Specific trains/services you miss

[CW2]

2150 (later 2234) York - Shrewsbury, with a portion to Manchester Victoria, and balancing 2250 Shrewsbury - York. An excellent overnight out-and-back move to Stockport from York, either with a 40 or Deltic.

 

[Peter0124]

Direct services from Glasgow to Birmingham

 

[GW43125]

There used to be a couple of evening London Bridge-Tattenham runs which called at Norwood, East Croydon then Purley. Often a good opportunity to open up the booked 455 on the 70mph sections.

 

[greyman42]

A direct service from York to Oxford does not seem like too much to ask for.

 

[Wookiee]

Summer Saturday south coast inter-regionals. Coupled with the Area D Rover, they were brilliant.

 

[RichJF]

I miss the South Eastern CEPs that used to do London Bridge - Maidstone/Tunbridge Wells. I DO NOT miss the 508s.

Also miss the ultra fast Canterbury - Ashford - Tonbridge non stoppers. I used them for 7-8 months travelling to university and could get from door to door in rural Surrey in 1hr30! Then come 2010 & HS1 it doubled my journey back to rural Surrey.

Also miss the 319/387 days of Thameslink. The 1830 Blackfriars to Three Bridges in the back coach of a 387 with a nice beer on my own all the way to Redhill.

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.

I used to get the 1759 to Horsham (often the next train off the same platform). There used to be a crowd of 4/5 people who obviously worked together & often sat in the 1st class table of that train that I regularly saw. Once they were setting up an impromptu drinks party for a birthday. You weren't one of them were you????

 

[WideRanger]

The 1400 (ish) departure on Saturdays from Beeston to Nottingham in the late 1980s. It was a through train from Matlock, and was a dead cert for a prototype unit. My first rides on class 150 and 154, and my only rides on class 151, were on that train.

Happy, happy memories.

 

[yorksrob]

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

Was that the Lewisham avoider ?

I miss the South Eastern CEPs that used to do London Bridge - Maidstone/Tunbridge Wells. I DO NOT miss the 508s.

Also miss the ultra fast Canterbury - Ashford - Tonbridge non stoppers. I used them for 7-8 months travelling to university and could get from door to door in rural Surrey in 1hr30! Then come 2010 & HS1 it doubled my journey back to rural Surrey.

Also miss the 319/387 days of Thameslink. The 1830 Blackfriars to Three Bridges in the back coach of a 387 with a nice beer on my own all the way to Redhill.



I used to get the 1759 to Horsham (often the next train off the same platform). There used to be a crowd of 4/5 people who obviously worked together & often sat in the 1st class table of that train that I regularly saw. Once they were setting up an impromptu drinks party for a birthday. You weren't one of them were you????

Yes, definitely miss the fast services from Ashford to Charing Cross.

 

[Sussex Ben]

I used to get the 1759 to Horsham (often the next train off the same platform). There used to be a crowd of 4/5 people who obviously worked together & often sat in the 1st class table of that train that I regularly saw. Once they were setting up an impromptu drinks party for a birthday. You weren't one of them were you????

Not guilty, although until the pandemic started there was a group sat in my coach most days who would have their own little party towards the end of each week!

 

[OliverH68]

There used to be a couple of evening London Bridge-Tattenham runs which called at Norwood, East Croydon then Purley. Often a good opportunity to open up the booked 455 on the 70mph sections.

Or even just the faster 1G London - Tattenham trains that used to run! I do miss having a direct connection to Charing Cross though.

It would be nice to see a return of the peak Victoria - Caterham/Tattenham trains too.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

Or even just the faster 1G London - Tattenham trains that used to run! I do miss having a direct connection to Charing Cross though.

It would be nice to see a return of the peak Victoria - Caterham/Tattenham trains too.

I would expect the Victoria - Caterham/Tattenham trains to be some of the last to return, if they do even return sadly.

 

[43055]

Just a hourly Derby - Crewe service.

 

[6Gman]

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.

I was going to suggest the York Mail.

 

[NorthWestRover]

2150 (later 2234) York - Shrewsbury, with a portion to Manchester Victoria, and balancing 2250 Shrewsbury - York. An excellent overnight out-and-back move to Stockport from York, either with a 40 or Deltic.

In a similar vein, the classic Bangor diagram (1D34, 1J30, 1D21, 1J31) from Manchester Victoria to Bangor and back x 2, steam heat, compartment Mk1s, 40-hauled.

 

[LowLevel]

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.

1D69 and 1F70 were the two - about 1930 via Nottingham and the Erewash as a slower train and about 2000 (latterly 1955) was the express via Derby. 1F70 was a very popular train that was often full as a full length HST.

I used to love working evening shifts as platform staff on the down side at Leicester. Things would start to get busy at about 4pm. The regular HSTs hourly at about 1630, 1730 and 1830 to Nottingham, then a flurry of 3 at 1925, 1934 and 1945 to Derby via Nottingham, Leeds via Nottingham and Sheffield via Derby, then the 2054 Leeds via Nottingham and 2104 Leeds via Sheffield.

Happy times plodding through the afternoon. It never felt like they'd be gone.

 

[NSE]

Nice replies. Yeah I grew up around Slammers but only in South London so never long runs. Would love to have had some long speed runs fast to Ashford or Southampton. I’m also a fan of the 16:40 from Cambridge to Liverpool St. fast from Audley End to Tottenham Hale. Always empty and always a cheap advance ticket and (pre covid) guaranteed 379. Always liked that one.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

I also very much miss direct intercity services from the south west to the north west (excluding Manchester.) That’s long been a major hole in our network (even pre-Covid) and one that should be rectified at the earliest practical opportunity. I don’t buy for a moment that Bristol requires an hourly service to Stoke, Macclesfield, Stockport and Manchester, but nothing to Crewe, Warrington, Liverpool, Preston and Carlisle, or that travellers to Glasgow are happy to make a tour of the north east, and pay through the nose for it.

 

[yorksrob]

1D69 and 1F70 were the two - about 1930 via Nottingham and the Erewash as a slower train and about 2000 (latterly 1955) was the express via Derby. 1F70 was a very popular train that was often full as a full length HST.

I used to love working evening shifts as platform staff on the down side at Leicester. Things would start to get busy at about 4pm. The regular HSTs hourly at about 1630, 1730 and 1830 to Nottingham, then a flurry of 3 at 1925, 1934 and 1945 to Derby via Nottingham, Leeds via Nottingham and Sheffield via Derby, then the 2054 Leeds via Nottingham and 2104 Leeds via Sheffield.

Happy times plodding through the afternoon. It never felt like they'd be gone.

Yes, I enjoyed drifting through Leicester in my armchair. Many would leave the train - few would get on.

Superb way to travel.

 

[hexagon789]

The 'Clanny'...

 

[NorthKent1989]

I miss the old Woolwich semi fasts to Gillingham, since replaced by the so slow it’s almost point Luton to Rainham Thameslink service.

I recall an old peak hour service that after London Bridge called at Greenwich, Woolwich Arsenal, Abbey Wood, Dartford, Gravesend then onto Gillingham, the semi fasts were always faster via Greenwich than via Blackheath.

 

[Ken H]

The 'Clanny'...

uptick.

 

[JRT]

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

Stockport–Stalybridge was useful when the Transpennine originally only ran via Manchester Victoria, then when services were diverted to run via Manchester Piccadilly, the ptb said it was easier to change once at Piccadilly rather than twice. However in more recent years the faster Transpennines run via Victoria but no return of the link.

 

[Bald Rick]

1630 Euston - Glasgow, first stop Preston...

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The old evening Leeds to Sheffield via Huddersfield service. Living in the "Heavy Woollen District" and with family in the Denby Dale area, that through service would be very useful to me.

 

[Fyldeboy]

6:07 weekday Bristol TM to Liverpool

Used to work it all the way through (catering) and had enough time at Lime St for a cheeky breakfast in the nearby Taxi-Drivers Rest

 

[D6130]

1M20, 10 10 Glasgow Central-Euston and 1S57, 09 45 Euston-Glasgow Central - The Royal Scot. 5 hours flat with an 87 and load 9, calling at Preston and Carlisle only.

 

[D9006]

33s out of London Bridge to East Grinstead and one to Uckfield a complete contrast to the EMU dominated scene

 

[LowLevel]

6:07 weekday Bristol TM to Liverpool

Used to work it all the way through (catering) and had enough time at Lime St for a cheeky breakfast in the nearby Taxi-Drivers Rest

Lime Street 24/7 cafe, a much missed institution in itself where worlds collided. Alcoholics, students, railway workers, taxi drivers and everyone else all grabbing some tea and breakfast at some horrific hour of the day.

Usual plague of gentrification, it's been demolished and replaced with student accommodation.

 

[AJS90]

The 0738 Hednesford to Birmingham. Used to be the only service of the day to skip stops north of Walsall. It was annoying stopping at every station south of Walsall, but it broke up an otherwise 40 gap between arrivals at New Street in the morning peak.

It’s started at Walsall since Dec 2011. Withdrawing it and adding an extra carriage to the following service was a poor substitute, although a necessary one at the time due to a dire shortage of LM 170’s.

 

[30907]

Was that the Lewisham avoider ?

Yes, all the peak CHX-Mid Kent ran via the Ladywell Loop then and seemed to be busier (mornings as well) than the CST services via Lewisham.