The Midnight Train...?

[2192]

Nothing romantic about Wolverhampton

Nor Euston

 

[najaB]

In a nutshell then: if using the 24 hour clock: 00.00 and 24.00 are 'correct' times for midnight

There is no 24:00.

 

[LA50041]

There is no 24:00.

There is if you use some train planning software, along with 25:00/26:00 etc

 

[najaB]

There is if you use some train planning software, along with 25:00/26:00 etc

Oh, that I know. But it doesn't exist in the standard 24-hour clock.

 

[Spartacus]

There is if you use some train planning software, along with 25:00/26:00 etc

Using some train planning software you can make trains travel back in time!

 

[XAM2175]

There is no 24:00.

There can, however, be a 23:59:60

 

[D6975]

I wish I could remember which was which, but one of the three Paddington-Penzance trains (Postal, News and sleeper) was the Waker and another the Owl.

PNZ - PAD sleeper is the up waker
PAD - PNZ sleeper is the down waker.

That's what they're known as in my neck of the woods, although they frequently don't run via TM any more, and even when they do it's not an advertised stop.

 

[47827]

PNZ - PAD sleeper is the up waker
PAD - PNZ sleeper is the down waker.

That's what they're known as in my neck of the woods, although they frequently don't run via TM any more, and even when they do it's not an advertised stop.

When they did stop it was often just people following the engines swapping trains and only small volumes of normal passengers. The stop made a comeback for just a few years after a long spell of spell of it only being available at the discretion of the guards. There were certainly a high percentage that were happy to assist in the 90s when it was for crewing only especially at the time Paddington were still involved and a select few swapped onto the turn.

 

[D6975]

In the 80s the sleepers were booked stops at TM, down about 02:20. up about 03:30. Many a trip started for me with the up to Pad for the 07:00 Aberdeen off the Cross. Back in those days 10/12 buffet was open all night.

 

[47827]

In the 80s the sleepers were booked stops at TM, down about 02:20. up about 03:30. Many a trip started for me with the up to Pad for the 07:00 Aberdeen off the Cross. Back in those days 10/12 buffet was open all night.

Numerous occasions doing the down sleeper off Paddington (Waterloo for a while too) to Bristol for the up one back to London or Reading for either service trains or railtours (on a few occasions). Done it the other way around too, albeit not as often. Preferred getting up in Cornwall with the more limited options to graveyard arrival times into the capital. Never did a berth on the GW ones in the decade I used them though. The pre refurb BSOs with BR interiors were by far the best option for sleep if not overcrowded. Everything with armrests that followed or the ex commuter coaches next door (pre and post refurb) were no good on such post midnight journeys. By doing these trains it was sometimes possible to top a thousand miles in a day with ease.

 

[Dstock7080]

Some Bakerloo Line trains have a public departure / arrival time of 00:00 when running on National Rail track as found on TfL website, including two departing North Wembley at 00:00 in both directions, and one departing 00:00 Queens Park to Elephant & Castle.

The LU Working Timetable shows the Queen's Park arrival as 23.59½ and departure at 24.00 to Elephant

 

[Oxfordblues]

There is a "midnight" train to Georgia: Train 38 departs Baku in Azerbaijan every night at 20:40 arriving at Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, at 08:55. It conveys sleeping-cars and couchettes. (Details: Seat-61 Caucasus pages and "Cookbook" Table 1995)