Marylebone

[BeijingDave]

This was probably the only London terminus I never visited pre-privatisation.

I think it was only 4 platforms until fairly recently?

What was the typical hourly service pattern in the 80s and what was the haulage? Was it all DMU by the late 80s or were there still locomotive-hauled services (e.g. to Banbury and onwards?)

 

[Magdalia]

What was the typical hourly service pattern in the 80s and what was the haulage? Was it all DMU by the late 80s or were there still locomotive-hauled services (e.g. to Banbury and onwards?)

The Great Central Main Line closed in September 1966 and that was the end of loco hauled services at Marylebone until after privatisation, with a few occasional exceptions.

Trains between London and Banbury were through Birmingham trains to and from Paddington until the WCML electrification was completed. Marylebone-Banbury trains only started when the Paddington-Birmingham trains were withdrawn.

Marylebone had a fleet of suburban DMUs for trains to Aylesbury and High Wycombe, though a lot of the heavy maintenance was done at Bletchley.

In the early 1980s the off peak service was very sparse with hourly trains to Aylesbury and High Wycombe. On alternate hours the High Wycombe trains ran through to/from Banbury. The Princes Risborough-Aylesbury service was peak hours only, though the few trains via that route were to/from Marylebone.

This was probably the only London terminus I never visited pre-privatisation.

That's almost certainly because there wasn't really anything to see, though the same could also be said of Fenchurch Street, Cannon Street and Charing Cross.

 

[Taunton]

It was used quite regularly, certainly in the 1980s, for semi-scheduled quite regular steam excursion services, which ran each week on Sundays to Stratford-on-Avon, the "Shakespeare Express". It was I think the only London terminus that still had a turntable. The Chiltern modernisation of early 1990s removed this.

 

[BeijingDave]

That's almost certainly because there wasn't really anything to see, though the same could also be said of Fenchurch Street, Cannon Street and Charing Cross.

I actually forgot Cannon Street and Holborn Viaduct, which I also never went to.

 

[BanburyBlue]

The Great Central Main Line closed in September 1966 and that was the end of loco hauled services at Marylebone until after privatisation, with a few occasional exceptions.

Trains between London and Banbury were through Birmingham trains to and from Paddington until the WCML electrification was completed. Marylebone-Banbury trains only started when the Paddington-Birmingham trains were withdrawn.

Marylebone had a fleet of suburban DMUs for trains to Aylesbury and High Wycombe, though a lot of the heavy maintenance was done at Bletchley.

In the early 1980s the off peak service was very sparse with hourly trains to Aylesbury and High Wycombe. On alternate hours the High Wycombe trains ran through to/from Banbury. The Princes Risborough-Aylesbury service was peak hours only, though the few trains via that route were to/from Marylebone.


That's almost certainly because there wasn't really anything to see, though the same could also be said of Fenchurch Street, Cannon Street and Charing Cross.

Marylebone - Banbury trains (Class 115 DMUs) rang alongside Paddington - Birmingham New St. trains for years.

Marylebone - Banbury trains ran every hour, or sometimes every 2 hours from memory.

Paddington - Birmingham trains were generally hourly. Most went Reading - Oxford - Banbury - Leamington - Coventry - Birmingham Int. - Birmingham NS.
I'm sure some (1 or 2?) went via High Wycombe and Bicester. And some (1 or 2?) went via Dorridge and Solihull.

I thought the death knell of the Paddington - Birmingham trains, was the expansion of the Cross Country NE/NW - South Coast services.

 

[Western Lord]

This was probably the only London terminus I never visited pre-privatisation.

I think it was only 4 platforms until fairly recently?

What was the typical hourly service pattern in the 80s and what was the haulage? Was it all DMU by the late 80s or were there still locomotive-hauled services (e.g. to Banbury and onwards?)

As built Marylebone only had four platforms, but the GC took enough land for extra platforms on the western side which were never needed (this is why the station frontage is wider than the platform area). This land was eventually sold off for development. The original layout had a cab road between platforms 1 and 2, but in more recent times the cab road was removed and replaced by tracks making four platforms where there had been two. The original platforms 3 and 4 were then closed and the land sold for re-development. More recently, Chiltern reinstated the country ends of the original platforms 3 and 4 to make the existing six platform layout.

 

[The exile]

Marylebone - Banbury trains (Class 115 DMUs) rang alongside Paddington - Birmingham New St. trains for years.

Marylebone - Banbury trains ran every hour, or sometimes every 2 hours from memory.

Paddington - Birmingham trains were generally hourly. Most went Reading - Oxford - Banbury - Leamington - Coventry - Birmingham Int. - Birmingham NS.
I'm sure some (1 or 2?) went via High Wycombe and Bicester. And some (1 or 2?) went via Dorridge and Solihull.

I thought the death knell of the Paddington - Birmingham trains, was the expansion of the Cross Country NE/NW - South Coast services.

There was a brief period in the early 90s when a loco-hauled rake (presumably pinched from Thames) was used, presumably to cover DMU shortages. ISTR it conveniently ran to Aylesbury by one route and returned by the other.

 

[Flying Snail]

Marylebone - Banbury trains (Class 115 DMUs) rang alongside Paddington - Birmingham New St. trains for years.

Marylebone - Banbury trains ran every hour, or sometimes every 2 hours from memory.

Paddington - Birmingham trains were generally hourly. Most went Reading - Oxford - Banbury - Leamington - Coventry - Birmingham Int. - Birmingham NS.
I'm sure some (1 or 2?) went via High Wycombe and Bicester. And some (1 or 2?) went via Dorridge and Solihull.

I thought the death knell of the Paddington - Birmingham trains, was the expansion of the Cross Country NE/NW - South Coast services.

Not sure about earlier but in NSE times wasn't the peak Paddington - Wycombe - Banbury the only regular loco hauled service over the Chiltern routes? I don't recall any IC trains using it (excluding diversions).

 

[Carbean]

In the late 80s there was a Class 08 shunter based at the DMU sheds at the end of the station

 

[Lost property]

As I recall, there were no services on a Sunday (late 60's early 70''s) because we had to get the Tube to Amersham, then change to a DMU for Wendover.

 

[12LDA28C]

I thought the death knell of the Paddington - Birmingham trains, was the expansion of the Cross Country NE/NW - South Coast services.

Although Paddington - Birmingham (and beyond) CrossCountry trains still continued to operate into the 21st Century.

There was a brief period in the early 90s when a loco-hauled rake (presumably pinched from Thames) was used, presumably to cover DMU shortages. ISTR it conveniently ran to Aylesbury by one route and returned by the other.

Not just Aylesbury, often LHCS worked to Banbury as well, in the period 1990-1991 this was quite common until the 165s took over in 1991/2.

 

[bluegoblin7]

There were certainly some LHCS services over the Met until the Turbos took over in the early 1990s. Prior to the introduction of a fully-tripcock fitted fleet there was a much more pragmatic view of trains without an appropriate ATP system running over the Met, and of course the first gen DMUs didn’t have tripcocks either.

This is the primary reason why the current Chiltern LHCS can’t go via the Met during e.g. disruption.

(Apologies if this doesn’t make much sense… I’ve read it back a few times and the words are becoming non-sensical. Long day in an office!)

 

[sad1e]

There were certainly some LHCS services over the Met until the Turbos took over in the early 1990s. Prior to the introduction of a fully-tripcock fitted fleet there was a much more pragmatic view of trains without an appropriate ATP system running over the Met, and of course the first gen DMUs didn’t have tripcocks either.

This is the primary reason why the current Chiltern LHCS can’t go via the Met during e.g. disruption.

(Apologies if this doesn’t make much sense… I’ve read it back a few times and the words are becoming non-sensical. Long day in an office!)

How would Chiltern LHCS even go to places like Birmingham and Stourbridge via the met , wouldn't it involve a reverse at Aylesbury

 

[12LDA28C]

How would Chiltern LHCS even go to places like Birmingham and Stourbridge via the met , wouldn't it involve a reverse at Aylesbury

Yes, and another reversal at Princes Risborough which is exactly what happens when Birmingham services are diverted via the Met if the 'western' route is blocked.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

It was used quite regularly, certainly in the 1980s, for semi-scheduled quite regular steam excursion services, which ran each week on Sundays to Stratford-on-Avon, the "Shakespeare Express". It was I think the only London terminus that still had a turntable. The Chiltern modernisation of early 1990s removed this.

I used it in 1984 for a fantastic Railtour - The Anglo Scottish Freighter. A pair of NB Class 25s hauled it out of Marylebone. Fantastic memory.

 

[Chorley Cake]

Remember visiting the DMU shed in the late 80s. There were a number of steam trains there, including Flying Scotsman. Wasn’t expecting them to be there.

 

[frodshamfella]

I travelled as a lad in the early 80s from Marylebone to Wembley Complex, in order to see a concert at Wembley . I'm so glad I did, because, the station had great atmosphere, but felt forgotten. It was a diesel service, which as a lad used to to SE slam door electrics, this was very different. I remember the BR map showing 2 trains per hour from Marylebone in those days.

The other good thing was, it was much easier and more comfortable than getting the packed Metropolitan to Wembley Patk.

The Great Central Main Line closed in September 1966 and that was the end of loco hauled services at Marylebone until after privatisation, with a few occasional exceptions.

Trains between London and Banbury were through Birmingham trains to and from Paddington until the WCML electrification was completed. Marylebone-Banbury trains only started when the Paddington-Birmingham trains were withdrawn.

Marylebone had a fleet of suburban DMUs for trains to Aylesbury and High Wycombe, though a lot of the heavy maintenance was done at Bletchley.

In the early 1980s the off peak service was very sparse with hourly trains to Aylesbury and High Wycombe. On alternate hours the High Wycombe trains ran through to/from Banbury. The Princes Risborough-Aylesbury service was peak hours only, though the few trains via that route were to/from Marylebone.


That's almost certainly because there wasn't really anything to see, though the same could also be said of Fenchurch Street, Cannon Street and Charing Cross.

What you did see at Charing Cross and in peaks at Cannon Street , were the Hastings line Diesels .

 

[DM352]

There was a brief period in the early 90s when a loco-hauled rake (presumably pinched from Thames) was used, presumably to cover DMU shortages. ISTR it conveniently ran to Aylesbury by one route and returned by the other.

I remember catching one to West Ruislip with my trusty capital card.It was not as speedy as a fully functional 115.

Think this era was when they were digging out the taxi road for new platforms. With activity now, I wish they were just added the new platforms to 6 and the shed not narrowed by two platforms (3 sections to 2) with the now additional platforms causing the new ones a hike out past the development.

I get the money tree to make some of NSE successful was watered with selling off land which included those removed platforms and the depot with the latter for luxury flats. Is indeed better than the Marylebone coach station proposal.

 

[BeijingDave]

With activity now, I wish they were just added them and the shed not narrowed by two platforms causing the new ones a hike out like St Pancras MML.

??

 

[DM352]

??

Corrected - please see update. If something is unclear, ok to comment.

 

[RT4038]

As I recall, there were no services on a Sunday (late 60's early 70''s) because we had to get the Tube to Amersham, then change to a DMU for Wendover.

High Wycombe/Banbury trains ran on Sundays from Marylebone.