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DEANSGATE AFTERNOON, 2014
By Charlie Hulme
On my weekly visits to Manchester, I am in the habit of
spending some
of the afternoon watching and photographing trains,
especially the
freights which emerge from Trafford Park in the hourly
departure paths
available at 13:17, 14:17, 15:18 and 16:18 which are shared
between
three operators: DB Schenker, GB Railfreight and
Freightliner.
There is
a shortage of good vantage points from which to watch trains
in the
area: Deansgate station is my favourite for outbound trains,
as
the activity on the Metrolink line can also be
observed. The only
inbound working in the afternoon is a Freightliner loco
which runs
light-engine from Crewe to Trafford Park, passing Deansgate
at
14:35. Using the 'real time trains' website it is
quite easy to
find out what trains are running – there are a number of
'conditional'
(Q) paths listed which are, in my experience, very rarely
used.
If
you want to see an inbound train, the best times are in the
mornings at
10:35 and 11:35 through Deansgate. All these trains
normally run
via
the Styal line.
These pictures were all taken at Deansgate on Thursday 9
October 2014
after arriving at Deansgate by means of the 12:33 Hazel
Grove -
Preston service.
Among the passenger trains on this busy section of line are
the
services between Manchester Airport and Scotland, now in the
hands of
new Class 350/4 electric units. These pass Deansgate
station at
20 minutes past the hour northbound and 23 past
southbound. The
picture,
taken at 13:23 shows the 10:08 from Edinburgh, formed of 350
402.
The freight trains from Trafford Park are booked to pass at
xx.26, but
often will be held back to wait for the passage of the
Manchester
Airport - Southport which calls at xx.28 and the Southport –
Manchester
Airport which calls at xx.29 as these occupy the
junction. The
pair are
seen here at 13:30. 'Merseyside Pacer' 142 057, with
its
electronic
indicator, is on the left, and unmodified unit 142 040 on
the
right.
The 'R' sign is a reminder to drivers of trains calling at
the station
that there is a speed restriction ahead.
The road was then set for the Cheshire Lines route, and 66
102 appeared
around the corner with the 13:17 Trafford Park Euroterminal
to London
Gateway. The telephoto view reveals the forest of old
and new
overhead
line equipment in the area, ranging from 1930s-era gantries
for the
Manchester - Altrincham service to the newly-installed
supports for the
Deansgate to Parkside electrification, with their white
arms.
Fitting
the wires under the two viaducts at Castlefield Junction,
especially
the disused one which is lower, was a challenge for the
engineers.
A walk across the 'Exhibition Footbridge' built in 1985 and
due for a
much-needed rebuild, took me to Deansgate-Castlefield
(formerly G-Mex)
Metrolink station, where enlargement work is in
progress.
Nearly-new
tram 3032 is arriving at the new inbound island platform,
replacing the
original 'staggered' arrangement. There is now to be a
full-length
awning at this draughty location.
Now that 'on-sight' working has been implemented, there is a
very
frequent flow through this station: on weekdays there are 25
trams per
hour in each direction during the day. No.3021 is
departing
towards St
Peter's Square, with a new crossover in view and the new
line on the
other side of the island platform under construction.
Manchester
Central's former
train shed looms in the background.
The new track; new Metrolink lines make much use of 'slab
track'
with the rails clipped to blocks which are set in a concrete
base and
linked by an embedded steel tie bar.
Back at Deansgate station, this view is of the tram station
and the
controversial
'Beetham Tower' rising behind. The entertainment venues in
the arches
are alongside the locks of the Rochdale Canal.
The 11:44 Llandudno - Manchester Piccadilly passes Deansgate
at 13:48,
worked by 158 837. Most trains on this service are
Class 175
units, but
there is one diagram for a 158, which runs coupled to
another 158 on a
morning working out of Manchester. After arrival at
Piccadilly,
the
train will spend 47 minutes in Mayfield Loop before forming
the 14:50
to Llandudno. From December 2014, some Manchester –
North Wales
trains are to be locomotive-worked with Class 67 locos in
push-pull
mode.
I did not wait for the 14:17 GBRf train from Trafford Park
on this
occasion, but I was at Oxford Road station to see the
passage of the
15:17 Trafford Park Freightliner to Southampton Docks,
hauled by 66
559. The freights normally, but not always, run
through Platform
3
which creates 'against the light' conditions for
photography.
The proposed changes to this station will abolish the bay
platform 5
(the turnout to the right of the loco) and extend the other
platforms
towards Deansgate on a structure partially cantilevered out
over
Whitworth Street to allow 8-coach trains to call. The
'listed'
main
building will remain, but the footbridge and shelters will
be replaced
by a new structure
incorporating lifts to all platforms.
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