Trivia: Areas that a class 158 have never been on.

[Gaelan]

In fact, I think that might still be diagrammed - looking at Real Time Trains shows that service, the 20.19 from Glasgow, was a 158 on four occasions this week and a 385 on only one day.

Could this be a traction knowledge thing?

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Have 158s ever worked Crewe to Derby via Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester Piccadilly to Stoke-on-Trent via Macclesfield?

As noted above Crewe - Derby yes, I have often seen them on that route.
Picc / Stoke / Crewe used to be a diversionary route for Manchester - Cardiff trains until relatively recently.

Could this be a traction knowledge thing?

Or a maintenance changeover to Haymarket?

 

[Lewisham2221]

As noted above Crewe - Derby yes, I have often seen them on that route.
Picc / Stoke / Crewe used to be a diversionary route for Manchester - Cardiff trains until relatively recently.

They were fairly common on the Crewe-Derby services under both Central Trains and East Midlands Trains, until the latter settled for the dreaded single 153s. They still occasionally appear under East Midlands Railway.

I seem to recall travelling on a 158 from Birmingham to Stoke-on-Trent (continuing, I think, to Manchester Piccadilly via Macclesfield). I think it was a cross country service, roughly around the time of privatisation.

 

[dtin]

Did the express sprinters ever to Bristol to Weymouth on Wessex Trains/First Great Western?

 

[Strathclyder]

This still happens on occasion; 158 733 was at Glasgow Central on an Edinburgh service only yesterday evening ( 15th June ).

In fact, I think that might still be diagrammed - looking at Real Time Trains shows that service, the 20.19 from Glasgow, was a 158 on four occasions this week and a 385 on only one day.

A 158 still appears to be diagrammed for a late night Edinburgh - Motherwell via Carstairs & Wishaw service (the 2313 departure), stabling at Motherwell overnight before working a return service to Edinburgh via Shotts (the 0559 departure from Motherwell) the following morning, which gets it back to Edinburgh for services to Perth etc. 158732 did this circuit on 14th-15th June.

Or a maintenance changeover to Haymarket?

I suspect this is the most likely reason aside from maintaining route/traction knowledge: a maintanance swap between Haymarket & Corkerhill.

 

[JN114]

Did the express sprinters ever to Bristol to Weymouth on Wessex Trains/First Great Western?

Routinely, and still do

 

[43095john]

Penistone Line
ECML Between Dunbar - Chathill?

Pensitone line had booked 158 work before the 150/0s

Chathill - Dunbar has seen 158s before ,when Scotrail transferred theirs to Northern they came down the ECML

 

[170TurboFan]

It looks like 158s have never operated on the Bittern, East Suffolk and Felixstowe branch lines in East Anglia. They did occasionally turn up at Great Yarmouth on summer services in the 1990s, while there was an early morning Lowestoft to Norwich service booked for an EMR 158 for a fair portion of the 2010s.

I don't think 158s have ever run on the London Tilbury and Southend, in addition to all of the GEML branches mentioned earlier.

158s have done Bittern line before, recall 158773 doing it back in 2019

 

[py_megapixel]

Have they ever done the short section between Manchester Airport and Wilmslow (or between Heald Green and Wilmslow bypassing the Airport)?

In a similar part of the world, have they ever been between Cheadle Hulme and Kidsgrove?

 

[SuperLuke2334]

Have they ever done the short section between Manchester Airport and Wilmslow (or between Heald Green and Wilmslow bypassing the Airport)?

In a similar part of the world, have they ever been between Cheadle Hulme and Kidsgrove?

1st part is very likely, as TfW use that as a diversionary / avoiding route.

 

[Topological]

Have they ever done the short section between Manchester Airport and Wilmslow (or between Heald Green and Wilmslow bypassing the Airport)?

In a similar part of the world, have they ever been between Cheadle Hulme and Kidsgrove?

What is essentially Manchester Piccadilly to Birmingham via Stoke-on-Trent comes up alot. Cross Country used 158s on services from Manchester in the early 2000s. I have travelled on one to Portsmouth. These were via Stoke and hence cover Cheadle Hulme to Kidsgrove. I think there is a discussion of them earlier in the thread.

 

[py_megapixel]

What is essentially Manchester Piccadilly to Birmingham via Stoke-on-Trent comes up alot. Cross Country used 158s on services from Manchester in the early 2000s. I have travelled on one to Portsmouth. These were via Stoke and hence cover Cheadle Hulme to Kidsgrove. I think there is a discussion of them earlier in the thread.

I see, thanks.

I was indeed thinking of MAN-SOT-BHM. I specifically picked out the section Cheadle Hulme to Kidsgrove because I know they've been from Manchester to Cheadle Hulme substituting for 175s with Arriva Wales and TfW, and also to Kidsgrove with East Midlands. Didn't know they'd also been on those Cross Country services.

 

[dk1]

I see, thanks.

I was indeed thinking of MAN-SOT-BHM. I specifically picked out the section Cheadle Hulme to Kidsgrove because I know they've been from Manchester to Cheadle Hulme substituting for 175s with Arriva Wales and TfW, and also to Kidsgrove with East Midlands. Didn't know they'd also been on those Cross Country services.

One of those was 158747 that was used by VXC promoting the airport link. None of them received any Virgin branding however.