North East Buses

(25 Apr 2014, 6:14 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]Does anyone know the diagrams for Northern or know where to find them?

Looking at possibly doing some Northern bashing on the next bank holiday - but don't want to spend the day sitting on Pacers.

the morpeth & dunston stoppers interwork with each others so the 12:01 from metrocentre to morperth does the 13:31 metrocentre to newcastle and on them run its a pacer and sprinter

(26 Apr 2014, 7:07 am)danpick wrote [ -> ]the morpeth & dunston stoppers interwork with each others so the 12:01 from metrocentre to morperth does the 13:31 metrocentre to newcastle and on them run its a pacer and sprinter

http://www.prar.fsnet.co.uk/diagrams.html

A couple of years old, but looking at the journeys I have done over the last year, allocations seem to be pretty much the same.

Odd working on the trains today.
The 0800 Seaham to Nunthorpe train is usually a Pacer.
Today a Settle Railway branded 156 is working it.

Touch of luxury for passengers and bearing in mind the weather it means they can keep their brollies closed today!

(25 Apr 2014, 6:14 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]Does anyone know the diagrams for Northern or know where to find them?

Looking at possibly doing some Northern bashing on the next bank holiday - but don't want to spend the day sitting on Pacers.

As far as I can tell, there's little rhyme or reason as to whether you get a 156 or a 142. The only runs that are (almost) guaranteed to be 156s are the Scotrail trains to/from Glasgow.

I've recently observed a 142 being allocated to the once-a-day Carlisle - Middlesbrough run!

156s and 142s both work the same trains along the Tyne Valley and the coast line so a 156 vice 142 isn't rare at all. The Settle line 156 is 156484.

As Eezypeazy has said above, all trains that work Newcastle to Glasgow via Dumfries are ScotRail 156s, although there are a couple of morning services which use a Northern rail 156/142 from Dumfries to Newcastle.

As also said, 142s working Newcastle to Whitehaven and Carlisle to Middlesbrough trains are not rare at all.

If Andreos is contemplating a Sunday outing, then I notice there's a Carlisle to NOTTINGHAM through Northern service leaves Carlisle at 1520 via S&C, Leeds and Sheffield. Is that the longest possible Northern bash without a change?

(01 May 2014, 9:04 am)eezypeazy wrote [ -> ]As far as I can tell, there's little rhyme or reason as to whether you get a 156 or a 142. The only runs that are (almost) guaranteed to be 156s are the Scotrail trains to/from Glasgow.

I've recently observed a 142 being allocated to the once-a-day Carlisle - Middlesbrough run!

Whenever I have used that particular timed train, it has always been a 142.
Unless it drops out somewhere and picks up a run to Carlisle, then this branded 156 will be away from its home turf for a few days - as the diagram it is on, doesn't allow it to get back to the North West.

A 142 doing a Middlesbrough - Carlisle run, isn't rare at all.

(01 May 2014, 11:39 am)eezypeazy wrote [ -> ]If Andreos is contemplating a Sunday outing, then I notice there's a Carlisle to NOTTINGHAM through Northern service leaves Carlisle at 1520 via S&C, Leeds and Sheffield. Is that the longest possible Northern bash without a change?

Most probably!
Any idea on prices?

Didn't even realise Northern or any other operator ran between Leeds and Nottingham.
Always changed at Grantham or Sheffield/Chesterfield when going to/from Nottingham on the train.

Been working on these for this afternoon...

Might not be 100% correct but from what I've managed to work out using Realtimetrains... Northern diagrams for May 2014 for the North East workings only. If I get chance to expand it then I may do, but this involves all services around Newcastle, Darlington and Middlesbrough

HT42xx is what I believe to be 142 units
HT56xx is what I believe to be 156 units

Sightings will help confirm these when the new timetable starts on 19th May. For Monday-Friday only, Saturdays and especially Sundays will vary!


The fleet that operates around the North East is based at Heaton depot just outside Newcastle. Heaton's 142's get all over though, as their diagrams take them into Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and even across to Manchester. The 156's also get around, mostly down the Cumbrian Coast and even into Scotland on the morning jaunt to Dumfries!

The fleet based there is as follows
142015 142016 142017 142018 142019 142020 142021 142022 142024 142025 142026 142034 142050 142065 142066 142070 142071 142078 142079 142084 142086 142087 142088 142089 142090 142091 142092 142093 142094 142095 142096

156438 156443 156444 156448 156451 156454 156463 156469 156475 156480 156484 156490

Looking at the services I use, it looks about right.

Haven't used or seen the 730 Newcastle - Nunthorpe this week and wont for a while, but apart from the one day last week when the Settle - Carlisle 156 appeared, it is always a 142.

Probably worth mentioning that the diagrams I'd worked out for Dec 2013-May 2014 have changed significantly in May 2014 for the new timetable. A number of services appear to have changed, with most services down the coast now extending to Nunthorpe to co-incide with the opening of James Cook station, rather than two out of 3 as the "current" timetable. A number appear to have been split in Newcastle too, with odd ones not continuing to Hexham any more, not sure why?!

(07 May 2014, 7:37 pm)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]Probably worth mentioning that the diagrams I'd worked out for Dec 2013-May 2014 have changed significantly in May 2014 for the new timetable. A number of services appear to have changed, with most services down the coast now extending to Nunthorpe to co-incide with the opening of James Cook station, rather than two out of 3 as the "current" timetable. A number appear to have been split in Newcastle too, with odd ones not continuing to Hexham any more, not sure why?!

Its to allow units to visit / leave Heaton through the day and not just at start and end of the day like present. Its not really shown in the unit diagrams as printed

Do you have a question for our Safety and Assurance Director? Join our #AskNorthern session on Monday 19th May 9-10am http://t.co/OgG2NHUhtR

Could be fun!

(15 May 2014, 4:27 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]Could be fun!

I sense social media suicide is on the horizon.

(15 May 2014, 7:20 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]I sense social media suicide is on the horizon.

Good old Keith!
He likes dogs apparently...

edit: just incase people are unaware of the guy in the picture http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1...nel-4.html

http://www.northernrail.org/tickets/Le+Yorkshire+ticket

Le Yorkshire tickets seem good value at £9 for the day plus £1 discount when bought online.

Hope nobody was planning on going to Whitby by Northern Rail today... Went out for a photo of it passing SoL Metro earlier but I didn't manage because it was 50 minutes late.

(22 Jun 2014, 11:14 am)Dan wrote [ -> ]Hope nobody was planning on going to Whitby by Northern Rail today... Went out for a photo of it passing SoL Metro earlier but I didn't manage because it was 50 minutes late.

Looks like it lost 53 mins between Newcastle and Pelaw Junction... Terminated at Middlesbrough 49 mins late, unit fault by the looks of it.

(22 Jun 2014, 11:21 am)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]Looks like it lost 53 mins between Newcastle and Pelaw Junction... Terminated at Middlesbrough 49 mins late, unit fault by the looks of it.

2W10 1101 ex Hartlepool also terminated short.

(22 Jun 2014, 11:31 am)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]2W10 1101 ex Hartlepool also terminated short.

Looks like that is because 5W10 from Newcastle was stuck behind the failed 2D12 to Whitby. The unit off that was used for 2W14 1131 Mbro-Metrocentre which left at 1159, as it looks like they pinched that unit to restart the Whitby service on time from Middlesbrough...

Probably worth mentioning that the first 319 unit, 319361 arrived yesterday morning to Allerton depot in Liverpool.

Was scrolling down my Twitter feed and found this:

158849 is in a special yellow livery celebrating the Tour de France visiting Yorkshire this weekend.

Presumably, judging by the tweet, it's on the York - Hull and Hull - Doncaster routes today.

That train hasn't stopped at Stocksfield for years... it certainly wasn't in the May 2012 timetable, or any since - don't know about before that...

EDIT: Just gone back through some old timetables since December 2004. The 1730/1740 ish departure from Stocksfield towards Newcastle WAS IN the timetables up to that issued in September 2010; it WAS NOT IN the timetable issued 3 October 2011. So it got taken out at either December 2010 or May 2011 (sorry, can't put my hand on them right now)... wasn't there a big recast of the National Rail Timetable about then, resulting in a more 'clock face' timetable up the Tyne Valley and elsewhere? Could that be the explanation?

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-e...er-7351311

Relevant to TPX too.

(02 Jul 2014, 1:19 pm)eezypeazy wrote [ -> ]That train hasn't stopped at Stocksfield for years... it certainly wasn't in the May 2012 timetable, or any since - don't know about before that...

EDIT: Just gone back through some old timetables since December 2004. The 1730/1740 ish departure from Stocksfield towards Newcastle WAS IN the timetables up to that issued in September 2010; it WAS NOT IN the timetable issued 3 October 2011. So it got taken out at either December 2010 or May 2011 (sorry, can't put my hand on them right now)... wasn't there a big recast of the National Rail Timetable about then, resulting in a more 'clock face' timetable up the Tyne Valley and elsewhere? Could that be the explanation?

2010 would tie on with the original end date of the initial 6 year contract awarded in 2004.
The contract was extended in May 2010.

Coincidence?

According to Northern Rail and the British Transport Police on Twitter, there's queues of up to 3 hours for trains at Leeds bound for Harrogate because of the Tour de France.

Platform 8 at York for trains to Harrogate is also incredibly busy.

Edit at 16:35: Northern also had a 7-coach chartered train from DRS operating on the Leeds - Harrogate route, hauled by a Class 57.

Just reading on twitter that Northern hired in a HST for a working from York.

No idea who's it was, destination etc

edit: Going solely by photos I have seen, diesel locomotives were hired in - which were pulling ex Virgin mk3 coaches.

Some Stations maybe under threat under new franchise??

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/NEWS/11...t/?ref=rss

(26 Jul 2014, 11:25 am)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]Some Stations maybe under threat under new franchise??

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/NEWS/11...t/?ref=rss

To be fair, I'm not surprised about Teesside Airport, with 8 passengers a year it's hardly worth saving!

(26 Jul 2014, 11:28 am)BJ10VUS wrote [ -> ]To be fair, I'm not surprised about Teesside Airport, with 8 passengers a year it's hardly worth saving!

How many trains stop there though?
Not many.

The Battersby Junction one is interesting - it is only because of the need to change direction, that the station is still there.
Even if they close the station or decide to not use it, the train will still need to stop whilst the points are changed and the driver changes ends.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battersby...ay_station

(26 Jul 2014, 11:47 am)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]How many trains stop there though?
Not many.

Yeah, but the Arriva Sky Express from Darlington failed, and so did the Arriva 12. I doubt the train will be that much help!

(26 Jul 2014, 12:13 pm)BJ10VUS wrote [ -> ]Yeah, but the Arriva Sky Express from Darlington failed, and so did the Arriva 12. I doubt the train will be that much help!

Apparently the train station is about 15 minutes walk away from the terminal, I think the Arriva 12 also stopped serving Teesside Airport due to security reasons.