Longest ECS movements.

[Cherry_Picker]

Inspired by the "how does XC work?" thread, I am curious to see what the longest regularly scheduled ECS movements are. I'm sure there are plenty of examples of 100+ mile runs which happen every day. I know there is an 04:00 (ish) from Nottingham to Liverpool, which then forms the first Liverpool - Norwich train of the day. That is about 120 miles, but I'm sure somebody can beat it. Bonus points if its a daily move too rather than something that happens once a week or less often.

 

[Crossover]

Probably not quite that long but EC run a daily ECS from Hull to Neville Hill via Doncaster and Normanton which isn't particularly short as such

 

[Cab2Cab]

Probably not quite that long but EC run a daily ECS from Hull to Neville Hill via Doncaster and Normanton which isn't particularly short as such

Sometimes they run sets straight into shed and the wheels and backing plates are very HOT!!

 

[dave_wm]

There are some pretty lengthy ECS Voyagers from Central Rivers.

5A21 VT 0357 Barton-under-Needwood RSMD to London Euston 0648 (via Birmingham New Street)
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P50064/2013/05/16/advanced

5V82 XC 0426 Barton-under-Needwood RSMD to Reading 0717
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P30546/2013/05/16/advanced

These are nothing compared to the Summer Saturdays Only ECS GNER hired-in HST that ran Neville Hill to Bristol TM empty overnight or some such service!

 

[Twoonthebuzzer]

On Sundays there is an evening Portsmouth Harbour to St Philips Marsh TMD ECS movement. Not too long in distance but up there in time length.

 

[Simon11]

On Sundays there is an evening Portsmouth Harbour to St Philips Marsh TMD ECS movement. Not too long in distance but up there in time length.

Another xc ecs, the train the terminates at guildford, takees a well known diversion route for xc heading south to the coast, then west then up to eastleigh.

 

[theboywonder]

EastCoast HST do a Lincoln Central - Heaton Depot (Newcastle) empty stock move on saturdays headcode 5N90

Robin

 

[Geeves]

Northern run quite alot of adhoc ECS inter depot runs. Newton Heath to Heaton is a good run!

Also theres ECS workings everyday from York to Newcastle.

 

[ushawk]

Found this one, seems a long way. Other than that theres a few VSTP ECS moves, seen a couple for Bristol - Old Oak Common and 1 for the early hours of Friday morning for a Grand Central HST from Bounds Green to Heaton.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P01613/2013/03/22/advanced - 3P26 0415 St Philips Mrsh H.S.T.D to Hereford

 

[High Dyke]

EastCoast HST do a Lincoln Central - Heaton Depot (Newcastle) empty stock move on saturdays headcode 5N90

Robin

That's usually a set from Neville Hill. It's not that regular that they send a set from Heaton

 

[ChiefPlanner]

There used to be an OOC - Paddington (reverse) - Cheltenham ECS , and a FO Plymouth to Paddington ECS HST. Some of these longish moves now removed due to outstabling at places somewhat nearer the next days work.

As a Freightliner manager way back - I used to get requests form "Control" to arrange 20 empty flats Ipswich to Coatbridge at weekends , it seemed a crazy thing to do , but the bigger picture of balancing out stock and future revenue earning was clearly balanced out. (there were big weekend imbalances of export traffic south on a Thursday / Friday and a need to ensure there was enough rolling stock for the next week up North !)

 

[cdonnigan]

there was a ECS move from scotland to york a few months ago via Newcaslte from scotrail for Railfest cant remember details thou2

Ok more than a few months may 2012 5E80 shields Depot in Glasgow to York using Scotrail 380007

 

[swt_passenger]

Another xc ecs, the train the terminates at guildford, takees a well known diversion route for xc heading south to the coast, then west then up to eastleigh.

It isn't a significantly long distance in the overall scheme of things though, and also acts as a route learner. Only one tph each way at start and end of service. Meanwhile SWT are running plenty of longer ECS moves in the same general area, including a couple of Southampton to Woking via Havant & Guildford route learners - and they run after the morning peak.

Seems the only reason the XC stands out is that it's a different looking train compared to the usual.

 

[Marton]

Northern run quite alot of adhoc ECS inter depot runs. Newton Heath to Heaton is a good run!

Also there's ECS workings everyday from York to Newcastle.

and one Knaresborough 1838 to Heaton 2048 5A60 SSuX

 

[sd0733]

There is a booked 350 ecs at 0415 on tues-fri mornings from Crewe to Northampton, not the longest but still quite a distance.

 

[transportphoto]

Of course, there are often STP schedules for ECS movements, which had it not been for the steam locomotives support coach, would be LE movements. These are mainly engine movements to / from heritage railways etc. These can cover quite a distance.

TP

 

[61653 HTAFC]

In pre-Voyager days there was a regular evenings VXC HST sent Eastbound through Huddersfield from Manchester, presumably to Neville Hill or Heaton. Don't think there's a similar move now with Voyagers though.

 

[Welshman]

Mod Note: Merged from another thread on same topic

Following on from the thread about passenger services which run in only one direction [and I realise they often run a circuitous route, or return to base by some other revenue-earning journey], what are the longest ECS moves to allow a unit to start a journey diagram or return to their depot from one?

I'm asking here about regular, timetabled ECS moves [not the one or two occasions when the Lowland Sleeper has been cancelled and the empty stock worked to Euston later on in the day, etc!].

According to my calculations, Virgin seem to be running the most "dead" mileage, with their following Voyager diagrams:-

5D17 - Crewe-Holyhead
5K92 - Holyhead-Crewe [105 miles each way].

5A21 - Barton-under-Needwood -London Euston
5D68 - London Euston-Barton-under-Needwood [123 miles each way]
[these could be even longer, as I gather 5A21 goes via Birmingham New St and Nuneaton [presumably for route knowledge retention purposes].

Does anyone know of any longer, regular ECS moves?

----



Embarrassment all round. I don't know how I missed that earlier thread. Many apologies.

 

[87015]

Each afternoon there is a Pendo which goes empty Longsight - Euston and a Voyager empty New St - Euston. ThFO there is a Preston - Wembley late evening ECS as well, goes to Longsight MTWO.

 

[sheff'd victoria]

With the line shut at Hatfield near Doncaster due to the landslip, a number of members on here have posted that TPE are running ECS from Cleethorpes to Sheffield Midland via Brigg & Gainsborough Central

 

[mm333]

During the Olympics, the evening KGX-Skipton EC service was going ECS back to IIRC Ferme Park or Kings Cross.

 

[jamesontheroad]

I'm not sure where you'd find the info (the Irish Rail News forum on Yuku.com would be a good place to enquire) but I know that Iarnród Eireann has centred almost all maintenance and overnight servicing of their Intercity DMU fleet on one depot at Portlaoise in County Laoise, about 50 miles west of Dublin. Dozens of railcars (as DMU are commonly known in Ireland) travel ECS to/from Portlaoise every night. Although these are short, the total mileage has already raised a lot of eyebrows, especially given the supposed efficiency of DMU over loco hauled trains.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Mod Note: Merged from another thread on same topic

According to my calculations, Virgin seem to be running the most "dead" mileage, with their following Voyager diagrams:-

5D17 - Crewe-Holyhead
5K92 - Holyhead-Crewe [105 miles each way].

5A21 - Barton-under-Needwood -London Euston
5D68 - London Euston-Barton-under-Needwood [123 miles each way]
[these could be even longer, as I gather 5A21 goes via Birmingham New St and Nuneaton [presumably for route knowledge retention purposes].

Does anyone know of any longer, regular ECS moves?

It's not long since the peak 57+390 Euston-Holyhead working involved a late night ECS Holyhead-Crewe-Longsight, with an opposite ECS to start up early in Holyhead next day.
This was because there are no servicing facilities for 390s at Holyhead.
It came complete with two drivers west of Crewe (one on the 57, another looking after the 390).

There are also daily VT Barton-Chester Voyager ECS movements, running via the Lichfield TV WCML connection.

 

[Yew]

EC have an ECS from Lincoln to Neville Hill TMD, that must be around 70 miles?

 

[yorksrob]

I wonder, have the various stock transfers between Northern and the West country tended to do the trip in one long ECS, or have they broken it into shorter sections?

 

[Geeves]

They used a freight man who took a couple of 142s all the way from Bristol TM to Piccadilly one time I know that. FGW brought it to the station and a Northern man took it to round to Victoria and another driver then drove it through to Neville Hill all in a single day.

 

[corin paul]

Monday to Friday
East coast H.S.T. from Leeds to Lincoln. and back at night.
East Midlands Trains, class 153 Lincoln to Cleethorpes for the first Cleethropes to Newark Northgate.
Not long, but daily.

 

[hooky3]

i'm sure that there are XC Aberdeen - Edinburgh (vice versa) ECS movements

 

[yorksrob]

They used a freight man who took a couple of 142s all the way from Bristol TM to Piccadilly one time I know that. FGW brought it to the station and a Northern man took it to round to Victoria and another driver then drove it through to Neville Hill all in a single day.

That is a fair old way !

 

[Eagle]

i'm sure that there are XC Aberdeen - Edinburgh (vice versa) ECS movements

I think you mean Dundee to Edinburgh (Craigentinny), which is 61 miles. (Aberdeen to Craigentinny would be 132 miles.) The unit forming the morning Aberdeen to Penzance does start at Craigentinny, but it runs ECS to Dundee then in service to Aberdeen.