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Your experiences of unbelievable rolling stock diagram allocations (past and present)

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Clansman

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As the title says.

Times like this, you start to reflect on what has become of things like the railway, and how it has changed over the years.

In Scotland, hinted by the threads on here over the years, many members find it astonishing how we run HSTs on routes now which, 20 years ago, were served primarily by 158s and even 156s! Fast forward 19 years when ScotRail was going through it's most turbulent period, 158s were reintroduced as the mainstay of Intercity routes until sufficient number of HSTs were able to displace them - causing full and standing and gridlock on many a service. Makes you wonder how on earth we got away with that for the past year or so, let alone in the 90s!

Any other such examples of unbelievable rolling stock allocations to diagrams that would make you think "christ almighty, how did they ever get away with that?"

321s working Euston to Manchester perhaps? Or 158s running from Manchester to Scotland?
 
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Didnt a 455 once operate to Brighton? That would not be a good journey! :lol:


Also the LNWR Euston to Liverpool via Northampton and Birmingham can sometimes be a 350/2. Anyone who actually decides to take the full journey would be in for quite an uncomfortable and long journey.
 

Fincra5

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Didnt a 455 once operate to Brighton? That would not be a good journey! :lol:


Also the LNWR Euston to Liverpool via Northampton and Birmingham can sometimes be a 350/2. Anyone who actually decides to take the full journey would be in for quite an uncomfortable and long journey.

Several times, often when its Crystal Palace vs Brighton. Train runs from Norwood Jnc to Brighton.
 

Clansman

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Anyone who actually decides to take the full journey would be in for quite an uncomfortable and long journey.
Try a 150 or 156 between Glasgow and Aberdeen/Inverness (3 hours, 4/5 cities, freezing cold in the winter with one toilet). Or more recently, the infamous daily late peak 117 between Edinburgh and Perth via Dunfermline in the 90s (2 hours for a 40 mile journey!)

One hell of a ride.

A 170 with first class, tables, and plugs over a 117, operating at the same time as the 170s came in, is like going from a youth hostel to the Ritz.
 
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warwickshire

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Summer Saturdays early 90s saw
1. Class 47 network southeast livery loco and a mixture off ex mk2 and mk1 chiltern lines and Thames livery coaching stock liverpool Lime st to great yarmouth holiday maker special
2. Other direction great yarmouth to liverpool Lime Street Saturday holiday maker special was class 31 x2 and the Anglia intercity livery mk2 and dvt set.
3. Also on Saturdays was a afternoon 2 car 142 from stalybridge to holyhead always full from Manchester Victoria
 

Dr Hoo

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Some of the things that went on in BR's day seem amazing now. 'Excursions' seemed a particular favourite. Sending a 'no-heat' freight loco out to head up a working on a chilly spring or autumn day seemed to happen quite often. Using a set that had been parked up for weeks with dead batteries (and hence no lights all the way back from say Blackpool or Scarborough to Birmingham) was another speciality.
Trying to justify things as a hapless local manager who had just had several hundred disgruntled passengers turn up after an awful journey wasn't easy.
 

Deepgreen

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As the title says.

Times like this, you start to reflect on what has become of things like the railway, and how it has changed over the years.

In Scotland, hinted by the threads on here over the years, many members find it astonishing how we run HSTs on routes now which, 20 years ago, were served primarily by 158s and even 156s! Fast forward 19 years when ScotRail was going through it's most turbulent period, 158s were reintroduced as the mainstay of Intercity routes until sufficient number of HSTs were able to displace them - causing full and standing and gridlock on many a service. Makes you wonder how on earth we got away with that for the past year or so, let alone in the 90s!

Any other such examples of unbelievable rolling stock allocations to diagrams that would make you think "chris almighty, how did they ever get away with that?"

321s working Euston to Manchester perhaps? Or 158s running from Manchester to Scotland?
Who is this "chris almighty" of whom you write?
 

Iskra

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3 car 185's between Glasgow/Edinburgh and Manchester.

Equally 10 years ago, the future seemed to be entirely about units. So all the remaining daytime LHCS are pretty unbelievable, and new-build 68+MK5 LHCS is even more so, but in a good way.
 

scotrail158713

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Did 2 and 4 car 158s not used to run on the E-G on a half hourly frequency? Compared with 8-car 385s every 15 minutes now.
 

Mitchell Hurd

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On YouTube I think nearly 4 years ago, I saw and read a 3-carriage HST running an Oxford to London Paddington stopping service in 2014 - I guess standing in for a Turbo.

That would have been an opportunity and a half!

I think it was 2018 that it was reported on here 143618 replaced an 8-carriage HST from Westbury to Paignton.

I believe a Pacer in British Rail days ended up running from Cardiff to London Paddington, standing in for an HST once.
 

Whisky Papa

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Back in the days of North West Trains, a 304 or 305 on the open access route from Manchester to Euston.

The Manchester Airport to Euston service was normally operated by 4 Class 322 units hired in from WAGN. Did other EMU classes ever work them in their short history?

Also, Class 158 from Rochdale and Blackpool North to Euston in the same period. I travelled up to London from Rochdale on this service, returning to Manchester Airport on a 322 the following day. Incidentally, were these not part of NWT's franchise commitment rather than open access?
 

cactustwirly

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On YouTube I think nearly 4 years ago, I saw and read a 3-carriage HST running an Oxford to London Paddington stopping service in 2014 - I guess standing in for a Turbo.

That would have been an opportunity and a half!

Sure it wasn't an Adelante? Think that was a booked working.
 
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Mag_seven

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On YouTube I think nearly 4 years ago, I saw and read a 3-carriage HST running an Oxford to London Paddington stopping service in 2014 - I guess standing in for a Turbo.

That would have been an opportunity and a half!

I think it was 2018 that it was reported on here 143618 replaced an 8-carriage HST from Westbury to Paignton.

I believe a Pacer in British Rail days ended up running from Cardiff to London Paddington, standing in for an HST once.

I think the OP is after regular diagrams that consisted of unusual stock, not one-off substitutions. For that sort of thing see this thread:

 

cactustwirly

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It was a 143 working 2125 Cardiff to Paddington vice a 158. This was a train run by Wales and West who stepped in to fill the gap when FGW withdrew their service.

I was talking about @Mitchell Hurd's claim that a HST was operating an Oxford to Paddington stopping service
 

Clansman

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Mainly just after diagrammed services past or present.

However I'll compromise on substitutions if it's for full journeys only (so the supposed Pacer or 158 from London to Cardiff), or as a part substitution on routes that aren't served by the TOC or the rolling stock in question if it's outlandish enough to cause a stirr (such as the hired ScotRail 156 from Virgin to work to Carlisle on a Pendolino diagram, but not a XC HST covering an LNER HST diagram).

That way we can differentiate between the not too uncommon practice of subbing in units to cover part services where the stretch they're subbed in on is primarily on routes they'd otherwise work - where they would essentially be satelleite shuttle services for curtailed IC services.

If that makes sense...?
 

Mag_seven

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Class 90s to North Berwick in the 2000s?

That's the first thing I thought of - outrageous when you think about it. 110mph capable intercity stock and locos that had previously been operating crack expresses between Euston and Glasgow reduced to working a regional/commuter service.
 

Clansman

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That's the first thing I thought of - outrageous when you think about it. 110mph capable intercity stock and locos that had previously been operating crack expresses between Euston and Glasgow reduced to working a regional/commuter service.
At the time didn't they share these with 150s, 318s, and 158s? Some time that was.
 

Mitchell Hurd

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Sure it wasn't an Adelante? Think that was a booked working.
No, definitely an HST on that occasion :)!

I think it was probably 2017 when I saw an Adelante run a booked HST service from London to Worcester (17:50ish from London, around 18:20 at Reading) and a 166 at Reading running the 17:35ish (also a booked HST) stopping service from rom London to Oxford. That's common sense GWR used in that they ran the next available / suitable train they could!
 

cactustwirly

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No, definitely an HST on that occasion :)!

I think it was probably 2017 when I saw an Adelante run a booked HST service from London to Worcester (17:50ish from London, around 18:20 at Reading) and a 166 at Reading running the 17:35ish (also a booked HST) stopping service from rom London to Oxford. That's common sense GWR used in that they ran the next available / suitable train they could!

Do you know what time? I'm sure there was a morning peak Didcot to London service operated by a HST.
That same diagram also operated a semi fast Paddington to Reading service, called at Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford!
 

cactustwirly

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No, definitely an HST on that occasion :)!

I think it was probably 2017 when I saw an Adelante run a booked HST service from London to Worcester (17:50ish from London, around 18:20 at Reading) and a 166 at Reading running the 17:35ish (also a booked HST) stopping service from rom London to Oxford. That's common sense GWR used in that they ran the next available / suitable train they could!

Was that 1735 from Reading? Sounds strange there were no stopping services booked for a HST at that time, should have been a 5/6 car turbo.
 

60163

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Got a pic of 168322 at Moor Street about to do the run down to Marylebone, 14/7/16. Both coaches already full. Not sure whether it was calling at the usual stops or running non-stop or whatever though.
 
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