Marsh Junction and Bidston is probably new track (I certainly cannot remember covering it).  There is some uncertainty about how and why I might have visited this area previously which will need some more research.

At Bidston I am briefly on a third rail network into Liverpool Lime Street where it is a long walk upstairs to take new track (again) to Wigan NW where I join the WCML and an Avanti service for the trip to Lancaster.  I cannot be bothered to walk to the back of the train and instead join one of the Standard Premium coaches – which are also marked first class.  This is an uninspiring bodge up – which the train staff are seeking to market and yet on ECML they are filling first class.  It is unclear what Avanti are trying to achieve by re-introducing a “second class” – deliver a proper first class solution and garner the additional revenue – many other operators could do that too simply by providing some better seating for first class.  The apparently forced removal of first class on many trains is hard to fathom.

At Lancaster I have a few minutes before the Cumbrian Coast line service to Barrow in Furness so can pick up a coffee once I find the relevant outlet as the place seems to be covered in scaffolding hiding all signage.  The onward train is running late and the guard offers advice on where to be to access the subway at Barrow in Furness to catch the train onto the rest of the Cumbrian Coast – but he is pretty certain that the connection will be held as they are used to delays.

As ever the journey along the coast through Grange-over-Sands is stunning – yet another supremely picturesque view available from the trains in this country – especially with the sun shining on it as it is today.

My previous visit used the cut off from Dalton Junction to Park South Junction so going through Barrow-in-Furness station is a first.  At Ravenglass the L’il Ratty is in evidence and thereafter it is new track for the rest of the day.  We subsequently cross West Country Braunton leading a railtour and the conductor gives fair warning.

The trip north along the coast to Maryport not only has attractive scenery – the hills of the Lake District on one side and the sea on the other make for some lovely views although the bulk of the former nuclear station at Sellafield which is now the centre of decommissioning of the first generation of nuclear power stations is perhaps less attractive.

Beyond Maryport we turn inland to Carlisle.  Some of the route is single track north of Sellafield but with many level crossings and ancient signalling systems  the line remains expensive to operate.  Loadings are good on this train all the way to Carlisle.

In the original plans the connection at Carlisle was around five minutes into the next service but this has eased and I was easily able to shift across the station in time for the onward journey through Northumberland.  Again this is attractive countryside as we head through Haltwhistle and Hexham to reach Newcastle where a hotel and dinner await.

Rolling Stock

More or less from the sublime to the ridiculous – a class 153 to start the day, an almost new class 777 on the third rail, Pendolino on the WCML and Northern units around the Cumbrian Coast and across Northumberland.  Most of the trains seemed to have decent loading and apart from odd minutes here and there generally running pretty close to time.

The Class 777 units are now working a good proportion of the Merseyrail network and my brief experience shows that they are capable of doing a good job.  There is a problem with the battery units because no-one could work out how to extend the third rail – a sad reflection on the inability of the modern railways to stand up for themselves with no-one even attempting a safety case for the extension to Headbolt Lane.

It was also a brand new 197 unit on the Borderlands line – it should be former A stock / Vivarail conversion but these are not achieving the required level of reliability as yet.

Ticket Checks

Nothing on Avanti West Coast at all but at least one check on most services – although I am pretty sure that some other travellers underpaid on the Borderlands line – and they only paid to Bidston but were apparently going on into Liverpool for the football judging by the discussion!

Summary

Hugely attractive scenery particularly around the Cumbrian Coast and then across Northumberland.  The sun shone most of the time so it was actually quite warm on some of the trains.