Altnabreac
Established Member
Back in BR days I was on the Tees-Tyne Pullman out of Kings Cross (first stop Darlington) and witnessed someone who was very upset when it turned out we weren’t stopping at Stevenage!
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Trivia: Furthest station away from their intended destination that you have seen someone accidentally end up at.
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A colleague once boarded a train at Leeds bound for Dewsbury but nodded off and found himself at Manchester Airport.
One of the perils of having a 331 and a 195 sharing platforms at Leeds is that I once saw somebody heading for Chester taking an unplanned diversion via Guiseley.
Many years ago my dad and I went to Steamtown at Carnforth for the day. Changing at Lancaster into a DMU which had Barrow on the destination blind, we found ourselves taking an unexpected trip to Morecambe however all was not lost as the BR exhibition train was parked there for the week.
One of the perils of having a 331 and a 195 sharing platforms at Leeds is that I once saw somebody heading for Chester taking an unplanned diversion via Guiseley.
Many years ago my dad and I went to Steamtown at Carnforth for the day. Changing at Lancaster into a DMU which had Barrow on the destination blind, we found ourselves taking an unexpected trip to Morecambe however all was not lost as the BR exhibition train was parked there for the week.
D821
Member
I've missed my stop a couple of times as I've been engrossed in a good book.
On a slight tangent, I was once waiting for my train home at Moorfields one winter evening when my curiosity was drawn to what I assumed was the anti-slip coating on the step under the driver's window on a 507. It had flecks of white in it. Had it been hailing? Would hail stay there all the way round the tunnels under the Mersey and Liverpool? Why hadn't I noticed it before?
I waited until the train was pulling away and saw that the rear step also had white flecks in it, so it was unlikely to be hail.
It was only as the 507 disappeared into the tunnel I realised that it was the train I was meant to have been on.
Almost all my memories are of the old layout; I've only been once since it was altered. Attached shows how it was in 2010.
Attachments
A rather apocryphal story that might be a Devon legend is the lady who arrived in London, not speaking good English, who apparently tried to make her way to Turkey but instead ended up in Torquay. You might ask why she'd confuse a plane and a train but apparently thought one of the long tunnels on the GWML was the Channel Tunnel.
Of course, being a Devon legend, the story ends with a lovely two weeks spent at the English Riviera.
Of course, being a Devon legend, the story ends with a lovely two weeks spent at the English Riviera.
Mcr Warrior
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Probably better Torquay than, say, Turkey (Street)! 
But can you afford to do this when only intending to travel 1 stop? Manchester Piccadilly - Oxford Road/Stockport is 1 stop but many trains are next stop Preston, Newton-le-Willows, Sheffield, Wilmslow, Macclesfield or Stoke-on-Trent and it is entirely possible for the next stops after that to be Penrith, Liverpool Lime Street, Warrington Bank Quay, Crewe, Stafford, Milton Keynes Central or London Euston!
I do tend to try and avoid using long distance WCML services which I fear may take me to Euston or Glasgow. It can be beneficial to use slow/stopping/branch services which terminate at or short of your destination, requiring you to change again, but eliminating any chance of you being overcarried.
61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
It may have happened to some poor woman once, but as my first experience with this tale comes from one of the later Adrian Mole books, I believe it is apocryphal. In that version, Paddington being the terminus for Heathrow Express was given as a reason for the confusion, rather than thinking one of the long tunnels was the Channel Tunnel.
Saw a well dressed young girl about a to board a service at Kidderminster SVR station. Knew she was about to make a mistake, the suitcase gave it away. I asked her where she was going and said Birmingham. Told her mistake and directed her to the BR station. She was most grateful but confused so made sure she made it to the platform.
Another girl from Brazil was late at where l work in Banbury. When phoned her to discover her whereabouts she sent me a photo of Milton Keynes station platform sign. She was only travelling from Coventry and had to get an Uber which was nearly half of her nights wage.
Another girl from Brazil was late at where l work in Banbury. When phoned her to discover her whereabouts she sent me a photo of Milton Keynes station platform sign. She was only travelling from Coventry and had to get an Uber which was nearly half of her nights wage.
It may not be the furthest distance, but surely the best known example of all is in the music hall song:
Oh! Mr Porter, what shall I do?
I want to go to Birmingham
And they're taking me on to Crewe,
Take me back to London, as quickly as you can,
Oh! Mr Porter, what a silly girl I am.
Oh! Mr Porter, what shall I do?
I want to go to Birmingham
And they're taking me on to Crewe,
Take me back to London, as quickly as you can,
Oh! Mr Porter, what a silly girl I am.
contrex
Member
As a 6 year old, already train mad, I asked my father why he always laughed when that song came on the radio, as it still did in the 1950s from time to time, and he said 'It's funny because it's about a girl who went further than she meant to', which told me nothing (I thought) that I didn't already know. No further explanations were forthcoming.
Western Sunset
Established Member
Once on an All-Line Rover, was travelling on the overnight York to Aberystwyth train. Asked guard to wake me at Machynlleth, but I probably mispronounced it and woke at Borth, so missing the Cambrian Coast connection. Took nearly 40 years before I finally made it to Pwllheli...
I’ve managed a few, over 20 years:
Milton Keynes vice Crewe (train was fast Warrington - Milton Keynes)
Thirsk vice Leeds (issues with PIS at York, combined with last-minute boarding)
New Pudsey vice Keighley (alcohol related)
Peterborough vice Doncaster (train did stop at Doncaster, but I was tired/distracted at the time)
Plus a couple of near misses.
The first two didn’t result in me being charged, helped in the first case by the returning Guard being one who was ‘relaxed’ with Rover tickets.
The third and fourth I was actually valid anyway in terms of revised route.
Milton Keynes vice Crewe (train was fast Warrington - Milton Keynes)
Thirsk vice Leeds (issues with PIS at York, combined with last-minute boarding)
New Pudsey vice Keighley (alcohol related)
Peterborough vice Doncaster (train did stop at Doncaster, but I was tired/distracted at the time)
Plus a couple of near misses.
The first two didn’t result in me being charged, helped in the first case by the returning Guard being one who was ‘relaxed’ with Rover tickets.
The third and fourth I was actually valid anyway in terms of revised route.
xotGD
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You went to the wrong station in Bradford? Must have been an all day session!
It was worse than that…. A case of ‘a little knowledge (and a lot of alcohol) can be a dangerous thing.’
I’d looked at the unit allocation for the 1919 Ribblehead before I went to the pub (156438), gone to the pub, had quite a few, got to Leeds at 1906, found 156438 on platform 5C but locked and silent with another 156 in front which had people boarding it, and inexplicably assumed (without checking, which was the alcohol induced bit) that there must have been a unit swap.
I was briefly most confused when the 1919 Ribblehead departed at 1908…. The 1908 Manchester Victoria wasn’t normally known for going off platform 5B!
I’d looked at the unit allocation for the 1919 Ribblehead before I went to the pub (156438), gone to the pub, had quite a few, got to Leeds at 1906, found 156438 on platform 5C but locked and silent with another 156 in front which had people boarding it, and inexplicably assumed (without checking, which was the alcohol induced bit) that there must have been a unit swap.
I was briefly most confused when the 1919 Ribblehead departed at 1908…. The 1908 Manchester Victoria wasn’t normally known for going off platform 5B!
Tracked
Established Member
On all the seven or eight times I've come back from London to Doncaster on the early evening Grand Central in the last decade there's always been:
1- Multiple Announcements that the first stop is Doncaster
2- Someone on the train for Peterborough, or earlier, when the ticket inspection's been done
(Haven't been on it since 2018 though, but I'd imagine it's similar now).
My own station problems, all involving alcohol:
1) Caught train from Leeds to Bentley after going to a mini-beer festival in The Scarborough by the station, remembered the train pulling in to Sandall and Agbrigg and the next moment it was arriving at Doncaster
2) Caught stopper from Sheffield to Doncaster, think it might've been going on to Hull afterwards, briefly nodded off after Meadowhell and woke up as the train pulled into a station I didn't recognise, thought I'd gone past Doncaster but on alighting I realised I was in Rotherham ...
3) Got a lunchtime train back from Brighton to London after getting back to my hotel at 3am, found my train and sat on it thinking I had an hour before it set off. Took me some time to work out that it hadn't set off an hour early, I'd just forgotten clocks had gone forward.
1- Multiple Announcements that the first stop is Doncaster
2- Someone on the train for Peterborough, or earlier, when the ticket inspection's been done
(Haven't been on it since 2018 though, but I'd imagine it's similar now).
My own station problems, all involving alcohol:
1) Caught train from Leeds to Bentley after going to a mini-beer festival in The Scarborough by the station, remembered the train pulling in to Sandall and Agbrigg and the next moment it was arriving at Doncaster
2) Caught stopper from Sheffield to Doncaster, think it might've been going on to Hull afterwards, briefly nodded off after Meadowhell and woke up as the train pulled into a station I didn't recognise, thought I'd gone past Doncaster but on alighting I realised I was in Rotherham ...
3) Got a lunchtime train back from Brighton to London after getting back to my hotel at 3am, found my train and sat on it thinking I had an hour before it set off. Took me some time to work out that it hadn't set off an hour early, I'd just forgotten clocks had gone forward.
Similarly, I once missed my train at Paddington when I was on the platform waiting for it (which of course means that I had failed to notice it terminating and disgorging passengers before going back the way it had come) because I had become engrossed in a newspaper article.
EbbwJunction1
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I once confused one train for another on adjoining platforms at Paddington .. got on (and then off!) the Penzance train when I wanted to go to Newport!
MadMac
Member
How long until someone intending to go to Preston ends up in Reston?
Mcr Warrior
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Could be an issue at Edinburgh (or Haymarket, maybe).
Does Preston usually get advertised as Preston (Lancs) on Anglo-Scottish services, which might help somewhat?
MadMac
Member
I was thinking Manchester or York, but that's a good shout.
Mcr Warrior
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Don't think Reston is currently served from Manchester (or York for that matter).
I once boarded a XC service at Birmingham New St, heading to York. A young lady also got on, sat across the aisle from me. She had her headphones in, looking down at her phone. We stopped at Burton, Derby and Sheffield. This young lady never looked up from her phone once. Automated announcements at every station, plus occasional announcements from the ticket inspector, display screens giving next destination, she was oblivious to them all. Somewhere around Swinton the ticket inspector visited our coach for the first time. Young lady looks up from her phone for the first time as he checks her ticket. It turns out she was going to London! She then had to get off at Leeds to try and get on the correct train. Birmingham to London via Leeds!
Alcohol related :-
I had a work night out in Shipley, then intended to return home to Castleford...I got to Leeds fine and even got some fresh air but this must have hit me like a ton of bricks as I ended up nodding off on the Leeds - Sheffield stopper and abruptly woke up just as the train was opening the doors at Wombwell where for some reason I decided to get off in my drunken state and confusion, it then transpired my phone was dead so I just camped out at Wombwell station for the night until the 5am train which certainly helped sober me up! (Why my brain didn't just register to stay on until Sheffield where I could have just found either a taxi at the rank or a cheap hotel for the night I do not know!)
I also once caught the 189 Leeds - Castleford bus and nodded off due to booze, then again abruptly woke up and thought we were at the last stop in Castleford so got off the bus, turns out I actually got off at a stop in the middle of Rothwell / Methley!
Lack of sleep related :-
I had booked an advance ticket on the 7am Grand Central Pontefract Monkhill to London Kings Cross but I had been on call at work and had a late night call in the early hours of the morning then slept right through my various alarms, in a panic I then booked a Wakefield Westgate - London Kings Cross LNER and caught Castleford - Sheffield intending to do a quick change at Wakefield Kirkgate - Westgate, but without noticing I drifted off slightly and before I knew it 'beep beep beep beep beep' OH SH..... , instead of a day out in London I ended up in the slightly less glamorous destination of Darton
at that point I just gave up and returned home for some more beauty sleep, a rather expensive £100 or so snooze all in all basically!
Do have an amusing story about a friend who went to Manchester and the casino once, ended up doing quite well and had a wallet containing about £3000 by the end when he decided to catch an early morning TPE back to York, ended up leaving his wallet on the table in plain sight and fell asleep for pretty much the entire journey, amazingly it was still there with the dosh inside when he woke up!
I had a work night out in Shipley, then intended to return home to Castleford...I got to Leeds fine and even got some fresh air but this must have hit me like a ton of bricks as I ended up nodding off on the Leeds - Sheffield stopper and abruptly woke up just as the train was opening the doors at Wombwell where for some reason I decided to get off in my drunken state and confusion, it then transpired my phone was dead so I just camped out at Wombwell station for the night until the 5am train which certainly helped sober me up! (Why my brain didn't just register to stay on until Sheffield where I could have just found either a taxi at the rank or a cheap hotel for the night I do not know!)
I also once caught the 189 Leeds - Castleford bus and nodded off due to booze, then again abruptly woke up and thought we were at the last stop in Castleford so got off the bus, turns out I actually got off at a stop in the middle of Rothwell / Methley!
Lack of sleep related :-
I had booked an advance ticket on the 7am Grand Central Pontefract Monkhill to London Kings Cross but I had been on call at work and had a late night call in the early hours of the morning then slept right through my various alarms, in a panic I then booked a Wakefield Westgate - London Kings Cross LNER and caught Castleford - Sheffield intending to do a quick change at Wakefield Kirkgate - Westgate, but without noticing I drifted off slightly and before I knew it 'beep beep beep beep beep' OH SH..... , instead of a day out in London I ended up in the slightly less glamorous destination of Darton
at that point I just gave up and returned home for some more beauty sleep, a rather expensive £100 or so snooze all in all basically!Do have an amusing story about a friend who went to Manchester and the casino once, ended up doing quite well and had a wallet containing about £3000 by the end when he decided to catch an early morning TPE back to York, ended up leaving his wallet on the table in plain sight and fell asleep for pretty much the entire journey, amazingly it was still there with the dosh inside when he woke up!
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A few weeks ago, a very confused passenger (for whom english was not their first language) presented at Stockport off the Norwich - Liverpool Lime St. They were aiming for London and had got on at Ely. The only word of English they managed was ‘Liverpool’. Unfortunately the Liverpool they were after was London Liverpool Street.
I wonder how they got on…
I wonder how they got on…
61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
One of my favourites was five years ago, boarded an early-morning GC IC125 at York heading for London, sat at a table on the '1' side in the declassified car. Just as I settled in, a bloke who'd been asleep at the table opposite woke up and says in a strong Mackem accent:
"Are we not at York yet?"
The look on his face when I told him we'd just left York and he was now on a non-stop train for London was quite something!
"Are we not at York yet?"
The look on his face when I told him we'd just left York and he was now on a non-stop train for London was quite something!
Once when I was living in Sutton (London) on a work related assignment I went for a night out in Central London.
I got back to Victoria, got on the correct train, promptly fell asleep but woke up at Carshalton (the stop before Sutton).
Feeling pleased with myself, the next thing I knew was the train pulling into Boxhill & Westhumble. Stupidly I got out (it was 11:45 pm) and then thought, "..oh ****, what am I going to do now...".
So I got back on the very last train to Dorking (all with no valid ticket) and had to pay £30 for a taxi back to Sutton. The taxi drivers at Dorking said that it happens all the time.
Another occasion was when I lived in Walthamstow, and I got on the Stansted Express at Liverpool Street, intending to get off at Tottenham Hale. I woke up at Tottenham Hale just as the doors were closing, with the next stop being Bishops Stortford. Next thing I knew was waking up when the train was a Stansted Airport.
I have also boarded a Northbound Victoria Line train at Kings Cross intending to travel to Blackhorse Road, and waking up at Oxford Circus, meaning that I had been asleep all the way to Walthamstow and back.
And if buses are allowed, I remember waiting at Liverpool Street station intending to catch the (then) N6 night bus back to Walthamstow. Let's just say that my judgement was, ahem, a little impaired, and the bus I actually got on was the N8 and I ended up at Mile End at 1:30am, waiting for a very expensive minicab back home.
I got back to Victoria, got on the correct train, promptly fell asleep but woke up at Carshalton (the stop before Sutton).
Feeling pleased with myself, the next thing I knew was the train pulling into Boxhill & Westhumble. Stupidly I got out (it was 11:45 pm) and then thought, "..oh ****, what am I going to do now...".
So I got back on the very last train to Dorking (all with no valid ticket) and had to pay £30 for a taxi back to Sutton. The taxi drivers at Dorking said that it happens all the time.
Another occasion was when I lived in Walthamstow, and I got on the Stansted Express at Liverpool Street, intending to get off at Tottenham Hale. I woke up at Tottenham Hale just as the doors were closing, with the next stop being Bishops Stortford. Next thing I knew was waking up when the train was a Stansted Airport.
I have also boarded a Northbound Victoria Line train at Kings Cross intending to travel to Blackhorse Road, and waking up at Oxford Circus, meaning that I had been asleep all the way to Walthamstow and back.
And if buses are allowed, I remember waiting at Liverpool Street station intending to catch the (then) N6 night bus back to Walthamstow. Let's just say that my judgement was, ahem, a little impaired, and the bus I actually got on was the N8 and I ended up at Mile End at 1:30am, waiting for a very expensive minicab back home.
londonbridge
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Posted in other forums on the board, we were heading back to London from a Sunderland home game when a couple of Scottish lads in Man City colours boarded at York and argued that we were in their reserved seats. After a bit of discussion the consensus was that the seats had been double booked, so they found a couple of seats, conversation struck up, turned out that yes, they were on the wrong train and were meant to be heading for Dundee. They jumped off at Doncaster but couldn’t have got any further North than Newcastle by that time.
Drogba11CFC
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Myself:
First day of an employment course in Basingstoke. Board 0848 at Winchester, next stop Woking.
A former work colleague fell asleep on his way to Totton after a work night out and woke up in Christchurch.
My brother, on his way back from Waterloo to Winchester, fell asleep and found himself in Weymouth.
Mind you, I heard an anecdote on the Watercress Line years ago about how a family showed up at Alton Station and asked for directions to Alton Towers...
First day of an employment course in Basingstoke. Board 0848 at Winchester, next stop Woking.
A former work colleague fell asleep on his way to Totton after a work night out and woke up in Christchurch.
My brother, on his way back from Waterloo to Winchester, fell asleep and found himself in Weymouth.
Mind you, I heard an anecdote on the Watercress Line years ago about how a family showed up at Alton Station and asked for directions to Alton Towers...
Perhaps they are friends with the folk who turn up periodically with buckets and spades at Carshalton Beeches......?
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