Trivia: Longest journey on the same type of rolling stock but different TOCs?

[py_megapixel]

What's the longest journey possible to make on the network which involves only one type of rolling stock, but multiple TOCs?

I'll allow the same sort of category of rolling stock to be grouped together. For example, you can count all Mk3-derived EMUs as one type, all Sprinters as one type, all 22x as one type, all Aventras as one type etc.

You can use the same TOC consecutively as long as your journey also includes a different one. For example GWR - GWR - GWR - SWR is fine but GWR - GWR - GWR - GWR is not.

 

[CC 72100]

If you ignore the tube or are happy to walk between the two, surely Inverness to Penzance (via London KGX and London Pad) using LNER and GWR 80x traction has to be in with a shout?

 

[43096]

If you ignore the tube or are happy to walk between the two, surely Inverness to Penzance (via London KGX and London Pad) using LNER and GWR 80x traction has to be in with a shout?

Can still do the same by journey by HST, I think, at least on non-Covid timetable: ScotRail HST to Edinburgh, XC HST to Plymouth, GWR HST to Penzance.

 

[CC 72100]

Can still do the same by journey by HST, I think, at least on non-Covid timetable: ScotRail HST to Edinburgh, XC HST to Plymouth, GWR HST to Penzance.

I thought that just as I finished typing it... and a far more enjoyable way of doing the journey too!

 

[TheGrew]

I am not sure you can beat the above suggestions but assuming you started at Wick how far south could you travel on Class 158s before changing onto other traction?

Edit: Or at least a sprinter variant.

 

[Rich McLean]

I am not sure you can beat the above suggestions but assuming you started at Wick how far south could you travel on Class 158s before changing onto other traction?

Edit: Or at least a sprinter variant.

Edinbrugh I would have thought. On another note, do Scotrail 158s now make it onto the Tyne Valley line or is that just 156s?

 

[Mikey C]

Using a similar cross London walk, Liverpool to Euston on a 350 then Waterloo to Portsmouth on the virtually identical 450 (or to Weymouth on a 444 if you count all Desiros)

 

[py_megapixel]

Using a similar cross London walk, Liverpool to Euston on a 350 then Waterloo to Portsmouth on the virtually identical 450 (or to Weymouth on a 444 if you count all Desiros)

Or, counting all Desiros, how about Ayr to Glasgow (380), Glasgow to Liverpool (185), Liverpool to London (350), London to Weymouth (444).

 

[sd0733]

I am not sure you can beat the above suggestions but assuming you started at Wick how far south could you travel on Class 158s before changing onto other traction?

Edit: Or at least a sprinter variant.

In theory you could get a fair way zig-zagging on sprinters. Im not sure any run any route from Edinburgh to Glasgow now so potentially something like Mallaig-Glasgow, Glasgow to Carlisle via Kilmarnock, Carlisle to Leeds, Leeds to Manchster on Northern, Manchester to Newport on TFW when a 15x shows up, Newport to Taunton, then probably further on towards Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance.
Youd have to be quite desperate and It would probably take several days to end up with the right combinations!!

 

[Huntergreed]

I am not sure you can beat the above suggestions but assuming you started at Wick how far south could you travel on Class 158s before changing onto other traction?

Edit: Or at least a sprinter variant.

Tweedbank I would imagine to Edinburgh. You could of course do Wick - Inverness, Inverness - Glasgow, Glasgow - Carlisle, Carlisle - Leeds, (not sure where you could go from there, never been!) exclusively on sprinters. (158, 158, 156, 156).

Perhaps 22x can count for a pretty reasonable length too! (London Euston - Edinburgh (AWC), Edinburgh - Aberdeen (XC) or Penzance (XC))

 

[py_megapixel]

Perhaps 22x can count for a pretty reasonable length too! (London Euston - Edinburgh (AWC), Edinburgh - Aberdeen (XC) or Penzance (XC))

Or St Pancras -> Sheffield -> Birmingham -> Edinburgh -> Penzance, all on 22x, would probably be longer

 

[Mikey C]

Or, counting all Desiros, how about Ayr to Glasgow (380), Glasgow to Liverpool (185), Liverpool to London (350), London to Weymouth (444).

It's interesting that you can't do something similar with the Electostar, as unlike the Desiro, Juniper (and indeed Hitachi rivals) all the UK ones basically operate in the southeast

Of course if you combine it with the Turbostar, you can go further

 

[py_megapixel]

It's interesting that you can't do something similar with the Electostar, as unlike the Desiro, Juniper (and indeed Hitachi rivals) all the UK ones basically operate in the southeast

Of course if you combine it with the Turbostar, you can go further

Once the TfW 170s move onto Shrewsbury-Crewe and the EMRs move onto Crewe to Derby,

Uckfield-> London-> Birmingham-> Shrewsbury-> Crewe-> Derby-> Nottingham-> Sheffield-> Scarborough will be possible on only Turbostars.

Unfortunately there's big gaps on the northern parts of the WCML and ECML, so a Turbostar bashing event all the way from East Sussex to northern Scotland will not be possible.

 

[Zooty]

In theory you could get a fair way zig-zagging on sprinters. Im not sure any run any route from Edinburgh to Glasgow now so potentially something like Mallaig-Glasgow, Glasgow to Carlisle via Kilmarnock, Carlisle to Leeds, Leeds to Manchster on Northern, Manchester to Newport on TFW when a 15x shows up, Newport to Taunton, then probably further on towards Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance.
Youd have to be quite desperate and It would probably take several days to end up with the right combinations!!

You could get a few more miles/hours in by going Carlisle-Barrow-Lancaster-Leeds.

 

[OrangeJuice]

You could get a few more miles/hours in by going Carlisle-Barrow-Lancaster-Leeds.

And beyond, Leeds, York, Hull, Doncaster, Lincoln, Peterborough, Nottingham, Derby, Crewe then TfW/GWR as mentioned upthread

 

[GLC]

In theory you could get a fair way zig-zagging on sprinters. Im not sure any run any route from Edinburgh to Glasgow now so potentially something like Mallaig-Glasgow, Glasgow to Carlisle via Kilmarnock, Carlisle to Leeds, Leeds to Manchster on Northern, Manchester to Newport on TFW when a 15x shows up, Newport to Taunton, then probably further on towards Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance.
Youd have to be quite desperate and It would probably take several days to end up with the right combinations!!

I believe there is still a diagram (possibly literally one) where a 158 still does Edinburgh to Glasgow via Shotts. Combine that with a 158 starting from Wick, to Inverness, then the infrequent 158s to Edinburgh from Inverness, and that would let you cover the rest of the route you describe from further starting point

 

[Jamesrob637]

Or, counting all Desiros, how about Ayr to Glasgow (380), Glasgow to Liverpool (185), Liverpool to London (350), London to Weymouth (444).

Glasgow to Liverpool sadly is nowadays exclusively the preserve of 397s
Edinburgh to Newcastle TPE is exclusively the preserve of 802s
185s don't go north of Newcastle anymore now.

 

[py_megapixel]

Glasgow to Liverpool sadly is nowadays exclusively the preserve of 397s
Edinburgh to Newcastle TPE is exclusively the preserve of 802s
185s don't go north of Newcastle anymore now.

Ah. I didn't think they'd managed to get enough 397s into service yet.
However irritating for the purpose of this thread, it's good to see that they've stopped running diesels (and inefficient diesels at that) on routes entirely under the wires.