[Tony]

I find it amazing that there are only two pacers per hour. When I started spotting in 1947/8 there were over 20 per hour! Remember that this was the L & Y main line out of M/c serving Blackpool, Southport, Liverpool, Morecambe, Barrow and Windermere. All these destinations had express services leaving Victoria during rush hour, two or three to B/pool & Southport. There were expresses outbound at about 6 minute headway from 4pm to 6.30pm. Local services to wigan and Southport ran approx every 15 minutes. Outbound coal, cotton and wool trains for Liverpool docks slotted in between these and were invariably provided with a banker which boosted them to Swinton. The line was so crowded that the 4.30pm M/c-Glasgow was routed out through Eccles and Tyldesley(always a Scot or later a "Clan").
My usual spotting place was near Agecroft Road bridge, there are houses there now, it used to be open rough ground - ideal for playing Nazis and Commandoes! The sight and sound of an L&Y 0-8-0 at full bore on a coal train banked by a WD 2-8-0 was quite something!
P.S. Between the Station and Station Hotel was a barbershop, is it there?