12:00.

Having been cooped up recently and with the weather improving I’ve headed out with the camera for a few hours. It’s a good time to be on the rails as today is world sustainable transport day – and trains have a huge part to play.

I was undecided where to head for as that very much depended on the weather and what I wanted to see. My final decision was made when I got to Halifax station, where I looked at what was running and plumped for a Northern service to Blackpool North via Preston, which is where I’m typing this from. As the season’s over the train’s pretty empty, with the buckets and spades having been put away for the winter. There’s a few people who’re obviously having a day out, but you’d be brave (or foolhardy) to be heading to the beach today! There’s not a sign of snow anywhere as we pass through the old cotton towns of Burnley Blackburn and Accrington, although more is on the way, apparently – but not today. Railhead conditions don’t seem too bad either, as this 3-car Class 195 seems sure-footed and the driver’s managing to keep pretty much to time.

I’ll be posting a few pictures from Preston later, then working out what circuitous route I take back this evening. Feel free to pop back to see where and what I get up to!

15:30.

I’m back at Preston after a little diversion (more of which later). I’d hoped to find some of the Northern Class 323 EMUs in the area as there’s several diagrams between Wigan, Preston and Blackpool in order to allow crews from the area to be able to learn the trains, which will be taking over some services in the future. This is because a number of the trains have been cascaded to Northern after being replaced on services around Birmingham, where West Midlands trains have dispensed with the services of their entire class 323 fleet. A real EMU shuffle has gone on in recent years. First Northern acquired hand-me-down class 319s, then brand new class 331s, now they’re back in the second-hand market with the 323s.

Sadly, none of the diagrams were working today. However, not all was lost as there’s a number of diagrams along the WCML to allow Avanti West Coast to run in and train staff on the Hitachi built Class 805 ‘Evero’ fleet. A couple of examples passed through.

16:45.

Having failed to get the shots I wanted I’ve headed home via Wigan, catching a Euston-bound Pendolino as far as North Western. I couldn’t resist a quick pit-stop in a pub that’s been a West Coast railway landmark for years but that’s enjoying a new lease of life since it being taken over and reopened 5 years sgo – the Swan and Railway. You can’t help seeing it as you travel North as it’s right next to the station.

21:30.

Home again after an ‘interesting’ trip home. All went well until I got to Manchester. I had a pleasant trip from Wigan aboard one of Northern’s old Metro-Cammell built Class 156s. The train was less than 20% and the atmosphere relaxed. Things changed at Victoria. A passenger had been taken ill over on platform 4 which brought two of the stations through platforms to a standstill. Sadly, judging by the number of paramedics BTP officers and station staff in attendance, it wasn’t a minor problem. Despite the delays and disruption this caused I have to compliment all those who were involved for the way they handled the incident. The overwhelming majority of passengers here understanding too, even when our train was further delayed due to our relief driver being stuck on another train outside the station. Still, I made it home OK, I can only hope that the poor soul who needed medical intervention did too.

Here’s a few more pictures from my travels to end the day.

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