For anyone traveling some distance to ride them, a little background information on the Class 101 workings around Manchester may be useful. This is by no means a comprehensive guide, just an aid to where you can find them hard at work! Please note that any diagrams listed may not be covered by 101s on the day you travel. Anyone wishing to have a run around on the 101s, please call me on 0771 572 6244 before the day, and I will let you have the latest gen. Please note that the times shown are from the working timetable not the public timetable so times may differ by one or two minutes.
Longsight Sets
101 651 and 101 653 have already visited MC Metals and are no longer with us! NSE liveried L840 has been out of use since 16/12/99 with defective wheelsets, 101 655 has not run since 27/12/99 and 101 665 is shown to be scrapped.
Out of those left running of interest are, L835 an ex-NSE set which now wears a bodge job applied Regional Railways livery and 101 653 which features some original fittings in trailer 54358 (toilet & sink unmodernised and entrance vestibule walls still in green formica, not orange).
Tickets
The GMPTE day rover at £2.45 is good value if you plan on staying in the Manchester Piccadilly area and is valid after 09:30. However, it is restrictive in that it is only valid within the GMPTE border, so on the Chester route as far as Hale and towards New Mills Central / Sheffield as far as Strines.
The Coast and Peaks rover covers all the 101 routes (+37s on N. Wales Coast!) and is valid after 09:00 Mon - Fri, anytime Sat/Sun/Bank Holidays. It costs £38 for a three day (out of seven) or £49 for a seven day rover, but no one day version is available. This is ideal if you are spending a few days in the area.
The £6.60 GMPTE Wayfarer ticket may be the best option if you are just in the Manchester area for one day. It covers a larger area than the £2.45 GMPTE rover. It is also valid on most bus services and the Metro-link. The Chester line is covered as far as Northwich, Sheffield line to Grindleford (where there's a great cafe in the old booking office, positioned off the platforms 'above' Totley Tunnel mouth). Other railway borders include: Holmes Chapel, Macclesfield, Buxton, Hadfield, Glossop, Greenfield, Littleborough, Darwen, Chorley, Parbold, Upholland, Warrington Bank Quay and Warrington Central.
Man. Picc. to Rose Hill / Marple / New Mills Central / Sheffield
Most of these services are covered by 101s with only the odd 142/150 filling in. The Sheffield and New Mills Central trains are booked for D3 (power twin) sets and the others D1 (power trailer) sets, although this isn't a 'golden rule'. If a D1 drops on a Sheffield run, be warned it will lose time!! Most of the Longsight 101s are to be found on these Manchester South suburban services.
Man. Picc. to Chester
It is rumoured that the new 175s will enter service on these services before spreading their wings further afield. This could happen at anytime. One D3 set is booked on this service most of the day with 142/150/153s covering too.
| Diagram LT228 (SO) LT229 (SX) - D3 set | ||
| Arr | Dep | |
| Chester | --- | 07:46 |
| M. Picc | 09:15 | 09:24 |
| Chester | 10:45 | 10:57 |
| M. Picc | 12:19 | 12:24 |
| Chester | 13:45 | 13:57 |
| M. Picc | 15:19 | 15:24 |
| Chester | 16:45 | 16:57 |
| M. Picc | 18:19 | 18:24 |
| Chester | 19:45 | 19:57 |
| M. Picc | 21:19 | 21:24 |
| Chester | 22:45 | 23+521 |
|
1 ECS to Longsight Mon-Fri arrive 01+15 |
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| Diagram LT207 (SX) - D1 set | ||
| Arr | Dep | |
| Chester | --- | 05+371 |
| Knutsford | 06+22 | 06:23 |
| Stockport | 06:58 | 07+162 |
| Hazel Grove | 07+27 | 08:09 |
| M. Picc | 08:32 | 10+593 |
|
1 ECS to Knutsford |
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|
2 ECS to Hazel Grove |
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|
3 ECS to Longsight |
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| Diagram LT208 (SX) - D1 set | ||
| Arr | Dep | |
| M. Picc | --- | 06:33 |
| Chester | 08:11 | 08:16 |
| M. Picc | 09:44 | 10+591 |
|
1 ECS to Longsight |
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| Diagram LT 231(SX) LT233(SO) - D3 set | ||
| After working M. Picc to Sheffield's all day diagrams LT231 (SX) and LT233 (SO) runs to Chester. | ||
| Arr | Dep | |
| Sheffield | 16:04 | 16:14 |
| M. Picc | 17:36 | 17:52 |
| Chester | 19:22 | 22:57 |
| M. Picc | 00:21 | 00+441 |
| Longsight | 00+54 | |
|
1 ECS to Longsight |
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Also note 17:14 Man. Oxford Rd. to Chester (ex-Irlam).
| Diagram LT 229(SO) - D1 set | ||
| Arr | Dep | |
| M. Picc | 22+36 | 23:071 |
| Chester | 00:30 | --- |
|
1 Arrive ECS from Longsight |
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Man. Oxford Rd. to Irlam
One set covers this service all day, usually a D3.
| Diagram LT226(SX) LT230(SO) - D3 set | ||
| Arr | Dep | |
| LO | --- | 05+141 (SX) |
| Warrington Central | 05+58 | 06:13 (SX) |
| Ox. Rd. | 06:49 | 06:58 (SX) |
| Warrington Central | 07:23 | 07:28 (SX) |
| Ox. Rd. | 08:05 | 08:132 (SO) |
| Irlam | 08:32 | 08+343 (SO) |
| Irlam | 08+42 | 08:43 (SO) |
| Ox. Rd. | 09:05 | 09:13 (SO) |
| All day until | ||
| Irlam | (16:34) | 16:43 (SO) |
| Ox. Rd. | 17:05 | 17:14 (SO) |
| Chester | 18:44(SO) | 18:54 (SX) |
| Crewe | 19:17 | 19:21 (SX) |
| Chester | 19:44 | 21:55 (SX) |
| Crewe | 22:18 | 22:56 (SX) |
| Llandudno Jct. | 00:31 | 00+354 (SX) |
|
1 ECS to Warrington Central |
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|
2 SO; runs ECS from LO to Oxford Road |
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|
3 ECS X over |
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|
4 ECS to Holyhead |
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The North Wales Coast
The whole route from Crewe to Holyhead, Llandudno and B. Ffestiniog is worked by 101s at some point during the day, with the added bonus of 37's on the Holyhead - Birmingham's and great scenery!
| Diagram LT227 (Mon - Sat) - D3 set | ||
| Arr | Dep | |
| Llan. Jct. | ---- | 05:56 |
| Bl. Ffest. | 06:53 | 07:00 |
| Llan. | 08:09 | 08:13 |
| Bl. Ffest. | 09:23 | 09:39 |
| Llan. | 10:44 | 10:55 |
| Holyhead | 12:09 | 12:20 |
| Llan. | 13:47 | 13:50 |
| Holyhead | 16:08 | 16:12 |
| Llan. | 17:25 | 17:35 |
| Bl. Ffest. | 18:45 | 18:49 |
| Llan. | 20:10 | 20:36 |
| Chester | 21:45 | 22:57(SO) |
| M. Picc. | 00:21 | --- (SO) |
| Diagram LT 228 (SX) LT230 (SO) - D3 set | ||
| Arr | Dep | |
| Chester | --- | 06:37 |
| Crewe | 07:00 | 07:10 |
| Llan. | 08:43 | 08:47 |
| Llan. Jct. | 08:54 | 09:02 |
| Llan. | 09:09 | 09:22 |
| Llan. Jct. | 09:30 | 09:46 |
| Llan. | 09:54 | 10:28 |
| Bl. Ffest. | 11:38 | 11:45 |
| Llan. | 12:54 | 13:25 |
| Bl. Ffest. | 14:35 | 15:07 |
| Llan. Jct. | 16:06 | 16:22 |
| Bl. Ffest. | 17:22 | 17:27 |
| Llan. | 18:48 | 19:00 |
| Crewe | 20:34 | 20:39(SX) |
| 22:35(SO) | ||
| Chester | 21:03(SX) | |
| 22:58(SO) | ||
|
One of these can occasionally be a 153. Ouch! Good chippy at Llandudno Junction: out of the station onto main road head right, up road approx. 200yds on right hand side, Enoch's! |
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Bidston to Wrexham General / Central
One D3 set is allocated all day, but occasionally it can fall foul of a 142 or something else hideous!
| Diagram LT229 (SO) LT230 (SX) - D3 set | ||
| Arr | Dep | |
| LO | --- | 02+21 (ECS) |
| Chester | 03+32 | 05+45 (ECS) |
| Wrexham General | 06+31 | 06:36 |
| Bidston | 07:28 | 07:32 |
| Wrexham Central | 08:29 | 08:33 |
|
All day shuttling Bidston to/from Wrexham Central until 22:22 dep. from Bidston which runs to Wrexham General then ECS to LO (Chester SO) |
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Macclesfield - M. Picc. - Chinley
One interesting diagram sees the only booked 101 from Macclesfield followed by a Chinley turn back.
| Diagram LT207 (SX) - D1 set | ||
| Arr | Dep | |
| LO | --- | 16+101 |
| Macclesfield | 16+47 | 17:09 |
| M. Picc | 17:45 | 17:49 |
| Chinley | 18:30 | 18+332 |
| Chinley | 18+54 | 18:55 |
| M. Picc | 19:32 | 20+103 |
| LO | 20+20 | --- |
|
1 ECS to Macclesfield |
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|
2 ECS to X at Chinley North Jct. |
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|
3 ECS to LO |
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Stalybridge
The only 101 diagram to Stalybridge during the week is the Friday's only 15:00 Stockport to Stalybridge one way only! It returns to M. Picc ECS and is always a D1 set. On Saturdays only however a D1 is booked on the Man. Victoria to Stalybridge Shuttle.
| Diagram LT207 (SO) - D1 set | ||
| Arr | Dep | |
| Chester | --- | 06:08 |
| M. Picc | 07:42 | 07+561 |
| Greenfield | 08+49 | 08:51 |
| M. Vic | 09:15 | 09:20 |
| Staly | 09:37 | 09:55 |
| M. Vic | 10:10 | 10:20 |
| Staly | 10:37 | 10:55 |
| M. Vic | 11:10 | 11:20 |
| and each hour until the18:39 arrival at Stalybridge, then ECS to LO. | ||