Trivia: Journeys that can be made between stations on one train without an official direct service

[Watershed]

I do think that Southport-Chester example is silly, but more that there should have been "route Manchester" tickets for it rather than creating a stack of anomalies by making very cheap Merseyrail tickets valid via Manchester. It is largely avoided now by most Merseyrail journeys being on zonal tickets rather than point to point ones, I suppose, but a fare really should exist for any and all direct journeys that can be made.

Indeed; there are now tickets from Crewe to Liverpool routed via Manchester. Not sure why you'd ever do that route (other than if there were engineering works on via Runcorn and you wanted a direct train e.g. because you have lots of luggage), but it's possible.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

One that used to be possible a few years ago but no longer is: Bradford Interchange to Sheffield via Huddersfield. Before the 2018 timetable change, the evening "extra" up the Penistone line was formed from an arrival from Leeds via Bradford, which usually used platform 4 (so was sometimes locked up for a few mins between arrival and departure) but if delayed in from Brighouse would use platform 1.
Now, the stock for that peak extra arrives ECS from Holbeck, so it's no longer possible.

 

[Three_Counties]

One journey that I made recently without changing units was Norwich - Lowestoft - Ipswich - Cambridge. I was on an Anglian Day Ranger ticket.

 

[miklcct]

Yes, perhaps. I do know that interworking of the Southampton-Portsmouth and Portsmouth-Eastleigh (and onwards) services was commonplace in the slam-door era, as the timings fit. From 1997 (perhaps earlier) to 2004 the Waterloo-Portsmouth via Eastleigh and Portsmouth-Southampton generally interworked, and in the DEMU era, the equivalent services also interworked. I think (not sure), in the first year of electrification in 1990/91 they interworked too. However in 1991/92 they used Greyhound CIGs for the Waterloo-Fareham-Portsmouth and the two services were separated, much as today - as the use of Greyhound CIGs on the Solent stoppers was presumably considered a waste.

Presumably the reason they don't interwork now (even though the timings still fit) is that it would involve several 444 workings on the Portsmouth-Southampton stoppers, which could not be accommodated on the platforms. By contrast in the electric slam-door days everything was 4-car and in diesel days everything was 3-car.

The final train from Weymouth to Eastleigh on a Saturday forms the final service from Eastleigh to Portsmouth.

However, a one-seat ride isn't possible because the train is taken out of service at Eastleigh, enters a siding and recommences service at another platform.

 

[nw1]

Pwllheli dep 1537, Machynlleth 1755/1801, Aberystwyth 1827/1831, Borth arr 1845. Nothing artificial about this one - it's the best available itinerary!

The three trains are shown separately in the timetable, but the traincrew happily advised at the outset to stay on the train for the entire journey.

What surprised me was that I wasn't the only one doing it!

I might have expected the first two to be advertised as a through service as presumably there is demand for Aberystwyth from Pwllheli, etc.

A tight turn around at Aberystwyth though - is the final service heading for Birmingham?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

A tight turn around at Aberystwyth though - is the final service heading for Birmingham?

1831 departure from Aberystwyth is normally for Shrewsbury.

So essentially, the unit from Pwllheli proceeds in service to Machynlleth, then reverses/continues "fast" to Aberystwyth, then reverses/continues (via Machynlleth) to Shrewsbury.

Because the smaller stations are skip-stopped on the run into Aberystwyth, quicker through journey times to say Bow Street, or Borth, from the Cambrian Coast stations up to and including Dovey Junction, will be had by looping into Aberystwyth and partway back out again, all on the same unit.

Moot point, though, as to whether it's a through service from Pwllheli to Aberystwyth, or two separate workings.

 

[faltskog36abba]

Back in the the late 90's, You could catch a Rochdale/ Via Oldham service. Then at Rochdale it would run Via Castleton as a service to Blackpool north - The 17-06 off Victoria.

 

[swt_passenger]

The final train from Weymouth to Eastleigh on a Saturday forms the final service from Eastleigh to Portsmouth.

However, a one-seat ride isn't possible because the train is taken out of service at Eastleigh, enters a siding and recommences service at another platform.

It doesn’t actually enter a siding, what it does is a main line shunt, after leaving P1 it comes to a stand on the up fast just past the junction with the Romsey line. There’s only a ground position light E222 used to signal the service southwards from that point into platform 2 or 3, so that means the route isn’t signalled to passenger standards.

A reasonable question might be why does it not run from Parkway straight into P2 or P3. I reckon the probable reasoning is likely to be that it allows drivers to practice the shunt move.

The 5.444 from Weymouth didn’t always provide the stock for the 0030 Portsmouth service, for a long time until about 2018/19 it ran empty via Allbrook Junction, which is up the far end of Eastleigh yard, and thence back down to Northam depot. The 0030 was formed by a 2.158 that had come empty from Salisbury…

 

[DanNCL]

I'm sure pre-covid that Northern used a ScotRail each day to run to Middlesbrough after it came from Scotland, so you could have done either Dumfries or Glasgow Central (or East Kilbride/Ayr/Stranraer?) to Middlesbrough in one day.

Yes, the unit worked a Dumfries - Carlisle service then went onto a Carlisle - Nunthorpe trip. Later in the day the unit worked a Morpeth - Carlisle service before continuing to Glasgow Central. It lasted until, I think, the December 2019 timetable change.

 

[pne]

I've frequently encountered this abroad. I once took the train from Sofia to Ruse. I had a rather comfortable spot in a compartment but understood from my reservations that I'd have to change trains at Gorna Oryahovitsa, so off I got when the train arrived and started looking for my connection.

The other passengers couldn't help showing a wry smile of amusement when I rejoined them in the same compartment I'd just left. I didn't realise that it was a through working, just splitting at Gorna. I suppose having the same coach and seat number should have been a clue!

Reminds me of a journey I took in Slovakia from, I think, Bratislava via Žiar nad Hronom to Martin (the train continuing on to Žilina, I believe).

Advertised as two different trains.

Looking at the expected coaching stock on vagonweb showed the two trains to look suspiciously similar.

I asked the guard whether I could stay seated in Žiar nad Hronom and he confirmed that I could.

One interesting thing there – my seat for the first portion of the journey was in First class (and reservable) while for the second portion was in Standard class (and not reservable)!

That coach was declassified on the second portion; I think the classification of the train also changed from "regional express" to "local stopper" which probably had something to do with it.

 

[liamf656]

EMR have had a few, especially before and during COVID

- As the Liverpool to Norwich service splits at Nottingham, the other portion often works other services before/after, sometimes as per diagram, sometimes as last minute arrangements. RTT often got confused and showed services as Liverpool to Norwich & Worksop for example
- Peterborough to Nottingham via Leicester (this service only runs one way once a day), which then formed a service to Derby
- One or two late night Norwich to Nottingham services then formed services to Derby. I actually travelled from Norwich through to Derby once in EMT days

I can think of a few that were actually advertised as through services, although none of them lasted long at all
- A single Derby to Lincoln Central morning journey
- A single Matlock to Skegness early morning journey
- A single Mansfield Woodhouse to Norwich journey


Northern must have quite a few interworking journeys. I know they did a Lincoln to Sheffield service which then formed a Hull service, but I can’t remember if it was separate or a through journey.
One interesting thing is a Nottingham to Leeds journey which then forms a service to Manchester Victoria, theoretically giving a service from Nottingham to Bradford Interchange on the same train, something that was planned under Northern Connect