Trivia: Odd through trains?

[dk1]

I believe that gets the unit off the Spalding-Peterbrough shuttles home
Thanks, Sam

The Spalding service never seems to fit any franchise. Probably FCC if only electrified. Should the flyover ever be built before Werrington, then maybe Greater Anglia could operate it as an extension of the by then hopefully hourly Ipswich service. Only downside would be the early morning service.

 

[swt_passenger]

I'm sure there used to be a direct Brighton - Waterloo service in the late 1990s (?) via Eastleigh, as an extension of the Brighton - Basingstoke service.

There was a Waterloo to Brighton down direction through train until whenever it was SWT ceased running to Reading and Brighton. (Was it really as long ago as Dec 2007?) 1Y13 0712 Waterloo - Brighton 1014 .

I don't ever recall seeing an up train from Brighton in recent times though, although it might have run at an unsocial time of day...

 

[Darren R]

I'm sure there used to be a direct Brighton - Waterloo service in the late 1990s (?) via Eastleigh, as an extension of the Brighton - Basingstoke service.

Similarly indirect was the Victoria - Bournemouth service via Hove.
Brighton - Great Malvern I've always found a curious one too.

The through Brighton - Waterloo train appeared in the May - Sept 95 T/T - departed Brighton 1400 running semi-fast via Eastleigh to arrive at Waterloo 1641. Despite it appearing in the summer timetable, it didn't run on Saturdays or Sundays though! And, moreover, having stepped off the train at Waterloo, the first train working in the opposite direction didn't appear until June 96, when an 0805 Waterloo - Brighton appeared (but again only Mondays - Fridays.)

The Victoria - Bournemouth services, as well as being indirect, for several years joined/split at Hove for Littlehampton. The journey up to town from Bournemouth took 3hrs 10mins as a result.

The south coast seems to have had many odd through trains over recent(ish) years. There was an 0535 Westbury - Brighton via Salisbury & Southampton (advertised as a Regional Railways service!) from Sept 94 - May 95. The following summer saw a 0900 Brighton to Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven, splitting at Carmarthen. Taking six and a half hours and probably being a 158 or 159 I can't imagine many passengers made that journey twice! There was also a through train to/from Paignton on Sat's, taking five and a half hours via Southampton, Salisbury and the SWML.

The Brighton - Waterloo train ran in various guises and on various days until at least 1999 (that's when I stopped buying the all-line timetables!)

 

[Eagle]

There was an 0535 Westbury - Brighton via Salisbury & Southampton (advertised as a Regional Railways service!) from Sept 94 - May 95.

Those services stayed with RR when it became Wales and West, and then passed to Wessex and nowadays FGW. Although the first morning service now starts at Portsmouth rather than Westbury.

 

[cjohnson]

One odd through service is Richmond-Guildford (via Ascot and a reverse at Aldershot), which runs every weekday just before 8am. Seems to run ECS from Waterloo-Richmond, then enters passenger service at Richmond. Not sure why it can't run in service from Waterloo and give an extra morning peak train to Richmond, Feltham etc.

 

[159jim]

Until 2007 SWT had a Penzance to Brighton service with the other portion splitting at Salisbury for London Waterloo.

 

[30mog]

When I lived in Cambridgeshire. I found it odd that the Cambridge non-stop service was just that from KGX to CBG. However, they usually continued calling every station to Kings Lynn.

Thus, it was a combination of an express and local stopper. Not sure if its still the same.

 

[Whistler40145]

I also remember a Manchester Victoria to Blackpool North Loco Hauled train which IIRC traversed the Oldham loop, prior to returning through Manchester Victoria again.

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2

 

[43074]

When I lived in Cambridgeshire. I found it odd that the Cambridge non-stop service was just that from KGX to CBG. However, they usually continued calling every station to Kings Lynn.

Thus, it was a combination of an express and local stopper. Not sure if its still the same.

Yes they still do this. Makes more sense than extending some of the slow/semi fast CBG to KGX because extending the fasts ensures stations between Waterbeach and Kings Lynn get an hourly fast service to instead of a tediously slow all stations service to/from London.

 

[Tomnick]

When I lived in Cambridgeshire. I found it odd that the Cambridge non-stop service was just that from KGX to CBG. However, they usually continued calling every station to Kings Lynn.

Thus, it was a combination of an express and local stopper. Not sure if its still the same.

Nothing unusual about that really. Plenty of outer suburban services (on other lines/from other cities) run fast through the inner suburbs, then make more frequent stops at the outer stations.

 

[southern442]

Routes such as Manchester Piccadilly - Poole via Gatwick and Havant used to exist. See here. The service ran, even though that particular label was never issued. Also Brighton - Glasgow via Redhill, East Croydon or Guildford, Banbury, Coventry and the northern WCML. Most of these sorts of things were once a week, I think.

Today, you can have shorter oddities crossing the London/BML area - such as the 0731 Coulsdon Town - Watford Junction, offering the Tattenham Corner branch a weak connection with the WLL.

This niche but useful website charts the rise and fall of cross-country services to and from Brighton: http://www.1s76.com/INDEX.HTM

Some of those are not exactly odd through services, but they are combinations of BML fasts and XC semi-fasts.

I know that back then it was common for trains to miss out important stations like Chichester, Stockport, and Clapham but why the hell do you need to call at Selhurst?

 

[matchmaker]

There used to be a Glasgow Queen Street - Kyle of Lochalsh service - I assume it used the Rose Street curve then reversed into the Kyle Line platforms at Inverness.

 

[Drsatan]

One unusual service is the 0819 SuO Romsey to Brighton. It is advertised as starting at Southampton Central in FGW's timetables, and only advertised as starting at Romsey on online journey planners.

 

[scotsman]

There used to be a Glasgow Queen Street - Kyle of Lochalsh service - I assume it used the Rose Street curve then reversed into the Kyle Line platforms at Inverness.

Or used Platform 4?

 

[Eagle]

One unusual service is the 0819 SuO Romsey to Brighton. It is advertised as starting at Southampton Central in FGW's timetables, and only advertised as starting at Romsey on online journey planners.

Southern's and SWT's timetables show it as starting from Romsey. Think it might just be a mistake in the FGW timetable.

 

[Goatboy]

I've actually found that whenever I've used the Malvern - Brighton services (have used 09:00 Brighton - Malvern 5/6 times and the service in the other direction once) that they often are the 158/9s. It to me seems moreso to be the rule as opposed to a one-off.

It's usually a 158. It's just the Great Malvern to everywhere-else (Excluding the Paddington's obviously) that are stiffed with 150's.

 

[tsr]

I know that back then it was common for trains to miss out important stations like Chichester, Stockport, and Clapham but why the hell do you need to call at Selhurst?

Selhurst is a frequent unadvertised stop on many trains nowadays (e.g. some FCC and late-night Southern fast services) to allow staff travel or crew changeovers, and I would suggest this is probably why some Intercity trains of previous decades also stopped there.

 

[MCR247]

FCC at Selhurst??

 

[louis97]

FCC at Selhurst??

2 FCC services start at Selhurst and call at all stops to pick up the normal route at Streatham. None in the other direction though.

0536 Selhurst to Luton:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/L03797/2013/06/20/advanced

0556 Selhurst to Bedford:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/L03806/2013/06/20/advanced

 

[W230]

2 FCC services start at Selhurst and call at all stops to pick up the normal route at Streatham. None in the other direction though.

Yep, it's a staff stop. There's often a few of the Three Bridges/Bedford services that stop at Norwood Junction on nights for the same reason.

 

[Eagle]

I don't think anyone's mentioned the 0524 Shrewsbury to Rugeley TV.

 

[louis97]

Yep, it's a staff stop. There's often a few of the Three Bridges/Bedford services that stop at Norwood Junction on nights for the same reason.

Although the Norwood stops are not public stops at all, compared to these 2! Seems strange as the units both run empty from Cricklewood Depot to start the services there!

 

[james60059]

2 routes which ring a bell from late 1990's/early 2000's was a London Waterloo - Fishguard Harbour (as opposed to Paddington - Fishguard Harbour) which I can't remember if it was Great Western Trains or South Wales and West, never traveled on it myself but was aware of it,

another in 2002 was a Birmingham New Street - Swansea service which departed BNS at 08:58 (IIRC it started at Derby) and once it arrived at Swansea at 11:32? formed a service back to Edinburgh. I remember that one well as it was the first time I traveled on a Virgin Voyager (Marco Polo was the name, can't remember the number )

 

[David Barrett]

In this case, Doncaster (and beyond) - Sheffield and Sheffield - Lincoln local services are combined to run as through services: the reason, as I understand it, being to satisfy the SYPTE requirement to provide a through service between Meadowhell and stations east of Sheffield.

Quite correct, of course the railway can't win either way for if the advertised workings were Adwick/Sheffield and Sheffield/Lincoln then the prospective Rotherham to Worksop passenger would leave the train at Sheffield walk to the screen, check his onward connection and walk back to the same train, or even worse to see the tail lamps disappearing into the gloom. Either way one can hear the grunts of "That's stupid". It often used to happen at Doncaster years ago in B.R. Days when certian diagrams involved Cleethorpes to Sheffield workings advertised as two seperate trains, there was even a New Mills Central to Cleethorpes like it at one time around 1974/5.

 

[ValleyLines142]

another in 2002 was a Birmingham New Street - Swansea service which departed BNS at 08:58 (IIRC it started at Derby) and once it arrived at Swansea at 11:32? formed a service back to Edinburgh. I remember that one well as it was the first time I traveled on a Virgin Voyager (Marco Polo was the name, can't remember the number )

That would be 221109

A Voyager going through to Swansea?! Wow, would love to have seen that!!

It's a shame there aren't more Voyagers going through to Cardiff and on further to Swansea again. They'd go right past my house!

 

[PHILIPE]

It's usually a 158. It's just the Great Malvern to everywhere-else (Excluding the Paddington's obviously) that are stiffed with 150's.

Not 150s. 172s apart from 1 X 150 Diagram a day which includes a trip to Hereford.

 

[SprinterMan]

Not 150s. 172s apart from 1 X 150 Diagram a day which includes a trip to Hereford.

I think they mean FGW services to Malvern :P

 

[PHILIPE]

Of course, FGW Units only. Both the Brightons are 158/9s., i.e. 07 23 ex Warminster and 10 50 to Brighton and the other one, 09 00 from Brighton and 16 49 to Weymouth. Currently, the 07 15 to Westbury is a 2 Coach 158 but the other FGW ones are 150/1s and 150/2s although the 15 28 from Warminster as a 150/9.

 

[TUC]

I remember in about 1989 there used to be a through service from Leeds to Manchester Piccadilly via Derby, Birmingham and Crewe.

If that still existed today it would have interesting implications for permitted routes on a Leeds-Manchester ticket!

 

[Bedpan]

2 routes which ring a bell from late 1990's/early 2000's was a London Waterloo - Fishguard Harbour (as opposed to Paddington - Fishguard Harbour) which I can't remember if it was Great Western Trains or South Wales and West, never traveled on it myself but was aware of it,

Possibly talking out of my backside but I seem to remember this and also sleeper services running into Waterloo at around that time. Could it have been something to do with the remodelling of Paddington when the Heathrow branch was built?

another in 2002 was a Birmingham New Street - Swansea service which departed BNS at 08:58 (IIRC it started at Derby) and once it arrived at Swansea at 11:32? formed a service back to Edinburgh. I remember that one well as it was the first time I traveled on a Virgin Voyager (Marco Polo was the name, can't remember the number )

Derby to Swansea via Birmingham and Barnes, now that must have been one of the weirdest routed trains ever.