If you could travel back in time, what service would you like to travel on?

[g.satchwell]

There was a train I travelled on as a teenager, I met a beautiful girl and we spoke throughout the journey, I was so enchanted that I left my new overcoat behind when I got off. I wish I could make that journey again, I really loved that coat.

 

[Zamracene749]

July, 1981. Darlington to York HST then York to Peterborough Deltic hauled 'sweeper' train, Mk1 compartment near the front.

11 year old train lover (me) with my dad (tough ex Para, not an enthusiast, but happy to put up with trains to take his son out for the day, dearly missed) on my first proper main line trip.

We were invited into the cab of the deltic for a look around before departure, the driver gave me a starter key as a memento that I treasure to this day

Then HST back to Darlo, with a stop for coolant top up at Doncaster!

The sound of the deltic, the excitement of catching the 125mph HSTs, the smell of the brakes on the mk3s, the friendly deltic crew, the whole trip will never leave me so if I could only live it again as that naive kid.......

All done courtesy of cheap tickets for the royal wedding.

'Edit' Got kids of my own now, if I suggested a 7 hour train ride for the fun of it i'd just get a pitying look......

 

[Scotrail84]

Go back and foil the great train robbery become a hero.
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There was a train I travelled on as a teenager, I met a beautiful girl and we spoke throughout the journey, I was so enchanted that I left my new overcoat behind when I got off. I wish I could make that journey again, I really loved that coat.

Didn't expect that! I'd retake that journey to have a bash at the bird!!

 

[g.satchwell]

'A bash at the bird'? How very non p.c. Sounds like you are talking about cooking a Christmas turkey for the first time. 'bash at the bird' indeed.

 

[Met5141]

The woodhead line behind a class 76

 

[40135]

I'd want to see the Oldham Loop in steam days - but of late, the one thing I want to see more than anything else is the days of sectorisation, when I was growing up. I just want a return to that innocence, I guess, surrounded by Regional Railways, Metrotrain, RF two-tone grey etc.

 

[Met5141]

Im also with Bronzeonion on his choice of traction. The much missed A stock of the Metropolitan line. These great trains are very much missed. Also ALL the slam door stock of the Southern region and all those great units of the Eastern region, class 302, 305, 307, 308, 309, 310 & 312 units, along with the 501's on the LMR and the 303 & 311 units in Scotland.

Hell, that's a long list of great trains no longer running the rails ?????? !!!

 

[kenpix]

Chingford - Liverpool Street in steam days, N7 tank hauling 2 sets of quint-arts. A nostalgic if uncomfortable journey!

 

[Pigeon]

The 17.27 from Burntisland to Dundee Tay Bridge (NBR) on Sunday the 28th of December 1879.......making sure of course to alight at St. Fort.

But you'd miss the best bit... I'd stay on all the way. 'Course, having wings makes a difference.

 

[DiscoStu]

The 17.27 from Burntisland to Dundee Tay Bridge (NBR) on Sunday the 28th of December 1879.......making sure of course to alight at St. Fort.

But you'd miss the best bit... I'd stay on all the way. 'Course, having wings makes a difference.

Did they sell Red Bull back in 1879? 😉

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Im also with Bronzeonion on his choice of traction. The much missed A stock of the Metropolitan line. These great trains are very much missed. Also ALL the slam door stock of the Southern region and all those great units of the Eastern region, class 302, 305, 307, 308, 309, 310 & 312 units, along with the 501's on the LMR and the 303 & 311 units in Scotland.

Hell, that's a long list of great trains no longer running the rails �� !!!

With you on a lot of that stuff - when I first came to London in 1979 - I revelled in this stuff (helped by an all stations BR pass) - the 4SUB's were a particular joy and fascination / almost revulsion in getting one all the way to Horsham via Epsom. Always thought London lost it's character when the 4EPB's left the Southern - that and the last red tube stock.

 

[Altfish]

The frightening thing is that I've done many of your wished services but I'd liked to have done...

Somerset & Dorset
The Port Road - Dumfries to Stranraer and the branches.
Isle of Wight lines, I've done Ryde to Cowes and Ryde to Ventnor, but the early closures happened too early for me.
Lynton & Barnstable
Barnstable to Ilfracombe
Penrith to Workington
Scarborough to Whitby

 

[steammemories]

For me it would be the Queensbury lines from Bradford to Halifax and Keighley, Over the alps as the engine men used to say. There are lots of nostalgic pictures on the blog http://steammemories.blogspot.co.uk. I well remember it as a little lad before it closed.

 

[pitdiver]

Mine is also a journey on the Clansmen. But would really have loved to have travelled on the Original Orient Express Calais to Istanbul. Now that would have been a journey.

 

[Spamcan81]

Very difficult to chose just one but a run on the LNER Silver Jubilee would be right at the top of my list, especially the press run on 27/9/1935.

 

[fowler9]

The Liverpool Overhead Railway in any year really.

 

[HowardGWR]

A Time Machine is like a Tardis. Built in sat nav

OK I'll let you have your 'satnav' in 1904 on Wellington bank, but where are the 'sats'?

 

[DasLunatic]

I read somewhere that NSE sent a 319 down the Channel Tunnel when it was opened - that'd be cool to go on

 

[PaxmanValenta]

The cross country route Newcastle or Edinburgh to Penzance. That's if they had cross country routes without needing to change trains back in the days of steam.

 

[infobleep]

Having just read an article on travelling on the Atlantic Coast Express, I'd like to have travelled on a train with a slip coach and been in said slip coach as it was slipped.

 

[Pigeon]

There was a proposal on the Southern for something like a reverse slip coach - it would accelerate out of a station chasing the train that had just gone past and automatically couple to it when it caught up. Riding on one of those would have been exciting if they had ever got round to actually doing it.

I find this particularly appealing since I came up with the same idea myself but immediately dismissed it on the grounds of being too silly, so seeing it as a serious proposal made by real railway people fires my interest.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I have always wished that I could have travelled the whole line of the Wick and Lybster Light Railway.

 

[PeterY]

I'd love to have travelled on the branch line than passed near to where I lived. Hemel Hempstead to Harpenden, sadly closed sometime in 1947, long before I was born.

I also would have loved to have seen and travelled on the Liverpool Overhead Railway. Unique.

 

[TheNewNo2]

It's a bit odd I suppose, but I would want to go on the North London Line to North Woolwich, and maybe the Central Line to Ongar.

Oh, and the route from Severn Beach to Pilning and Montpelier to Mangotsfield/Bath. Perhaps the Clevedon branch. I'd say Henbury Loop and Portishead Line as well, but those are up for reopening.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

It's a bit odd I suppose, but I would want to go on the North London Line to North Woolwich, and maybe the Central Line to Ongar.

Well I used to manage the former and ridden the latter - around 1980 when it was up for closure - on buying a priv ticket at Woodford - the ticket clerk sighed deeply and eventually wrote out 2 sides of A6 on a green paper form. Was the only passenger on a 4 car 62TS coming back - no wonder it shut - but I did contribute my 62 pence worth.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I would like to have traveled on the line from Ashbourne to Buxton, alighting at Parsley Hay and then walking over the fields to Monyash to stay the night.
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The woodhead line behind a class 76

Apologies for being pedantic but it would have almost certainly been a class 77 as they were in charge of passenger services before being sold to the Dutch when the route became freight only.

 

[ed1971]

Huddersfield to Leeds on a Class 141 (any of them except 141113).

 

[RichmondCommu]

Huddersfield to Leeds on a Class 141 (any of them except 141113).

Just to satisfy my curiosity, what was wrong with 141113?

 

[ed1971]

141113 was the only one not retaining the original Leyland TL11 - SCG powertrain.

 

[Busaholic]

It's a bit odd I suppose, but I would want to go on the North London Line to North Woolwich, and maybe the Central Line to Ongar.

Oh, and the route from Severn Beach to Pilning and Montpelier to Mangotsfield/Bath. Perhaps the Clevedon branch. I'd say Henbury Loop and Portishead Line as well, but those are up for reopening.

The North London to North Woolwich, then the trolleybus 669 back to Stratford, and the Central Line from there. But wouldn't you like to go further back in time and take a steam train to Ongar? Most of Epping to Ongar is still doable, of course, and is much recommended. A fine body of volunteers.