"Never buy a ticket on the internet..."

Chris Tolley wrote:
>
> It's hard to know what to imagine. The only scenario I can fathom that
> fits some but not all of the things you have said is if you caught the
> 1749 from Salford Crescent, which goes to Wigan, but got off it at
> Bolton. That would give you the chance of catching a 185 back to the
> airport, but it would be coming from Blackpool, not Liverpool.

Don't forget, the 17.49 goes to Wigan North Western, not Wallgate. A
few years ago it was a through train to Liverpool Lime Street, reversing
at Wigan, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if the stock still makes
the same move, even though it is no longer shown as such in the timetable.

I use this train occasionally at the Liverpool end and more than once
came across disgruntled passengers who had boarded a "Liverpool" train
at Victoria and were wondering why it was taking so long to get there.
Perhaps that's why they stopped advertising the through working.

Phil

"Chris Tolley" <cjt.7@supanet.com> wrote
>
> It also matters when the OP contacted the guard. If the hypothesis is
> correct, and this didn't happen until at or after Wigan NW, then the
> comment from the guard "this train is going to Liverpool" would be
> entirely reasonable. Before Wigan, I can't imagine a guard saying
> anything other than "it's going to Wigan."
>
It's difficult to be sure quite what happened, as the OP was so oblivious of
his location until he arrived at Liverpool. Unfortunately it doesn't quite
scan
'Oh Mr Guard, what shall I do?
I want to go to the Airport, but they've taken me on to Liverpool.
Take me back to Manchester as quickly as you can.
Oh Mr Guard what a silly OP I am.

Peter

In message <sKWdnf_IY5FzGh7VnZ2dnUVZ8gOdnZ2d@supernews.com> , at 19:46:04
on Sun, 20 Jul 2008, Jim Hawkins <jimhawkins@manx.net> remarked:
>The only thing I can think of as a possibility is that it wasn't the 17:48
>to Manchester Airport, but some other train running late or early. I only
>had a few seconds to scan the arrivals board at Salford Crescent, and may
>conceivably have misread it.

Which direction did the train set off in? You went down a long ramp to
the island platform - did the train set off in that same direction
(probably from the platform on the left) or was it back the way you had
come (probably from the platform face on the right)?
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote in message
news:VsN0O8d9z6gIFAq0@perry.co.uk...
> In message <sKWdnf_IY5FzGh7VnZ2dnUVZ8gOdnZ2d@supernews.com> , at 19:46:04
> on Sun, 20 Jul 2008, Jim Hawkins <jimhawkins@manx.net> remarked:
>>The only thing I can think of as a possibility is that it wasn't the 17:48
>>to Manchester Airport, but some other train running late or early. I only
>>had a few seconds to scan the arrivals board at Salford Crescent, and may
>>conceivably have misread it.
>
> Which direction did the train set off in? You went down a long ramp to the
> island platform - did the train set off in that same direction

Yes.

> (probably from the platform on the left)

Correct.

Jim Hawkins

"Rick Hughes" <rjh@talk21.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9AE1D97BAACC8rjhtalk21com@138.199.67.64...
> "Jim Hawkins" <jimhawkins@manx.net> wrote in
> news:sKWdnf_IY5FzGh7VnZ2dnUVZ8gOdnZ2d@supernews.co m:
>
>>
>> I assure you I did NOT change. I caught the train at Salford Crescent
>> at precisely 17:48 and took no further interest in it until I realised
>> it was taking rather a long time to get to Manchester Airport, and
>> then discovered it was going to Liverpool.
>> The only thing I can think of as a possibility is that it wasn't the
>> 17:48 to Manchester Airport, but some other train running late or
>> early. I only had a few seconds to scan the arrivals board at Salford
>> Crescent, and may conceivably have misread it.
>> But no, I did not change that train.
>
> You mean "departures board" I presume? ICBW, but I don't think there is an
> arrivals board at SLD.
>
> But you stated at the beginning that your train was a 185, which the TPX
> airport train would have been. The Northern train to Wigan (-Liverpool)
> would have been something other than "a very comfortable 185".
>
> Rick.
>

No.
The Salford Crescent train I caught was a sprinter.
The train I returned from Lime St on was a 185

Jim Hawkins

Walter Mann wrote:
> "Jim Hawkins" <jimhawkins@manx.net> wrote in message
> news:sKWdnf_IY5FzGh7VnZ2dnUVZ8gOdnZ2d@supernews.co m...
>
>> The only thing I can think of as a possibility is that it wasn't the 17:48
>> to Manchester Airport, but some other train running late or early. I only
>> had a few seconds to scan the arrivals board at Salford Crescent, and may
>> conceivably have misread it.
>
> I think he says it all himself - "arrivals board". There are, of course, two
> "17.48 Manchester Airport" trains at Salford Crescent - but one of them is
> the arrival time and origin of the train to Wigan which others suggest
> continues as the 18.29 Wigan to Liverpool train.

Does Salford Crescent have an arrivals list? Yes, it
probably has, since the system upgrades a couple of
years ago. They put one at Oxford Road as well, which
caused all kinds of problems and (I believe) is no
longer displayed.

If so, apologies to Mr Hawkins. These things
should be abolished.

Charlie

On Jul 20, 7:46�pm, "Jim Hawkins" <jimhawk...@manx.net> wrote:
> "�i�ardo" <h...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
>
> news:sKFgk.42084$7B3.24129@newsfe30.ams2...
> I assure you I did NOT change. �I caught the train at Salford Crescent at
> precisely 17:48 and took no further interest in it until I realised it was
> taking rather a long time to get to Manchester Airport, and then discovered
> it was going to Liverpool.
> The only thing I can think of as a possibility is that it wasn't the 17:48
> to Manchester Airport, but some other train running late or early. I only
> had a few seconds to scan the arrivals board at Salford Crescent, and may
> conceivably have misread it.
> But no, I did not change that train.
>
> Jim Hawkins

I think you have misread the station name boards.
I think you caught the 17 49 from Manchester Oxford Road to Liverpool
Lime Street. Thus missing your flight to the Isle of Man.

Jonathan Morton wrote:


> Whatever happened, it's unfair of the OP to blame the internet. He bought a
> Day Single, valid on any train. But he caught the wrong train. I don't see
> that that is anybody's fault but his own.

I once caught a train from Cambridge which was labelled
"Peterborough", standing at a platform with a display saying
"Peterborough", left at the right time for the train to Peterborough
but actually buggered off to King's Lynn (running late with the wrong
signs up).

I got a very nice apology from the TOC.

Ian

In message
<6e4f0db2-b90f-4a52-b8f9-5d4282346ac8@i76g2000hsf..com>, at
11:56:08 on Mon, 28 Jul 2008, The Real Doctor
<ian.groups@> remarked:
>I once caught a train from Cambridge which was labelled
>"Peterborough", standing at a platform with a display saying
>"Peterborough", left at the right time for the train to Peterborough
>but actually buggered off to King's Lynn (running late with the wrong
>signs up).

That's especially odd because (unless this was more than a decade ago)
the Kings Lynn trains are all electric and the Peterborough ones all
DMU.
--
Roland Perry