Trivia: Smallest or strangest station a Pendolino has called at?

[HST43277]

I'm just really interested in knowing if they have had to call or terminate at a very small station and one that they don't usually call at.
Thanks

 

[Blindtraveler]

Dont know if it counts but once spent a 30 minute power outage on the slows at Euxton Borshaw Lane on a Euston Birmingham Scotland.

 

[roversfan2001]

Dont know if it counts but once spent a 30 minute power outage on the slows at Euxton Borshaw Lane on a Euston Birmingham Scotland.

By extension, I think I can remember seeing one on the slows at Leyland.

 

[Clansman]

Cumbernauld would've been one if Pendolinos were ever dragged when the line around Edinburgh was shut a few months back (for whatever reason), as it was a common change over point for both Scotrail and TPE, so I imagine the locomotive driver would've alighted there to allow the 390 to take its own power onwards, given some Virgin drivers already sign the route via Falkirk Grahamston for the empty stock Voyager movements every morning from Polmadie.

Although I could be wrong as that's highly unlikely as Virgin have enough Voyagers to go around in case of any eventualities - as proven when they need to divert via Dumfries.

 

[GW43125]

Are we talking come to a stand or pax calls? If just standing then yes I think Euxton and Leyland will win, but disruption has previously seen pendolinos make passenger calls at stations such as Tring (not small, but rare for a 390 call), I'm sure someone else will enlighten me towards something much more impressive.

 

[HST43277]

More for passenger calls really, Thanks for all the replies so far.

 

[TimboM]

Here's a Pendolino I saw stopped in late May at Winsford, where the platform can just about fit a 4-car 350 in. Needless to say two-thirds of the train was not at platform.

They usually pass through at 100mph so a bit different to see one stationary.

Was stopped for the driver to inspect as the hot axle indicator further down the line had been activated. So wasn't a passenger call, but one person at least did get off!

https://flic.kr/p/VmpdPU

 

[Clansman]

Technically Haymarket is the smallest, as 1 or 2 coaches per 11 coach train hang off.

 

[Carlisle]

More for passenger calls really, Thanks for all the replies so far.

I seen to remember they used to call at Blackburn when first being dragged on the Settle-Carlisle diversions some years ago

 

[Bletchleyite]

Some years ago there was an incident of some kind that isolated the WCML, cutting it somewhere north of Tring. A couple of 321s and a couple of Pendolinos were left south of it. The Pendolinos were therefore used to operate a Tring stopping service.

So, they have called at all stations from Euston to Tring. I guess single-door must have been used at Apsley and Kings Langley as I think they had 8-car platforms at the time.

Just found an old uk.railway thread referring to it:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/uk.railway/3GfsA-7beig

 

[Jonfun]

Best I've been on was one where we had a special stop order for Levenshulme to pick up passengers from an earlier Euston service which had broken down. I assume it must have been boarded via a single door, which took a surprisingly short amount of time.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Flint was a regular call for the 57+390s on the Holyhead run before they went entirely over to Voyagers.
That was in 9-car days, but the 57 and a couple of coaches would overhang. The 'Stop' signs are still in the trackside ballast.
10-car Voyagers still call, of course.
All the other VT coast line stations have longer platforms.

 

[DarloRich]

when the class 90 (90046) fell off the track at Beltchley in 2012, closing the WCML for a few days, Vrigin ran stopping services (all stations) in place of LM trains between, i think, Tring and London.

 

[jonesy3001]

Been on one that stopped at smethwick galton bridge lower level before it reached birmingham.

 

[12CSVT]

Not sure if it was before or after the 390s came into service, I remember one August Bank Holiday when there was engineering works near Edge Hill and some of the Euston services were calling all stations between Lime Street and Allerton

 

[Bletchleyite]

when the class 90 (90046) fell off the track at Beltchley in 2012, closing the WCML for a few days, Vrigin ran stopping services (all stations) in place of LM trains between, i think, Tring and London.

Yep, that's the one I noted above, I confirm this indeed did take place.

I've also seen one stopped on the down fast at Tring with the doors released after a fatality some time ago. This was when a sensible policy, which seems to have gone away again sadly, of attempting to stop everything in platforms with doors released in the event of serious disruption was being used on the WCML. That way passengers wishing to abandon their journey or seek other modes at their own cost (e.g. airport taxis) could do so. Tring was a surprisingly useful place for this as it has a taxi office.

 

[Ibex]

Some years ago there was an incident of some kind that isolated the WCML, cutting it somewhere north of Tring. A couple of 321s and a couple of Pendolinos were left south of it. The Pendolinos were therefore used to operate a Tring stopping service.

So, they have called at all stations from Euston to Tring. I guess single-door must have been used at Apsley and Kings Langley as I think they had 8-car platforms at the time.

Just found an old uk.railway thread referring to it:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/uk.railway/3GfsA-7beig

If my memory serves me well (it was a shift I tried wiping from memory!) the Pendolino Tring services ran on the slow lines so they did use the normal door release for the whole unit (it's only the fast lines which have 8 car platforms), I think it may have also been before the 11 car extensions so were possibly all 9 car sets.

I remember catching a Pendolino from Stoke-on-Trent once which was terminating at Harrow & Wealdstone and going empty stock to Wembley, some kind of engineering blockade at Euston. That was about 2010-2011 roughly.

 

[northwichcat]

Best I've been on was one where we had a special stop order for Levenshulme to pick up passengers from an earlier Euston service which had broken down. I assume it must have been boarded via a single door, which took a surprisingly short amount of time.

I think Levenshulme is long enough to take 8 cars (not necessarily Pendolino length though) so could it have been all doors were released with the exception of the rear 1/2 carriages?

 

[dewsnapsliding]

Was there not a Pendolino tour a few years since from Piccadilly to Glossop and Hadfield?

Don't know if it stopped?

 

[Mag_seven]

Yep, that's the one I noted above, I confirm this indeed did take place.

I've also seen one stopped on the down fast at Tring with the doors released after a fatality some time ago. This was when a sensible policy, which seems to have gone away again sadly, of attempting to stop everything in platforms with doors released in the event of serious disruption was being used on the WCML. That way passengers wishing to abandon their journey or seek other modes at their own cost (e.g. airport taxis) could do so. Tring was a surprisingly useful place for this as it has a taxi office.

Something similar happend to me on a Southbound where the doors were released on Hemel Hempstead UP fast platform.

 

[satisnek]

Are we talking come to a stand or pax calls? If just standing then yes I think Euxton and Leyland will win, but disruption has previously seen pendolinos make passenger calls at stations such as Tring (not small, but rare for a 390 call), I'm sure someone else will enlighten me towards something much more impressive.

If just standing we only have to go back to last Friday night: Atherstone. Although as I mentioned in that thread there was an ambulance in the station forecourt so it may have initially been a genuine emergency call.

 

[507 001]

Not a passenger call but you often see Pendolinos stopped for a signal check at Deansgate when coming into Manchester off the Chat Moss/

 

[Joseph_Locke]

By extension, I think I can remember seeing one on the slows at Leyland.

Combining three journeys means I've travelled Slow lines (where available) from Crewe to Preston on a Pendolino.

 

[Deafdoggie]

Pre-Pendalino launch, they did some publicity shoots. This involved one stopping at Alsager (no idea why that was chosen!) However, it overhung the level crossing, so they could not stop long. The photographer needed photos, and pointed out that an empty train didn't look good, so rushed out onto the platform, and asked if we minded getting on to have photos taken on the train. We didn't! Then, due to blocking the level crossing, they asked if we minded travelling to stoke (we didn't). So had our first Pendalino ride. On arrival at Stoke, we were invited to the launch event at the North Stafford Hotel, opposite. Posh do, free food and drink (felt a little under dressed!) When time to go home, we were just going to the station, when they said they would sort out transport! Assumed they meant a train ticket, but they got a chauffeur car all the way from Manchester to take us back to Alsager. Interestingly, an 8 coach Pendalino did fit into Alsager, but they didn't pull it fully down for photo purposes (which is why it blocked the level crossing), however, London Midland claim an 8 coach 350 won't fit!

 

[IrishDave]

Some years ago there was an incident of some kind that isolated the WCML, cutting it somewhere north of Tring. A couple of 321s and a couple of Pendolinos were left south of it. The Pendolinos were therefore used to operate a Tring stopping service.

So, they have called at all stations from Euston to Tring. I guess single-door must have been used at Apsley and Kings Langley as I think they had 8-car platforms at the time.

Just found an old uk.railway thread referring to it:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/uk.railway/3GfsA-7beig

when the class 90 (90046) fell off the track at Beltchley in 2012, closing the WCML for a few days, Vrigin ran stopping services (all stations) in place of LM trains between, i think, Tring and London.

As I recall there were only three LM 350s south of the blockage, two stabled in Camden sidings and one running the 0134 Euston-Milton Keynes which was brought to a stand by the emergency call on the GSM(R). During the morning, LM used two of those to shuttle Watford-Tring, and kept the third on standby at Euston in order to run the first service north once the line opened, which eventually happened around 3:30pm or so.

As a result, Virgin used their Pendos to run a shuttle Euston-Tring, calling all stations between Watford and Tring, leading to, among others, this wonderful photo of two Pendolinos stationary at Apsley:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bengley/6811246139/

The main thread on that incident can be found here.

 

[thenorthern]

Lichfield Trent Valley I think could be the smallest station that trains are regularly timetabled to call at, I know the platforms aren't long enough for the 11 coach trains to stop there so selective door opening is in use.

I was once at Cheadle Hulme coming from Stoke-on-Trent on a pendolino and it waited at the platform for about 10 min. It was strange looking at the people on the platform but knowing they couldn't open the doors.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Lichfield Trent Valley I think could be the smallest station that trains are regularly timetabled to call at, I know the platforms aren't long enough for the 11 coach trains to stop there so selective door opening is in use.

I don't believe that is the case, IIRC the only regular VT halts that require SDO for 11-car 390s are Rugby p6, Coventry p4, Wilmslow p2 and Haymarket p3/4. Lichfield Trent Valley and a couple of others utilise 'X' stopboards, which by and large entail stopping dead on a certain point in order to fit.

 

[roversfan2001]

I don't believe that is the case, IIRC the only regular VT halts that require SDO for 11-car 390s are Rugby p6, Coventry p4, Wilmslow p2 and Haymarket p3/4. Lichfield Trent Valley and a couple of others utilise 'X' stopboards, which by and large entail stopping dead on a certain point in order to fit.

Wigan NW p1 also isn't long enough. When I've boarded there the last 2 coaches were off the end of the platform. I don't think VT regularly use p1 though.

 

[thenorthern]

I don't believe that is the case, IIRC the only regular VT halts that require SDO for 11-car 390s are Rugby p6, Coventry p4, Wilmslow p2 and Haymarket p3/4. Lichfield Trent Valley and a couple of others utilise 'X' stopboards, which by and large entail stopping dead on a certain point in order to fit.

I am sure its happened when I have been on a Pendolino there, I know that they have a bridge on the platform which cuts off part of platform 1 for a short while.

 

[route101]

Cumbernauld would've been one if Pendolinos were ever dragged when the line around Edinburgh was shut a few months back (for whatever reason), as it was a common change over point for both Scotrail and TPE, so I imagine the locomotive driver would've alighted there to allow the 390 to take its own power onwards, given some Virgin drivers already sign the route via Falkirk Grahamston for the empty stock Voyager movements every morning from Polmadie.

Although I could be wrong as that's highly unlikely as Virgin have enough Voyagers to go around in case of any eventualities - as proven when they need to divert via Dumfries.

Never heard of them at Cumbernuald but they may of gone via Whifflet as thats electrified . They go via Queens Park and Hamilton too .Carstairs used to served by 390s im sure . Never heard of voyagers going via falkirk would be interesting if thats the cae , ive been on TPE that way though.