A later London Midland Trent Valley service from Dec 2016 (but still not late enough)

[sd0733]

Thanks for the clarification. Even without the LM connection to Liverpool at Stafford, its a shame that the last service doesn't call there and does seem like a strange decision to make, to omit Stafford.

It allows a quicker journey to Stoke and Crewe but it's for route knowledge purposes. One am and one PM go that way to keep up everyone's competency. The morning one is the 5:21 off Crewe. The evening used to be the 17:24 off Euston, then the extra fasts came in and the 20:13 which used to be rugeley-stafford-crewe was divertrd to Stoke instead.
Stafford still gain as last fast moves from 18:49 to 19:46 and they've also got e 20:49 via brum.

 

[A0wen]

Thanks for the clarification. Even without the LM connection to Liverpool at Stafford, its a shame that the last service doesn't call there and does seem like a strange decision to make, to omit Stafford.

Ever since the LM Trent Valley service started there's been at least one train a day via Hixon - usually an early or a late one.

Presumably this is to maintain route knowledge in case of diversion?

 

[70014IronDuke]

In the days of British Rail I think it was there was a call at Tamworth and Nuneaton every 2-3 hours and even more irregularly at Lichfield by West Coast Main Line trains and there was the two hourly Stafford to Nuneaton local service which by todays standards would be considered useless. ...

Not quite. Nuneaton was usually hourly (Euston-Liverpools) IIRC, at least from the time these went hourly.

But Tamworth, Lichfield and especially the rest were given a WIWOGA service (Wish it Would Go Away).

To paraphrase a certain Tory Prime Minister, since the arrival of LM, the Trent Valley stations "have never had it so good". (Polesworth excepted).

EDIT having written the above, I assume in steam days the service was significantly more sparse than the BR InterCity electric - but do remember seeing a piccie of a Stanier pacific at Lichfield with a Glasgow express, so presumably the odd 'crack' express stopped here and there.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

But Tamworth, Lichfield and especially the rest were given a WIWOGA service (Wish it Would Go Away).

To paraphrase a certain Tory Prime Minister, since the arrival of LM, the Trent Valley stations "have never had it so good". (Polesworth excepted).

EDIT having written the above, I assume in steam days the service was significantly more sparse than the BR InterCity electric - but do remember seeing a piccie of a Stanier pacific at Lichfield with a Glasgow express, so presumably the odd 'crack' express stopped here and there.

Indeed. One Saturday morning my connection into a railtour was a 2-car Class 108 DMU running as 06.45 Crewe to Coventry. I only needed to use it between Lichfield and Tamworth but its attempt to mimic an electrically hauled express was "entertaining"!

 

[70014IronDuke]

Indeed. One Saturday morning my connection into a railtour was a 2-car Class 108 DMU running as 06.45 Crewe to Coventry. I only needed to use it between Lichfield and Tamworth but its attempt to mimic an electrically hauled express was "entertaining"!

Ah you're talking about the years of the WIWOGA-plus "service"

When it first went electric, IIRC they used an AM4 unit shuttling between Crewe/Stafford and Rugby north bay platforms. Was it one train every two hours, approx?
ISTR seeing one in 1984 or 85 still at Tamworth one Saturday.
Still, it might have been 75 mph max - but it still boasted the sparks effect!

"One Saturday morning my connection into a railtour was a 2-car Class 108 DMU running as 06.45 Crewe to Coventry."

Waiting for that at Rugely 07.30 on a January morning can't have done much for relieving depression rates in the area