Trains that run through London without changes- any without stopping?

[Comstock]

I know that you can get from north of London to south of London on Thameslink, but that obviously stops several times in central London? Are there, or have there ever been any that don't actually stop?

Have there ever been any East West or other routes without changes (obviously Crossrail will do this)

Or maybe a Birmingham to Dover route or something like that?

 

[Starmill]

There used to be services from Basingstoke and Northampton to Ipswich via the North London Line. It was called 'London Crosslink'.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3198/3151305350_ff418732f0_z.jpg?zz=1 Here is a link, it was operated by Anglia Railways, this was Woking I think.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There used to be services from Basingstoke and Northampton to Ipswich via the North London Line. It was called 'London Crosslink'.

Wasn't non-stop though- I used it from Highbury & Islington to Feltham, with calls at (at least) Camden Road and Willesden Junction.

 

[goblinuser]

I think there used to be services to Edinburgh directly from Brighton.

 

[Darandio]

I think there used to be services to Edinburgh directly from Brighton.

Indeed there were, but i'm pretty certain they stopped at points in the capital.

 

[Starmill]

There are currently services that run direct from Milton Keynes Central to Clapham Junction and East Croydon. In the past there were some direct trains between Rugby and Brighton.

 

[EM2]

Indeed there were, but i'm pretty certain they stopped at points in the capital.

Definitely at Kenny O, and I think Clapham Junction.

 

[tbtc]

I know that you can get from north of London to south of London on Thameslink, but that obviously stops several times in central London? Are there, or have there ever been any that don't actually stop?

Have there ever been any East West or other routes without changes (obviously Crossrail will do this)

Or maybe a Birmingham to Dover route or something like that?

Virgin Cross Country used to run through from Birmingham to Ramsgate - Deltic operated too - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJN3OYIC9TE

We've had a number of "avoiding London" routes since privatisation:

• SWT from Brighton to Reading via Basingstoke
• XC from Brighton to Reading/ Birmingham/ beyond via Gatwick and Kensington Olympia
• XC from Portsmouth to Reading/ Birmingham/ beyond via Basingstoke
• Connex (SE) from Gatwick to Rugby

I remember that the Anglia service Starmill refers to were meant to run to/from Watford too but don't know if that ever happened - I wasn't aware of through services to Northampton but that was during my "dark ages")

But these kind of marginal services have to compete for paths/ stock on lines where you can fill a twelve coach service bound for central London at regular clock face intervals, so an esoteric route that avoids the centre is always going to struggle.

 

[cjohnson]

Indeed there were, but i'm pretty certain they stopped at points in the capital.

Mid-80s those services were Brighton -> Derby/Manchester only stopped at East Croydon within London, if that counts.

 

[mike57]

Mid-80s those services were Brighton -> Derby/Manchester only stopped at East Croydon within London, if that counts.

I thought they stopped at Kensington Olympia, used it to Brighton once when working down there, would have 1985ish. It was quicker via London Euston/Victoria, but for some reason on one occasion I had extra luggage and it was easier.

 

[xotGD]

Wasn't there a Glasgow to Harwich via the northern fringes of London; 'The European'?

 

[Ianno87]

Regional Eurostars would have had no passenger stops within London. Although passport formalities would have been carried out at Kenny O.

 

[Mag_seven]

I remember being on a diverted XC HST that ran non-stop Reading - Coventry via Acton Bank and the WCML.

 

[swt_passenger]

We've had a number of "avoiding London" routes since privatisation:

SWT from Brighton to Reading via Basingstoke

If you start counting that you might as well add in Cardiff > Bristol > Portsmouth... :roll: It's a bit wide of the original question surely?

 

[signallerscot]

Wasn't there a Glasgow to Harwich via the northern fringes of London; 'The European'?

Yes, it went from the WCML to Harwich via Stratford and when I used it I don't recall it stopping in London at all.

 

[Master29]

I think there used to be services to Edinburgh directly from Brighton.

The Sussex Scot I think. It stopped at Kensington Olympia and possibly elsewhere in the capital.

 

[Dai Corner]

All you ever wanted to know about cross-country services to Brighton via London.

There were certainly some only stopping at East Croydon, as previously posted. I couldn't see mention of any not stopping at all within Greater London.

http://www.1s76.com

 

[PHILIPE]

I thought they stopped at Kensington Olympia, used it to Brighton once when working down there, would have 1985ish. It was quicker via London Euston/Victoria, but for some reason on one occasion I had extra luggage and it was easier.

I caught a Manchester to Brighton once which ran down the WCML and stopped at Willesden to change locos. A Class 47 off Old Oak Common worked forward

 

[Comstock]

Thanks for these, very interesting.

 

[rf_ioliver]

Indeed there were, but i'm pretty certain they stopped at points in the capital.

The Sussex Scot - Brighton to Edinburgh, though IIRC it was curtailed to Manchester at one point. It even has a Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sussex_Scot

47 hauled and I think at one point it was famous because the class 08 shunter was used with passengers on board - I'm sure someone here can provide all the details.

Quite a useful service, gave a 3rd choice for Cardiff-Brighton when the coast route via Sailsbury and Bristol became boring and you didn't want the cross-London change from Victoria to Paddington.

t.

Ian

 

[InOban]

Yes, it went from the WCML to Harwich via Stratford and when I used it I don't recall it stopping in London at all.

Was there not one down the East coast as well? They basically operated to take troops to and from the Army in Germany.

 

[[.n]]

There used to be services from Basingstoke and Northampton to Ipswich via the North London Line. It was called 'London Crosslink'.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3198/3151305350_ff418732f0_z.jpg?zz=1 Here is a link, it was operated by Anglia Railways, this was Woking I think.

I used to use that, it was really useful

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Wasn't non-stop though- I used it from Highbury & Islington to Feltham, with calls at (at least) Camden Road and Willesden Junction.

they also also called at West Hampstead and Stratford

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Crosslink

As you can imagine though they were often late, being caught behind all manner of slower moving stuff

 

[delticdave]

Wasn't there a Glasgow to Harwich via the northern fringes of London; 'The European'?

There was indeed, it had a passenger stop at Shenfield, & although the North London Line was (just) 25kV electrified at also stopped at Stratford Station to attach a 47 which dragged the whole train + 86 to Mire Bridge Jct, near Willesden.

It was a 2-portion train, Edinburgh & Glasgow,splitting at Carstairs & ran via Brum too.

I tried to use it to get to the NEC from Shenfield, but I couldn't find any parking in Shenfield!

 

[Deafdoggie]

Mid-80s those services were Brighton -> Derby/Manchester only stopped at East Croydon within London, if that counts.

They called Kensington Olympia too. Back in the day when it only had one through platform.

They stopped at Willesden to change locos, but not at a platform, so not passenger stops.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Stops within Greater London for XC trains via Reading included Olympia, Clapham Jn, Bromley South and East Croydon at one time, but they tailed off to just East Croydon by the end.
There were many engineering diversions, and I got a Brighton train once from East Croydon to Reading via Crystal Palace, Brixton, Clapham Jn (Windsor Lines) and Staines.
All for a Travelcard fare from Reading, too.
I think Ealing Broadway might have figured early on, or was it Slough?

 

[urpert]

I thought they stopped at Kensington Olympia, used it to Brighton once when working down there, would have 1985ish. It was quicker via London Euston/Victoria, but for some reason on one occasion I had extra luggage and it was easier.

I definitely caught one between Kenny O and East Croydon with a Travelcard in the mid 90s (they were still 47+Mk2 in those days and the novelty amused me.)

 

[30907]

Was there not one down the East coast as well? They basically operated to take troops to and from the Army in Germany.

That was the original version, Parkeston to Liverpool, then Manchester, then combined with Manchester-Scotland service. Greatly oversimplified history, there have been several threads on here over the years.

 

[30907]

Stops within Greater London for XC trains via Reading included Olympia, Clapham Jn, Bromley South and East Croydon at one time, but they tailed off to just East Croydon by the end.
There were many engineering diversions, and I got a Brighton train once from East Croydon to Reading via Crystal Palace, Brixton, Clapham Jn (Windsor Lines) and Staines.
All for a Travelcard fare from Reading, too.
I think Ealing Broadway might have figured early on, or was it Slough?

The site linked in post #17 gives all the detail. It says Olympia was first served in 1986 and remained to the end.
Bromley South was (obviously) only served by the Dover or Ramsgate service, which was a casualty of the Channel Tunnel - but did spawn the Wandsworth Road-Olympia parliamentary of blessed memory!

 

[anti-pacer]

There used to be services from Basingstoke and Northampton to Ipswich via the North London Line. It was called 'London Crosslink'.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3198/3151305350_ff418732f0_z.jpg?zz=1 Here is a link, it was operated by Anglia Railways, this was Woking I think.

Didn't the Ipswich-Basingstoke service actually start in Norwich?