WEST COAST DIVERSIONS
CREWE - ALSAGER - STOKE
OCTOBER 10th 2003

October 2

 87015 "Howard of Effingham" pushing through Alsager en route for London on the Crewe - Stoke section of the WCML. This is the first week of diversions from the main route and traffic will intensify after this week. Trees and bright sunlight are never ideal conditions for photography and Alsager station presents immense contrasts under sunny conditions.

The variety of stock passing through is quite wide, here 170502 heads for Stoke.

"Super Voyager" 221118 "Mungo Park" was the first of the new order that I saw and it looked so strange to witness it, at what was, until this week, a quiet rural station normally seeing only units and the odd charter.

DVT 82126 heads a London bound service with 87030 "Black Douglas" pushing from the rear. Most of the trains are in this order so decent shots of the locomotives are not possible.

 87003 "Patriot" passing through the station.

 87006 "George Reynolds" charging away showing the three tracks on the East side of the station.

 87013 "John O'Gaunt" framed by the overbridge.

87031 "Hal O' The Wynd" just one of many class 87's seen on the diversionary route. Catch 'em while you can!

October 2