• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Does travelling on every class require travelling with every TOC?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Chris M

Member
Joined
4 Feb 2012
Messages
1,057
Location
London E14
At some point (not this year) I intend to, within a 12 month period, travel on/behind at least one of every class of train that operates a regularly scheduled National Rail passenger service (i.e. not charters, specials, London Underground, etc). Would it be theoretically possible to achieve this without travelling on at least one service operated by ever TOC?
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

AlterEgo

Veteran Member
Joined
30 Dec 2008
Messages
20,035
Location
No longer here
At some point (not this year) I intend to, within a 12 month period, travel on/behind at least one of every class of train that operates a regularly scheduled National Rail passenger service (i.e. not charters, specials, London Underground, etc). Would it be theoretically possible to achieve this without travelling on at least one service operated by ever TOC?
Absolutely. Without any further research, Grand Central operate 180s which are not unique to them; you can ride a 180 with EMR.

The answer to your question is therefore yes, you can travel on every train class without travelling on every TOC.
 

YorksLad12

Established Member
Joined
5 Feb 2020
Messages
1,875
Location
Leeds
At some point (not this year) I intend to, within a 12 month period, travel on/behind at least one of every class of train that operates a regularly scheduled National Rail passenger service (i.e. not charters, specials, London Underground, etc). Would it be theoretically possible to achieve this without travelling on at least one service operated by ever TOC?
Off the top of my head: yes, you'll have to travel on every TOC, excluding open access operators. You might have got away with not travelling on LNER but they're the only ones with class 801 sets, plus they've reintroduced the 91s.
 

Roast Veg

Established Member
Joined
28 Oct 2016
Messages
2,200
At some point (not this year) I intend to, within a 12 month period, travel on/behind at least one of every class of train that operates a regularly scheduled National Rail passenger service (i.e. not charters, specials, London Underground, etc). Would it be theoretically possible to achieve this without travelling on at least one service operated by ever TOC?
You would not need to travel on open access operators Grand Central or Hull Trains, or the brands Heathrow Express (which use GWR stock), Gatwick Express (a subbrand of SN), Stansted Express (a subbrand of GA).

Some others you could be forgiven for omitting: LNER will only offer Class 91s for a limited time before they are withdrawn and the 801s are little different from the 800s, and Cross Country 220s aren't much different from their Avanti class 221 brothers.

All other operators and brands offer at least one unique class of multiple unit, locomotive, or coaching stock.
 

Fuzzytop

Member
Joined
4 Jan 2017
Messages
293
If you were to consider TOC sub-brands, I think you could avoid Thameslink for as long as 700s operate some Great Northern branded services.
 

Watershed

Veteran Member
Associate Staff
Senior Fares Advisor
Joined
26 Sep 2020
Messages
11,945
Location
UK
Yes - Grand Central only use class 180s, which are also operated by EMR. Therefore you can travel on every class without travelling on GC.

To add any other TOCs to the list it gets murkier -
  • what is your definition of TOC - is distinguished by brand, i.e. are you counting Southern and Thameslink as separate even though they are both legally the same? What about WMT, where the Stourbridge shuttle is legally separate even though it falls under the same brand?
  • what is your definition of class? Are you saying you need to travel on every subclass (e.g. 165/0 vs /1) or just every class (165)? Is it enough to travel on a 377 to say you've travelled on all Electrostars?
 

mmh

Established Member
Joined
13 Aug 2016
Messages
3,744
At some point (not this year) I intend to, within a 12 month period, travel on/behind at least one of every class of train that operates a regularly scheduled National Rail passenger service (i.e. not charters, specials, London Underground, etc). Would it be theoretically possible to achieve this without travelling on at least one service operated by ever TOC?

An easier way to think of it is "is there a TOC which only uses classes also used by another TOC?"

I think GWR, Grand Central, Hull Trains and LNER might fit that, if so, yes it is possible.
 

Neptune

Established Member
Joined
29 May 2018
Messages
2,445
Location
Yorkshire
An easier way to think of it is "is there a TOC which only uses classes also used by another TOC?"

I think GWR, Grand Central, Hull Trains and LNER might fit that, if so, yes it is possible.
GWR are the only operators of 166’s and LNER are the only operators of 801’s (plus 91’s at present) plus both are the only operators of 800’s so you’ll have to travel with them.
 

Watershed

Veteran Member
Associate Staff
Senior Fares Advisor
Joined
26 Sep 2020
Messages
11,945
Location
UK
An easier way to think of it is "is there a TOC which only uses classes also used by another TOC?"

I think GWR, Grand Central, Hull Trains and LNER might fit that, if so, yes it is possible.
GWR are ruled out, if nothing else, by their use of the 57s and Mark 3 sleepers.
 

GW43125

Established Member
Joined
8 Dec 2014
Messages
2,045
[snip] Cross Country 220s aren't much different from their Avanti class 221 brothers.
Cross Country have about half of the class 221 fleet. In any case you'd need to travel on them both as Avanti are the sole user of 390s and CrossCountry 220s.
 

Roast Veg

Established Member
Joined
28 Oct 2016
Messages
2,200
Cross Country have about half of the class 221 fleet. In any case you'd need to travel on them both as Avanti are the sole user of 390s and CrossCountry 220s.
I am aware that XC have 221s as well. I was suggesting that the distinction between 220 and 221 is so marginal as to make travelling on a 220 unnecessary.
 

Neptune

Established Member
Joined
29 May 2018
Messages
2,445
Location
Yorkshire
I am aware that XC have 221s as well. I was suggesting that the distinction between 220 and 221 is so marginal as to make travelling on a 220 unnecessary.
But if the intention is to travel on every class then it isn’t unnecessary at all. A 220 is near identical above the solebar but the bogies are totally different hence why it is a different class and if that’s what the op wants then the op should travel on both.
 

YorksLad12

Established Member
Joined
5 Feb 2020
Messages
1,875
Location
Leeds
Musing idly, when would be the best time for the OP (or anyone wanting to follow in his footsteps, ahem) to do this? After the 810s are introduced with EMR but before the 91s are withdrawn by LNER, I guess; but are there any other rolling stock changes coming up? You'd want to maximise the number of classes. Well, I would ;)
 

Roast Veg

Established Member
Joined
28 Oct 2016
Messages
2,200
But if the intention is to travel on every class then it isn’t unnecessary at all. A 220 is near identical above the solebar but the bogies are totally different hence why it is a different class and if that’s what the op wants then the op should travel on both.
But as per usual, TOPS classes lose all meaning the more you look at them. There is so much more to distinguish between (for example) a 377/7 and a 377/1 over a 221 and a 220.

Perhaps it's just my distaste for voyagers and XC coming through...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top