Rolling stock that you regret not riding

[fowler9]

Never rode a 304, bagged 303s and 305s to Glossop though.

On the old Merseyrail units, my memory was saying 503s were Wirral and 502s were Northern line... but I claim no authority on that. I've heard some say that the Wirral units aged more gracefully, and were more presentable than the ones on the Lancashire (of old) side of the Mersey. I vaguely recall thinking the train on the 'Liverpool Underground' was fancy, though sliding doors would've been a novelty to me then!

Yeah sorry mate, I think I got them the wrong way around. 502's and 503's I mean. The 304's were good fun, very bouncy, ha ha. We occasionally got a 303 and also the odd 310 on Liverpool to Birminghams.

 

[bastien]

At Rogart station they have some MK2 First Class compartment stock that they've converted into hostel accommodation. I think they were used on the Waterloo to Exeter services, as they still have the Eddie Pond NSE murals in place. They must have been lush to travel on, the compartments are huge!

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Yeah sorry mate, I think I got them the wrong way around. 502's and 503's I mean. The 304's were good fun, very bouncy, ha ha. We occasionally got a 303 and also the odd 310 on Liverpool to Birminghams.

Those old Merseyrail units were superb - hand waxed apparently , with superb comfy seats and wood panelling.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I wish I could have caught a late night newspaper train somewhere, preferably in a careworn mk1 carriage.

As well as the novelty, the idea of catching a train late at night and arriving in the early morning holds a lot of appeal (not least not needing to shell out for a hotel).

You also got free newspapers - and "interesting" company on some routes.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

At Rogart station they have some MK2 First Class compartment stock that they've converted into hostel accommodation. I think they were used on the Waterloo to Exeter services, as they still have the Eddie Pond NSE murals in place. They must have been lush to travel on, the compartments are huge!

Presumably better on up services, assuming that the policy of First Class at the London end (aka Operation Gout Relief) was applied on NSE. A 33 or 50 thrashing a few metres away, droplights fully opened...

Was taken in the front carriage of a down service from Waterloo to Woking when I was a kid of about 6. A compartment but that's as much as I can recall so could have been any number of things. There was definitely a loco on the front (which is why one of my cousins had insisted that we walk right to the front at Waterloo!) so rules out the standard 42x slammers of the period*. So could've been LHCS (mk1 or mk2) or (if driving cars of 4-TCs had compartments in c.1988/9) the Basingstoke splitters (33+438+423: 33+TC to Salisbury, 423 to some godforsaken place on the South coast ) often mentioned on these fora...
Wish I'd been older so I could remember it more clearly!

*= Unless there'd been a power outage (planned or otherwise) and my uncle had his internal Waterloo Commuter hat on to get a party of 11 (4 adults) through the Saturday teatime chaos relatively unscathed!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Yeah sorry mate, I think I got them the wrong way around. 502's and 503's I mean. The 304's were good fun, very bouncy, ha ha. We occasionally got a 303 and also the odd 310 on Liverpool to Birminghams.

As I said, I'm no expert on the units... think one of the bigger differences were that one was a bit wider than the other. No idea which was which though!

 

[6Gman]

Yeah sorry mate, I think I got them the wrong way around. 502's and 503's I mean. The 304's were good fun, very bouncy, ha ha. We occasionally got a 303 and also the odd 310 on Liverpool to Birminghams.

The 304s were - as you say - distinctly lively! There was a weird early morning Crewe - Birmingham service which used a 304; boy was it rough when it got to top speed! And lots of complaints when one substituted for a 310 on the Manchester - Birmingham service.

 

[6Gman]

Class 101's and other 1st generation DMU's on the main line would be on the top of my list.

You really don't.

Believe me.

You really don't.

 

[6Gman]

Wish I'd been on 310's and 312's more often, they were such great trains. I remember them with LTS rail (pre- c2c) and FGE. I believe the 312's had more life in them by the time they were withdrawn, they could have been kept until at least the beginning of this decade. I'm hoping to try grab a ride on a Pacer (142) before they are withdrawn at some point to wonder why people complain about them so much.

Try Manchester to Rose Hill (Marple). You'll soon find out.

 

[AJM580]

Can't really think of anything that I really regret not doing as in contrast to most posters on here, I've had the likes of Deltics on the mainline, first gen units (101,105 etc) as well as 20s,25s,31s,33s,37s,40s,45s,50s,73s on the main line. Of the locos/units seen the ones that got away that would have been nice were the Calder Valley 110s and the Trans Pennine units. By the time I got to Scotland, the 26s and 27s had gone - would have liked them. Other than that I remain pretty satisfied with the stuff I've had in the UK and Ireland

 

[yorksrob]

You also got free newspapers - and "interesting" company on some routes.

Assuming these were generally compartment carriages, at least one could choose another one !

 

[50039]

I was lucky enough to travel on the APT-P, plenty of 50s, and loads of other loco-hauled stuff, most if not all AC electrics, but what it regret missing was the end of the Deltics..

 

[xotGD]

The 304s were - as you say - distinctly lively! There was a weird early morning Crewe - Birmingham service which used a 304; boy was it rough when it got to top speed! And lots of complaints when one substituted for a 310 on the Manchester - Birmingham service.

I had plenty of 304s on short hops around the West Midlands but also had one New St - Liverpool. I was a bit miffed as I had assumed that the service would have been loco-hauled. In contrast, the train back was an 87 on aircons. We used to refer to the 304s as 'dinosaur units', presumably due to their prehistoric appearance compared to the more modern stock of the time.

 

[WatcherZero]

The Class 101's other side of Manchester, never heard about them till they were gone.

 

[Cowley]

I started bashing in the 80s and was quite lucky in that I’ve been behind classes 20/31/33/37/45/47/50/73/81/85/86/87/90/91 on everyday services, plus plenty of 1st gen DMUs and EMUs, including 302/303/304/309/310/312, 4SUBS, EPB,s, REPs and lots of 101s - 122s etc.
I’ve also been on railtours with D200 and D1015.

I wish upon wish though that I’d got my a*se in gear to do one of the Virgin D9000 runs to Ramsgate in the 90s. I seriously considered it and just didn’t get it together...
I also wish that I’d sought out a Hastings Unit, although I have been on 205s on the mainline and still have the option to get a 6H on a railtour at some point thankfully.
I’ve never had a type 2 on the mainline which is something I regret - a pair of 24s/25s on the Cambrian please (if anyone invents a working Flux Capacitor at some point), and don’t even get me started on Hydraulics!

Oh and the APT. I’d have taken some seasickness tablets and very much enjoyed the ride though the Lune Gorge.

 

[keith1879]

You really don't.

Believe me.

You really don't.

Actually a DMU on good track could be a very enjoyable ride - i remember being on a "stopping" service on the ECML from Thirsk to York after dark sitting behind the driver watching the signals stretching away in front of us .....about 1962 I should think.

 

[bramling]

Any rolling stock that you wish you rode more before they were withdrawn?

For me, I wish that I rode the A Stock more before they came off the Metropolitan line - I still remember waiting for an S Stock as they were being introduced while countless A Stock went by. I also don't remember riding the 465/1s before they were remotored, even though I remember the 465/2s, so wish I rode one of those instead.

Classes 303, 502, 503, 504, also 2HAP/4CAP. Also out of curiousity I'd like to have had one journey on a class 141.

Also class 105. Actually I may well have been on these as a child, but too young to remember.

 

[jonesy3001]

the 309s when they operated the piccadilly- manchester airport shuttle when the line first opened apart from that i`ve been on every class in the manchester area.

 

[delt1c]

Actually a DMU on good track could be a very enjoyable ride - i remember being on a "stopping" service on the ECML from Thirsk to York after dark sitting behind the driver watching the signals stretching away in front of us .....about 1962 I should think.

The view was good but the ride quality was anything but good, especially over pointwork ( seatbelts would have been good) , then there was the added irritation in the motor cars of exhaust fumes in the saloon stinging your eyes, as if that wasn't enough if it was a cravens you had GBH of the earholes from the vibration noise of interior fittings. For a nostalgic point of view good, but everyday commuting a paid for nightmare

 

[jimm]

Presumably better on up services, assuming that the policy of First Class at the London end (aka Operation Gout Relief) was applied on NSE. A 33 or 50 thrashing a few metres away, droplights fully opened...

First class coaches were always towards the middle of the formations on Waterloo-Exeters in the late 80s and early 90s when I lived in Devon, with two or three TSOs at the ends. See http://hondawanderer.com/50030_Milborne_Wick_1991.htm

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Assuming these were generally compartment carriages, at least one could choose another one !

The down South Wales sleeper / paper and parcel train had a brake second comportment vehicle near the front. Shall we say it carried to Reading some "workers" home bound from the streets of London.

 

[yorksrob]

The down South Wales sleeper / paper and parcel train had a brake second comportment vehicle near the front. Shall we say it carried to Reading some "workers" home bound from the streets of London.

Well, that's Reading for you.

 

[Essexman]

One off HST that was run on the LTS through Upminster in the 70s. We didn't bother but wished we had when we read that it had run at higher speeds than usual on LTS.

 

[faltskog36abba]

Class 504 bury electrics /These trains had an almost turn up and go timetable-Every 10-15 minute frequency.

 

[Welshman]

Actually a DMU on good track could be a very enjoyable ride - i remember being on a "stopping" service on the ECML from Thirsk to York after dark sitting behind the driver watching the signals stretching away in front of us .....about 1962 I should think.

I agree.
I remember going from York to Darlington sometime in the early 1970s, when the train from London was late, due to, I think, and engine failure. York had a 4-car Met.Cam. dmu, found a spare driver and guard, and organised a special to Newcastle at short notice [all credit to them].
True, we didn't get much above 70mph, but the noise from the engines as they were thrashed continually down the main line was quite some thing! And, being on cwr, the ride was acceptable.

 

[Welshman]

The down South Wales sleeper / paper and parcel train had a brake second comportment vehicle near the front. Shall we say it carried to Reading some "workers" home bound from the streets of London.

And did they, as is the wont of some commuters, try to get a bit of work done on the train?

 

[yorksrob]

There used to be a wonderfully lively section of track between Ashford and Wye which felt particularly "fast" on a slammer

 

[ChiefPlanner]

And did they, as is the wont of some commuters, try to get a bit of work done on the train?

There were "special offers" if trade had been slack , so I was told by a friend , who in the words of the News of the World , made his excuses and left for another compartment.

 

[yorksrob]

I suppose it was a train 'of the night' after all.

 

[Strathclyder]

Class 322s when they were with First ScotRail. In a similar vein, the 320/4s before they were refurbished. They just kept on eluding me and before I knew it, they were all 'Saltired'...