Scheduled LNER Flying Scotsman Branded Service

[MadCommuter]

Looking through the LNER May 2020 timetable, there is only a southbound Flying Scotsman branded service and no northbound. Anyone know anything to the contrary?

 

[Tetchytyke]

That's always been the case IIRC. There isn't a down train which runs non-stop to Newcastle, it's just the morning up train.

 

[MadCommuter]

That's always been the case IIRC. There isn't a down train which runs non-stop to Newcastle, it's just the morning up train.

My father tells me that historically the 10.00 off the Cross used to be the FS - but this is going back a few decades. He is interested in the current situation so thanks for your reply.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Historically it was the 10am from London and from Edinburgh. But these days the branded train is the one from Edinburgh in a morning that only stops at Newcastle.

 

[Buggleskelly]

Apparently East Coast did away with the Flying Scotsman 10am northbound not long after taking control of the franchise. I remember taking the 10am northbound towards the end of January '09 and it definitely highlighted it as the Flying Scotsman service on the destination boards, this was during the NXEC days.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Apparently East Coast did away with the Flying Scotsman 10am northbound not long after taking control of the franchise.

I think so, yes, though the "named" trains had really only existed on paper for a very long time. They sometimes got a mention on station displays and the paper destination plates in the window mentioned it, but otherwise nothing. IIRC the Highland Chieftain and the Northern Lights went at the same time.

 

[WesternLancer]

I think so, yes, though the "named" trains had really only existed on paper for a very long time. They sometimes got a mention on station displays and the paper destination plates in the window mentioned it, but otherwise nothing. IIRC the Highland Chieftain and the Northern Lights went at the same time.

Was that East Coast as in DoR East Coast that dropped it, after Nat Express East Coast, and before VTEC? Or did LNER drop it?

Given the 'brand recognition' for at least that one train I do find it odd that ToC don't make the most of what they have. Even if it's not a 'big thing' any more.

 

[Buggleskelly]

Was that East Coast as in DoR East Coast that dropped it, after Nat Express East Coast, and before VTEC? Or did LNER drop it?

Given the 'brand recognition' for at least that one train I do find it odd that ToC don't make the most of what they have. Even if it's not a 'big thing' any more.

Yep, DoR aka East Coast dropped it. I did tweet LNER on restoring the 10am northbound not long after they "regained" the ECML. They did say they were looking at the possibility of restoring the northbound service, but there's been no talk of it since. In the comments by others is where I heard about East Coast dropping the name from the 10am northbound in 2011 with the timetable change.

 

[WesternLancer]

Yep, DoR aka East Coast dropped it. I did tweet LNER on restoring the 10am northbound not long after they "regained" the ECML. They did say they were looking at the possibility of restoring the northbound service, but there's been no talk of it since. In the comments by others is where I heard about East Coast dropping the name from the 10am northbound in 2011 with the timetable change.

Thanks

 

[SteveM70]

Why was it always the Flying Scotsman in both directions? Surely one should have been the Flying Englishman?

 

[Tetchytyke]

Was that East Coast as in DoR East Coast that dropped it

Yeah, it was when they brought in the more standard timetable pattern. In fairness, with the new timetable there was nothing special about the 10am compared to the 9am, 11am, 12 noon, etc, and the named trains really had only existed on paper for a very very long time.

 

[ainsworth74]

Yeah, it was when they brought in the more standard timetable pattern. In fairness, with the new timetable there was nothing special about the 10am compared to the 9am, 11am, 12 noon, etc, and the named trains really had only existed on paper for a very very long time.

I'm not even sure it had been branded at that point! It existed in the timetable perhaps but I seem to recall one of the reasons the introduction of the southbound was a "big event" was because they were bringing the name back after a fair gap in usage!

I was incorrect post to follow with more info.

With thanks to DP Simulation and their stockpile of old timetables (here) prior to the May 2011 timetable change (Project Eureka) it appears that the 1000 off Kings Cross was still the northbound Flying Scotsman however it wasn't what I'd describe as "flying"!

King's Cross	1000
Peterborough	1045
York	1155
Darlington	1226
Newcastle	1257
Edinburgh	1425

Whilst southbound it had moved to the 1150 from Glasgow Central:

Glasgow	1150
Motherwell	1206
Haymarket	1249
Edinburgh	1300
Berwick	1339
Newcastle	1434
Darlington	1502
York	1535
Doncaster	1600
Peterborough	1648
King's Cross	1729

Obviously with Eureka it changed to just the southbound at 0540 from Edinburgh with the single call at Newcastle (d 0703) arriving into Kings Cross at 0940 (theoretically!). So, to be fair, it went from being two fairly unremarkable trains to actually being given to a train which is at least a bit out of the ordinary! As an aside the 1000 from Kings Cross also became the Northern Lights and terminated at Aberdeen from the May 2011 timetable.

 

[Bald Rick]

And of course it hasn’t run since March, and won’t again until at least December.