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Trivia: How close have 153s and 156s ever been to London?

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TXMISTA

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A similar thread about the closest a Pacer has ever ventured to London has got me thinking. Have 153s or 156s ever actually been to London? My guess for the nearest a 153 has ventured is Swindon and for 156s somewhere in Hampshire when they ran Pompey services during RR days.
 
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Journeyman

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A similar thread about the closest a Pacer has ever ventured to London has got me thinking. Have 153s or 156s ever actually been to London? My guess for the nearest a 153 has ventured is Swindon and for 156s somewhere in Hampshire when they ran Pompey services during RR days.

In 1989, 156 502 was sent over to an exhibition in the Netherlands to celebrate the 150th anniversary of their railways. It was driven from Derby to Dover Western Docks before going on a train ferry. Not sure what route it took, but it would have had to cross London somehow.


Also, Bedford to Bletchley had 153s for a while. That's not far away from London.
 

4-SUB 4732

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156s from memory were cleared to and went to Ilford Depot?

153s not so. Not sure how close they got.
 

Chorley Cake

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Both were used on Marks Tey to Sudbury branch. Not quite as close as Bletchley I guess but worth noting.
 

Mitchell Hurd

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What about 156's in early Central Trains days (before the Class 170's), did these ever run to and from Birmingham New Street and Stansted Airport or it was it just 158's?
 

43055

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A EMT 156 went down the East Coast once as a empty stock from Nottingham to Norwich as engineering works closed the normal route via March. Not sure how far south it went but it would of at least got to Hitchin to reverse to go towards Cambridge.
 

DarloRich

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I am going to say Bletchley for a 153. I know the 150's worked the Gospel Oak line at times but i am unsure if a 153 ever did ( i doubt it)

156? i suggest either Anglia or EMT sound about right
 

Ianno87

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Both were used on Marks Tey to Sudbury branch. Not quite as close as Bletchley I guess but worth noting.

156s must've occasionally visited Stansted Airport in Central Trains / Regional Railways days on the Stansted-Birmingham service (and variants thereof).


There also used to be (late 80s) a morning or evening Bedford-Leicester-Sheffield-Manchester sprinter working.
 

4REP

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I would like to mention(slightly off topic) that a class 150(150245) made it to Basingstoke from the days they ran a service from Norwich back in the early 2000s.The class 150 went through North London line then on the SWML from the junction after Weybridge through Woking down to Basingstoke. Maybe the only time a Sprinter has made it near or around London.

The class 150 substituted for a class 170 that were not available
 

Bletchleyite

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150s (as opposed to 153s and 156s) sometimes worked early morning Sunday MKC to Euston services, I think this was to get them to Wembley for maintenance from the Marston Vale.

They also worked in London anyway - Barking-Gospel Oak.
 

St. Paddy

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Greater Anglia (or their predecessors) 153/156 have both reached Hornsey depot to visit the wheel lathe
 

Clarence Yard

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In Anglia days cl.150 units used to go into Liverpool Street regularly, on one of the last up main line workings, iirc.

I think a cl.153 got in there on the very odd occasion but they weren't supposed to be in there.
 

ChiefPlanner

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A borrowed Anglia 150 worked the St Albans branch line for a week or so when the OLE was turned off , and the RT / NR track recording 150 worked into Euston and most of the DC lines etc as part of it's circuit.
 

norbitonflyer

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156s must've occasionally visited Stansted Airport in Central Trains / Regional Railways days on the Stansted-Birmingham service (and variants thereof).
Certainly did - my first (and so far only) departure from Stansted Airport was also my first journey on a 156. (I had arrived on a 322)

The Sudbury branch has seen both 153s and 156s. Portsmouth also saw 155s before they were converted to 153s.
 

JonathanH

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It seems plausible that Wales & West 153s may have worked the 0045 Paddington to Swindon during the period in the 1990s when this service ran.

153s certainly ran the 0701 Didcot Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads service - I had 153382+150242 on this service in May 1998.
 

158757

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I'm sure 156's have made it to Liverpool Street vice 170 in the past.

There's this at Harlow, not sure what route it took.

 

Mollman

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156s worked into Oxford on Cotswold line services for a while in BR days
 

43074

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156? i suggest either Anglia or EMT sound about right

An EMT 156 has made it as far south as Kettering before, deputising for a non available 222 on the 18:10 Kettering to Sheffield. Don't think an EMT Sprinter has ever made it to St Pancras though.
 

61653 HTAFC

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Remember seeing a Silverlink liveried 150 at the blocks at Euston one afternoon in the early 2000s. It was on the platform my DC service was running from, not sure why.
 

Sprinter107

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Tyseley 150s have made it to Euston, on Birmingham to Euston services when the juice has been off. I've travelled from Coventry to Euston on 150121 and 150107.
Also, ive travelled on 150127 on the Abbey Flyer. I dont think Tyseley ever put 156s or 153s on those trains.
 

Bringback309s

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Back in the mid to late nineties a RR 158 ran a regular night time service from Swansea to Paddington, arrived just after midnight. One time it was replaced with a pacer! I think thats the only time a regional railways / 15x has run into London (apart from the 159's of course)
 

curly42

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I worked into Paddington with a cl.150 on that Swansea to London service,sometime in the late 90s I think.
 
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