• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

TRIVIA: Lines with only the odd passenger train to keep up route knowledge

Status
Not open for further replies.

brompton rail

Member
Joined
28 Oct 2009
Messages
754
Location
Doncaster
A late TPE goes from Doncaster via Rotherham Central along the tram-train line to near Meadowhall then along the single track to Woodburn Jnc then Sheffield. The station announcement was really emphasising that the train didn’t stop at Meadowhall.

A XC service travels this route in the opposite direction each evening just before 22.00 ( Southampton to York)

As I understand it the "Old Road" is the route from Chesterfield to Masborough avoiding Sheffield, the line from Beighton into Sheffield is not the "Old Road" as such.

I think most people would regard the Chesterfield - Barrow Hill - Beighton - Sheffield route as the “Old Road” too. Certainly I’ve heard railway men refer to it as such. An early morning XC (05.59 Sheffield - Reading) goes the Old Road to Chesterfield.

Any scheduled XC services via the Erewash Valley and Trent Junction to Derby, other than the first Derby to Newcastle in the morning?
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Ian Hardy

Member
Joined
18 Nov 2009
Messages
124
I do wonder why this is not used more. Ely already has a hourly services to Cambridge and Norwich, and the Ipswich - Peterborough train will become hourly. It would shave 8 minutes off the journey time from Norwich to Peterborough and avoid reversing at Ely.

Perhaps because Ely is an interchange station and also EMR would not get a proportion of the ticket sales between Ely and Peterborough / Norwich if it missed out Ely.
 

Clansman

Established Member
Joined
4 Jan 2016
Messages
2,571
Location
Hong Kong
One or two Inverness to Glasgow Queen Street services are booked to run via Cumbernauld to keep up route knowledge for Dundee, Perth (and Aberdeen & Inverness?) crews. Which is important seeing as they no longer have the same runs that way nowadays as they don't sign 385s
 

route101

Established Member
Joined
16 May 2010
Messages
10,594
A XC service travels this route in the opposite direction each evening just before 22.00 ( Southampton to York)



I think most people would regard the Chesterfield - Barrow Hill - Beighton - Sheffield route as the “Old Road” too. Certainly I’ve heard railway men refer to it as such. An early morning XC (05.59 Sheffield - Reading) goes the Old Road to Chesterfield.

Any scheduled XC services via the Erewash Valley and Trent Junction to Derby, other than the first Derby to Newcastle in the morning?

I had to look that up on the map , was thinking whats this line ha
 

brad465

Established Member
Joined
11 Aug 2010
Messages
6,968
Location
Taunton or Kent
The Beckenham Spur used to have a stopper run over it from London (CHX or CST can't remember) to Beckenham Jct via Catford Bridge. I don't know which service(s) replaces it exactly (can't see on the shared link), only that I believe it's now done by London Bridge to Orpington late fast services, so neither Beckenham station is directly linked by train. Sunday engineering work diversions also see it used occasionally for that.
 

Djgr

Established Member
Joined
30 Jul 2018
Messages
1,638
Yes, absolutely. If this thread had any real point it would be to discuss any routes/lines which were missing from psul.

And I would be quite surprised if that were the case!
 

53703

Member
Joined
17 Jul 2017
Messages
128
There used to be one sheffield to hull service and return every day that used the Kilnhurst freight line (cutting out swinton) for route knowledge purposes ,not sure if this is still running

There's also the ones that run via Selby/ECML
 

53703

Member
Joined
17 Jul 2017
Messages
128
And I would be quite surprised if that were the case!

An idea could be to make this thread about lines that have a regular service but have the odd service by another company for route knowledge, for example:

ECML north of Doncaster has a couple of Northern services that operate to Hull via Selby for route knowledge
 

Dunnyrail

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2017
Messages
138
Is there still a LNER service booked via Hambleton South to Hambleton West Junction?
1st Tue in January I was returning from Harrogate to Kings x, due to a train failure at Wakefield the IEP from HG was diverted via Hambleton. Lots of nodding donkeys and hst’s stored passed nearby.
 

Deafdoggie

Established Member
Joined
29 Sep 2016
Messages
3,035
An idea could be to make this thread about lines that have a regular service but have the odd service by another company for route knowledge

In which case the once a day Avanti West Coast Manchester-Euston via Birmingham.
 

A Challenge

Established Member
Joined
24 Sep 2016
Messages
2,823
Avanti still run at least 1tph on the whole of that line

CrossCountry to Guildford (and on ECS to Southampton and back to Eastleigh depot).
 

davyp

Member
Joined
9 Dec 2012
Messages
84
Location
Sth Manchester
Another possible extension of this thread could be passenger lines where there is a very limited flight service to maintain route knowledge. For example, the M-F 6H53 Ashburys to Dowlow which (usually) goes from Hazel Grove to Buxton via Disley, Whaley Bridge and Dove Holes rather than New Mills South Junction.
 

dk1

Veteran Member
Joined
2 Oct 2009
Messages
15,822
Location
East Anglia
I do wonder why this is not used more. Ely already has a hourly services to Cambridge and Norwich, and the Ipswich - Peterborough train will become hourly. It would shave 8 minutes off the journey time from Norwich to Peterborough and avoid reversing at Ely.
As already stated Ely is an important interchange point. Also to consider is that by not calling at Ely EMR would lose a hefty portion of the fare box revenue and is one of the main reasons it's never happened in the past.
 

DelW

Established Member
Joined
15 Jan 2015
Messages
3,834
That doesn’t cover any otherwise unused track, which is the original question in this thread.
The dive-under east of Reading station? Though that may be used by early morning and late evening North Downs trains going from and to the depot. Do they run in service or ECS?
 

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,263
The dive-under east of Reading station? Though that may be used by early morning and late evening North Downs trains going from and to the depot. Do they run in service or ECS?
GWR definitely do run in passenger service through the dive under, and have done since they moved to the new depot. You won’t catch me out that easily... :D
 

A Challenge

Established Member
Joined
24 Sep 2016
Messages
2,823
Dont want to be pedantic, but they dont run regular services over the short section of track between Stone and Stafford.
That is indeed correct, remembering the Manchester services don't run through Stafford! As I've had pointed out to me though, the fact it is also served by LNWR makes it irrelevant for this thread anyway.
 

DelW

Established Member
Joined
15 Jan 2015
Messages
3,834
GWR definitely do run in passenger service through the dive under, and have done since they moved to the new depot. You won’t catch me out that easily... :D
I've done it just once on a GWR train, on a late evening departure which was switched from p5 to one of the high numbered platforms with very little warning or time to get over the bridge. I assumed something had delayed the incoming unit and a replacement had come off the depot at the last minute. I did think it might be more regular than that though :)
 

D6975

Established Member
Joined
26 Nov 2009
Messages
2,864
Location
Bristol
Kingsbury Junction - Whitacre Junction (57) CC01
Mondays to Fridays:
1G90 2138 Nottingham - Birmingham New Street
1E68 1747 Southampton Central - York
1D85 2203 Birmingham New Street - Nottingham

A word of warning on anyone trying this one. I've tried several times on 1D85 and every time it's gone straight up the main.
 

Metal_gee_man

Member
Joined
28 Oct 2017
Messages
669
Geoff Marshall did a few of these weird routings on his YouTube channel.
Here's one from Victoria over the LO


Sorry it won't embed youtube vids currently
 

paddington

Member
Joined
19 Feb 2013
Messages
964
Kingsbury Junction - Whitacre Junction (57) CC01

A word of warning on anyone trying this one. I've tried several times on 1D85 and every time it's gone straight up the main.

I don't see the point of taking 1D85, you can't ever see outside.

I did it on 1E68, spent Saturday in Yorkshire then 1V50 back, success on first attempt.

Took several months to find the right weekend as 1V50 is frequently diverted via Lichfield, but the diversion appeared on brtimes in advance so didn't waste a trip


Kingsbury Junction - Whitacre Junction (57) CC01
Mondays to Fridays:
1G90 2138 Nottingham - Birmingham New Street
1E68 1747 Southampton Central - York
1D85 2203 Birmingham New Street - Nottingham
Saturdays:
1G90 2139 Nottingham - Birmingham New Street
Sundays:
1V50 0900 Leeds - Plymouth
 

Atishyou

Member
Joined
1 Jan 2012
Messages
485
Location
North West
TPE run some early morning and late night services between Sheffield and Cleethorpes via Rotherham Central (the odd one calls) and via Woodburn, dropping back into Sheffield near Nunnery Main Line jnc.

Some of these also go via Thrybergh, in case there are problems at Swinton.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top