SideTracked - Denton Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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A medium sized cache, hidden in plain sight on the public access pathway that runs alongside the station. There is no parking here, but only a short walk from Sainsburys just across the road (there are crossing points, but it is a busy road so keep mini cachers on a close rein).
Room for swaps that will fit in a 25mm hole! No tools needed.
Denton railway station is a station on the Stockport-Stalybridge line, famous for having one train a week in one direction only (currently calling on Fridays at 10:24), christened the "Denton Flyer". With 30 passenger entries and exits between April 2011 and March 2012, Denton is the third-least used station in Great Britain.
On the platform, as of 2007, only one or two signs remain that bear the station name to the public. The Network/National Rail website (as of 2011), in its "Station Plan" shows a bench as the sole passenger facility at the station. There is no working lighting.
North of here the line divides, with the single track branch to Guide Bridge diverging from the "main line" to Ashton Moss at Denton Junction. The latter route is normally used only by freight and empty stock transfer workings but is used also for diversions if the main line between Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly is closed for engineering work.
A further direct line to Droylsden diverged from this further on at Ashton Moss Junction), which at one time was used by direct trains from the East Lancashire Line to London Euston as well as local trains from Manchester Victoria to Stockport. That line was closed in 1969 and subsequently lifted.
The station is a request stop, having two platforms in an island layout. In theory, prospective passengers must flag down the train as it approaches the station. However, in practice the train usually stops at every station on the line even if no passenger is waiting.
Network Rail, in their Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) for the North West, were proposing closure of Reddish South and Denton stations and withdrawal of the remaining passenger service. The line itself would remain open for freight and diverted passenger workings. However, a new open-access operator called Grand Union had proposed using the line for services between London and Bradford via the West Coast Main Line, using Guide Bridge station as a stop. That proposal has since been dropped.
Denton has now been saved from closure. A more frequent service was considered for the 2008 timetable shakeup, which was designed to implement major changes to service patterns on the West Coast Main Line; however, because of the track layout the proposed regular service to Manchester Victoria via Denton and Ashton Moss Junction has been postponed. When trains start operating to Manchester, the future of the service to Stalybridge is uncertain.
Friends of Denton Station can be found at http://www.dentonstation.co.uk/
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Zntargvp, ybbx ng Qragba!