Wrexham and Shropshire services to and from London Paddington

[Spursglory]

What services used London Paddington, and what times were they? I would like a screenshot of a timetable for Wrexham and Shropshire Paddington diversions

 

[Mcr Warrior]

What services used London Paddington, and what times were they? I would like a screenshot of a timetable for Wrexham and Shropshire Paddington diversions

How often did the one-time 'Wrexham & Shropshire' services get diverted from London Marylebone into London Paddington? Couldn't have been too often?

 

[Spursglory]

In 2008 and 2010 there were engineering works at London Marylebone at weekends. I would like a timetable showing the services from London Paddington

 

[zwk500]

You are going to be very lucky to find such a timetable preserved from that long ago. Unless the Wayback machine has somehow managed to grab a copy. I can find a PDF of the normal timetable but have seen nothing on the amended timetable.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Couldn't see a mention either anywhere in "Wrexham & Shropshire" (2014 book by Richard Harper and Gordon Rushton).

You are going to be very lucky to find such a timetable preserved from that long ago.

Nothing in the GB National Timetables (or supplements) of the time?!

 

[zwk500]

Nothing in the GB National Timetables (or supplements) of the time?!

If you can find one online! But where would weekly changes be uploaded in 2008 or 2010?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

If you can find one online! But where would weekly changes be uploaded in 2008 or 2010?

Just goes to show that not all historic info is readily available on T'interweb!

 

[zwk500]

Just goes to show that not all historic info is readily available on T'interweb!

It's easy to forget what the internet looked like back in 2010. Here's a BBC Article from the time: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8445628.stm. Images were kept very small, videos strongly discouraged, text-heavy pages all designed for a mouse to navigate.
NR's online archive has the WTTs, but I couldn't find any suggestion of the 2010 Weekly changes being stored anywhere. Maybe the British Library has the printed supplement, but you'd need to know which dates they ran to Pad on.

 

[pdeaves]

Nothing in the GB National Timetables (or supplements) of the time?!

Unlikely for a diversion (typically just one weekend).

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Unlikely for a diversion (typically just one weekend).

Had thought they were sometimes included, but can't really prove the point one way or the other as I've long since binned my old national timetable books, due to lack of space. Without veering too far off-topic, wasn't there one year when the amendment supplement(s) were almost as big as the original publication?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Didn't they operate from Euston instead? I definitely recall being on one that went through MKC which was a bit odd. Or was there a way from Paddington/Marylebone to the south WCML?

 

[zwk500]

Didn't they operate from Euston instead? I definitely recall being on one that went through MKC which was a bit odd. Or was there a way from Paddington/Marylebone to the south WCML?

They operated via the WCML but from Marylebone (reversing twice, and Neasden and somewhere else IIRC) definitely. However if Marylebone was closed you could still use the NNML at that point (if you didn't go via Drayton Park) to use Paddington without reversing. They may well have gone from Euston if there was too much of a block on at the London end.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Couldn't see a mention either anywhere in "Wrexham & Shropshire" (2014 book by Richard Harper and Gordon Rushton).

The above book, does however recount that the various weekly Special Traffic Alterations notices were soon known as "Diverting with Doris" (so-named after a James Doris who was part of W&S's performance and planning team).

Diversions via the West Coast Main Line saw W&S services travel as far along the WCML as Willesden, then along the North London Line, before regaining the route into Marylebone at Neasden, which necessitated both a reversal and normally closed signalboxes being specially opened on a Sunday.

(And, yes, Paddington was sometimes alternatively used instead when Marylebone wasn't available).

Interestingly, despite these various diversion(s), the journey times for London-bound passengers were apparently only extended relatively slightly, but unfortunately any diversions via the WCML meant that Leamington Spa and Banbury couldn't then be served.

 

[zwk500]

Diversions via the West Coast Main Line saw W&S services travel as far along the WCML as Willesden, then along the North London Line, before regaining the route into Marylebone at Neasden, which necessitated both a reversal and normally closed signalboxes being specially opened on a Sunday.

Was it via the NLL? I'd have thought they'd have run via the Willesden Reliefs from Subdury Jn then No &, Acton Canal Wharf [maybe onto Acton Lane Jn for signals] (reverse) then Dudding Hill line to Neasden (RM again) and finally into Marylebone.

This video certainly suggests that's the case:

(sorry for the awful backing track).

 

[Darandio]

I've seen pictures of them using Paddington on 12th October 2008. Archived pages point to the same happening a week later with notices to allow for a further 15 minutes on a journey in and out of there. There is a link to an amended timetable but it's not recoverable unfortunately.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Was it via the NLL?

That's what the (2014) Wrexham & Shropshire book says.

Doesn't mean that it's 100% correct, necessarily, although the story does specifically mention that the afore-mentioned Mr. Doris often had to call up the signallers in advance on the North London Line to make sure the boxes would be open on a Sunday, otherwise the trains wouldn't have been able to run.

 

[150219]

Paddington was just for diversions when Marylebone was closed, so it probably wouldn't have been part of a published timetable - only one that was perhaps available on line at the time. I say probably, because I can't remember definitively one way or the other. Paddington was used when the route via Leamington, Banbury and High Wycombe was open, but closed beyond South Ruislip and they fitted around the booked Chiltern Railways services - passing at Greenford.

Diversions were made via all manner of routes, so they were made via the Neasden Curve and so forth as described above via Acton Canal Wharf. Announcements needed to be made to customers asking them not to use the droplight windows, in accordance with the provision of the route acceptance for passenger services using Mark 3 carriages.

The traincrew of WSMR had extensive route knowledge, which meant that STP diversions were rarely a problem and even assisted with ad hoc diversions too. Despite that, there were some exceptions to individual route knowledge which required route conductors to be provided.