How about some classics, Orient Express, classic journey and quite picturesque. Manchester Piccadilly - Liverpool Lime Street line via Warrington Central station, I believe this was once part of the original rail line used by Stevenson, it has a few interesting old viaducts and a unique way of building the track as the ground in places was pretty marshy. There's a NW UK line going via an old powerstation (Fiddlers Ferrry) that used to deliver coal that has spurs at Jaguar/Landrover at Hailwood, Sefton Docks and carries on all the way to Liverpool Lime Street, I remember seeing the old diesels hauling through Warrington all the time. The other end of the line seems to go UNDER Warrington Bank Quay station, over the Mersey river and end as disused track but following the scars on the land it seems to cross the Manchester Ship Canal and stop just south of Latchford Locks where the Trans-Pennine trail appears to be in a perfect direct line with it... maybe they're linked in some way... maybe a VERY old coal route? There's also a DB Cargo site just south of Bank Quay station that is linked to the same line and heads south.
