Trivia: Longest distance traveled by a Passenger Train without stopping (Past and Present)

[Halish Railway]

Let's get started with the modern day Flying Scotsman that does Newcastle to London non-stop.

 

[AndrewE]

An easy first bid:
Wikipedia says

The A1 class locomotive 4472 Flying Scotsman was used to haul the inaugural non-stop train from London on 1 May 1928, and it successfully ran the 392 miles between Edinburgh and London without stopping, a record at the time for a scheduled service.

It goes on to say

Under BR, the Flying Scotsman ceased to be a non-stop train, calling at Newcastle, York and Peterborough.

 

[Mathew S]

Until 2014 (I think) there was a nonstop Euston to Glasgow service at 1600. Either that or I've imagined it, but I'm pretty sure.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

There wasn't. The 1630 was Euston, Preston and Glasgow only though, the fastest it was ever booked was 4h08. Warrington, Wigan, Lancaster, Penrith and Carlisle were added in May 2016.

 

[Mathew S]

There wasn't. The 1630 was Euston, Preston and Glasgow only though, the fastest it was ever booked was 4h08. Warrington, Wigan, Lancaster, Penrith and Carlisle were added in May 2016.

Thanks

 

[Failed Unit]

I would say Edinburgh - London via east coast sleeper. But it stops at York to change crew (doors not unlocked) so not sure if that counts.

 

[eastdyke]

The Elizabethan ran non-stop King's Cross (dep. 9.30am)-Edinburgh (arr. 4.00pm) and then on to Dundee and Aberdeen.
The return ran the same route, again non-stop Edinburgh (dep. 9.45am)-King's Cross (4.15pm). When we used see it through Hitchin in the early '60's the up almost invariably had a 'prized' Haymarket A4 in charge, (never there early enough to see the down!)

(Times for Summer 1955)

 

[D7666]

Newton Abbot to Stirling motorail (which went via Bristol, STJ, North & West, Crewe, Mossend).

It was av ailable to non car passengers subject to space.

--
Nick

 

[D7666]

Newton Abbot to Stirling motorail (which went via Bristol, STJ, North & West, Crewe, Mossend).

It was av ailable to non car passengers subject to space.

--
Nick

That is, without advertised stops.

OBVIOUSLY it stopped for crew and traction purposes.

--
Nick

 

[AndrewE]

I wonder if there was ever anything to beat 392 miles (without a stop for any reason) in Australia, USA or Canada? Given that they had single track over huge distances I would guess they might have had stops scheduled in passing loops, which presumably disqualifies them!

 

[eastwestdivide]

Currently in Italy, there are hourly Milano Centrale-Roma Termini non-stop services, 568km according to the Euro Rail Timetable, = 353 miles.
Edit: Meanwhile in France, there is a 1615 Paris Gare de Lyon to Marseille, 750km = 466 miles (in 3h05 !)

 

[AndrewE]

Currently in Italy, there are hourly Milano Centrale-Roma Termini non-stop services, 568km according to the Euro Rail Timetable, = 353 miles.
Edit: Meanwhile in France, there is a 1615 Paris Gare de Lyon to Marseille, 750km = 466 miles (in 3h05 !)

I should have thought of that, having proposed it (return) for the greatest possible distance on a day trip from the UK. Do they not stop at Avignon and other places en route? I had better go and look...

 

[JonathanP]

So Newcastle - London, for comparison is 432km.

Meanwhile in Germany I reckon the winner would be the Berlin - Frankfurt ICE Sprinter(2 trains pairs per day), which is 575km, or 559km if it stops at Berlin Spandau.

 

[eastwestdivide]

I should have thought of that, having proposed it (return) for the greatest possible distance on a day trip from the UK. Do they not stop at Avignon and other places en route? I had better go and look...

The Marseille train from London stops elsewhere, but that one I quoted appears to be non-stop Paris-Marseille, although most of the rest of the Paris-Marseille services do stop elsewhere.

 

[eastwestdivide]

So Newcastle - London, for comparison is 432km.

Meanwhile in Germany I reckon the winner would be the Berlin - Frankfurt ICE Sprinter(2 trains pairs per day), which is 575km, or 559km if it stops at Berlin Spandau.

Those ICE Sprinters appear to stop in Berlin Südkreuz, Halle and Erfurt, at least the 0602, 0704 and 1504 from Berlin do (all with the Sprinter symbol on the bahn.de website for tomorrow).

 

[AndrewE]

The Marseille train from London stops elsewhere, but that one I quoted appears to be non-stop Paris-Marseille, although most of the rest of the Paris-Marseille services do stop elsewhere.

You are right, the 1615 seems to be non-stop and is even followed by a "stopper" (!) not long after. I didn't search all the German ones to try to find one that was non-stop...

 

[70014IronDuke]

Well, since the OP put the question in the simple past tense (albeit with American spelling), what about the LMS trying to steal the thunder by running its Glasgow and Edinburgh express - I'm not sure if it was called the Royal Scot at the time - non-stop a day or two before the LNER's run of the Flying Scotsman?

The books ooze on about the Glasgow run, which was with an original parallel-boilered Royal Scot, I think - but surely the highest accolade should go to the crew on the compound which worked the Edinburgh portion. And wouldn't Euston - Edinburgh via Carstairs be longer than Euston-Glasgow Central and KX - Edinburgh?

It mst have been abour 7 hours non-stop on the cramped footplate of a bucking, swaying 4-4-0. I'm surprised there was enough coal in the tender. I think the driver + fireman + firman's family should have had free tickets on the LMS for life for that performance. H&S would sue the railway company for cruelty to staff today.

 

[ac6000cw]

I wonder if there was ever anything to beat 392 miles (without a stop for any reason) in Australia, USA or Canada? Given that they had single track over huge distances I would guess they might have had stops scheduled in passing loops, which presumably disqualifies them!

The New York Central RR "20th Century Limited" ran without booked passenger stops between the outskirts of New York and the outskirts of Chicago for most of first half of the 20th century. That would be about 900 miles, but it would have had at least intermediate crew changes for sure (New York to Chicago - 958 miles - was a 16 hour schedule at it's fastest). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century_Limited

 

[eastdyke]

I don't know about 'cruelty', safety of passengers might be a factor today!
The distance to Edinburgh via Carstairs seems to be a couple of miles less than to Glasgow.
If this quote can be believed (no reason to doubt it):
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/3604466/Flying-claim-to-fame.html

On April 27, 1928, three days before the LNER started non-stop runs to Edinburgh, the LMS train Royal Scot was divided and ran in separate portions for Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Princes Street from Euston. Locomotive 6113 Cameronian covered the 401.4 miles to Glasgow and the smaller Midland Compound 4-4-0 no 1054 the 399.7 miles to Edinburgh, both non-stop.

 

[DelW]

Well, since the OP put the question in the simple past tense (albeit with American spelling), what about the LMS trying to steal the thunder by running its Glasgow and Edinburgh express - I'm not sure if it was called the Royal Scot at the time - non-stop a day or two before the LNER's run of the Flying Scotsman?

I thought the LMS's 'non-stop' London - Scotland trains, while being non-stop for passengers, all changed engines at Carlisle. Only the LNER had corridor tenders which allowed a change of engine crew on the move.
Edit: but I may be wrong, having seen Eastdyke's post

 

[eastdyke]

The (summer only) Eurostars to the south of France are non-stop from Ashford to Lyon for passengers but do stop for crew changes at Lille (as well as of course for border controls on the way back).

 

[70014IronDuke]

I thought the LMS's 'non-stop' London - Scotland trains, while being non-stop for passengers, all changed engines at Carlisle. Only the LNER had corridor tenders which allowed a change of engine crew on the move.
Edit: but I may be wrong, having seen Eastdyke's post

I'm not sure exactly, but I think they normally changed locos and crews at Crewe and Carlisle. They certainly did in BR days. But the run I and E Dyke were talking about were one-offs - to spoil the PR blab from the LNER a few days later.

 

[70014IronDuke]

I don't know about 'cruelty', safety of passengers might be a factor today!
The distance to Edinburgh via Carstairs seems to be a couple of miles less than to Glasgow.
If this quote can be believed (no reason to doubt it):
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/3604466/Flying-claim-to-fame.html

Ah, thanks for clarification on mileaga. And as you say, expecting a single crew to have the energy to not only complete the run, but actually be alert for signals and speed restrictions etc on such long runs had serious safety implications.

But those were the days when men were men, etc ....

On second thoughts, I suspect the Compound run was with a much lighter load than the main Glasgow train, and so in that sense was perhaps slighly easier from the crew's point of view. And Scots were not exactly famous for their smooth riding, so I suspect they could hardly walk to the mess room on arrival in Glasgow Central.

 

[DelW]

I'm not sure exactly, but I think they normally changed locos and crews at Crewe and Carlisle. They certainly did in BR days. But the run I and E Dyke were talking about were one-offs - to spoil the PR blab from the LNER a few days later.

I hadn't heard of those trips (or if I had, I'd forgotten them, which is also possible).
I would guess that they would have to have had at least a traction inspector and possibly another fireman on the footplate to share the driving and firing duties?

 

[eastdyke]

I hadn't heard of those trips (or if I had, I'd forgotten them, which is also possible).
I would guess that they would have to have had at least a traction inspector and possibly another fireman on the footplate to share the driving and firing duties?

Two drivers and one fireman, according to this contemporary letter published in The Spectator:
http://archive.spectator.co.uk/arti...ms-non-stop-runs-to-the-editor-of-the-spectat

THE L.M.S. NON-STOP RUNS [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—My father—Mr. Arthur E. Donkin; of 5 Sion Hill Place, Bath—who won . your recent " How to Keep Young " competition, has sent me a copy of your issue containing the report thereof, dated 4th instant. On reading a paragraph in the second column of page 667, I see that you appear to have been misinformed concerning the L.M.S. non-stop run to Edinburgh. You my that engines were changed outside, Carlisle, but- this was not the case.

The facts are that on 27th ultimo, as a service arrangement, the 10 a.m. from Euston (` The Royal Scot ') was divided, and two trains were run through to Glasgow (401.4 miles) and Edinburgh (399/ milei) withoid any intermediate stop. No preliminary public announcement was made, as passengers would, in any case, not be affected, seeing that the service for both places is shoWn by that train in the time-tables to be without intermediate stop. The One 'engine working on each train was manned by two drivers and one fireman.

For verification of the above facts I would refer you to the Railway Gazette for May 4th.

In normal daily practice ` The Royal Scot' makes two stops, one to change engines in Carlisle Station, the other at Symington to separate the Glasgow and Edinburgh portions. —I am, Sir, &c., A. W. F. Douxiw.

- 1 London Wall Buildings, London, E.C. 2.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Currently in Italy, there are hourly Milano Centrale-Roma Termini non-stop services, 568km according to the Euro Rail Timetable, = 353 miles.
Edit: Meanwhile in France, there is a 1615 Paris Gare de Lyon to Marseille, 750km = 466 miles (in 3h05 !)

I have been on a Paris-Nice TGV which was first stop St Raphael (my destination), which is over 900 km and was (then) 5 hours.
This was in the days when the LGV route went as far as Valence, taking the classic line onwards and avoiding Marseille St Charles on the triangle in the suburbs.
The return journey was somewhat spoiled by an hour's wait at Toulon while the SNCF signallers held a "manifestation" over lunch!
There aren't any similar routeings today. Everything seems to stop and reverse at Marseille, although overall journey times are less with more LGV route available.

Spain has some long-distance high-speed non-stops from Madrid to Sevilla (470km), Malaga (513) and Barcelona (621).
Paris-Bordeaux is 570km.

 

[Confused147]

There was a Bournemouth to Crewe non stop in the 80s. And the Caledonian sleeper runs non stop Carlisle to Euston.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Wasn't there some kind of special Eurostar run a few years back, non-stop to Cannes for the film festival?

Edit - Wikipedia suggests on 16th May 2006 the (special) 09h40 London Waterloo Intl to Cannes Ville service covered the 1421km non-stop in 7h25m conveying guests and stars to the premiere of the Da Vinci Code at the aforementioned festival.

 

[Halish Railway]

Are there any London to Brussels/Paris non-stop trains?
I know that there is non-stop Ebbsfleet to Paris - how far is that?

 

[DanNCL]

Are there any London to Brussels/Paris non-stop trains?
I know that there is non-stop Ebbsfleet to Paris - how far is that?

There are non stop London to Paris services, but I think all Brussels services stop at Lille.

The Eurostar service to Marseille is non stop from Ashford to Lyon (the return service stops at Lille for the security checks though)