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Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
After we have a week away the week after next, I'll be driving us back to NT's and then getting the train home from Manchester. Logistics mean I won't have a return ticket to use the return portion of. His nearest station has a tiny ticket office, which should be open when I need to go and get my preferred train, but I'm sure I've been there when the ticket office ought to be open, but isn't. I just don't quite trust it!
So, I know that if there's no facility to buy a ticket, you buy it on the train. The journey is in two parts, changing at Stalybridge. I've frequently travelled all the way to Stalybridge with no sight of a conductor or inspector on the first leg. Am I suppose to go hunting for him? There's 13 minutes connection time at Stalybridge, which ought to be enough time to get to the ticket office, but if the train in is delayed, or the ticket office busy, it could get tight, and it's an hour's wait to the next train.
My question is, would I be in trouble trying to buy my ticket for the whole journey on the second leg, if I hadn't seen a conductor on the first leg, or were concerned about not having time to leave the platform at Stalybridge?
(Of course, I could simply order a single ticket in advance and have it posted to NT's, it's just that this will mean being restricted to a specific train, and I'd prefer to stay flexible, and there's no monetary advantage to buying in advance.... )
I won't think about the fact that I sometimes don't even see a conductor on the second leg either, leaving the train companies open to losing the whole fare, should I be criminally minded...
So, I know that if there's no facility to buy a ticket, you buy it on the train. The journey is in two parts, changing at Stalybridge. I've frequently travelled all the way to Stalybridge with no sight of a conductor or inspector on the first leg. Am I suppose to go hunting for him? There's 13 minutes connection time at Stalybridge, which ought to be enough time to get to the ticket office, but if the train in is delayed, or the ticket office busy, it could get tight, and it's an hour's wait to the next train.
My question is, would I be in trouble trying to buy my ticket for the whole journey on the second leg, if I hadn't seen a conductor on the first leg, or were concerned about not having time to leave the platform at Stalybridge?
(Of course, I could simply order a single ticket in advance and have it posted to NT's, it's just that this will mean being restricted to a specific train, and I'd prefer to stay flexible, and there's no monetary advantage to buying in advance.... )
I won't think about the fact that I sometimes don't even see a conductor on the second leg either, leaving the train companies open to losing the whole fare, should I be criminally minded...