Scarborough Flyer 2012

We shall miss the pictures from Deighton Neil - they have been a sure sign of summer for the past few years.

Peter in a Manchester which is trying to be sunny
Zenfolio | Peter Hewitt's Transport Pictures

 

Sundays sees a lot, if not all Transpennines diverted along the Calder Valley due to engineering work.........

 

Missing out Huddersfield, how will that go down with passengers who have booked from Huddersfield Plus adverts placed in Huddersfield Examiner (local paper) for these trips specifically offering 5% reduction in fares

Neil

 

I'd have thought they would go to Brighouse.........20 mins away?.........

 

I'm sure railway touring will sort out any connection problems. I was on one of the winter cumbrian mountains back in February and as the route had been revised we left the tour at Blackburn on the return from Carlisle. RTC provided the connecting tickets to get us back to Preston.
I am in a party of 64 booked for the 27th trip, boarding at Huddersfield. Who the change in route is down to May become clear in time?

 

Times now at ukseam.info: t0720a.htm

 

In previous years, there have always been quite a lot of passengers from
Huddersfield, so I doubt that the change of route is down to RTC.

 

There has been a lot got on at Huddersfield in the past, we have more than once.
I Just looked at the RTC site and Huddersfield is still in the timings and prices.

 

This is up to date timetable

Timetables

RTC are allways late in changing there website

Neil

 

There are some network related issues on the Standedge route presently especially in relation to weekday steam paths (with some added factoring in of "performance") so you will probably see most weekday North West to York and Scarborough trains run via Copy Pit/Calder Valley routes for the forseeable future. Many steam charters are planned 6-12 months ahead of running dates now then info advertised in good faith but Network Rail does not always even look at them fully until a week or 2 before they run so a doubt this change was planned up until the timing stage. I would say Brighouse is a better alternative than all the Huddersfield folk losing the option of travelling!!

 

The parking at Brighouse is free too........look forward to some turns along the valley, apart from being flooded of late, we've been starved of tours around here.............can't understand why nobody has'nt taken up the demise of the Cotton Mill Express route..........surely a nice little earner if managed properly.....

 

I don't doubt what you say Kevin, but is there any chance you could be more specific about "network related issues" ?, Performance we get easily enough but that sentence seems a little vague to the unwary.

 

Now on the RTC website


* Unfortunately due to engineering work at Stalybridge our train is being diverted from the Diggle route over the Pennines to the Calder Valley, this has therefore made the day slightly longer. We have added an additional pick up for passengers at Rochdale. Huddersfield passengers will now be collected and dropped off at Brighouse. Passengers can either make there own way to Brighouse or alternatively we will be providing a coach transfer from Huddersfield station. The information will be provided with the ticket letter. #

Neil

 

Because the bay at Stalybridge is not usable at present while the alterations take place, the turnbacks run up to Diggle to cross over, hence no available path for the steam.

 

Ah, that makes more sense.

 

Why does it make more sense? One train per hour has to run empty to Diggle as no bay platform is availlable. It can't really be such a problem as amazingly Network Rail have managed to path not one but TWO additional diesel-hauled charters eastbound over Standedge in just half an hour this morning around the time the Scarborough Flyer was due (9.14 in 2011); 1Z60 Liverpool - Alnmouth Northern Bell at Stalybridge 9.01 and 1Z23 Llandudno - Scarborough Stalybridge 9.29. Surely a minor re-timing from Crewe would have avoided the need for the Flyer's diversion via the Calder Valley and would have resulted in a much shorter day for RTC's customers?

 

Because Notwork Rail are not in the business of pleasing people, more than likely state that Saturday is diferent from Friday ie workday!!!. i wonder if they are paying RTC for the coaches it is going to have to hire for passengers from Huddersfield-Brighouse & evening return

Neil

 

So how will Scarborough Flyers be routed exactly? How does Copy Pit fit into this? Some confusion here.

 

The Scarborough Flyers will go via Rochdale and the Calder Valley, so Copy Pit doesn't come into their plans. However, there's a more general point that, since the Diggle and Huddersfield route is not available, tours crossing the Pennines will have to go via either Rochdale or Copy Pit instead (or via Hathersage or via Skipton - but they are rather less likely diversions for train that would normally have gove via Diggle).

 

Copy Pit not on the route, running via Rochdale, Summit tunnel, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge.
According to the internet site Neil posted link to all the Flyers this year run via the Calder Valley. This route was the L&Y railway mainline between Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Might have a second trip this year, but from Rochdale instead of Brighouse.