18th January 2015

Branch Line Society
750V Tracker

Route :
1T57 : Hooton to Birkenhead North E.M.U.D
1T59 : Birkenhead North E.M.U.D to Liverpool Central Rev Sdg
1T61 : Liverpool Central Rev Sdg to Southport
1T63 : Southport to Hooton

Notes: 
(1) A joint venture between The Branch Line Society and Merseyrail, with proceeds (reported as £20,000) going to The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity.
(2) Due to severe icy conditions, Units, (including the ECS for the Tour), were struggling to draw power from the conductor rail, and as passengers starting arriving at Hooton it was evident there were problems with nothing running on the Wirral Lines or the Southport to Hunts Cross Line. The Bay Platform was occupied with 507030 & 508126 which were supposed to be the first Ellesmere Port trains but they were also stranded until the rails started to thaw out.
Further up the line, 5Y05, (07:11 Birkenhead Central C.S. to Ellesmere Port ECS), only made it as far as Rock Ferry & behind that train was a stranded 3-car set at Green Lane Bank. The train crew from 5Y05 used a 3-car from Rock Ferry Bay to perform the rescue. Then 5T57, (Tour ECS), was released from the Bay at Birkenhead Central & crossed to Platform 2 at Rock Ferry to overtake 5Y05 but only made it about 400 yards South of Rock Ferry before it too was gapped. By this time the 6-car set from Rock Ferry Bay had coupled up to the rear of 5Y05 & then the 12-car went on to rescue 5T57 & the whole 18 Coach Set made it's way to Chester to clear the line & then reverse back to Hooton. At Hooton the rescue Units detached & headed back towards Liverpool to clear that line while the passengers boarded the Tour, grateful to be out of the cold & relieved that there was still to be a Tour. [The formation of the 18-coach train - 508143, 507001, 508111, 507032, 508117 & 508123. Although there had been an 18-coach train running at Kirkdale Depot, it is believed to be the first time on the Main Line].
(3) Tour was due to start from Hooton Bay P1, but due to the problems already mentioned above, this obviously could not happen.
(4) The original plan of running through the Carriage Washer line at Birkenhead North had to be dropped due to the track being out of use, so we ran along the Up & Down Through Siding which runs alongside the CW line where we could see the condition of it & yes it was definitely out of use.
(5) The original spec for the Tour had Birkdale Siding No.3 requested, to "complete" the triangle, but condition of track ruled this out, so Sidings No.1 & No.2, (which run parallel to the Main Line), were put in as an alternative, but just before we were due to cover them we learned that a problem with the hand points meant Siding No.2 couldn't be done.
(6) Hall Road Wall Siding was originally due to be covered on the way back South from Southport, (thus also covering the Hall Road Crossover in both directions), but planned work on the siding had not taken place so was deleted from the route. This loss was replaced with more time at Kirkdale Depot so a run inside the shed was requested & granted.

Source : Alan Sheppard

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Alan Sheppard, Colin Ward & Jim Sellens)