Photo-a-Day  (Saturday, 29th January, 2022)

Good photo but I wish we still had steam trains....they were definitely more photogenic! Our Yorkshire friends envy us living so near to Liverpool as they love it, but we never think of going. The last time I went my daughter was about 18, (she is 40 now), and we went on the train to see Phantom of the Opera. The theatre was next to Lime Street and during the show you could actually hear the trains coming and going in the station!

is it a diesel or electric train?

We know steam trains were very dirty to run but most looked nice when under full steam. Modern trains are just boxes on wheels and surrounded by steel wires

Think Liverpool . Think Beatles . Think train . Think the one after 909 .

That's the train I catch coming to Wigan. I don't know what I would do if its ever taken off. Sometimes it gets cancelled lately as it did yesterday. I ended up on the 'slow coach ' bus!
I'm like you Irene I never go to L'pool or Manchester.. I can't be bothered lately.

Looks like a nice tidy section of the track , because a lot of railways are being used as dumping grounds.
BTW Brian why you are here, didn't you say when you designed the new version of Wiganworld that photos sent in to Pad that didn't get used that they would be put into a album.

Back in the day, the regular service from Wigan NW to Liverpool Lime Street arrived and left from (I think) platform 7. The station announcer just used to say "all stations to Lime Street, platform seven." I can remember Bryn, Garswood, St Helens Shaw Street, Thatto Heath - at the time, Trains from Wigan Wallgate ran through to Liverpool Exchange, which was on Tithebarn Street - long gone.
In both cases it was the standard green diesel multiple unit of three cars or three plus two on busier days.

I cant see any Pantographs on the roof of the 6 carriage train, so I am
assuming it is powered with diesel engines. These are 2 three-car sets.

Joe - It's an electric train.

Diesel Electric.

This train takes customers away from Wigan to spend their money at Liverpool One.

Talking of trains, Irene and Veronica do you remember the film 6.5 Special based on the BBC TV programme of late 1950s, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04rp579

Network have the film DVD at a special price if interested, £4.90 normally £7.00, it's very good to view again and brought back lots of memories especially the 'Hand Jive' that everyone at the time tried to copy.
https://youtu.be/cW3HQy1hibU

https://networkonair.com/all-products/2155-5-special-six-five-special-blu-ray-

Irene - I know what you mean about Liverpool. When I was growing up in Wigan(1950s and 60s) I can only remember us as a family ever going to Liverpool once as my father wanted to see a Royal Navy ship that was docked there. I also went on one other occasion with a group of friends to see a play (we were doing at A Level) on at the Everyman. And that was it - twice in the 18 years I lived in Wigan. On the other hand we seemed to go to Manchester at least once a month. Manchester seemed much more Lancastrian like Wigan whereas Liverpool was almost like a different country in those days

Cyril, was the 6.5 special the programme starting with a steam train powered by a A4 engine crossing the Fourth Bridge? I seem to remember the name the name Don Lang (and his frantic five?) being associated with it.

Irene -
The Gwili Steam Railway in Bronwydd, near Carmarthen, advertises trips on steam trains, with meals in the buffet car. They're very popular and we often see them 'steaming along' as the rail track runs alongside the main road - a lovely reminder of a bygone age.

Cyril, yes I do remember 6.5 Special but I was only a little girl. I remember "Oh Boy" as well, from the same era. I remember The Vernons Girls too, especially "the one with glasses" who everyone remembers! Carolaen, I have hardly ever been to Manchester, to be honest! We didn't need anything other than Wigan in the 1960s....it was a brilliant town back then.

Irene. if my Mum had to buy a new coat my dad and I would always have to go with her ( always on the train in those days) to Manchester and be dragged round the stores like Lewis'. Kendal Milne (and visit the food hall !) the huge C&As etc. Of course 99 times out of a 100 she would buy anything actually there but would end up buying one in Wigan.

Having said that we did go to other thing such as Belle Vue Circus and Fair. The street markets in places like Tibb St and with mates went to many concerts at the Free Trade Hall and occasionally to football and Cricket at Old Trafford. As avid Wigan RL fans my dad and I went many times to see Wigan at Salford and Swinton grounds. The latter was right by the the railway station so was very easy to get to.

I remember SiX - Five Special , then another one later still, called Juke Box Jury with David Jacobs and the girl who used to say
" Oi'll give it Foive"... I only saw Six, Five, Special at my friend's house as we didn't have a telly then! Later on it was Thank Your Lucky Stars!

Veronica - Janice Nicholls from Wednesbury, Staffs. After Thank Your Lucky Stars finished she trained as a chiropodist (five toes?) and was 17 in 1961. That will make her 77/78 now.

I remembered afterwards Gary ... very pronounced accent - yes ' Foive' toes !
" Fame was the spur"... you could be famous for anything then ... same today .

Veronica - Famous yes but only for 15 minutes according to Andy Warhol.