Specific trains/services you miss

[NSE]

Is there an example of a specific individual service you miss? Me personally, the weekday 20:10 of KGX. Non-stop to St. Neots in 39 minutes. Only one of the day and guaranteed 365 traction. In summer time, lovely summer evening, cheeky beer from Waitrose. Loved it. Would love to hear of any other specific examples you miss.

 

[Halish Railway]

I miss the Saturdays only 158 on the Wharfedale line - The 09:02 from Leeds & 09:40 from Ilkley. It was just a nice bit of variety.

 

[xotGD]

The Bristol - Glasgow overnight.

A few pints in Cheltenham then catch it to Birmingham, banked up the Lickey.

 

[adamedwards]

Years ago, the 0717 from Nottingham to Glasgow and Edinburgh. 47 on the front. Interesting routes out of Nottingham and up to Sheffield. Run round fun and then a blast through the Peak District, Stockport and round to Victoria via Ashton Moss. Fab views from the early Aircon Mk2s.

 

[GW43125]

19:58 Brighton-Victoria. 12 car 387, empty until Gatwick, 10 minute connection at Clapham for my train home. And fast too, only 4 stops.
Similarly, 17:42 Brighton-Littlehampton. Fast after Worthing and you could really get some speed out of a 313 if the driver was hungry.
More unusually, when the Waterloo works were on and there was a fast train from Staines to Clapham every 15 minutes!
Another that's sprung to mind are the 1654, 1754 and 1854 Waterloo-Farnham via Hounslow (though I think the 1654 still runs). They were less than 5 minutes slower but also empty because all the people using Reading trains for a fast train to Richmond or Twickenham couldn't use this one, and (presumably) a not insignificant number of people would see "via Hounslow" and assume it was the all stations train.

 

[dodecahedron67]

AGES ago there used to be some peak SE services that came from the Kent coast and whose last stop before LBG was CIT. I’ve moved away now but a 7 year old me thought that getting a non-stop 375 to LBG was mint compared to the shoddy 465 stoppers.

After 10 years, the 465s have only got worse…

 

[martinsh]

1007 Crewe - Derby. Got me to Derby at 1125, just right for getting to suburban pubs around 12 ! I don't miss the 153s that used to run it though !

 

[bramling]

Is there an example of a specific individual service you miss? Me personally, the weekday 20:10 of KGX. Non-stop to St. Neots in 39 minutes. Only one of the day and guaranteed 365 traction. In summer time, lovely summer evening, cheeky beer from Waitrose. Loved it. Would love to hear of any other specific examples you miss.

2154 King’s Cross to Letchworth was another delight. Likewise a pair of 365s, not booked to call at Finsbury Park (always preferable especially with an Arsenal match on), and generally fairly lightly loaded towards the front.

 

[brad465]

AGES ago there used to be some peak SE services that came from the Kent coast and whose last stop before LBG was CIT. I’ve moved away now but a 7 year old me thought that getting a non-stop 375 to LBG was mint compared to the shoddy 465 stoppers.

After 10 years, the 465s have only got worse…

When there's engineering work between Orpington/Sevenoaks and Tonbridge, there are Ashford and beyond services which run non-stop between LBG and Chislehurst, before going along the Maidstone East line on diversion. This has happened this year, although the next incidence of this work type, over the 6-7th November next month, seems to run straight to/from Otford without a CIT call.

Personally Networkers through Maidstone was always something I enjoyed, both on the Maidstone East line and Medway Valley lines. I used to do A-Level revision on Sunday afternoon train runs from BMS-MDE, when non-stop runs ran during the Rochester station relocation works in 2014, and pre-covid some evening peak workings were possible with them instead of 377s, whether the latter will return is debatable. On the Medway valley line 466s returned from mid-2018 until the end of 2019 before the PRM derogation came in.

 

[gingerheid]

I do miss the Glasgow - Bournemouth overnight service, with convenient stops in Oxford and Winchester. But only in an "I fully accept it was of a different world and can't possibly return" kind of way!

 

[Whistler40145]

My favourite was an early evening Blackpool North to Manchester Victoria 31 hauled service, called at Poulton-le-Fylde, Kirkham & Wesham, Chorley, Bolton and Salford Crescent, was great when the driver opened up thrashing through Preston.

 

[Ken H]

I miss the overnight services when a passenger coach was added to a mail/newspaper train. The York-Crewe mail for instance.
Did a Network South East day late 80's and caught the London Bridge - Deal vans. Had a mk 1 brake composite which was rammed. 73 haulage through the night. When the railways had some variety.

 

[yorksrob]

The evening HST at around 20:00/20:30 (it seemed to vary a fair bit) from St Pancras to Wakefield and Leeds. Used that for many a year.

 

[03_179]

The Brighton to Manchester/Scotland inter regionals

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

When Stafford had a Class 37-hauled service to Holyhead every 2 hours or so, in FNW latter days. It made going to the coast very easy and enjoyable. Not so convenient now, as two changes are usually required to even reach Rhyl.

 

[Llandudno]

Through trains from Llandudno to Manchester… or even to Chester would do!

 

[Iskra]

The Arriva Trains Northern Leeds-Glasgow semi-fast service.

37/68 short sets wherever they could be found.

 

[Mat17]

101s booked on Rose Hill Marple.

 

[D6975]

The summer weekday reliefs that we used to get in Bristol.

 

[306024]

The North Country Continental.
Harwich Parkeston Quay to Manchester and return, as discussed here:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/the-north-country-continental.202833/

 

[D6130]

The 01 00 Glasgow Queen Street-Oban passenger and news....all two coaches of it. Never used it, as it was non-stop Glasgow to Crianlarich, but it often used to wake me up as a kid with the class 29 opening-up after the 25 mph restriction round the reverse curves through the former Rhu station. Didn't take long to reach the 40 line limit (or perhaps slightly more?) with such a light load. When it reverted to class 27 haulage in about 1970-71, it was even noiser!

EDIT: I seem to have become an established member. That's worth a couple of Italian craft beers to celebrate!

 

[Ianno87]

101s booked on Rose Hill Marple.

304s/305s to Glossop.

 

[172007]

Heritage DMU's you could see where you where going as a passenger.

 

[Ianno87]

I was also missing the Metrolink T68s the other day. Purely for the nostalgia and the sounds etc.

 

[03_179]

47s on the TransPennine services through York.
47s on Adex's from Doncaster to London

 

[30907]

Am I the only one who expected the thread to be about trains you deliberately miss in order to travel on another (such as a rammed peak service - mine being the 1727 Charing Cross to Hayes about 40 years ago)?

Obviously I'm wrong - the opening post clearly means what everyone else has understood

 

[Sussex Ben]

17:32 London Bridge to Eastbourne. It was the only civilised way of getting back to Mid-Sussex after a long day in the city as all the other options involved trying to squash oneself onto a Thameslink service that was already full departing Blackfriars, something which is starting to happen on a more frequent basis now.

While the Thameslink Programme clearly has its benefits, it's done very little for those who travel south from London Bridge in the PM peak who can't now get a seat after their route moved from Southern to TL and we lost all the London Bridge starters.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

The 2135 Sheffield to Huddersfield. For those of us living at intermediate stations between Sheffield and Barnsley we have a half hourly service throughout the day but if you miss the 2102 the next one's not till 2231, followed by another train 7 minutes later! I did complain to Noirthern but they said the 2135 had been removed due to rostering issues, which basically suggests Northern run trains for the benefit of their staff rather than their passangers!

 

[AndrewE]

The Stockport - Stalybridge services. Used to be good for avoiding central Manchester and saving time too. Wouldn't work now as Staly gets passed by lots of trains anyway.
A

 

[Dr Day]

Direct services from Bristol to Manchester.