Stranraer to Edinburgh 1980's

[102 fan]

I know some Stranraer services in the 80's ran to Carlisle then Newcastle, but if a passenger wished to go to Edinburgh, was a change at Ayr required, for a Glasgow service?

 

[Magdalia]

The Stranraer-Newcastle and return only started in 1989 with the introduction of Sprinters. West of Carlisle they took over paths that had been previously used by loco hauled through trains to and from Euston.

Throughout the 1980s there were through trains Stranraer-Glasgow Central, usually 3 a day on weekdays, connecting with sailings to and from Northern Ireland.

 

[APT618S]

The Stranraer-Newcastle and return only started in 1989 with the introduction of Sprinters.

If you go back in history (admittedly before the 1980s as per the OP question). There was a Stranraer to Newcastle Boat train. According to Derby Sulzers in 1960:
"For those Type 2's that made the journey to Carlisle on the 8.35pm parcels they were soon requisitioned to work back on the Stranraer - Newcastle boat train, D5103 so noted on August 10th 1960."
Source:

gateshead depot 52A GD

Unsure what the route would be. Would it have gone by the now closed line through Castle Douglas ?

 

[hexagon789]

I know some Stranraer services in the 80's ran to Carlisle then Newcastle, but if a passenger wished to go to Edinburgh, was a change at Ayr required, for a Glasgow service?

Yes, that would be the quickest way of doing it, going via Carlisle and Newcastle would add hours.

For a brief period in early Sprinterisation there was a direct Edinburgh-Stranraer boat train running via Shotts and using a 156.

Unsure what the route would be. Would it have gone by the now closed line through Castle Douglas ?

Yes it did, the service was summer only and named (at least in the early 1960s) the Stranraer-Larne Boat Train

 

[Magdalia]

If you go back in history (admittedly before the 1980s as per the OP question). There was a Stranraer to Newcastle Boat train. According to Derby Sulzers in 1960:
"For those Type 2's that made the journey to Carlisle on the 8.35pm parcels they were soon requisitioned to work back on the Stranraer - Newcastle boat train, D5103 so noted on August 10th 1960."
Source:

gateshead depot 52A GD

Unsure what the route would be. Would it have gone by the now closed line through Castle Douglas ?

Thanks, I'd forgotten that, though I had remembered the summer Saturday Newcastle-Ayr and return (there was a Butlins at Ayr).

 

[CW2]

In the 1980s there was also a Fridays Only Glasgow - Stranraer, forming 01:20 SO Stranraer - Blackpool via Ayr, Carlisle and Preston, returning Saturday pm from Blackpool North to Stranraer, then back to Glasgow Central.
Originally in the late 70s this train originated from Blackpool on Friday evening and went to Stranraer, then back in the same path at 01:20 / 01:35 to Blackpool.
The main users were Ulster families coming to Blackpool for their summer holidays.
I became very closely acquainted with these trains as (when starting from Blackpool) they were booked a 40 to Preston, a Roarer to Carlisle, and another 40 to Stranraer and return. This was the ideal high-mileage Friday overnight, dropping you straight back into the North West whirlpool after a good night's sleep first thing Saturday morning.
(Slightly off-topic, apologies).

 

[Gloster]

If you go back in history (admittedly before the 1980s as per the OP question). There was a Stranraer to Newcastle Boat train. According to Derby Sulzers in 1960:
"For those Type 2's that made the journey to Carlisle on the 8.35pm parcels they were soon requisitioned to work back on the Stranraer - Newcastle boat train, D5103 so noted on August 10th 1960."
Source:

gateshead depot 52A GD

Unsure what the route would be. Would it have gone by the now closed line through Castle Douglas ?

A look on Timetable World, which has the timetable for 17 June to 8 September suggests the following workings, that were summer only.

From Stranraer there was a 21.30 Fridays-Only with Through Coaches to Newcastle that ran throughout and ran additionally on Saturdays 27 July, 3 and 10 August. There was a 13.40 Saturdays-Only, also with Through Coaches, that started on 13 July.

There was a 01.05 on Saturdays-Only from Carlisle, with Through Coaches at 23.30 (Fridays) from Newcastle, that ran until 24 August. A 11.17 Saturdays-Only from Carlisle with Through Coaches from Newcastle (09.32) ran 6 July to 31 August.

The daytime trains were roughly in the times of ones that ran on other days. The odd unbalanced dates may be why the Sulzer got used. The pattern suggests that the bulk of the passengers were travelling from the North-East for one or two weeks holiday in Ireland.

 

[Harvester]

If you go back in history (admittedly before the 1980s as per the OP question). There was a Stranraer to Newcastle Boat train. According to Derby Sulzers in 1960:

Travelled back to Newcastle from Carlisle on it twice in 1962, and once in 1963. It was SO during the summer timetable and departed from Carlisle at 17:00 hrs. On each occasion a Clan brought it into Carlisle from Stranraer (dep 13:40), then a Type 2 (28/7/62), an A3 (25/8/62) and a V2 (27/7/63) took over.