South Transpennine Class 68s (Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street)
Between December 2022 and July 2023 Class 68 hauled/propelled Nova 3 trains operated a small number of Transpennine Express trains between Cleethorpes and Liverpool Lime Street. Training of drivers and conductor/guards started in January 2022, this though became rather protracted and it wasn't until December of that year that Class 68s saw passenger use on the route. Even then there were never more than two trains a day so formed. Use was very sporadic until mid June 2023, less than twenty trains in total in each direction operating. There after one train in each direction was usually so formed. However, not long after that it was announced use on the route would cease at the end of July 2023. In total 33 westbound and 36 eastbound trains operated on the route between December 2022 and July 2023.
The first use in December 2022 coincided with the final week of the May-December 2022 timetable and is detailed below. The trains involved had not run for sometime prior to this, their paths having been used for staff instruction trains.
Thursday 8th December 2022 - Saturday 10th December 2022
| Date/ Train |
1B73 09:26 Cleethorpes - Manchester Piccadilly |
1B78 13:18 Manchester Piccadilly - Cleethorpes |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 8th December | 68020 | 68020 |
| Friday 9th December | 68020 | 68020 (A) |
| Saturday 10th December |
68020 | 68020 |
(A) - terminated at Grimsby Town.
During the December 2022 - May 2023 timetable there were occassional appearances on the weekdays 1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport - Cleethorpes and 1B85 15:24 Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street as detailed below. Both trains are shown for the days both or either of them featured a Class 68.
Monday 12th December 2022 - Saturday 20th May 2023
| Date/ Train |
1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport- Cleethorpes |
1B85 15:24 Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 12th December | 68026 | 68020 (A) |
| Monday 19th December | 68028 | caped |
| Thursday 29th December | caped | 68028 (B) |
| Wednesday 11th January | 68022 | caped |
| Thursday 16th February | 68021 (A) |
185148 |
| Wednesday 1st March | 68028 | 68028 |
| Thursday 30th March | 68025 | 68025 |
| Saturday 1st April | 68033 | 68033 |
| Monday 10th April |
68025 | 68025 |
| Tuesday 18th April | 68022 | 68022 |
| Thursday 4th May | 68029 | 68029 |
| Monday 8th May | 68020 | 68020 |
| Monday 15th May |
68032 | 68032 (C) |
(A) - terminated at Manchester Piccadilly
(B) - started at Grimsby Town
(C) - terminated at Sheffield
Occasional appearances continued during the first few weeks of the May - December 2023 timetable on the weekdays 1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport - Cleethorpes and 1B85 15:24 Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street as detailed below. Both trains are shown for the days both or either of them featured a Class 68.
Monday 22nd May 2023 - Saturday 17th June 2023
| Date/ Train |
1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport- Cleethorpes |
1B85 15:24 Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 30th May |
68020 | 68020 |
| Thursday 2nd June |
68020 | caped |
| Saturday 10th June |
68025 | 68025 |
| Monday 12th June | 68023 | 68023 |
| Saturday 17th June |
68019 |
68019 |
From Monday 19th June use became more regular on the weekdays 1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport - Cleethorpes and 1B85 15:24 Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street as detailed below. All trains are shown for the weeks both or either of them featured a Class 68.
Monday 19th June 2023 - Saturday 24th June 2023
| Date/ Train |
1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport- Cleethorpes |
1B85 15:24 Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 19th June |
68027 (A) |
68027 |
| Tuesday 20th June |
185137 | 185119 |
| Wednesday 21st June |
68025 | 68025 |
| Thursday 22nd June | 68025 | 68025 |
| Friday 23rd June | 68020 | 68020 |
| Saturday 24th June |
68029 |
68029 |
(A) - started Manchester Piccadilly
Monday 26th June 2023 - Saturday 1st July 2023
| Date/ Train |
1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport- Cleethorpes |
1B85 15:24 Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 26th June |
68022 |
68022 |
| Tuesday 27th June |
68021 | 68021 |
| Wednesday 28th June |
68031 | 68031 |
| Thursday 29th June | 68022 | 68022 |
| Friday 30th June | 68022 | 68022 |
| Saturday 1st July |
68022 |
68022 |
Monday 3rd July 2023 - Saturday 8th July 2023
| Date/ Train |
1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport- Cleethorpes |
1B85 15:24 Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 3rd July |
caped |
caped |
| Tuesday 4th July |
caped | caped |
| Wednesday 5th July |
185116 | 185135+185132 |
| Thursday 6th July |
68022 | caped |
| Friday 7th July |
68022 | caped |
| Saturday 8th July |
caped |
caped |
Monday 10th July 2023 - Saturday 15th July 2023
| Date/ Train |
1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport- Cleethorpes |
1B85 15:24 Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 10th July |
185101 |
185101 |
| Tuesday 11th July |
185126 (A) | 68022 |
| Wednesday 12th July |
68022 | 68022 |
| Thursday 13th July |
68022 | 68022 |
| Friday 14th July | 68022 | 68022 |
| Saturday 15th July |
68022 |
68022 |
(A) - Started Sheffield
Monday 24th July 2023 - Saturday 29th July 2023
| Date/ Train |
1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport- Cleethorpes |
1B85 15:24 Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 24th July |
68022 |
68022 (A) |
| Tuesday 25th July |
68029 | 68029 |
| Wednesday 26th July |
68032 | 185134 |
| Thursday 27th July |
185132 | 185132 |
| Friday 28th July | 185142 | 68032 (B) |
| Saturday 29th July |
caped |
caped |
(A) - terminated Stockport
(B) - after arrival at Liverpool Lime Street 68032 used on a replacement train for 1B92 19:19 Liverpool Lime Street - Cleethorpes as far as Manchester Piccadilly.
In all thirteen different locomotives were used, 68019, 68020, 68021, 68022, 68023, 68025, 68026, 68027, 68028, 68029, 68031, 68032 & 68033. However, 68026 was only used on 1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport Cleethorpes with the others being used on both 1B64 05:43 Manchester Airport - Cleethorpes and 1B85 15:24 Cleethorpes - Liverpool Lime Street.
Page maintained by Peter Hall.