Weird Places for Services to Terminate

[PointA Rail]

Two interesting ones that aren't necessarily relevant but I think are still worth a mention definitely caught my eye at the time of noticing them.

[1] A late night service on 16 July 2022 saw Class 155341 run under a single headcode 2R28 from Bridlington to Leeds via Harrogate, which stood in York for around 30 mins with passengers onboard before continuing onwards. Nowadays, the service seems to have been split in two, with the latter half becoming 2C75 and the standing time increased by another 10 mins. The images attached show the unit running the service paused in Platform 5 at York, and an image of the cab GSMR displaying 2R28.

[2] The other service is not a passenger service but a very circuitous early morning ECS move involving 5K99. Starting it’s day at 04:15 by exiting from the northern end of Hornsey Depot, it reverses and runs down to Highbury Vale Junction where it then reverses again towards Bowes Park Reverse Siding (guess what it does there ), before then making its way to Finsbury Park and operating the Staff only train 2K99, arriving into Moorgate for 05:29. After Moorgate it then becomes the first service from Moorgate to Stevenage under 2F00. There’s likely reasoning for this, likely to do with how the unit from the previous day's diagram was stabled, but it feels like a hell of a routing for the driver regardless. Probably the most walking a driver has to do under one headcode!

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W24558/2025-05-14/detailed 5K99-1
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W24559/2025-05-14/detailed 5K99-2
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W23868/2025-05-14/detailed 2K99

 

[milooo]

Realtime Trains | 1C06 1737 Anderston to Carstairs | 20/05/2025

Real-time train running information for 1C06 1737 departure from Anderston to Carstairs on 20/05/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Does Anderston count?
Also think the old Baldock Terminators are a bit random

 

[mathstrains19]

[2] The other service is not a passenger service but a very circuitous early morning ECS move involving 5K99. Starting it’s day at 04:15 by exiting from the northern end of Hornsey Depot, it reverses and runs down to Highbury Vale Junction where it then reverses again towards Bowes Park Reverse Siding (guess what it does there ), before then making its way to Finsbury Park and operating the Staff only train 2K99, arriving into Moorgate for 05:29. After Moorgate it then becomes the first service from Moorgate to Stevenage under 2F00. There’s likely reasoning for this, likely to do with how the unit from the previous day's diagram was stabled, but it feels like a hell of a routing for the driver regardless. Probably the most walking a driver has to do under one headcode!

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W24558/2025-05-14/detailed 5K99-1
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W24559/2025-05-14/detailed 5K99-2
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W23868/2025-05-14/detailed 2K99

View attachment 180327View attachment 180329

I wonder if that one is more for route knowledge to Highbury Vale Junction to allow impromptu turning there when required?

 

[318266]

Realtime Trains | 1C06 1737 Anderston to Carstairs | 20/05/2025

Real-time train running information for 1C06 1737 departure from Anderston to Carstairs on 20/05/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Does Anderston count?
Also think the old Baldock Terminators are a bit random

Carstairs in and of itself is a bit of an unusual location to terminate, being essentially part of Carstairs Junction which is notable for being in the middle of nowhere. Excluding the sleeper splitting, only a couple Argyle Line services terminate there, on peak runs. The rest of the time, it is served by Glasgow Central - Edinburgh via Motherwell and Carstairs services, usually then running non-stop to/from Haymarket.

 

[dtin]

Carstairs in and of itself is a bit of an unusual location to terminate, being essentially part of Carstairs Junction which is notable for being in the middle of nowhere. Excluding the sleeper splitting, only a couple Argyle Line services terminate there, on peak runs. The rest of the time, it is served by Glasgow Central - Edinburgh via Motherwell and Carstairs services, usually then running non-stop to/from Haymarket.

I would've also thought Anderston is an odd place to start/terminate as well, especially as most of those services go to/from Dalmuir/Milngavie.

 

[D6130]

I would've also thought Anderston is an odd place to start/terminate as well, especially as most of those services go to/from Dalmuir/Milngavie.

In the early days of the reopened Argyle Line, the Monday to Friday peak hour Carstairs and Lanark semi-fasts terminated at Anderston so that they could serve the main city centre stations and then turn round in the reversing slding at Finnieston (now Exhibition Centre).

 

[GordonT]

In the early days of the reopened Argyle Line, the Monday to Friday peak hour Carstairs and Lanark semi-fasts terminated at Anderston so that they could serve the main city centre stations and then turn round in the reversing slding at Finnieston (now Exhibition Centre).

Bellgrove and High Street have also been peak time termini at least in some past years.

 

[A S Leib]

Looking at signal.eu.org I suspect Yoker depot is the explanation, but otherwise having six trains per day (starting from Carstairs, two from Edinburgh, two from Larkhall and Springburn) terminating at Garscadden rather than Dalmuir feels slightly odd.

 

[D6130]

Bellgrove and High Street have also been peak time termini at least in some past years.

Indeed....and after Bridgeton Central closed to passengers with the opening of the Argyle Line in 1979, it remained open as a train crew and carriage servicing depot for several years. During that period services which had formerly started and terminated at Bridgeton now did so at High Street and ran empty stock between there and Bridgeton.

Looking at signal.eu.org I suspect Yoker depot is the explanation, but otherwise having six trains per day (starting from Carstairs, two from Edinburgh, two from Larkhall and Springburn) terminating at Garscadden rather than Dalmuir feels slightly odd.

Yoker depot is indeed the explanation.

 

[PointA Rail]

I wonder if that one is more for route knowledge to Highbury Vale Junction to allow impromptu turning there when required?

You make a good point. The thing is there are several instances of reversing at Highbury Vale after the evening peak. I believe they were brought in very recently, which would now render that purpose obsolite, but I'm not too sure. I just remember the evening Loop ECS moves heading direct from Hertford North or Gordon Hill to Hornsey Depot. In the past though, you might be right, but there might be evidence to suggest that the train used to turn around at Harringay Rev. Siding instead.

Side note, the limited weekday peak time Gordon Hill services aren't a bad edition to the list of unusual terminating points.

 

[Magdalia]

You make a good point. The thing is there are several instances of reversing at Highbury Vale after the evening peak. I believe they were brought in very recently, which would now render that purpose obsolite, but I'm not too sure. I just remember the evening Loop ECS moves heading direct from Hertford North or Gordon Hill to Hornsey Depot. In the past though, you might be right, but there might be evidence to suggest that the train used to turn around at Harringay Rev. Siding instead.

Side note, the limited weekday peak time Gordon Hill services aren't a bad edition to the list of unusual terminating points.

There is a fairly long history of using Highbury Vale as a reversing point for ECS moves. When the Ashburton Grove stadium first opened there were additional trains to/from Finsbury Park on matchdays that used Highbury Vale for reversal if there was insufficient platform capacity at Kings Cross (in those days Moorgate was closed at weekends and after 2200 on weekdays). Highbury Vale also had a cameo role in the great Finsbury Park fiasco of Christmas 2014.

Going back to before electrification the GN suburban service had lots of different terminating points, including Finsbury Park, Cuffley, New Barnet, Potters Bar, Hatfield, Hitchin and Baldock.

 

[Falcon1200]

I would've also thought Anderston is an odd place to start/terminate as well, especially as most of those services go to/from Dalmuir/Milngavie.

It's simply a convenient place to start additional peak hour trains from the Glasgow Central Low Level line towards Lanarkshire, reversing as @D6130 says at Exhibition Centre Siding; If that had a platform the trains could start there!

 

[class ep-09]

Not sure if it is on topic but sometimes during engineering works on South Cotswold Line ( Stroud Valley) Down trains towards Gloucester from direction of Swindon terminate at Stroud going “wrong road “ Single Line Working with Pilot all the way from Kemble Up Platform (which in itself is bi-directional).

 

[GN Boy]

Prior to Stevenage Platform 5 being completed, trains would terminate at Watton-at-Stone on the Hertford Loop and then turn back at Langley Junction.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Havent seen that happen in years

Same, definitely happened from about 2013-covid

 

[rmHawk765]

Side note, the limited weekday peak time Gordon Hill services aren't a bad edition to the list of unusual terminating points.

I can get behind it to be honest, the busiest stations on the line are those on the outskirts of North London and I guess it makes it easier to run the 4tph timetable during the peak.

 

[GordonT]

Haymarket (in Edinburgh) deserves a mention for the odd peak hour North Berwick journey and when Platform 0 is utilised on an ad hoc basis during disruption.

 

[Route115?]

When opened around 1978, the Great Northern electrification only went as far as Royston and 3 tph terminated there off peak and, I believe, up to seven during the peak, with a 1 tph dmu shuttle to Cambridge. The main Cambridge service was run out of Liverpool St. Whilst the odd train terminating at Royston is not weird, to terminate everything there does seem so. However the commuter market was dominent then and the market to Cambridge secondary.

 

[norbitonflyer]

One of the many proposals for Crossrail had a tunnel from Paddington via Turnhal Green and then by existing infrastructure to Richmond, and round the Kingston Loop to terminate at Norbiton. Again, physical constraints were the issue, as the former goods ard there was the only place that could accommodate a turn back siding nine cars long.
Since a journey from Kingston or Teddington to Central London would have taken much longer va Paddigto tan the traditional London bus rote via Wimbledon, the idea was not pursued for long.

 

[Magdalia]

When opened around 1978, the Great Northern electrification only went as far as Royston and 3 tph terminated there off peak and, I believe, up to seven during the peak, with a 1 tph dmu shuttle to Cambridge. The main Cambridge service was run out of Liverpool St. Whilst the odd train terminating at Royston is not weird, to terminate everything there does seem so. However the commuter market was dominent then and the market to Cambridge secondary.

I can't think of Royston as a weird place to terminate. Though the 1978-1988 period was the peak, Royston had lots of terminating trains both before 1978 and after 1988. And in the 1978-88 era the DMU shuttle was 2tph in the peaks.

It was only after the 2018 Thameslink timetable was introduced that the number of Royston terminating trains was reduced to almost nothing, though it still has the 0036 from Kings Cross on weeknights.

What's weird is the current situation, with few trains terminating at Royston.

 

[bramling]

You make a good point. The thing is there are several instances of reversing at Highbury Vale after the evening peak. I believe they were brought in very recently, which would now render that purpose obsolite, but I'm not too sure. I just remember the evening Loop ECS moves heading direct from Hertford North or Gordon Hill to Hornsey Depot. In the past though, you might be right, but there might be evidence to suggest that the train used to turn around at Harringay Rev. Siding instead.

Side note, the limited weekday peak time Gordon Hill services aren't a bad edition to the list of unusual terminating points.

I wouldn’t say Gordon Hill is that illogical. It’s essentially where London gives way to green fields, and is approximately equivalent in terms of distance from London to the likes of Cockfosters and High Barnet nearby.

On the GN route, if anything Letchworth is increasingly illogical from a passenger point of view, given that Baldock is a fairly large adjoining town (and one that always seems to be getting larger), whereas Royston is some way further on and again with comparatively little in between, and also Royston starts to mark the point where the route looks more heavily towards Cambridge as a destination.

The Highbury Vale trains are definitely a means of retaining route knowledge.

 

[leytongabriel]

When opened around 1978, the Great Northern electrification only went as far as Royston and 3 tph terminated there off peak and, I believe, up to seven during the peak, with a 1 tph dmu shuttle to Cambridge. The main Cambridge service was run out of Liverpool St. Whilst the odd train terminating at Royston is not weird, to terminate everything there does seem so. However the commuter market was dominent then and the market to Cambridge secondary.

I think there was a political aspect to this. Having phase one as the commuter lines electrification as far as Royston only meant that BR could then apply to electrify Bishop's Stortford - Cambridge. It wouldn't have been justifiable if Cambridge was already electrified. BR working the system, our short-term, piecemeal approach.