Wednesday 11 September – Chester to Plumley and at the Golden Pheasant
(Leaves Chester at 18:56; return train arrives back in Chester at 22:38)
Pastry Shoes with ‘sweet and compelling female vocals and harmonies, a single guitarist who skilfully creates the sounds of a full band, and the smooth, melodic tones of the tenor sax. Pastry Shoes will soothe you with easy-listening and familiar jazz and swing numbers – or have you singing to popular hits from the 1950s to the present day.
There is no charge for the Music Train from Chester to Plumley, though there is a collection on the way back for the band and you will need a train ticket. There is music on the train both ways and at the pub. No need to book (unless you are a group of eight or more – see below) – just get on the train at Chester or one of the intermediate stations. There will be signs on the windows to show you the carriage with the music. Music Trains from Chester leave Chester at 18:56 and the return train arrives back in Chester at 22:38.
Programme of Music Trains in 2024
We have a full programme of Music Trains from April to October this year. There will be monthly Music Trains from Chester to the Golden Pheasant in Plumley (except in June when we go to the Angel in Knutsford) and three more from Altrincham to Alexander’s in Chester. Plus we hope to have one or two from Altrincham to our new venue – the Goshawk in Mouldsworth.
The programme from Chester
Wednesday 14 August – Chester to Plumley – with Codswallop
Wednesday 11 September – Chester to Plumley – with Pastry Shoes
Wednesday 16 October – Chester to Plumley – with Deportees
The programme from Altrincham
Thursday 17 October – Altrincham to Chester – with Pastry Shoes on the train and Alexander’s band in Chester
You will need a booking with Alexander’s as well as your train ticket. There is music from two bands – one on the train both ways and one at Alexander’s. The Alexander’s package deal covers the music and food at Alexander’s as well as taxis from the station at Chester to Alexanders and back again. The food is Dave Johnson’s award-winning local bangers with mash, peas and gravy. (Vegan option available). You book online at www.alexanderslive.com. The cost is £22 plus £2.20 online booking fee. (You can find and book the Music Trains under ‘Book Tickets’). Please notify Alexander’s when you have booked if you have any dietary requirements.
There is no charge for the Music Train itself, though there is a collection on the way back for the band and you will need a train ticket. You can get on the train at Altrincham or at one of the intermediate stations along the way.
How Music Trains work
There is no charge for the Music Trains from Chester to Plumley or Knutsford, though there is a collection on the way back for the band and you will need a train ticket. There is music on the train both ways and at the pub. No need to book from Chester or intermediate stations – just get on the train. There will be signs on the windows to show you the carriage with the music. Music Trains from Chester leave Chester at 18:56 and the return train arrives back in Chester at 22:38. You can also get on or off the train at the intermediate stations along the way. For Music Trains from Altrincham to Chester you need to book in advance – more details and train times in the next newsletter.
At the intermediate stations you must buy your ticket from the platform ticket machine or online. At Chester you can buy it from the ticket machine or the ticket office or online. If there isn’t a ticket machine at your station or if the machine isn’t working then you can buy a ticket from the conductor on the train.
It is always possible that train times might change and a small possibility that a Music Train might have to be cancelled at short notice. In that case you would receive an email notification if you are on this mailing list and a note would be put on the Community Rail Partnership website and its social media accounts.
Groups on Music Trains
Groups are very welcome to join the Music Trains. If you plan to bring a group of 8 or more people on a Music Train from Chester to Plumley or Knutsford, please contact me in advance about your plans so that we can agree a date or dates. That way we can avoid having too many groups on one evening.
If you plan to bring a group on the Music Trains from Altrincham to Alexanders in Chester then just go ahead and book online with Alexanders. There is a maximum of 45 places available.
We are happy to arrange extra Music Trains for groups of 30 or more people on weekdays. (Last year we arranged them for Chester Vision Support, Norley WI, Cheshire Carers Trust and Hale U3A). They can be in the daytime or in the evening. The costs are the train ticket and a contribution to the band’s fee – there is no extra charge for arranging the Music Train. Contact me to discuss the options and possible dates.
Disruptions to rail services
At the time of writing no disruptions to normal services are expected on the dates of our Music Trains. We should get about a fortnight’s warning If there are going to be disruptions – then we would have to cancel. Any cancellations will be announced through this newsletter, on the noticeboards at stations, on our web page, on our Twitter feed and on our Facebook page – @MidCheshire CRP
More information
Music Trains are arranged on behalf of the Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership to promote the Mid Cheshire Line.
Watch on this website. Follow Mid Cheshire CRP on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Or, get in touch with is from our contact page
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You can unsubscribe from these newsletters at any time by sending me an email headed ‘unsubscribe’.
Michael Ross
Music Trains organiser, Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership
