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GWR (and other TOC) Named Trains

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pt_mad

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I found a previous thread on named trains. However the thread is now closed, and doesn't answer my question specifically.

What I am wondering is, regarding GWR (previously FGW) named trains such as the Cornishman and the Royal Duchy. It looks from the timetable like the xx xx (insert time) train from Paddington seems to form that particular named train every weekday.

So at the same time each weekday, the Cornishman turns up at at Austell, Truro etc and Penzance.

But my question is: is the HST set itself called 'the Cornishman'? Or whever the named working is for that train? Does it have the name plate the Cornishman?

Same with the Royal Duchy diagram. Is the HST set itself named the Royal Duchy and does it have the name plate?

If so that must be pretty hard to diagram as you'd need to make sure that exact set was always on that exact diagram for it to work wouldn't you?
 
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FGW_DID

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No, its just the name of that particular working.
 

pt_mad

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Oh right. Does a HST a set exist in the name The Cornishman? Or the Royal Duchy anyway?

Are named services a good marketing technique? Noticed the tannoys also announce the name of the working.

Are there any named daytime services on other TOCs/routes?
 

Mintona

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I really like the named services, and hope there will be a way of displaying them on the IET PIS in the future.
 

FGW_DID

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No, none of the HSTs carry those particular names.

This is a list on the GWR website of all the current named services on GWR and the stations they serve:

Current named services all run to and from London Paddington – their names, and the stations at the other end of the line, are:
  • Armada – Plymouth
  • Atlantic Coast Express – Newquay
  • Bristolian – Weston-super-Mare and Bristol Temple Meads
  • Capitals United – Swansea
  • Cathedrals Express – Hereford
  • Cheltenham Spa Express – Cheltenham Spa
  • Cornish Riviera – Penzance
  • Cornishman – Penzance
  • Devon Express – Paignton
  • Golden Hind – Penzance
  • Mayflower – Plymouth
  • Merchant Venturer – Penzance and Bristol Temple Meads
  • Night Riviera – Penzance
  • Pembroke Coast Express – Pembroke Dock
  • Red Dragon – Carmarthen
  • Royal Duchy – Penzance
  • St David – Swansea
  • Torbay Express – Paignton

https://www.gwr.com/about-us/meet-our-trains
 
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Actually the named trains USUALLY carry named window labels like
 

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pt_mad

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Actually the named trains USUALLY carry named window labels like

Wow are these applied at Paddington minutes before the working or at the depot?

I really like the nostalgic idea of the named trains and wish more TOCs would do the same.

Do Virgin East Coast run any named trains?

Chiltern could have done this with their silver set workings!
 

30907

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Wow are these applied at Paddington minutes before the working or at the depot?

Not at depot unless it's the first working of the day. At origin station while train is being cleaned (or even between Reading and Paddington inbound?)

VTEC have 4. Wikipedia has a list.

Chiltern would have no suitable historic names to choose from: the Paddington-Birmingham route only had the Inter-City and the Cambrian Coast Express, neither of which are really usable.
 
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Not at depot unless it's the first working of the day. At origin station while train is being cleaned (or even between Reading and Paddington inbound?)

VTEC have 4. Wikipedia has a list.

Chiltern would have no suitable historic names to choose from: the Paddington-Birmingham route only had the Inter-City and the Cambrian Coast Express, neither of which are really usable.

To expand on this VTEC have 4 but only carry named labels for West Riding Limited, Flying Scotsman, and Highland Chieftain see below.

Chiltern did start to have labels, but around the time Silver sets went over to 68 operation they stopped. but as previously said no named trains.

s-l1600 (2).jpg s-l1600 (48).jpg s-l1600.jpg
 

Envoy

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I think that ‘The Cornishman’ originally was a Cross Country service between Cornwall & the north. The ‘named trains’ have historically been certain services - usually the fastest trains linking certain cities/regions. For example, ‘The Capitals United’ is I think the fastest train between Cardiff & London and applies to this service - which runs non-stop from Swindon to London:>
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C55756/2018/04/03/advance

GWR also tend to have the named trains being those that offer ‘Pullman' dining in first class. In the days of steam, the menus in the restaurant cars also carried the relevant ‘name’ as did the front of the locomotive. Today, it seems unfortunate that these historic named trains are not given more prominence. Sometimes, at GWR run stations, the ‘name’ does appear on the electronic screen and even verbal announcements are made including the name. In Wales, the stations are run by Arriva - who simply ignore (or don’t know) that a certain GWR train is a named service. So, people in Wales are usually completely unaware that they are on ‘The Red Dragon’ or ‘The St.David’ etc.

GWR have now started to apply the names of people to the driving vehicles of their new fleet of Inter City Express Trains. They are applying the names of Castles to power cars of those HST’s that they are retaining for use between Cardiff & the south-west.

PS. If you google the names of the named trains - images > up will come photos of these trains going back through the years.
 

pt_mad

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Some great insight here. Does Greater Anglia run any MK3 named trains to Norwich?
Shame XC didn't name any of their regular HST workings.

I didn't realise the GWR named services were historical. Were they named aftet stean workings?
Will they still run when the IEP Hitachi trains are in full operation?

What happens with the Pullman dining if an IEP is eventually planned to take over the name trains?

I hope we don't lose the named trains and I'd love to see some new ones introduced across Britain.
 

30907

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Some great insight here. Does Greater Anglia run any MK3 named trains to Norwich?
Shame XC didn't name any of their regular HST workings.

I didn't realise the GWR named services were historical. Were they named aftet stean workings?

1. The East Anglian Norwich-Liverpool St (the one limited stop train of the day)
2. The HST workings have always been subject to change and are part of the standard timetable.
3. Nearly all of the GW names are steam-era except the Golden Hind (1965) and Armada, Devon Express, St David, Night Riviera which are modern.
The Atlantic Coast Express name was nicked from the SR and only uses about a mile of the original route.
The Cornishman was originally Wolverhampton LL-Penzance.
 

pt_mad

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East Anglian is 07:40 off Norwich calling Diss and Ipswich only.

And is this one named on the paper timetable? And does it appear on station boards and is the name announced at stations
Oh and does it have dining?
 
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Whilst the Eastern side was very sparse in window labels, the last time the East Anglian was used on a carriage label was certainly the Inter City Era.
Not to sure if it was used in timetable but i would be surprised if the stations used the name after Inter City.
 

Roy Badami

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To my mind named trains are a bit of an anacronism, still (somewhat) maintained by the industry as a nod to tradition. There may have been a time many decades ago when the travelling public was aware of them but IMHO the travelling public is now largely oblivious to them.
 

tiptoptaff

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The only exception to the above is the service GWR run 0728 ex Swansea as Y Cymro/The Welshman - launched as part of the Severn Tunnel reopening after the blockade in 2016. A pair of power cars got Y Cymru vinyls and a dragon as part of the initial launch, however it's pot luck if they appear on it
 

dk1

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East Anglian is 07:40 off Norwich calling Diss and Ipswich only.

& the 17:00 down too! Such a shame GA do nothing to promote its title apart from EA in timetables. A couple of the keener Senior Conductors announce it onboard as such but that's about it.
 

pt_mad

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Does anyone wish and hope that more named trains will be introduced in the future. Across more TOCs than just GWR and the others previously mentioned?
 

hexagon789

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Does anyone wish and hope that more named trains will be introduced in the future. Across more TOCs than just GWR and the others previously mentioned?

Someone mentioned on another forum that ScotRail were giving serious consideration to re-introducing named services when the HSTs came into service, but that was months ago.
 

james60059

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Some great insight here. Does Greater Anglia run any MK3 named trains to Norwich?

I heard reference a while back of The Flying Dutchman given to a service to Harwich for the boat train to the Hook of Holland. Can't recall if it originated at London Liverpool Street or came Cross Country from elsewhere though.
 

CyrusWuff

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Chiltern would have no suitable historic names to choose from: the Paddington-Birmingham route only had the Inter-City and the Cambrian Coast Express, neither of which are really usable.
Whilst there are no appropriate historic names to draw on, the loco-hauled Oxford runs (0717 ex-Oxford and 1818 ex-Marylebone) are named "The Oxford Flyer" and that should appear on CIS.
 

Deafdoggie

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Does anyone wish and hope that more named trains will be introduced in the future. Across more TOCs than just GWR and the others previously mentioned?

I don't see the point of them myself. The GWR ones are, generally, non-standard pattern trains, and/or have Pullman dining, so there is a little bit of difference that a passenger may notice, but I see no need at all to make announcements any longer by inserting a train name into it! What name a service? I just don't get the point.
 
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