Today I decided I would go out and give the new Transpennine Express Class 68 and MK5 set a proper, long distance run.
I started my journey at my local station, Nelson and caught one of Northerns finest Class 150s to Preston, changing onto a Northern Class 319 to Liverpool Lime Street to meet the Transpennine service there.
The train pulled in on platform 1 and sat there for 15 or so minutes to prepare it for the journey back to Scarborough – enough time to try and get some decent photographs of it.
We left spot on time in the comfort of a spacious standard class Mk5 bound for York, a journey of around 2 hours. The at-seat air conditioning was a very welcoming addition, perfect for a nice summers day (bit late for that now!). The customer hosts were constantly passing through the train offering a range of refreshments from the trolley.
For the majority of the run, we were on time. Until we got to the very busy corridor between Huddersfield and Leeds, after that we ran slightly late. A number of table seats aligned with the windows, very good to watch the lovely scenery whizzing past the window.
We arrived at York a few minutes late due to minor delays in the busy Leeds Huddersfield corridor, with just enough time to get a photo and nip for something to eat, before catching our Northern Class 158 Wedge-ex back to Burnley.
A very nice experience all in all, and one I would certainly do again, although next time I’ll bring my other camera for interior photos…the camera I had just didn’t do it justice.
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