A few years before you, but not that many, maybe around 1975, I made a similar mistake with the Stone-Hixon-Colwich direct route, and was wondering why we hadn't gone through Stafford on my first Manchester-London train trip .... perhaps summer 1975 to Paris with a school group for an exchange visit? After scratching my head and doing a bit of reading I worked it out in the end.
Indeed, I also wasn't aware of the existence of that either for a while longer, even by early 1984 I think I assumed all London-Manchesters would be routed via Stafford, running non-stop through the station (as I knew none, or very few, actually stopped at Stafford).
I'd seen various trains running non-stop through Stafford in late 1983 and 1984, but didn't know where they were going, so for all I knew they could have been London-Manchester via Stoke.
I'd guess I was aware of the Stafford-avoiding line by perhaps mid-1984.
Thank you for pointing this out and correcting me, that's much more sensible and even though I don't trust my memory I'm glad to know that my "I don't remember a Paddington-Glasgow service in 1976" memory was in fact correct this time!
Taking 1978-79 as an example, the up "express" departures from Warrington were (all calling at Crewe)
(WTT departure times, so usually advertised as departing one or two minute earlier)
1A13 07:31 Euston from Blackpool North
1A22 08:32 Euston from Carlisle
1A26 09:15 Euston from Carlisle
1A36 10:31 Euston from Blackpool North
1K22 11:28 Crewe from Carlisle (81-85 electric + VB stock)
1M25 11:35 Euston from Glasgow via Dumfries
1K31 13:09 Crewe from Barrow
1G08 13:34 SO Birmingham dated from Blackpool North
1A55 14:31 Euston from Blackpool North
1M34 15:10 Euston from Glasgow
1K32 16:14 Crewe from Preston
1A72 17:32 Euston from Blackpool North
1K33 18:14 Crewe from Preston
1M46 19:13 Euston from Glasgow
1K06 19:31 Crewe from Blackpool North
1M47 20:48 Birmingham from Glasgow (this one didn't stop at Carlisle still, Carstairs-Preston-Warrington-Crewe, so also omitted Wigan)
Basically the Euston-Glasgow and Birmingham-Glasgow/Edinburgh called at Preston and Carlisle only with intermediate stops from a mixture of services, all electrically hauled still though.
Thanks - interesting to see those Crewe terminators. That does vaguely ring a bell as it happens, I also vaguely remember main-line services to Barrow, perhaps even to/from London one year.
The train known at some period at least as The Midland Scot. Great train for a day trip to Scotland!
It was an odd sensation passing through Carlisle on the up service without stopping!
I think I remember one year, the 0805-ish Birmingham-Scotland northbound was the Midland Scot. I do remember, notably, this train called at Stafford (0834, IIRC) which was unusual for Scottish services, which rarely call at the station (though the 1986 Wessex Scot did) - but would be an appropriate stop for a train called the 'Midland Scot' !