Barton-upon-Humber Class 153s in 2021
Yorkshire & Humber Class 153's - final monthes - top page
The Cleethorpes - Barton-Upon-Humber service had been an outpost of Class 153 operations for many years. By the time of the commencement of the Winter 2020/21 timetable, on the 21st December, a peculiar situation had developed. The service was operated by Northern Railway with a pair of Class 153's provided by East Midlands Railway and crewed by Trans-Pennine Express.
The Monday - Saturday service had departures from Cleethorpes at 05:59, 08:56, 10:55, 12:55, 14:55, 16:55, 19:00 with a 21:04 departure on Fridays and Saturdays only, and Barton-Upon-Humber at 06:58, 09:50, 11:50, 13:52, 15:50, 17:55 and 20:01 with a 22:02 departure on Fridays and Saturdays only.
Change overs of units at Cleethorpes was done by tagging them onto an early morning ecs from Lincoln Tuesday - Friday and 2T78 21:17 Cleethorpes - Lincoln Monday - Thursday. The units stabling over night at Cleethorpes Friday / Saturday, Saturday / Sunday, Sunday / Monday.
Frequent busitution had been taking place with no trains running at all between 23rd December - 2nd January and 25th January - 29th March 2021.
Only six different units were normally to be used on the service in 2021 - 153308, 153319, 153355, 153357, 153379, 153384.
The final Class 153 operated service on Saturday 23rd January was 2F96 20:01 Barton-Upon-Humber - Cleethorpes formed of 153308+153384. The units then stabled at Cleethorpes and were tagged onto 2T78 21:17 Cleethorpes - Lincoln on Monday 25th January.
It was intended that trains would recommence on Monday 29th March. 153308+153357 had arrived at Cleethorpes on Friday 26th March on the early morning ecs from Lincoln. This pair were declared a failure on the morning of the 29th, thus bustition continued. A further pair, 153379+153384, arrived at Cleethorpes during the afternoon ecs from Grimsby Town' having been detached from 2T41 14:35 Lincoln - Grimsby Town. The intention was that these would take over the service commencing with the 16:55 departure from Cleethorpes. However, they were declared a failure before departure and bustition continued for the rest of the day.
Trains finally recommenced on 30th March with rectified 153379+153384 being used on 2F81 05:59 Cleethorpes - Barton-Upon-Humber and 2F82 06:58 Barton-Upon-Humber - Cleethorpes. However, these were then declared a failure and bustitution recommenced. During the afternoon 153351+153352 arrived ecs from Huddersfield via Sheffield. These being used for the 16:55 and 19:00 departures from Cleethorpes as well as the 17:55 and 20:01 departures from Barton-Upon-Humber. 153379+153384 departed tagged onto 2T78 21:17 Cleethorpes - Lincoln.
From Wednesday 31st March the service as operated until 23rd January returned with 153308+153357 in use that day.
Problems with the 153379 +153384 on Thursday 1st April resulted in 153351+153352 being used commencing with the 09:55 departure from Cleethorpes. Similarly 153351+153352 replaced 153308+153355 commencing with the 12:55 departure from Cleethorpes on Saturday 3rd April followed by the complete service on Monday 5th April.
On the evening of Monday 5th April 153351+153352 were tagged onto 2T78 21:17 Cleethorpes - Lincoln as the first leg of a convuluted journey to Leeds. See April 2021 Yorkshire Class 153s for further details.
Further problems occurred on Tuesday 6th April with the service not starting until the 12:55 departure from Cleethorpes formed of 153379+153384. The following day 153308+153357 were declared a failure after working the 05:59 from Cleethorpes. They resumed the service with the 16:55 from Cleethorpes.
Thursday 8th April saw the arrival of 153316+153363 ecs from Sheffield to help out if required. Being used for the 08:55 ex Cleethorpes and 09:50 return on Friday 9th April substituting for temporarily unavailable 153308+153357.
Tuesday 13th April saw tooing and frooing between a problematic 153308+153357 and 153316+153363. 153316+153363 being used on the 08:55 (terminated Habrough), 10:55, 16:55 & 19:00 ex Cleethorpes and 0950 (started Habrough), 11:50, 17:55, 20:01 ex Barton-upon-Humber. The following day, Wednesday 14th 153316+153363 took over the service commencing with the 16:55 ex Cleeethorpes replacing 153355+153379, seeing use throughout the following two days.
The next reported use of 153316+153363 was on Friday 30th April when they substituted for 153357+153384 on the 10:55 ex Cleethorpes and 11:50 ex Barton-upon-Humber. They are not known to have been used subsequently and departed ecs to Leeds on Monday 17th May.
This page is maintained by Peter Hall.