Ever had a carriage/whole train to yourself?

[tsr]

The 2004 Uckfield - London Bridge regularly has no passengers whatsoever for the 45 minutes or so until it gets to Oxted - in fact, more than one passenger is considered a rarity - and the same applies to many other Northbound trains from Uckfield in the evening. It is surprising just how many trains do run from there in passenger service during the evening as there is virtually no custom after about 1900, especially between Crowborough and Oxted. The thing is, the service would not be viable if it was less than hourly, and the half-hourly "extras" do often run back to London as semi-fast services as far as Oxted anyway, so it's only the major stations which even have such options. I know of one day recently when, a little earlier in the evening on a shuttle between Uckfield and Oxted, I don't believe any passengers were conveyed at all. Again, this is not especially rare.

Customer service duties are usually described by phrases such as "I went and saw the passenger..."

 

[GatwickDepress]

A London Victoria - London Bridge stopper was turned into a non-stop service during severe disruption, and I was the only passenger on the 377/6 the entire way.

 

[Kite159]

I once had a 220 to myself, one Sunday morning service from Basingstoke to Southampton via Laverstock due to engineering works both line via Winchester was bused and line towards Reading was bused (with other XCs going via Guildford).

05:27 from Grateley towards Waterloo sometimes was a sole passenger until Basingstoke

 

[Mojo]

I would say that on more than three quarters of my journeys on the Northern line (boarding at a zone 2/3 station heading into central London) when travelling either on my way to a late or a night shift the train arrives at my station with nobody in the car I'm waiting to board. Also get this quite often at other times too, in particular heading northbound from Euston on the West End branch after about 10pm Sundays to Thursdays.

 

[Polarbear]

In the 1980's, it was more common to find ones-self in splended isolation in some carriages & occasionally, whole trains.

Two occasions spring to mind. The first was a weekend first upgrade from Newcastle to London on a mid-afternoon HST in 1984 where I was the sole occupant of the Mk3 all the way to Peterborough.

The second was a Cross Country service on New Years Day sometime in the 1990's (47 & Mk2's). Me & my mate were the only occupants of the train from Crewe to Birmingham & again, were sat in first intending to upgrade. The conductor came around, checked our rovers & said there wasn't much point in charging us-and didn't! Made the diversion via Kidderminster & Worcester even better value!

 

[TheEdge]

All the time. Although those do tend to be ECS services!

Seriously though the last night AGA rural trains, especially from Lowestoft, often run empty early in the week.

 

[43094]

Quite often while in First Class.

Last occasion was LDS - NNG on a Newark terminator during engineering - nobody else in First at all. Actually, that's happened a few times on services unaffected by engineering too (though usually more local hops).

Other occasions on local services include the first LDS - MCM between Giggleswick and Carnforth (153 + 144, I was in the 153).

 

[yorksrob]

I was the sole occupant of a HST 1st class carriage all the way from St Pancreas to Wakefield once. A very pleasant journey indeed

 

[Busaholic]

Several times in the evening on trains arriving Penzance I've been the only person left in my carriage (the werewolf costume helps). Most extraordinarily, I once boarded a Bakerloo Line train at Oxford Circus and was the only person in the carriage, but what was even more extraordinary was that as the doors opened to let me on, there was a £5 note lying by the door.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Every time I work the 06:31 from Middlesbrough to Liverpool lime street I get the train to myself from Newcastle thru Darlington to Middlesbrough. MAke myself comfy in first class, have a snooze.....

It is an ECS move tho....
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
As a pax myself back in 1989 had company of 50 003 on a 10:30ish departure from Yeovil to Basingstoke before anyone else boarded the coach I was in, being a bank holiday Monday an additional first class carriage had been added behind the loco but had been declassified. No one got the message and surprisingly there weren't any mule vac bashers around

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Ammanford to Pontarddulais on the HoW (where a walking group got on of about 30 !)

Watford Met to Northwood (actually - not that rare to get an 8 car A60/62 to oneself)

 

[madannie77]

Me & my other half had a carriage to ourselves on the 0810 Carlisle to Edinburgh Waverley (1T32) last Saturday.

 

[skyhigh]

I was the sole occupant of a HST 1st class carriage all the way from St Pancreas to Wakefield once. A very pleasant journey indeed

I've had similar myself, once did Kings Cross to Leeds and was the only one in the first class carriage I was in. (I only did first class as I managed to get a very cheap advance, surprisingly enough!)

 

[Iskra]

Me & my other half had a carriage to ourselves on the 0810 Carlisle to Edinburgh Waverley (1T32) last Saturday.

Carlisle-Scotland is an easy one to find a free carriage on. I've done Pendo's a couple of times up to Glasgow and been the sole occupant in STD. The route is quite over-served on that section.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

I was the only passenger in the last car for one stop on the 1729 Flinders Street to Cranbourne one Friday afternoon. Flinders St for those who don't know is one of our 5 CBD stations. For some strange reason everyone got on the 4th car of a 6 car train.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

I've frequently had a whole carriage to myself, and I'm sure on a few occasions the whole train, between Lichfield City and Lichfield Trent Valley.

 

[Spamcan81]

Back in the 80s I had at least the leading carriage of a to myself between Shipley and Ilkley. Driver invited me for a ride in the can. Result.

 

[TheNewNo2]

I was alone on a 377 from Brighton to Eastbourne, until Falmer I think.

 

[Calthrop]

I recall an “only-passenger-on-train” experience in early summer 1984, in the course of an intensive bash of Poland using the “Railrover” style ticket then available on the state railways’ network. There was at one time an extensive 750mm gauge system (now to the best of my knowledge, totally defunct) not quite 100km north of Warsaw. In 1984, this system was still quite busy with freight; but its passenger services had dwindled to those on two short sections: one (connecting with the standard gauge) with IIRC two workings each way per day; the other with a mere one working each way per day, and having become totally isolated from the rest of the State Railways passenger system (freight-only trackage still connected the two passenger lines).

The isolated stretch with its one train each way per day, seemed so mad as to be irresistible to travel on – even though I knew from the available “intel”, that this working would be diesel – the system’s surviving steam was on its “inner” reaches. I duly arrived by taxi at the 28km isolated line’s outer terminus, Maków Mazowiecki, in good time to catch the day’s westbound working to the other end at Przasnysz, departing at 1330 (the corresponding run in the other direction, was very early in the morning). Motive power was, as expected, an Lxd2 type B-B diesel loco: with a train of five standard-gauge goods wagons on transporters; a brake / luggage van; and a single bogie coach. At the start of the hour-and-five-minutes’ 28km run, the coach was about three-quarters full; but along the line it progressively emptied – from the line’s approx. half-way point and junction with a freight-only section, to Przasnysz, I was the sole passenger. (My only such experience as I recall, in a number of visits to Poland in the 1980s and early ‘90s: back-of-beyond rural passenger rail services there were, to a British eye, ludicrously slow, infrequent, and inconvenient; nonetheless, people used them.)

 

[Busaholic]

Some evening journeys on the Grove Park to Bromley North shuttle carry no-one, particularly when it hasn't waited for a late-running supposed connecting service.

 

[OuterDistant]

I once managed a whole carriage of a 156 to myself, and in the morning peak, no less. It was during severe snow in January 2004, albeit only from BYB to SOT.

 

[Bevan Price]

I've had a 156 to myself on two occasions. One was from Helsby to Runcorn East (on an ex Ellesmere Port), the other from Liverpool Lime Street to Liverpool South Parkway (on an ex Blackpool North).

The South Parkway - Lime St. section of the Liverpool - Preston / Blackpool services must lose lots of money. On the few occasions I use that section, the train always seems nearly empty.

 

[overthewater]

I remember a few times travel on the Class 321 out of London on the colchester/Braintree train and I had alook and never saw anyone. This was around 9am.

 

[507021]

I've had a whole carriage (the power car) of a 319 to myself before.

 

[theblackwatch]

Back in 2004, I had a Class 37 hauled service train to myself. It was on January 1, and I boarded to 07.58 Knaresborough to Leeds at Starbeck, to find that the only other passenger on board the stock was the driver! Two others joined at Harrogate, one being a mate of mine, and the other was a passenger who had arrived, intending to catch the following service. Nobody boarded at the other stops.

 

[181]

There was at one time an extensive 750mm gauge system (now to the best of my knowledge, totally defunct) not quite 100km north of Warsaw.

Off topic, but I think worth mentioning: It's almost totally defunct, but not quite: http://www.narrowrail.net/mlawa/.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

As a pax myself back in 1989 had company of 50 003 on a 10:30ish departure from Yeovil to Basingstoke before anyone else boarded the coach I was in, being a bank holiday Monday an additional first class carriage had been added behind the loco but had been declassified.

Very long shot, but was that carriage 13575 by any chance? A Mk 2 aircon? I know I have a photo somewhere of it at Waterloo at around that time...

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Had a few of those lately...

A first class section in a 222 all to myself until Leicester

A 142 from Hull until Goole on a Hull - Doncaster service

A D-stock from High Street Kensington to Kensington Olympia and then back again!

The mono rail that goes round the car park at Alton Towers

333 from Skipton to Leeds

Rail Replacement Bus from Doncaster to Hull (which I admit that I jiggled my journey times for as it was driven by one of my beloved EYMS vehicles...)

 

[tony_mac]

I've had an entire Pendolino carriage to myself on the 15:07 Euston to Liverpool.
Noteworthy as this is a 'peak time' train.

 

[Calthrop]

Off topic, but I think worth mentioning: It's almost totally defunct, but not quite: http://www.narrowrail.net/mlawa/.

Thanks. I'm somewhat out of touch nowadays (former sources of info, are now no more): general picture which seems to be got, is that things for the Polish narrow gauge are now mostly very bad.