But if you want to think about it, some of the routes when the class 158's were introduced were a bit crazy: Blackpool - Manchester - Sheffield - Nottingham - Ely - Ipswich - Harwich? One or two each day even started from Barrow, not Blackpool. Now thats weird........and if you go back further to the "The European / Lorelei / anothernamethisyear" Harwich boat train from Scotland, now that was simply daft.
They were Cross Country services weren't they? Even Virgin XC ran into Paddington several times a day in the early to mid 00s, I can't remember whether it stopped with Operation Princess or the handover to Arriva. A lot of the route is still covered now with the Manchester - Birmingham - Reading services.
Southport - Chester via Manchester on SundaysN
They were Cross Country services weren't they? Even Virgin XC ran into Paddington several times a day in the early to mid 00s, I can't remember whether it stopped with Operation Princess or the handover to Arriva. A lot of the route is still covered now with the Manchester - Birmingham - Reading services.
At one point this was shorter, running Greenbank to St Annes, although I can't remember if that was due to engineering works.
Waterloo - Exeter & v.v via Guildford & Portsmouth, which was a 50 & coaches and was semi fast from Sarum, it was fast from Guildford to Havant & from Portsmouth it made odd stops too.
Wasn't that because they tried to turn two paper trains into one, serving both Soton and Exeter catchments?
Possibly still do, but there is definitely a Great Malvern Brighton which is even more ridiculous!The current Weymouth - Gloucester used to continue to Great Malvern?
Possibly still do, but there is definitely a Great Malvern Brighton which is even more ridiculous!
Lots of them still do. The Brighton one is something like the 1106. Even though it's usually a three-carriage 158 it still gets rammed around Bristol in summer!
In the days of Wales & West, I seem to recall a 153 diagram from Cardiff Central to Holyhead, via Swansea, Llanelli, Shrewsbury & Crewe. All stations to boot as well.
Possibly still do, but there is definitely a Great Malvern Brighton which is even more ridiculous!
When I mentioned a Great Malvern-Bristol-Southampton through service (class 153) on here, somebody said it picked up a second unit in Bristol and dropped the first at Westbury.
So the train was actually like Trigger's trusty old brush, which had new handles and heads in its life.
At one point this was shorter, running Greenbank to St Annes, although I can't remember if that was due to engineering works.
Not related.
St Annes to Greenbank existed as a single early Mon-Sat morning working until December 2018 when a Blackpool North-Hazel Grove service took the same path between Kirkham & Wesham and Stockport. The St Annes to Greenbank service was booked as 2 x 158s under First North Western, until First decided that FNW should loan 2 x 158s to TPE in 2004, when it became a class 31 hauled mk2 set. Then with the Northern fleet reorganistion (which saw all the 158s moved to Yorkshire) it became 2 x 156s. The replacement Blackpool to Hazel Grove working was one of the class 180 workings at the December 2008 timetable change and is now 2 x 150s. So a variety of stock over the years in that path and if anything a gradual downgrade!
Southport-Chester via Stockport was a regular hourly service in the early 90s between Altrincham-Sale-Manchester getting converted to Metrolink and Southport-Manchester Airport services starting. It was reintroduced as a Sunday only service in December 2008, prior to that Sunday Southport services had gone to Alderley Edge.
No, this was at something like 0900 in the morning and returning at around 1500 or so in the afternoon.
Into time travel?
Some trains from Weymouth or the South Coast still operate to/from Great Malvern
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C52772/2016/03/17/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C52775/2016/03/17/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C52581/2016/03/17/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C50900/2016/03/17/advanced
BR XC used to run a Liverpool-Folkestone service via Birmingham, Reading, Kensington Olympia, Chatham and Dover Priory (serviced at Ashford).
On summer Saturdays they could never decide how to route the train, and one year it ran in a loop through Kent - on arrival at Folkestone it just carried on via Ashford and Orpington to Bromley South.
Then it was diverted to terminate at Dover Marine, then Ramsgate, then via the WCML instead of Reading, then axed completely.
Reading-Bromley South on a Travelcard in inter-city comfort was a handy way of crossing London in the 80s.