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

[Mcr Warrior]

2) Cut the cycle ride to Slough a bit fine, but there's an HST in platform 2 (down main). I might just make it! Lock up bike, rush through barrier, leap on train through nearest door, look around. Train is curiously empty. On closer inspection, I can see track when I look through the doors at the end of the carriage: it turns out that a rail had broken under the train, so they divided it and took the back half back to Slough and the front half forward to somewhere else...

Presumably not carried / overcarried anywhere on that particular occasion!

 

[Ianigsy]

Personally, it would have to be an inadvertent trip to Morecambe Promenade circa 1980 en route from Liverpool to Carnforth when we boarded the wrong one of two DMUs in the platform at Lancaster.

A colleague however boarded a train at Leeds bound for Dewsbury after a work night out and found himself at Manchester Airport.

 

[IceAgeComing]

I have a similar skill so have no stories of my own...

Its a weird thing since I am one of those people that do fall asleep after going out and I've had some not very nice moments (luckily never harmed; usually in a friends flat so I let my guard down) but I've never had any issues falling asleep or over travelling on public transport when going home after a night out: may it be the trains here or in Belgium or on the Night Buses in London: I always get off at the right place and get home OK.

The only friend story I have similar doesn't involve trains; I did have a friend that got arrested in Japan for public drunkenness after he fell over while walking home and knocked himself out. He was OK and I think it was basically a deal they had to do in order to drunk tank him basically: he didn't face any issues from it so its just become this very funny story.

 

[L401CJF]

A friend of mine once fell asleep many years ago on the last Liverpool to West Kirby train of the night, he wanted Birkenhead North, not a huge overshoot but woke up at Hoylake- when the stock was running ECS back to Birkenhead North depot! As it happened it went into the station first, where he was let off.

 

[trainophile]

Just remembered one a long time ago, must have been about 2004. I wasn't used to travelling, and set off to meet up with some newly acquired internet friends in Coventry, which involved a change at Birmingham New Street. However my train from Hereford developed a fault and terminated at Droitwich Spa, where we were advised to catch the next service which was due along shortly. Sure enough a train pulled in about five minutes later and I jumped on it. As the doors closed I looked out the window and wondered why there was still quite a crowd on the platform, before realising I was obviously on the wrong train.

I had a basic Nokia phone that just about did texting, but obviously no rail apps, no apps of any sort in those days, so I let my friends know I would be late and then bailed out at Rowley Regis, a place I'd never heard of, and proceeded to attempt to work out what on earth I should do. Luckily a New Street train came along not long afterwards and I was back on my way, but jumping on the wrong train is a mistake I have never made since!

Oh, except for at Newport once, when we were going to Southampton to catch a cruise ship, and somehow managed to get on a train bound for South Wales, first stop Bridgend 20 minutes down the line. We stowed our luggage and sat down, then noticed the platform display board... . When the penny dropped we grabbed our cases and shot to the doors, and managed to get off about half a minute before it left. That would have been quite disastrous, as if we'd had to come back from Bridgend and get a later train we would have missed the boarding time for the cruise!

 

[mm333]

I've been told by at least 2 taxi drivers at Canterbury West that they've taken people back to the East End who've boarded the last through Javelin from St Pancras and have fallen asleep in the 7 minutes it takes to get to Stratford International.

 

[Ostrich]

I'd only started using the train regularly back then on national scale so for weekends home it would always be XC and well Virgin trains looked similar Anyway we were in a rush to get back as mate had an evening job at Perry Bar dogs track in those days so were jogging up to station entrance, I saw a silver train on the platform so advised us to get on it (no ticket barriers at Stoke back then) and we got on and sat out of breath luckily by a window that could see the plaform.

At that point I quickly looked up at the screen showing the departure and it said calling at.....Watford Junction. We just got up as the beeping on the doors started and the staff could see us trying to get out so that was about 20 seconds away from a bit of a 4 hour detour back to new street

Very, very similar - a Sunday at Birmingham New Street, 2 platforms out of use during the rebuilding, so fairly chaotic. Heading for a rugby league match at Coventry, I went down to the usual platform, boarded the XC Voyager, settled in the seat, glanced vacantly at the scrolling screen, and then the brain suddenly clicked in - "Stopping at .... Gloucester ...". Cue "Loony Tunes" race to get off , successfully accomplished with a minute to spare thankfully, and the XC Voyager I wanted turned out to be the one behind it! I can only assume the Paignton Voyager I originally boarded was departing New Street via Proof House and the Moseley line .....

 

[Tallguy]

I’ve done it twice, first time falling asleep Ona Chiltern out of Marylebone and ending up at Haddenham & Thame Parkway I stead of getting off at High Wycombe. Thankfully the taxi’s at the station were quiet and I got a cheapest ride home. Second time was Glasgow to Busby, fell asleep after a night out in Glasgow and ended up at East Kilbride. Found the guard and explained what had happened, thankfully the train was going back into Glasgow so I stood up for the couple of stops back to Busby. Guard was a top bloke said it happened a lot, I showed him my ticket for Busby and he didn’t even charge me an excess fare. Result.

 

[Whistler40145]

Very, very similar - a Sunday at Birmingham New Street, 2 platforms out of use during the rebuilding, so fairly chaotic. Heading for a rugby league match at Coventry, I went down to the usual platform, boarded the XC Voyager, settled in the seat, glanced vacantly at the scrolling screen, and then the brain suddenly clicked in - "Stopping at .... Gloucester ...". Cue "Loony Tunes" race to get off , successfully accomplished with a minute to spare thankfully, and the XC Voyager I wanted turned out to be the one behind it! I can only assume the Paignton Voyager I originally boarded was departing New Street via Proof House and the Moseley line .....

Yes, majority of XC services from Birmingham New Street to Bristol Temple Meads are routed via Proof House Junction and Camp Hill

 

[Class800]

Yes, majority of XC services from Birmingham New Street to Bristol Temple Meads are routed via Proof House Junction and Camp Hill

I've been on many trains from Birmingham New Street to Exeter St Davids (via Bristol Temple Meads) and none have gone via Camp Hill!

 

[randyrippley]

One of those anecdotal stories......
back in the 1970s some of the chaps I played rugby with told a tale that they'd got an unliked foreman at the aircraft factory they all worked at blind drunk on his stag night. Drove him to Taunton and bundled him naked onto the Scotland sleeper. Wasn't found until next day - his wedding day.
I know stories like this abound, but this had the aura of truth in that they named the victim and claimed to have carried out the act themselves

 

[vlad]

I've only ever witnessed 2 people being overcarried. Perhaps I'm not observant enough.

The first was a member of station staff at Worcester Foregate Street who'd got on to offer passenger assistance then ended up being taken to Droitwich.

More recently, someone on a Pendolino out of Manchester managed to miss her stop at Stockport. In theory she should have been taken all the way to Stoke but she made enough of a scene that the train was stopped at Macclesfield so she could get off. It also meant we were overtaken by the train behind....

 

[Whistler40145]

I've been on many trains from Birmingham New Street to Exeter St Davids (via Bristol Temple Meads) and none have gone via Camp Hill!

Realtime Trains | Live Departures from St Andrews Jn (West Mids)

Live train information at St Andrews Jn (West Mids). From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

An example

 

[randyrippley]

Around 30 years ago at Preston
One of the platform staff assisting a blind lady and her chocolate labrador to her seat. Took too long, guard blew his whistle and we were away. Next stop Euston.
I asked the guard later if an extra stop had been requested: it had been, and declined
I wonder if he got paid overtime? Or had pay deducted for not being on the job?

 

[Whistler40145]

Around 30 years ago at Preston
One of the platform staff assisting a blind lady and her chocolate labrador to her seat. Took too long, guard blew his whistle and we were away. Next stop Euston.
I asked the guard later if an extra stop had been requested: it had been, and declined
I wonder if he got paid overtime? Or had pay deducted for not being on the job?

Now that's a unique situation

 

[Requeststop]

Late 1970's on a Sunday, intending to go to Bristol Parkway from Temple Meads to meet a friend for a couple of drinks. The driver flies past Parkway station and stops about a mile west. A lot of people intending to use Parkway to change for South Wales. After a few minutes we make our way to Gloucester. Announcements made for passengers going to South Wales to change at Gloucester. Anyone wanting Parkway to continue onto Cheltenham and take the return journey back to Parkway from there. By the time the return train to Parkway turns up it's too late for a drink and so I continued back to Temple Meads. These were the days without mobiles. Had to phone my friend from a public call box . They were at Parkway waiting for the train to arrive and saw it charge past, and so went off for a couple of pints by themselves.

 

[D9006]

My Brother out on the town I London, missed the last train to Bletchley by minutes, knowing the Glasgow sleeper called at Watford Junction to pick up only, boarded it knowing it would overtake the Bletchley service, which he could catch at Watford Junction, sat down on the train and promptly fell asleep, was awoken at Glasgow by station staff, explained situation and placed him back on next Euston service, where he promptly went straight to work. His wife was not impressed to say the least

 

[The_Van]

I used to live in Woodside Park and regularly ended up at High Barnet after a few shandies but one night woke up and we were in the sidings there!

 

[Galvanize]

I remember one with Traincrew being overcarried. So’s not to drop anyone in it, even though it happened several years ago...(plus I don’t know if the individual concerned is still on the job)...no names, locations or even TOCs mentioned!!

Evening rush hour at a London terminal station...two particular peak services used to be formed with units attaching, and both would leave within a few minutes of one another. Except one evening...there was a “Stock change” required one of the units to change onto the other diagram with hardly any notice. So the first portion of Service A would now become the rear portion of Service B and vice versa. Platform staff told to advise the crew of all the trains. Driver of Service B was told and he made his way to the other platform to do his booked attachment...but where was the Guard? He’d possibly gone off to stretch his legs, nip to the Gents, get something to eat, or smoke a Cigarette outside, quite within his right as he had a bit of turnaround time, but it wasn’t a PNB as such. Platform staff looked for him, Driver did an onboard announcement to tell him of the impending stock change.
Anyway...the units duly attached, Service A departed safely and on time with no issues to report.

Service B...that was still stuck in the platform...Platform Staff seeing that one out hadn’t given a TRTS ["train ready to start" signal] as there was no sign of the Guard! A few moments later...it was revealed after some frantic phoning around...the Guard for Service B accidentally got on Service A literally two seconds before the doors closed and it went out, with no idea of what had gone on. He’d been carried a couple of stops down the line, and got off there. Unfortunately Service B had to be cancelled on the spot, the Driver was not authorised to work DOO(P) [driver only operation (passenger service)]...so the passengers all had to be detrained, and the service went ECS [empty coaching stock] for a couple of stops to where the Guard was waiting!

 

[SoccerHQ]

I've been on many trains from Birmingham New Street to Exeter St Davids (via Bristol Temple Meads) and none have gone via Camp Hill!

In normal times xxx42 past the hour always goes via Camp Hill in my experience. xxx11 down to Plymouth goes the Uni route.

 

[Mag_seven]

In normal times xxx42 past the hour always goes via Camp Hill in my experience. xxx11 down to Plymouth goes the Uni route.

I would assume that is to avoid the driver having to change ends as the xx.42 is ex the Wolverhampton direction and the xx.11 is ex the Derby direction.

 

[SoccerHQ]

I would assume that is to avoid the driver having to change ends as the xx.42 is ex the Wolverhampton direction and the xx.11 is ex the Derby direction.

Yep pretty much that and same coming from south e.g. Man Pic train comes up from Camp Hill and North East/Leeds comes in the more regular way crawling if there's been a delay on cross city line.

Shame it's not double tracked all the way to New street as Brum-Bristol in just over an hour would be pretty achievable then.

 

[Whistler40145]

Yep pretty much that and same coming from south e.g. Man Pic train comes up from Camp Hill and North East/Leeds comes in the more regular way crawling if there's been a delay on cross city line.

Shame it's not double tracked all the way to New street as Brum-Bristol in just over an hour would be pretty achievable then.

Birmingham New Street to Bristol Temple Meads is double track whether routed via Camp Hill or University

 

[Class800]

That explains it!

All my Exeter to Birmingham trains have been the Scotland ones - except one to Man Picc that was terminated at Bristol due to a delay and everyone put on the Dundee one.

All my Birmingham to Exeter ones have been the xx.11 (sometimes it is xx.12) not the xx.41

 

[Ianno87]

I would assume that is to avoid the driver having to change ends as the xx.42 is ex the Wolverhampton direction and the xx.11 is ex the Derby direction.

Also less conflicting at New Street to head via Camp Hill.

The northbound Bristol-Manchester runs via Selly Oak (with reversal) as that is less conflicting in that direction.

 

[sw1ller]

I’ve had a lady confused as to why I was kicking her off the train at Holyhead. She’d got on at Shrewsbury and wanted Telford. She wondered why it was taking so long but assumed we were going a different way!!

 

[Essan]

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!

Not quite the same, but back in the 90s when I used the seating compartment of the sleeper to travel from Euston up to Fort William, we stopped at Tyndrum and a lad who was heading to work on the rigs out of Aberdeen was instructed on how to get down to the lower station to catch the train back to Glasgow for onward travel to his destination ....

Worst I ever did was fall asleep on the train from Liverpool St to Ipswich after a "business lunch" and woke up as we pulled into Diss. Fortunately there was a train just coming in to take me back to Ipswich and the guard was quite understanding "happens all the time" was all he said. This was also back in the 90s.

 

[6026KingJohn]

I would assume that is to avoid the driver having to change ends as the xx.42 is ex the Wolverhampton direction and the xx.11 is ex the Derby direction.

The Manchester-Bristol (pre-Covid) would normally use platforms 2 or 3. There is no access to the West Surburban line (through Selly Oak) from platforms 1-4, only from 5-12. Trains from the Derby direction normally use 10 or 11.
I remember on one occasion travelling on the 1125 Plymouth-Dundee which used to attach a second Voyager on the front at Bristol Temple Meads which was detached at Newcastle. We arrived at Birmingham having travelled round via Camp Hill (normally routed through Selly Oak). This meant that the train was now in reverse formation and the Voyager to be detached was at the rear instead of the front and passengers for between Newcastle and Dundee should have been told to use the front set instead of the rear. Could have led to under carrying instead of overcarry I suppose.

 

[trainophile]

I’ve had a lady confused as to why I was kicking her off the train at Holyhead. She’d got on at Shrewsbury and wanted Telford. She wondered why it was taking so long but assumed we were going a different way!!

Haha that's classic. I hope she enjoyed the ride!

 

[squizzler]

A few years ago I took a rail trip to Barcelona. On the return journey I caught the Paris TGV from Figures (then the terminus of the HSL which had not reached Barcelona). It made several stops on the classic line skirting the Gulf of Lion and I took the opportunity to move to a forward facing seat on a vacant table on the upper deck. At Nimes I seem to recall there was a little wait as the train coupled with another TGV already at the platform and I was joined at the table by a young mum and child.

The train then set off towards Paris via the Mediterranean LGV and wound itself up to line speed. As the ticket inspector came round I was aware that after I showed mine the lady's tickets were not for this train. It transpired that she had only intended to go to somewhere else in Provence, Cannes if I remember correctly. Instead she had boarded a TGV that ran direct to Paris. One non-stop blast that involved three abutting sections of HSL (Méditerranée, Rhone-Alps and Sud Est) and the speed scarcely dropping below 300 kph for a couple of hours. Fortunately the inspector seemed quite chill and helped her sort out her unplanned excursion up to the city of light.

Apparently the train from the south of France to Paris is, or was at the time, the longest non-stop high speed train journey it was possible to do!