Saturday 19th March 2010

The ELR DMU theme day brought with it new resident Class 108 M51562+M51922, 'Bubble & Squeak' combo L101+W56289 and Class 101 M56352+M51192, making its last journies on the ELR before being transferred to NRM Shildon. A sad farewell, considering the unit had been such a work-horse to the railway over its 6-year residency. I do feel, though, the unit didnt't get the farewell it deserved. There was no headboard or anything to mark it's last run and on the last trip from Heywood to Bury Bolton Street to Heywood, there was only 3 cranks on board! (Me included!). The one thing that the driver did, however, was give the unit a good caning on that last trip! So something did come out of it! Yeah, fair enough the unit was only being transferred and not scrapped or going into store but surely it's 6-year stay at the Lancs meant somehthing to the railway volunteers? Ah well...


Here's my moves from the day (including the first time this year where I travelled out to Preston and back on the same day with DIFFERENT 142s! The only previous time I went out and back on the same day with different units was a 142 out for a 150 back! All the other times were on the same unit!) -

142037 St. Annes-On-The-Sea – Preston
185141 Preston – Bolton
69196 Bolton Bus station - Bury Interchange
W56289+L101 Bury Bolton Street – Heywood
L101+W56289 Heywood – Bury Bolton Street
M51562+M51922 Bury Bolton Street – Heywood
M51922+M51562 Heywood – Bury Bolton Street
M56352+M51192 Bury Bolton Street – Heywood
M51192+M56352 Heywood – Ramsbottom
M56352+M51192 Ramsbottom – Heywood
M51192+M56352 Heywood – Rawtenstall
M56352+M51192 Rawtenstall – Heywood
M51192+M56352 Heywood – Bury Bolton Street
69135 Bolton Street train station - Shiffnall Street (Bolton)
185112 Bolton – Preston
142036 Preston – St. Annes-On-The-Sea