Trains That Ran From Seaside To Seaside

Killingworth · 11 Oct 2019

Killingworth said:
Is the 8.20 from Aberdeen to Penzance excluded? It touches the coast with stops at a number of coastal towns, like Aberdeen and Penzance.

I haven't time to consult all my historic timetables but see an 8.55 through service from Aberdeen arrived Plymouth at 21.05 in 1989. It may have been a fairly recent introduction in 1989.

The current Monday - Saturday 8.20 from Aberdeen to Penzance is not matched by a return direct service. However it passes down the east and south west coasts. It starts and finishes within a mile of the coast at Aberdeen and within a few yards at Penzance and stops at the following places within a mile or so from the sea; Stonehaven, Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee, (Leuchars is on the River Eden Estuary) Kirkcaldy, Inverkeithing, Dunbar, Berwick, and Alnmouth. It doesn't stop by the seaside again until it's by-passed Weston-Super-Mare, running along the coast at Dawlish, before resting at Plymouth not far from Plymouth Sound. It will stop at other places not too far from the sea and passes through other seaside stations without stopping.

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Enthusiast · 11 Oct 2019

Killingworth said:
I haven't time to consult all my historic timetables but see an 8.55 through service from Aberdeen arrived Plymouth at 21.05 in 1989. It may have been a fairly recent introduction in 1989.

The current Monday - Saturday 8.20 from Aberdeen to Penzance is not matched by a return direct service. However it passes down the east and south west coasts. It starts and finishes within a mile of the coast at Aberdeen and within a few yards at Penzance and stops at the following places within a mile or so from the sea; Stonehaven, Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee, (Leuchars is on the River Eden Estuary) Kirkcaldy, Inverkeithing, Dunbar, Berwick, and Alnmouth. It doesn't stop by the seaside again until it's by-passed Weston-Super-Mare, running along the coast at Dawlish, before resting at Plymouth not far from Plymouth Sound. It will stop at other places not too far from the sea and passes through other seaside stations without stopping.

Indeed so. Except a few weeks ago when a relative of mine took the trip (just so he could say he had undertaken the longest unbroken rail trip in the UK). On awaking at his hotel in Aberdeen he checked online to discover to his horror that the service was starting from Edinburgh due to "staffing difficulties". He discovered that LNER would not honour his ticket and that he had to hot foot it to Aberdeen station to catch a ScotRail service. Just made the connection at Edinburgh. No refreshments on board. Was promised some victuals would be secured at Newcastle (they were not) then at York (they were not). Shortly after leaving Wakefield passengers were told that because no crew would be available the train would terminate at Taunton. There they could spend a pleasant hour on the platform awaiting the following service which would get them into Penzance at a quarter to eleven. He turned it in at Derby, got off and made his way home to Bedfordshire. Two hundred and fifty quid each for him and his wife for an absolute shambles. He won't be going to the seaside from Aberdeen again any time soon.

alistairlees · 11 Oct 2019

Enthusiast said:
Indeed so. Except a few weeks ago when a relative of mine took the trip (just so he could say he had undertaken the longest unbroken rail trip in the UK). On awaking at his hotel in Aberdeen he checked online to discover to his horror that the service was starting from Edinburgh due to "staffing difficulties". He discovered that LNER would not honour his ticket and that he had to hot foot it to Aberdeen station to catch a ScotRail service. Just made the connection at Edinburgh. No refreshments on board. Was promised some victuals would be secured at Newcastle (they were not) then at York (they were not). Shortly after leaving Wakefield passengers were told that because no crew would be available the train would terminate at Taunton. There they could spend a pleasant hour on the platform awaiting the following service which would get them into Penzance at a quarter to eleven. He turned it in at Derby, got off and made his way home to Bedfordshire. Two hundred and fifty quid each for him and his wife for an absolute shambles. He won't be going to the seaside from Aberdeen again any time soon.

Abandoned journey because of delays so he should claim compensation. Plus some further compensation / goodwill for lack of facilities.

Enthusiast · 11 Oct 2019

alistairlees said:
Abandoned journey because of delays so he should claim compensation. Plus some further compensation / goodwill for lack of facilities.

They got a full refund for their abandoned journey. He is still in negotiation for his associated losses (which included overnight accommodation in Penzance and his fare from Derby to home).

TheSel · 11 Oct 2019

duffield said:
I've been there recently. I would say it feels like 'very nearly seaside'! There's a 'promenade' of sorts...

Matlock Bath truly has a Promenade - but it's stretching credulity to say landlocked Derbyshire contains any seaside!

xotGD · 11 Oct 2019

Tyne & Wear Metro: South Shields to Whitley Bay.

Taunton · 11 Oct 2019

Enthusiast said:
Shortly after leaving Wakefield passengers were told that because no crew would be available the train would terminate at Taunton. There they could spend a pleasant hour on the platform awaiting the following service which would get them into Penzance at a quarter to eleven.

Ah! There's a Chinese just outside, in Station Road. Perfect for an hour's wait when you are famished like this.

Failed Unit · 11 Oct 2019

ChiefPlanner said:
Pretty sure it was formed of a 170 , which started it's day as a Northampton - Birmingham and carried on going. Did not last long.

No it didn’t last long. A few summer Saturday’s. Pretty much any unit CT could throw at it. 170 —> 150. Used to use it from Lincoln. It had some nasty delays as well.

Killingworth · 11 Oct 2019

Enthusiast said:
Indeed so. Except a few weeks ago when a relative of mine took the trip (just so he could say he had undertaken the longest unbroken rail trip in the UK). On awaking at his hotel in Aberdeen he checked online to discover to his horror that the service was starting from Edinburgh due to "staffing difficulties". He discovered that LNER would not honour his ticket and that he had to hot foot it to Aberdeen station to catch a ScotRail service. Just made the connection at Edinburgh. No refreshments on board. Was promised some victuals would be secured at Newcastle (they were not) then at York (they were not). Shortly after leaving Wakefield passengers were told that because no crew would be available the train would terminate at Taunton. There they could spend a pleasant hour on the platform awaiting the following service which would get them into Penzance at a quarter to eleven. He turned it in at Derby, got off and made his way home to Bedfordshire. Two hundred and fifty quid each for him and his wife for an absolute shambles. He won't be going to the seaside from Aberdeen again any time soon.

I've often wondered if any try that as I see it pass through Sheffield. Don't think I'll be one of them - as for my wife.......... no way!

Ianno87 · 11 Oct 2019

Ianno87 said:
Can't remember if there was a Brighton-Blackpool North variant in Virgin XC's Operation Princess timetable...

Having looked it up for Monday-Friday, all Brighton trains were to/from Manchester Piccadilly, and all Blackpool North trains were to/from Birmingham International.

There was however an 0825 Poole-Aberdeen (arrive 1927) via New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Carlisle and Edinburgh.

Dr Hoo · 11 Oct 2019

We've had a 'metro' example, from Tyneside. How about a 'heritage' example? Paignton-Goodrington Sands-Kingswear certainly connects seaside places and on distinct bodies of tidal water too.

unlevel42 · 11 Oct 2019

Bangor to Scarborough.
Pier to Pier.

randyrippley · 11 Oct 2019

Interesting thought hit me.............did Weymouth - Ilfracombe happen during steam days? There were Taunton-Weymouth summer Sunday excursions, reversing at Yeovil.
Taunton has mentioned in the past that Yeovil-Taunton services were sometimes through routed to Ilfracombe to avoid shunting moves at Taunton......were any routed all the way through?

RichmondCommu · 12 Oct 2019

arbeia said:
Up to the 60's South Shields to Blackpool via Stainmore

Peter Waltons excellent book on the Stainmore route has a picture of 43072 hauling the 7.32am South Shields to Blackpool service on the 3rd August 1957. I'm not able to properly see how many carriages the loco is hauling.

However, another photograph taken on the 17th August of the same year shows 43129 hauling four carriages between Blackpool and Darlington which seems rather short to me.

Springs Branch · 12 Oct 2019

During summer in the early 1960s, BR ran two return trains a day between Blackpool and Southport. These were regular services (Mon-Fri) appearing in the LMR Passenger Timetable, not specific one-off excursions.

Local coach operators in traditional seaside resorts have always earned a crust running mid-week day trips *from* the resort to nearby attractions - for example, Blackpool to The Lakes or Chester Zoo (and more recently niche destinations like Bury Market).

Probably in the 1960s, British Railways tried to get in on the act, using some of the spare rolling stock lying around mid-week pending the next Summer Saturday rush. Certainly the trains were timed for the mid-day leisure market, and Southport "boarders" could have a day out in Blackpool just as easily as someone staying in Blackpool could sample the delights of Southport.

From June to September 1960, there was:

10:38 SX Blackpool Central - Southport Chapel St.
18:00 SX Blackpool Central - Southport Chapel St.
10:00 SX Southport Chapel St - Blackpool Central.
18:30 SX Southport Chapel St - Blackpool Central.

Between Preston & Southport, I suspect these ran via the Burscough North Curve, rather than the West Lancs Line. All trains went via the Fylde coast, calling at Lytham, St Annes, etc.

Other options for a day out by train in summer 1960 were:

08:45 SX Blackpool Central - Lakeside
(as in today's Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway, when it was still BR and intact to Ulverston)
09:50 SX Morecambe Promenade - Lakeside.
17:05 SX Lakeside - Morecambe Promenade.
18:20 SX Lakeside - Blackpool Central.

I mention these because they called at the Furness seaside resorts of Grange-over-Sands and Ulverston in both directions.
None of the above trains are listed as Second Class Only, so presumably you could splash out on First Class accommodation if you were so inclined.

More in line with the coast-to-coast gist of the OP's question:

09:40 SO Saltburn & 10:07 SO West Hartlepool to Blackpool Central & Southport Chapel St.
13:05 SO Blackpool Central & 13:05 SO Southport Chapel St to Saltburn & West Hartlepool

Running July & August 1960, via Blackburn, Burnley, Skipton, Ilkley, Harrogate & Northallerton.
Through carriages between Southport & Saltburn, Blackpool & Saltburn and Blackpool & West Hartlepool.

bishdunster · 12 Oct 2019

Heritage wise I would love to do Minehead to Swanage, maybe out via Castle Cary, Yeovil and Weymouth and back via Bournemouth, Southampton, Sailsbury and Westbury, a cracking day out !

Tio Terry · 12 Oct 2019

Just about every station between Yarmouth Southtown and Lowestoft was a seaside station.

341o2 · 12 Oct 2019

Calthrop said:
Being annoyingly pedantic here (but this thread is taking, in my opinion, a strict and severe line in the defining of "seaside" locations): I see something of a question-mark over whether Freshwater's station, when in operation, could legitimately rate as "seaside". It lay a little way beyond the landward end of the Western Yar estuary, which opens into the Solent at Yarmouth; and about three-quarters of a mile north of the Isle of Wight's southern coast. Present-day convention, 66 years after closure of the Newport -- Freshwater line, sees Freshwater "village" -- one of the built-up areas of this western end of the island, and which held the former Freshwater rail station -- as lying essentially, a short way inland: with the separate settlement of Freshwater Bay set to its south, and upon the small bay in the coastline, of that name.

Drifting somewhat topic-wise: not a rail route / journey, but a coast-to-coast undertaking within England which struck me as somewhat splendid when I travelled over part of its run, some years ago. This was the National Express coach route between Grimsby (perhaps not acceptable to participants in this thread as "seaside", the way neighbouring Cleethorpes is) and Westward Ho! -- I travelled by it from Birmingham to Bideford. Something which could never have been accomplished by rail: not even in the brief sixteen-year spell for which Westward Ho! was rail-served -- its line was physically isolated from the country-wide rail system.

I believe only Ryde to Cowes and Ryde to Shanklin/Ventnor saw regular trains which would fit the criteria
Freshwater trains terminated at Newport
Brading to Bembridge self contained
Merstone to Ventnor West likewise.

There is a LUL style map of the Island's railways and is reproduced below

On the mainland there used to be "The Brighton" from Plymouth until 1968 when Okehampton - Bere Alston closed

Spamcan81 · 12 Oct 2019

Monarch010 said:
Did the S&DJR ever have through trains between Bournemouth and Burnham?

Prior to the building of the Bath Extension and the subsequent take over by the MR/LSWR, the erstwhile Somerset & Dorset Railway certainly promoted itself as a coast to coast route.

Edit : A quote from Wikipedia. "The new company opened the missing link from Blandford to Templecombe on 31 August 1863, and now the original dream of a link from the English Channel to the Bristol Channel materialised. The LSWR allowed through passenger trains to run over their line between Wimborne and Poole, reversing at Wimborne. The Somerset and Dorset company therefore operated trains from Burnham to Poole and on the branch to Wells. At this time Poole station was on the western side of Holes Bay, at the location that ultimately became Hamworthy Goods."

Busaholic · 12 Oct 2019

Did a direct service run between Penzance and Brighton in the early 1990s, or was there a connection at Southampton or Portsmouth?

bassmike · 12 Oct 2019

There was (maybe still is? ) a regular service from Dover to Sheerness via Sittingbourne.

Gwenllian2001 · 12 Oct 2019

Cardiff Clarence Road, a few yards from the White Funnel landing stage, to the genteel resort of Penarth, on to Lavernock, a popular beach with Cardiffian's, Swanbridge, popular with people from Cadoxton and Barry. On to Barry Island and finally to Barry Pier and its floating landing stage for the steamers. Curiously, the journey described almost a full circle with the two termini separated by the sea.

Bevan Price · 12 Oct 2019

There used to be some summer saturday trains from Dundee to Blackpool.
And more locally, there were Blackpool North to Fleetwood trains (via Poulton curve) -
plus the Blackpool - Fleetwood tram that still exists.**

(** - some may argue that the old Fleetwood station and the tram terminus lay at the mouth of the River Wyre, but Fleetwood also has a significant seaside coast.)

Calthrop · 12 Oct 2019

341o2 said:
I believe only Ryde to Cowes and Ryde to Shanklin/Ventnor saw regular trains which would fit the criteria
Freshwater trains terminated at Newport
Brading to Bembridge self contained
Merstone to Ventnor West likewise.

There is a LUL style map of the Island's railways and is reproduced below
View attachment 69344

I was reading @Enthusiast 's post as considering the Isle of Wight such a seaside-y place, that any scheduled rail run on the Island in its rail system's great days, could have been taken as being to all intents and purposes, "seaside to seaside" -- I just took issue with him over Freshwater.

There was, as well as the routeings shown on your splendid LUL-style map -- the IOW's nearest thing ever to an express train, the named "Tourist", which ran in the holiday season between Ventnor (Town) / Shanklin / Sandown, via Merstone to Newport and thence to Yarmouth and Freshwater, and return; calling only at the more-significant points en route: ran between 1933 and 1953 (closure of Newport -- Freshwater at end of summer timetable) inclusive.

ETA: the "Tourist" thus being seaside-to-seaside between its southern extremities, and Yarmouth; even taking account of my perhaps pedantic contention that Freshwater was not a seaside station.

Djgr · 12 Oct 2019

In British Rail days during engineering works trains ran directly from West Kirby to New Brighton, turning north after Bidston.

A few trains still do but via the Liverpool Loop.

RichmondCommu · 13 Oct 2019

Killingworth said:
I haven't time to consult all my historic timetables but see an 8.55 through service from Aberdeen arrived Plymouth at 21.05 in 1989. It may have been a fairly recent introduction in 1989.

The current Monday - Saturday 8.20 from Aberdeen to Penzance is not matched by a return direct service. However it passes down the east and south west coasts. It starts and finishes within a mile of the coast at Aberdeen and within a few yards at Penzance and stops at the following places within a mile or so from the sea; Stonehaven, Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee, (Leuchars is on the River Eden Estuary) Kirkcaldy, Inverkeithing, Dunbar, Berwick, and Alnmouth. It doesn't stop by the seaside again until it's by-passed Weston-Super-Mare, running along the coast at Dawlish, before resting at Plymouth not far from Plymouth Sound. It will stop at other places not too far from the sea and passes through other seaside stations without stopping.

This journey is certainly not excluded if only for its astonishing length! Thanks for the contribution.

D1537 · 13 Oct 2019

On Summer Saturdays in the 80s, there was an overnight Stranraer-Blackpool service which I presume returned during the daytime.

I found this photo on Flickr from 1983.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/northbriton/10185004254/

I know it ran until at least 1986 because I had 47016 on it one night that year whilst on a Freedom of Scotland.

Mag_seven · 13 Oct 2019

D1537 said:
On Summer Saturdays in the 80s, there was an overnight Stranraer-Blackpool service which I presume returned during the daytime.

Good find - I must admit I don't remember it.

xotGD · 13 Oct 2019

D1537 said:
On Summer Saturdays in the 80s, there was an overnight Stranraer-Blackpool service which I presume returned during the daytime.

I found this photo on Flickr from 1983.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/northbriton/10185004254/

I know it ran until at least 1986 because I had 47016 on it one night that year whilst on a Freedom of Scotland.

Yes, there was a daytime Blackpool - Stranraer. Used to produce 37s on some occasions.

4F89 · 19 Oct 2019

I'm sure as a boy getting the train home from Skegness to Wainfleet, in the days of Central Trains, the roller said Nottingham normally, but often showed Crewe, and occasionally said Llandudno or Aberystwyth, circa '95

Trains That Ran From Seaside To Seaside

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