As part of the Manchester Science Festival, Siemens and First TransPennine Express opened their doors to Ardwick Depot - the home of the Class 185 DMU fleet.

Tours were arranged for this day, which needed to be booked in advance. Highlights included...

*Tour of the depot
*Viewing the wheel lathe in action
*A chance to have a go on the Class 185 simulator

Upon acquisition of EMUs to work Manchester Airport-Glasgow/Edinburgh services along the newly-electrified Liverpool-Manchester via Chat Moss route, Ardwick Depot is poised to play a role in maintaining the EMUs, and will be electrified accordingly. At the time of writing it is expected that Class 350s (another Siemens product from the same family of trains as the 185s) will be joining the fleet.

A few photos taken during October 2009.

A quick visit to Ribblehead today yielded LMS 5690 'Leander' and Hanson Traction's 56312 both out on railtour duties.

For the third year in a row, Northern Rail staged a Community Open Day at one of the depots that services its fleet. This year it was Neville Hill's turn, and was ran in conjunction with East Midlands Trains.

A selection of photos from July 2009...

11/7/2009 - Spitfire Railtours "The Electric Scot", Glasgow Central, Paisley Gilmour Street, Carlisle, Preston, Warrington Bank Quay
18/7/2009 - Night photography at Preston
20/7/2009 - Manchester Victoria
29/8/2009 - Preston
4/9/2009 - Preston

A few photos from May 2009...

4/5/2009 - Bristol Temple Meads
29/5/2009 - Wigan North Western

Photos taken during June 2009...

14/6/2009 - Appley Bridge
16/6/2009 - Brock, Woodacre, Galgate
18/6/2009 - Denthead, Garsdale, Shotlock Hill, Ais Gill, Birkett Common, Lambrigg, Elmsfield
20-21/6/2009 - Carlisle
25/6/2009 - Kirkby

A few photos from the end of March/beginning of April.

28/3/2009 - Windsor & Eton Riverside, Windsor & Eton Central
9/4/2009 - Milton Keynes Central, Crewe

Photos taken during Jauary and February 2009.

8/1/2009 - (Cheshire Day Ranger) Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Ellesmere Port, Hooton, Chester
31/1/2009 - Preston
4/2/2009 - Balloch, Dalmuir, Glasgow Queen Street (Low and High Levels), Edinburgh Waverlet

A collection of photographs taken during the second half of 2008 from August to December.

2/8/2008 - Carlisle
9/8/2008 - Crewe, Newcastle
25/8/2008 - Preston
15/10/2008 - Lancaster, Preston
29/11/2008 - Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Blackpool North
13/12/2008 - Southport
20/12/2008 - Manchester Piccadilly, Hadfield

For the first time since 1997 West Coast Railway Company opened the doors to its Carnforth depot for an open day.

A wide selection of locos and coaching stock was on display, including the naming of 37676 and 47786.

I went on the Saturday, and these are the photos from that day.

Special thanks to WCRC and those involved in organising and running the weekend.

Having been able to source a ticket at the last minute, I was able to attend the DRS Open Day at Crewe Gresty Bridge. Highlights of the event include the naming of two locos; 47832 'Solway Princess' and 47501 'Craftsman'.

For the first time in several years a loco-hauled passenger service ventured to Southport in connection with The Open at Royal Birkdale, utilising The Great Briton diner rake from Riviera Trains and EWS 67003 + 67026.

The train in concern was operating a Rugby-Southport return service.

In connection with The Open at Royal Birkdale Golf Club the Northern Belle was chartered to operate a train for golf enthusiasts from London Euston to Ormskirk, utilising EWS 67028 + 67030.

This train was significant as it is the first charter train to visit Ormskirk in recent years that was not an enthusiasts tour.

Photos here were taken at Rufford, and feature the early evening ECS run and return leg of the charter (headcodes 5Z52 and 1Z52 respectively).

A community rail day was held over the weekend of the 5/6th July on the Ormskirk-Preston and Southport-Wigan routes in order to celebrate the local lines, with the support of the West of Lancashire Community Rail Partnership (WofLCRP).

The main emphasis was on Sunday 6th July where, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Liverpool-Ormskirk-Preston line, Northern Rail ran several return services between Ormskirk and Preston (the first since the late 1970s). The service was free of charge to all passengers, and included a catering trolley and entertainment on selected services courtesy of a two-man Folk band.

One of the main objectives of this special service was to campaign for reinstatement of Sunday services along the route, as well as campaigning for more frequent services on weekdays.

The event enjoyed an excellent turnout from members of the public living in the local communities along the route, and it was also good to see passengers using the service in order to make onward connections.

The East Lancashire Railway held a 9-day diesel gala from 28/6/08 to 6/7/08 where the full timetable consisted of diesel workings utilising visiting locos as well as their home fleet.

I visited on the Tuesday (1/7/08) for a bash and it was a really good day out. Here are the photos.

LOCOS OUT THAT DAY: 37109 (driver experience courses), 37906, 40145, 45041, 47402, 50015

Compass Tours ran a tour from Runcorn to Edinburgh using Riviera's 47815 + 47843. Due to coolant leakage on 47843, 47815 powered most of the tour, with the climax being 37422 rescuing the tour at Liverpool Lime Street on the return to Runcorn then ECS to Crewe.

Here are a few photos taken at Edinburgh Waverley, Millerhill and Wigan North Western

The first 47-hauled Compass Tour of 2008 took Riviera's 47805 + 47815 from Preston to Paignton and back.

Here are a few photos taken from the day.

Compass Tours organised a railtour from Barrow-in-Furness to Aberystwyth for the Bank Holiday Monday (5th May 2008) using the CFPS' 40145 'East Lancashire Railway'.

Due to other commitments during the day I couldn't make this tour, but was able to find the time to grab a few photos at Wigan North Western of the outbound run and the return run (which nearly ended in tears).

A few hours was spent at Manchester Piccadilly during the Saturday of the May Day Bank Holiday 2008, with a good variety of trains operated by various operators.

For the May Day Bank Holiday Weekend, Virgin Trains once again provided a relief train from London Euston-Preston and back using a Class 90 and the WB64 Mk3 set.

Today the 90 in use was EWS 90020 'Collingwood' and things were made more interesting with the set being in reverse formation (i.e. loco at the London end).

Here are some photos taken at Wigan North Western on the return run.

Today I decided to take advantage of the good weather and headed to Acton Bridge. The amount of variety during the few hours spent was as good as the weather, and made the journey there worthwhile.

Compass Tours operated a charter from Blackburn-Cardiff using EWS Class 37s 37401 + 37417, the outbound run was via the Heart of Wales and Swansea District Lines, with the return being via Gloucester, Lickey Incline and the West Midlands.

Here are a few photos taken after the first leg when the ECS went to Pengam sidings to run round before heading to Margam.

Today I went out for a drive 'on the phot' at various locations across the West Lancashire plains and Merseyside. Here you will find a good selection of Northern DMUs and Merseyrail Electrics EMUs.

First stop was Chapel Lane Crossing, Parbold, before proceeding to Bescar Lane station. After that I went into Merseyside and visited Altcar, Formby - before heading to Ormskirk to visit Aughton Park stationand Abbey Lane Crossing, and finally rounding the jaunt off at Hoscar station.

The weather was reasonable today, and this played a factor in my decision to visit the locations I did.

Today I visited Stableford in Staffordshire to see Swift Rail's 86233 on its transit move from Oxley TMD to Crewe IEMD behind 66025.

Then I moved to Acton Bridge to see 37405, 60044, 66413, 90024 and 90047.

Special thanks to Mike Byrne and Ian Furness for today, and to Swift Rail for the gen on the move.

Before the Easter Weekend, Virgin Trains decided to run a relief train to Preston similar to the trains that ran last year. 90020 'Collingwood' and the WB64 Mk.3 rake was booked to run this train.

OUTBOUND RUN: 1T65 13.43 London Euston-Preston

RETURN RUN: 1T04 17.00 Preston-London Euston via B'ham NS.

86259 "Les Ross" hauled its first railtour for Vintage Trains from Birmingham New Street to Liverpool Lime Street on Saturday 1st March.

As a treat a turnaround movement was arranged from Liverpool-Preston-Crewe-Liverpool using 47773 on one end (Liverpool-Preston and Crewe-Liverpool) and 86259 on the other (Preston-Crewe), enabling 86259 to haul the tour back to Birmingham.

Summary of railtour...

1Z86 Birmingham New Street-Liverpool Lime Street via Runcorn (86259) - then Liverpool Lime Street-Preston via Earlestown (47773).
1Z87 Preston-Crewe (86259), then Crewe-Liverpool Lime St via Earlestown (47773) and then Liverpool Lime St-Birmingham New Street via Runcorn (86259).

Here I have taken photos of the Turnaround train at Preston

Spitfire Railtours organised a railtour from Liverpool Lime Street to Edinburgh via Huddersfield, Leeds and the ECML utilising preserved 'Deltic' 55022 "Royal Scots Grey".

I was booked on it, here are my photos.

This album is a compilation of various photos taken throughout 2007, but didn't upload in the year.