Trivia - Furthest you've seen someone carried beyond their intended stop

[adamedwards]

Back in the pre-Pendolino days I boarded the 16:20 from Preston to London. We set off and the guard was rapidly round checking tickets. Two men had got on for Wigan, except the 16:20 was first stop Euston! To add to their woes we crawled through Wigan at 5mph and then were diverted via Bescot, so an hour late in to Euston. I think there was a last train back they might have caught. Must have taken some explaining when they got home around midnight.
Any similar stories?

 

[Class800]

Furthest I've over carried myself - Woolwich Arsenal to Abbey Wood

 

[Ianno87]

Somebody who wanted to get off at Stoke on Trent having an unplanned trip to Watford Junction.

A former colleague got on the wrong train at Euston and instead of Milton Keynes ended up in... Warrington.


I think I've genuinely only forgotten to get off once myself. Zoned out on the Jubilee Line and missed Westminster entirely (so a return trip to Green Park it was...)

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Similar. 1984 - my colleague was doing a purchasing visit to the big chemical works right by Warrington Bank Quay station. He got to Preston. There were two trains one a non stop to Euston and a stopper that went to Warrington. He asked - what platform is the London train going from? He was told whatever I assume 4. The train went through Warrington non stop and the guard told him his mistake. He ended up in Euston and ended up getting the next train back - but a full business day wasted.

 

[yorkie]

Someone got on a Leeds bound XC service at Birmingham when they wanted Bristol. They only realised as the train terminated at Leeds. i got them onto a Birmingham bound train but there was no onward service to Bristol as this was something like 2100ish at Leeds.

 

[sd0733]

Recently I had a passenger came to me at Stockport asking when we got to Cardiff heading to Manchester. He had got on at Swansea and fallen asleep, he stayed on to Piccadilly and would have got back to Cardiff about 8 hours later than planned.

 

[_toommm_]

Furthest I've gone is getting off at York instead of Leeds, where I've fallen asleep somewhere around Huddersfield. Happens quite a few times, and it's often dicey whether there's a train back due to it normally being late at night on a Saturday.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Motherwell to St Pancras.

Old boy got on a football special way back to say hello to his son - train left, could have got off at Carlisle but a few drinks later.........anyway , staff went through the train at St P an found him fast asleep. Empty train with masses of empty bottles. So they gave him a "to whom it may concern note" with the SM's stamp on it and pointed him up the Euston Road)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Seen a couple of lassies who ended up at Lockerbie after boarding the wrong train from platform 4 at Haymarket (a TPE service headed for Manchester Airport). Think they were really wanting a Scotrail service to somewhere like Bathgate or Livingston North. Must have eventually got back home some three hours later than expected.

Also seen someone board a TPE train at Huddersfield for the short hop to Marsden.

First stop was actually Manchester Victoria and the only direct return services to Marsden from Manchester were departing from the other side of Manchester from Manchester Piccadilly.

Think they eventually made the last service of the day which called at Marsden some two hours later than originally anticipated.

Both mistakes occasioned by hastily misreading the scrolling dot matrix on-platform departure board(s).

 

[Mag_seven]

At Crewe there was a last minute platform change and the late running XX.11 from Euston to Manchester was platform swapped with the on time XX.29 from Manchester to Euston. I got on the Euston bound service as planned and once moving overheard quite a few Manchester bound passengers complaining to the guard that they thought the train was for Manchester when of course it was next stop Euston.

 

[306024]

Somebody who wanted to get off at Stoke on Trent having an unplanned trip to Watford Junction.

A former colleague got on the wrong train at Euston and instead of Milton Keynes ended up in... Warrington.


I think I've genuinely only forgotten to get off once myself. Zoned out on the Jubilee Line and missed Westminster entirely (so a return trip to Green Park it was...)

There‘s a story of a former colleague who missed Brentwood and ended up in Shenfield, then missed Brentwood again and ended up in Liverpool St, then missed Brentwood again and ended up in Shenfield again, and finally alighted at Brentwood at the 4th attempt.

Seen the opposite too, someone on a Liverpool St to Norwich train getting off at Manningtree and wondering why it didn’t look like Diss.

Alcohol had nothing to do with either incident - much.

 

[Ianno87]

There‘s a story of a former colleague who missed Brentwood and ended up in Shenfield, then missed Brentwood again and ended up in Liverpool St, then missed Brentwood again and ended up in Shenfield again, and finally alighted at Brentwood at the 4th attempt.

Fairly sure I've had an 'anxiety dream' like that at least once. Urgent appointment to get to, but repeatedly keep missing the stop!

 

[Shimbleshanks]

My bro in law fell asleep on the train from Birmingham New Street and got carried past Coventry to Euston. The ticket collector said something to the effect of: 'That's the third one this week...'
I think he paid the excess and had a nice evening out in London.

 

[PeterC]

I one misread the departure board at Liverpool Street and, without checking the platform indicators, jumped on a train that was fast to Chelmsford instead of one bound for Billericay. Wasn't much of a problem as we were seeing friends in Chelmsford that night, I usut phoned SWMBO and told her to meet me there.

Went to Wickford on a couple of occasions after being woken by the train pulling out of Billericay.

Got off buses at the wrong stop in areas that I didn't know on a couple of occasions but that only ever cost me an extra couple of hundred yards walk.

 

[alistairlees]

A couple of years ago I was on a northbound LNER service leaving Newcastle when asked by a fellow passenger when then they train would reach Bradford.

Managed to get him off at Berwick to just make a southbound train to York, then change there for Bradford. Fortunately it was not too late in the day.

 

[geoffk]

I've only fallen asleep on a train once by accident and was overcarried from Walsden to Todmorden! So not serious. I have seen folks on local trains going in the wrong direction, oblivious of where they were. One was a young woman at (I think) New Mills on a Sheffield-bound stopper who wanted to go Salford. I can only assume she had no idea of local geography as the station names were all easy to read. Mind you, some University Challenge contenders don't do particularly well in that respect.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I once took the middle of the night FNW service from Manchester to Liverpool, if I recall rightly it was about 02something off Picc and 03something back (no stops so it could run via any of the routes). There was a bloke asleep who I told the guard about, he said "oh, don't worry, he's been going back and forth all night, we'll chuck him off before we go back to the depot"

I don't recall ever having been overcarried myself, even when utterly inebriated I can't sleep on a train.

 

[306024]

Another amusing story from the early days of mobile phones. A somewhat annoying passenger posing on his mobile house brick on a train from Fenchurch St, rings his wife and announces to the whole compartment ”see you at Basildon in 30 minutes darling”. One or two of us look up but say nothing. Train stops at Barking OK, meanwhile matey is ringing other friends on his new toy. We then stop at Dagenham Dock, Rainham, and only when we get to Purfleet does he realise he is on the wrong train. ‘Darling’ was apparently not impressed.

 

[dan4291]

I remember being on a TPE 185 heading from Darlington to Newcastle. When we stopped at Durham there were some posh students waiting at the door nearest to me. The door release noise sounded, but they didn't press the open button to open the doors, presumably thinking it was like a tube train where you don't need to! They certainly panicked when the train started away from Durham! Newcastle isn't far though but still an inconvenience caused by some stupidity on their part!

 

[Beebman]

A couple of examples I witnessed in the past:

In the summer of 1985 there was a short-lived Saturdays-only through EMU return service from Reading to Folkestone Harbour. It called at the usual stops as far as Clapham Junction, then ran via Ludgate, Longhedge and Factory Jcts to continue non-stop to Ashford. I took a trip on it on one occasion and as it was bowling along the SEML past Tonbridge I heard a young chap ask the conductor when the train would be arriving at Waterloo...

Sometime in the 90s I was on one of Hertfordshire's HST railtours to Cornwall. At Newbury, the last pickup station, it unusually called at P2 which is the Up platform. Some minutes after it left there I saw one of the stewards guide a couple of teenage boys to a pair of seats which happened to be spare while explaining to them that the train was definitely not going to Paddington. Fortunately it called at Exeter St.D. for a crew change so the lads were able to alight there but I'd imagine that their planned day in London was well and truly ruined!

 

[185143]

Where to start...

I had a passenger come up to me at Man Picc after being kicked off a TPE Cleethorpes arrival asking for directions with an extremely strong Eastern European accent and fairly poor English. I couldn't get the name of the station he was saying, but it didn't sound local. He then went into his bag and came out with a ticket and a tube map which had Kings Cross and Liverpool Street circled on it. He'd come from Grimsby and hadn't understood he needed to change at Doncaster, and thought he was at London Kings Cross. Oops. The Avanti staff took pity on him and put him on the last London service with less than a minute to spare.

I remember my first trip to London with my parents, boarding at Warrington on a non stop Pendo. We headed down the train to find our seats, containing a drunk Glaswegian asleep. He woke up and asked if we were at Warrington yet as we sped through Acton Bridge...

And then the ones I've done myself:
Heading back from Blackpool after a day and evening on the adult beverages, changed at Preston onto a 185 to Manchester Oxford Road. Woke up wondering why I was still on the train at 23:40 then saw Heald Green out the window. Oops.

Got woke up by a kind fellow passenger in 1st Class on an SWR 444 the afternoon after being on night shift telling me I'd need to move forward if I were going beyond Bournemouth. This was while we were in the platform at Pokesdown. I wanted Christchurch. I didn't manage to gather my stuff in time so had an unintentional trip to Bournemouth.

I remember reading a tale on here, which admittedly may or may not have been true, of a passenger on the Caledonian Sleeper getting friendly with a gentleman in the Aberdeen lounge car before both heading back to his cabin to Err... y'know. She woke up on the East Coast of Scotland heading to Aberdeen while her belongings were in her empty cabin heading to Fort William!

 

[typefish]

My ex got on the fast to St Pancras from Leicester, intending to get off at the next stop at Market Harborough

An old friend of mine got a bus from Lincoln to Nottingham (or something), had a great day and on the return journey didn't uhm, realise that she had to change buses. Spent a fair few hours cycling around Nottingham and after she got kicked off the bus, she had to get her parents to drive to her, pick her up and deposit her back in Lincoln

Was on the Metro in Newcastle and I helped someone who boarded at Monument and wanted to go to South Shields. I'll let the readers guess what may have happened here

 

[1955LR]

I was heading back from Milton Keynes to Hereford Via Birmingham New street and got on the wrong Virgin train , first stop Stockport. Was advised by staff to go to Crewe and catch the Cardiff train to Hereford . Asked if I needed a new ticked as mine said valid only via Leamington Spa . Was told to just explain & see how it went . In the event all train staff accepted my explanation and I arrived at Hereford only 20 mins later than if I had got the correct train to Birmingham

 

[Ianno87]

A couple of examples I witnessed in the past:

In the summer of 1985 there was a short-lived Saturdays-only through EMU return service from Reading to Folkestone Harbour. It called at the usual stops as far as Clapham Junction, then ran via Ludgate, Longhedge and Factory Jcts to continue non-stop to Ashford. I took a trip on it on one occasion and as it was bowling along the SEML past Tonbridge I heard a young chap ask the conductor when the train would be arriving at Waterloo...

Reminds me of being on a Pendolino diverted via the West Midlands due to a block in the Trent Valley. Calls at Coventry then non-stop via Aston to Stafford. Yes, there were a few lost Coventrinians alighting at Stafford hoping to have got to New Street...

 

[Class800]

I think I know about the Metro Newcastle one:

Must have been one Yellow line 'via Coast' service via N. Shields, Whitley Bay, Gosforth, Monument (again!), and then to S. Shields

 

[philjo]

A colleague of my cousin ended up stranded in Bedford late at night. He had boarded a southbound Thameslink service at Blackfriars, due to alight at East Croydon. He had slept all the way to Brighton and back north to Bedford!

 

[Steddenm]

On an IÉ service after the night ferry from Fishguard to Rosslaire I was travelling to Wexford on the 0520-somerthing train. After a pretty rough crossing on the boat and no sleep promptly fell asleep on the calming IÉ IC railcar. Woke up thinking it has got light early (this was early January), and looked out the window to see station signage saying "Bray/Bré". Lovely trundle back from Dublin though.

 

[david_g]

Back in student days, going from Oxford to see a friend in Pershore. Late for the train, two of us ran through the subway (as it was then), up the steps, straight onto the waiting train which had Worcester on the carriage door labels and away we went. Eventually found a seat and looking out through the window recognised the church at Hampton Gay north of Wolvercote. Oops.
No RTT back then so went to have another look at the carriage door label: the train we were on was running late and went to Worcester via New Street and eventually back to Paddington via Evesham but didn't stop at Pershore. A friend who was meeting us at the station saw us shooting across the platform and onto the train but couldn't stop us. She caught the stopper to Pershore which was waiting in the loop south of the station to follow our train. Eventually got to Pershore about five hours after her via the bus from Evesham.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I wonder if anyone has ever used the Sleeper "day coach" a couple of stops from Fort Bill and ended up at Euston - or do they check?

 

[jfowkes]

Fell asleep on the Caledonian Sleeper (as you would expect) from Aberdeen, intending to alight at Crewe. Woke up as we pulled out of the platform. Next stop Euston. Crewe-Euston seems to be a common thing!

I didn't set an alarm because I was in the seated coach and didn't want to wake everyone else up.