- Okay now look, I don't want to like do that stereotype
and be all like it's grim.
It's grey.
It's grim up north.
(rock music)
But it is grey, it is raining
and I'm in greater Manchester.
(upbeat music)
To be a bit more specific, I'm in Stockport.
Which is greater Manchester.
It's the last Friday in October.
This is basically the last week day, this is the last Friday
before the clocks go back.
So sunrise was at 8:00 AM this morning.
So the weirdest thing, oh and by the way,
no, that's not the weirdest thing.
The weirdest thing is how this shopping mall here
has stolen the roundel.
Come on Grand Central get your own logo.
Just got a notification on my phone, my friend Karl sent me
a picture saying armed and ready.
And I'm approaching the station now,
so he should be here.
- [Karl] Hey everyone,
- This is Karl.
Show them your ticket.
How much did that cost you?
- Four pounds.
- Four pounds from the ticket office.
- Yes, well from that machine.
- Oh I always go do it in person and be like, "hello
can I have a ticket to"-
Please may I have a single to Stalybridge-
- [Ticket Seller] Stalybridge.
- For that train.
Also, I need a, I think it's called a South Pennines Rover,
which lets me go over to like Sheffield and back.
Is that, you do rover tickets right?
- [Ticket Seller] Yeah, yeah.
- [Geoff] It's the one that costs 22 quid.
I need to point out I have done this before,
I worked this out last night.
It was September, 2005 actually that I came through here.
So it was 11 years ago.
(upbeat music)
And it went Stalybridge to Stockport.
- [Karl] Yeah.
- Now it's changed to be Stockport to Stalybridge
and so I ended my journey here today
on this lovely sunny, bright morning.
- It never rains in Manchester.
(laughing)
Except today.
- Karl by the way is of course famous for being the man in
the water two videos who broke the wall,
he broke the fourth wall and did a kind of a-
- That was the white chapel wall.
- How many, how behind are we now Geoff?
- So how far are we behind now Geoff?
- So if we're at late today, you're the perfect man for-
(laughing)
Commenting on how late we are.
This might be it.
(train screeching)
This is it, it is a 114.
This is it Karl.
- [Karl] This is it.
- Taking this train?
- We've been on previous duties, we're going back to depot.
They're ending off at Newton Heath depot.
- Do you the Londonist videos?
- That's me.
- [Mike] Oh right.
- I've been spotted.
Hello, who are you?
- Hello I'm Mike.
- Hello Mike.
Mike watches my Londonist videos.
- I'm in Stockport.
- Yes me too.
- Are you not from greater Manchester?
- No.
- Where are you from?
- I'm from Essex.
- And you've also come just to ride this train today?
- Yes.
- Love it, oh we're getting on.
Do you think the conductor will actually come down
and check tickets?
- I would hope so because these need to get off at Denton.
- Now Mike who we've met,
is your girlfriend actually in Denton today?
- [Mike] Yes.
- So you're making a valid journey.
You're actually travelling to Denton for a valid reason
to go and see someone.
- [Mike] Yeah, I've come from Denton this morning.
(laughing)
- How did you get from Denton to Stockport this morning?
By bus?
- [Mike] Yeah by bus 'cause it's a one way train,
once a week, so.
- So you got up this morning and was like,
"right, see you in about an hour's time?"
- [Mike] Yeah.
- And oh love it.
First station, oh there's people getting on,
at Reddish South.
(conductor speaking)
Oh, here we go.
(train siren)
Behind me,
there's a gentleman and a woman
and he's just ridden the Metro,
as if he's on his morning commute.
It's like, no I'm just going to work.
Clearly, he knows he's on this train for a reason.
(people talking)
- There's more people getting on.
- I know, I'm just going to jump out on the platform.
There's actually, there are people getting on.
Morning.
- [Lady] Morning.
- [Geoff] See you Mike.
- [Mike] See you later.
- [Geoff] Yeah.
(train siren)
- We've had a quick count, we think-
1, 2, there's a son and his dad, 4, 6.
- [Karl] It's peaked at 16.
- 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
You know I think it's about 18, 19 people on this train.
- [Karl] Yeah, I'm impressed.
- [Geoff] How's that moody and pensive thing going Karl?
- Very moody, very pensive.
(laughing)
- Coming into Guide Bridge,
just want to see what Guide Bridge looks like.
- [Karl] It stops on the wrong side.
- It stopped on the wrong side?
- [Karl] That's Manchester that way.
- [Geoff] You're not going all the way?
- I've got Cheshire Day Ranger, it only goes this far.
(man gasping)
- [Geoff] I've got the Pannines Ranger,
so I was going to go up to Huddersfield.
Is it your first time on the Stockport to Stalybridge train?
- Yeah.
- [Geoff] What made you-
- Well no, I used to do it years ago as a kid
because it was the major route up to the north.
- [Geoff] So you remember it, are you getting off?
- Yeah.
- [Geoff] What was your name sir?
- [Simon] Simon.
- [Geoff] Give us a wave Simon.
(laughing)
(engine revving)
- I think there's a bay platform that was
specifically built for it.
Don't know whether it still uses it.
I think it is actually.
Long time since I've been to Stalybridge.
- Stalybridge, let's do it.
- We're here.
- We're here, all right.
(laughing)
Look how many people are on.
Yeah it's raining.
(laughing)
Obviously it's raining.
- [Karl] It's still murky.
- It is still murky.
- Little murky.
- It hasn't brightened up, has it?
- Still murky.
- Oh man.
Look where's the driver going?
Look the drivers-
- Yeah, question, what happens to that train now?
- What's going on?
Where's the driver gonna go?
For all the people that want to know, here we go.
It's 142001, like the first 1 as if like-
But like I said, I don't really get excited
about rolling stock, I really don't.
Oh, there's a pacer.
Karl That's it.
- [Karl] I know, that's it was what-
- Is it an anticlimax or I don't know?
- What was that half an hour.
- [Geoff] Yeah, it ran late.
- It did run late, but like I said,
I don't think it matters.
It has its own line, one train a week.
It can just roll in when it wants.
- Should we go and check out the famous Stalybridge station?
- I think we should.
Even though it is only 5 to 10 in the morning.
- 10 in the morning.
(laughing)
So we're signing off we're back on to Stalybridge.
Karls going to go, say bye Karl.
- That's my train, bye bye.
- You'll be seeing yourself in a video in a few weeks time
and you're getting on the transpennine express.
- I am, yes.
- Back to Manchester.
- I've got to get to work.
- I think we should shake hands or something.
Cheers mate, thanks for coming.
- That's all right, pleasure.
(laughing)
- As per usual with transpennine express it's packed.
(laughing)
- All right, I think I'm going to go down here.
- Get on this one.
We're going to get the closing door shot, ready?
- Oh yes.
- And this also brings to an end the video.
Farewell Stalybridge.
He's gone.
Would you like a shot of the train leaving.
(train departing)
(upbeat music)