Previous unusual calling patterns / services

[A S Leib]

There's currently a thread on unusual calling patterns; what are some of the strangest ones from the past?

I'd say (I'm largely going off of archived versions of Wikipedia articles, so I don't know how frequently or how long some of these situations lasted)

• Arriva Northern running direct Morecambe / Carlisle – Leeds – York services (~2004)
• TransPennine Express not serving Manchester Victoria at all (~2004) seems incredibly strange when the December 2019 timetable had four hourly routes passing through it
• TPE services going to Sunderland and Bridlington (~2004; I think under Arriva Northern branded as TPE)
• Chester – Blackpool North via Stockport (before 2008)
• London Northwestern's London – Liverpool via Northampton and Birmingham stopper (2019)
• Reading – Brighton by SWT (replaced by more Southern Southampton – Brighton services in 2007; I'd guess that was a leftover from CrossCountry's withdrawal from Brighton?)
• Some of Central Trains' combinations such as Coventry – Lincoln Central via Nuneaton (pre-2004; I'm assuming it was via Leicester and Nottingham; Coventry – Nottingham and Leicester – Lincoln make sense to me, it's just the combination which I find odd) and Aberystwyth – Grimsby (~2000)
• Manchester – London Waterloo (via Hereford and Salisbury?)

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Reading – Brighton by SWT (replaced by more Southern Southampton – Brighton services in 2007; I'd guess that was a leftover from CrossCountry's withdrawal from Brighton?)

It wasn't. In fact, South West Trains stopped running to Brighton at the start of 2007, but CrossCountry didn't stop until December 2008.

CrossCountry also took a very different route from Reading; while it might have seemed sensible to run services via Basingstoke and Winchester as the Bournemouth services do now, and then down to Brighton via Havant and Chichester, CrossCountry services ran to Gatwick Airport via either Slough, Kensington Olympia and East Croydon, or via Guildford with a reversal at Redhill, and then down to Brighton from there.

 

[Snow1964]

Used to be (mid 1970s) a summer Saturdays (only about 9 weeks July-early Sept) train that ran from Bristol area to Weymouth (via Yeovil), then returned via Southampton calling at odd mix of places including New Milton, Brockenhurst etc.

Travelled on it between these stations in 1977 or 1978, and had a class 46. First and only time behind a Peak on Southern Region. Seemed to be whatever loco was available, fortnight earlier was a 31

 

[A S Leib]

Used to be (mid 1970s) a summer Saturdays (only about 9 weeks July-early Sept) train that ran from Bristol area to Weymouth (via Yeovil), then returned via Southampton calling at odd mix of places including New Milton, Brockenhurst etc.

Travelled on it between these stations in 1977 or 1978, and had a class 46. First and only time behind a Peak on Southern Region. Seemed to be whatever loco was available, fortnight earlier was a 31

In the same area, when SWR was running to Corfe Castle a few summers ago, I think there was a Salisbury service which reversed at Yeovil Pen Mill, Weymouth and Wareham.

 

[hexagon789]

There's currently a thread on unusual calling patterns; what are some of the strangest ones from the past?

I'd say (I'm largely going off of archived versions of Wikipedia articles, so I don't know how frequently or how long some of these situations lasted)

• Arriva Northern running direct Morecambe / Carlisle – Leeds – York services (~2004)
• TransPennine Express not serving Manchester Victoria at all (~2004) seems incredibly strange when the December 2019 timetable had four hourly routes passing through it
• TPE services going to Sunderland and Bridlington (~2004; I think under Arriva Northern branded as TPE)
• Chester – Blackpool North via Stockport (before 2008)
• London Northwestern's London – Liverpool via Northampton and Birmingham stopper (2019)
• Reading – Brighton by SWT (replaced by more Southern Southampton – Brighton services in 2007; I'd guess that was a leftover from CrossCountry's withdrawal from Brighton?)
• Some of Central Trains' combinations such as Coventry – Lincoln Central via Nuneaton (pre-2004; I'm assuming it was via Leicester and Nottingham; Coventry – Nottingham and Leicester – Lincoln make sense to me, it's just the combination which I find odd) and Aberystwyth – Grimsby (~2000)
• Manchester – London Waterloo (via Hereford and Salisbury?)

There were some unusual calling patterns under NatEx ScoRail on certain routes, for example -

The 1008/1010 ScotRail Glasgow QS to Inverness used to omit Kingussie from about 1998 onwards, but called at all other HML stations. In 2005, it was changed to omit Newtonmore and call at Kingussie instead.

Similarly until 2005, only 2 southbound trains Mon-Fri called at Carrbridge but 4 northbound ones stopped and 3 each way on Sundays. The 1245 was retimed slightly and a Carrbridge call added in 2005 as well.

Some of the calling patterns under pre-Pendolino Virgin Trains could also be a little peculiar as equally were a lot of the InterCity stopping patterns in general under BR on the WCML post-1980 and the ECML under the earliest HST timetables.

 

[InkyScrolls]

Arriva Northern's Leeds - Glasgow services (2004) are a good example.

 

[notyolosmh]

There used to be a Ystrad Mynach - Cardiff Central service that skipped every stop between the two stations

I know TfW sometimes cancel stops on a train if it's (for example) running late but this service was booked to do it

 

[A S Leib]

Some of the calling patterns under pre-Pendolino Virgin Trains could also be a little peculiar as equally were a lot of the InterCity stopping patterns in general under BR on the WCML post-1980 and the ECML under the earliest HST timetables.

Even in 2006 it looks like the via Macclesfield, Liverpool and Lancaster services were alternating between Watford Junction and Milton Keynes Central each hour, with Rugby getting Preston via Trent Valley services instead of West Midlands ones and the fast Manchester (Stoke and Stockport only) and Holyhead ones being the only ones nonstop south of Stafford.

 

[The exile]

Surprised the Hull - Paddington (or was it the other way round?) hasn’t been mentioned yet - or is it a sign of getting older that I still remember it?

 

[Polarbear]

There were quite a few back in the 1970's. One instance off the top of my head was the service between Rock Ferry & Chester, which for a long time, boasted a "one train" Sunday service that only called at Bromborough. Very hard to belive given the much improved service we have today.

 

[hexagon789]

Surprised the Hull - Paddington (or was it the other way round?) hasn’t been mentioned yet - or is it a sign of getting older that I still remember it?

Hull-Brighton!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Nov 2024 ==

Even in 2006 it looks like the via Macclesfield, Liverpool and Lancaster services were alternating between Watford Junction and Milton Keynes Central each hour, with Rugby getting Preston via Trent Valley services instead of West Midlands ones and the fast Manchester (Stoke and Stockport only) and Holyhead ones being the only ones nonstop south of Stafford.

It was a little more haphazard in the early 2000s. Rugby calls were a bit more random for instance, roughly every third Liverpool train had one for example but not quite.

 

[cle]

Liverpool always had Nuneaton I recall.

2 hourly for Watford and for MKC but on all the biggies, worked well for the time.

 

[hexagon789]

Liverpool always had Nuneaton I recall.

Appears to two-hourly calls in the morning, then regular hourly calls until the evening peak, a three hour gap, then all call again. Southbound though only three Liverpool-Euston omitted Nuneaton, one early morning and two afternoon services.

That was based on 1998, but all years up to 2003 seem to be the same. I believe patterns changed first in 2004 with a more widespread rollout of the Pendolinos.

 

[frodshamfella]

There was a morning Liverpool to Birmingham , calling at Acton Bridge, then fast to Crewe.

 

[74A]

Cross country used to run into Paddington. Stopped in the early 2000s after the collapse of the operation Princess timetable I believe.

 

[hexagon789]

Cross country used to run into Paddington. Stopped in the early 2000 after the collapse of the operation Princess timetable I believe.

September 2003 for Princess.

 

[74A]

September 2003 for Princess.

Sorry I meant stopped in the early 2000s

 

[hexagon789]

Sorry I meant stopped in the early 2000s

Ah, no worries, I thought you meant the year 2000.

 

[30907]

For a year or two pre-Covid, in the morning peak the Orpington/Bromley S-Victoria stoppers omitted one stop (of Kent House-West Dulwich but not in order) which was covered by a longer distance service. I presume this was to equalise loadings; ISTR this was done on the Catford Loop before that (nowadays it's just extra stops on the "fasts" which are poorly pathed).
Which takes me back to schooldays when from 1967 the Orpington-Victoria peak trains were fast from Kent House in - except for the one which stopped to set down a large number of pupils at West Dulwich at 0837(ish). A sensible decision!

 

[Llandudno]

Northern operated a through train from Buxton to Barrow in Furness

 

[Some guy]

Northern operated a through train from Buxton to Barrow in Furness

There was one from York to barrow in Furness I seem to recall formed from a 158. It was definitely one of northerns longest journeys for sure

Another unique one was a Blackpool north to Wigan wallgate via Manchester vic and todmordon

 

[Western 52]

In the late 1980s there were through trains between North Wales and Hull, operated by class 150s!

 

[A S Leib]

There was one from York to barrow in Furness I seem to recall formed from a 158. It was definitely one of northerns longest journeys for sure

Another unique one was a Blackpool north to Wigan wallgate via Manchester vic and todmordon

The same route as the current Blackpool North – York east of Preston?

 

[Kite159]

There used to be a Ystrad Mynach - Cardiff Central service that skipped every stop between the two stations

I know TfW sometimes cancel stops on a train if it's (for example) running late but this service was booked to do it

A glorified ECS service, returning a unit to Cardiff after working an evening extra towards Ystrad. Similar to other non-stop services (Broxbourne - Liverpool Street & a Sunday morning Birmingham Snow Hill - Stratford Upon Avon which is first stop Stratford-U-A Parkway, skipping even Moor Street)

 

[Jock]

• TPE services going to Sunderland and Bridlington (~2004; I think under Arriva Northern branded as TPE)

I seem to remember there being 4 a day of these from York via the Durham Coast and back down the ECML from Newcastle (or was it vice versa, age hasn’t been kind to my brain!)

 

[JD2168]

There was a Northern 7:05pm from Bridlington to Sheffield via Hull that stopped at almost every stop on the route including via Rotherham Central.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

I can recall in 1998 or so the first Sunday service north through South Croydon to Victoria came from Redhill as opposed to Caterham and Tattenham Corner. Very unusual in those days.

 

[175001]

Leeds - Ellesmere Port until Dec 2022
Southport - Chester via Stockport on Sundays till about 2014?
Buxton - Manchester Victoria via the Ordsall Chord till May 2019ish
Leeds - Manchester Oxford Rd via Rochdale also till about 2019.

 

[12LDA28C]

Cross country used to run into Paddington. Stopped in the early 2000s after the collapse of the operation Princess timetable I believe.

How is that an 'unusual calling pattern'? CrossCountry (and BR before privatisation of course) ran trains from provincial cities into Paddington for decades yet people these days seem to believe that was some kind of oddity.

 

[cle]

Appears to two-hourly calls in the morning, then regular hourly calls until the evening peak, a three hour gap, then all call again. Southbound though only three Liverpool-Euston omitted Nuneaton, one early morning and two afternoon services.

That was based on 1998, but all years up to 2003 seem to be the same. I believe patterns changed first in 2004 with a more widespread rollout of the Pendolinos.

Tamworth and Lichfield both had way fewer fast calls in those days too and many routed via Birmingham. Service today is far better.

For a year or two pre-Covid, in the morning peak the Orpington/Bromley S-Victoria stoppers omitted one stop (of Kent House-West Dulwich but not in order) which was covered by a longer distance service. I presume this was to equalise loadings; ISTR this was done on the Catford Loop before that (nowadays it's just extra stops on the "fasts" which are poorly pathed).
Which takes me back to schooldays when from 1967 the Orpington-Victoria peak trains were fast from Kent House in - except for the one which stopped to set down a large number of pupils at West Dulwich at 0837(ish). A sensible decision!

Beckenham of course used to be a longer distance call, but I do remember both Herne Hill and Penge East having more 'outer' calls in my childhood.