Armed Forces to the Coronation by Train

[12LDA28C]

Are these timetabled services or chartered from the toc.

Unsurprisingly there are no timetabled trains from Milton Keynes to London Waterloo, and as regards the SWR trains I would have thought the security risk is far too great to have military staff travel on timetabled passenger trains, even if there were enough capacity to accommodate the large numbers of personnel travelling.

 

[zwk500]

Unsurprisingly there are no timetabled trains from Milton Keynes to London Waterloo, and as regards the SWR trains I would have thought the security risk is far too great to have military staff travel on timetabled passenger trains, even if there were enough capacity to accommodate the large numbers of personnel travelling.

You'd have thought that nobody would be quite as stupid as to try and attack a soldier when they're all carrying their weapons and there's a thousand of them on the train, bearskin hats or not.

 

[12LDA28C]

You'd have thought that nobody would be quite as stupid as to try and attack a soldier when they're all carrying their weapons and there's a thousand of them on the train, bearskin hats or not.

Of course not. But a bag containing an IED left in an overhead rack, hidden between seat backs etc would do some damage - much safer to exclusively charter a train and have complete control over security arrangements.

 

[JonathanH]

1Z71 has a green signal at Waterloo, ready to set off as the first returning SWR charter at 1435. 1Z73, 1Z75 and 1Z79 in other platforms. 5Z77 at Clapham Junction. 5Z04 at Acton Main Line.

 

[Lockwood]

I'm sure there's a comment to be made about having guards on the trains?

 

[DDB]

The other reason for private trains is having spent goodness knows how long polishing and ironing thier uniforms they probably don't want to be crammed into a busy public service and get a small child's ice cream spilt on them.

 

[DarloRich]

The other reason for private trains is having spent goodness knows how long polishing and ironing thier uniforms they probably don't want to be crammed into a busy public service and get a small child's ice cream spilt on them.

or a small child skewered with a sword or bayonet

( I KNOW they will have the weapons put away - maybe in the overhead rack)

 

[Snow1964]

Network Rail has mentioned the 9 extra trains this morning

Armed Forces train it to London for the Coronation

This morning (Saturday 6 May), more than 5,000 Armed Forces personnel playing an active role in the Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort travelled by train to London Waterloo, thanks to a partnership between South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

 

[JonathanH]

Looks like 1Z71 to Aldershot, 1Z75 to Alton, 1Z77 / 1Z79 / 1Z83 to Farnborough, 1Z73 to Fareham, 1Z81 still on the move, but assume it is heading for Fareham via Eastleigh.

Interestingly, some ordinary services have been cancelled to provide a number of these.

 

[zwk500]

or a small child skewered with a sword or bayonet

( I KNOW they will have the weapons put away - maybe in the overhead rack)

It'd be interesting if they overheard a fare dodger giving the train conductor a hard time though

 

[DarloRich]

It'd be interesting if they overheard a fare dodger giving the train conductor a hard time though

who's gonna make me pay? You and whose Army..................

 

[James H]

The Desiro I saw at Waterloo had GOLDEN ORB on the side PIS screen.

 

[The Puddock]

The Desiro I saw at Waterloo had GOLDEN ORB on the side PIS screen.

That’s the overall code name of the coronation day/plan. Operation GOLDEN ORB.

 

[DarloRich]

2 x Squadex noted speeding through Bletchley

IM03: 47802 & 47815

1M05: 47813 & 47826

I assume the first class carriages are for officers only.

 

[AlterEgo]

2 x Squadex noted speeding through Bletchley

IM03: 47802 & 47815

1M05: 47813 & 47826

I assume the first class carriages are for officers only.

The RAF were pictured with their other ranks in a first class MkII!

 

[DarloRich]

The RAF were pictured with their other ranks in a first class MkII!

omg - standards!

It is the RAF through........................

 

[wilbers]

who's gonna make me pay? You and whose Army..................

Is it too early to nominate this for comment of the year?

 

[High Dyke]

Getting that many soldiers safely and discreetly from Euston Road to the Mall would be an interesting exercise. From Waterloo they can march over Waterloo bridge, turn left onto the Strand and down to Admiralty arch, or march down the side of the station to Westminster bridge.

Imagine the queue at the taxi rank, otherwise.

 

[Dai Corner]

There's a crank amongst the group organising the operation?

Didn't the railways recruit ex military officers for managerial managerial positions?

 

[zwk500]

There's a crank amongst the group organising the operation?

Didn't the railways recruit ex military officers for managerial managerial positions?

Not specifically targeting them bowadays, although plenty of ex forces staff on the railways around the jobs.

I suspect it was just the sheer numbers made rail the only sensible option. You can fit 5-800 squaddies on a train, that's a hefty fleet of buses otherwise.

 

[swt_passenger]

Not specifically targeting them bowadays, although plenty of ex forces staff on the railways around the jobs.

I suspect it was just the sheer numbers made rail the only sensible option. You can fit 5-800 squaddies on a train, that's a hefty fleet of buses otherwise.

I don’t remember special trains being used for the Queen’s funeral, if they were I don’t think it was ever mentioned here, so I wonder how today’s total numbers of service people compare?

 

[James H]

I don’t remember special trains being used for the Queen’s funeral, if they were I don’t think it was ever mentioned here, so I wonder how today’s total numbers of service people compare?

The Navy certainly made use of trains to Waterloo for the funeral last September, but certainly not on the scale we've seen today:

https://twitter.com/MrMPritchard/status/1572094679046299648 [linked tweet (with pic) reads "The Royal Navy gathering at Waterloo to depart following #QueenElizabethII’s funeral."]


Maybe they found it worked well then so decided it was a viable option for today on a larger scale.

 

[railfan99]

Chartered services

Did anyone take a photo of the return workings, or personnel boarding at Waterloo or elsewhere?

 

[boiledbeans2]

Interestingly, some ordinary services have been cancelled to provide a number of these.

See this post (#10):

SWR Car park closures

Just had an email that 4 car parks are shutting all of next week. No reason given just operational reasons can anyone shed any light on this. https://www.southwesternrailway.com/travelling-with-us/at-the-station/car-park-closures Aldershot, Alton, Fareham closed, Farnborough mostly closed...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[12LDA28C]

2 x Squadex noted speeding through Bletchley

IM03: 47802 & 47815

1M05: 47813 & 47826

I assume the first class carriages are for officers only.

I think it was more of a free-for-all, I'm not sure FC was specified as part of the requirement of the rake. Quite a major operation at Tring in the afternoon to transfer the RAF personnel by coach to RAF Halton.

Police, military police, forces staff and so on, not to mention service trains delayed to accommodate the troop trains.

Did anyone take a photo of the return workings, or personnel boarding at Waterloo or elsewhere?

Yes, although I attempted not to photograph any military personnel as it was rather high-key to say the least.

 

[CeeJ]

Getting that many soldiers safely and discreetly from Euston Road to the Mall would be an interesting exercise. From Waterloo they can march over Waterloo bridge, turn left onto the Strand and down to Admiralty arch, or march down the side of the station to Westminster bridge.

I saw them in the morning yesterday, they were turning towards Westminster Bridge. Parliament Square was cordoned off so running them over the Bridge and down Birdcage Walk would've been much less disruptive than going over Waterloo Bridge and blocking off the Strand, which was being used as the main public entrance for Whitehall, the Mall and St James' Park.

 

[Krokodil]

omg - standards!

It is the RAF through........................

There's a long standing joke between the other two services about what sort of accommodation the RAF gets on deployment.

There's a crank amongst the group organising the operation?

Didn't the railways recruit ex military officers for managerial managerial positions?

The railways have recruited from the military from the very beginning. The L&M had plenty of former sailors on its staff.

 

[FGW_DID]

There's a long standing joke between the other two services about what sort of accommodation the RAF gets on deployment.

It’s all about the Stars!

Navy navigate by them,
Army sleep under them,
Royal Air Force choose their hotels by them!

(Anything under 4* is just not on!)

Ex-RAF (We check in, we don’t dig in!)

 

[12LDA28C]

Did anyone take a photo of the return workings, or personnel boarding at Waterloo or elsewhere?

 

[fgwrich]

It’s all about the Stars!

Navy navigate by them,
Army sleep under them,
Royal Air Force choose their hotels by them!

(Anything under 4* is just not on!)

Ex-RAF (We check in, we don’t dig in!)

Amazing, have to admit I'm nicking that one (coming from a very Naval family)