Trivia: TOCs stopping at other terminus/major stations other their usual

[dorsetdesiro]

Until recently Southeastern trains were serving Waterloo temporarily whereas these are normally present at Victoria or Charing Cross.

Any other examples? I can't remember if SWT trains or even pre-privatisation NSE trains were re-routed to Victoria or other London terminuses some time in the past.

There would be some sort of contingency plan for a temporary major London stop for the SW network if it is not possible to access Waterloo in case of emergency, I assume this may be Vauxhall.

If Clapham Junction is the temporary choice, as if it is overcrowded enough already! News reports of massive crowds at Clapham can spring to mind especially during strike action on the Underground.

I'm surprised that Waterloo managed to stay open during last summer's works that SWT trains weren't diverted to other large stations and it was available for Southeastern to use temporarily! The warnings sent out in advance by Twitter/social media advising people not to travel to Waterloo seemed to help, this wouldn't have been possible 30 years ago.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

Other examples I could think of are Chiltern going to Paddington instead of Marylebone and C2C to Liverpool St

 

[Kite159]

Would SWR diverting 159s to Reading [for connections to Paddington] when the line between Basingstoke & Woking is closed count?

 

[jeremyjh]

GWR have served Waterloo and Paddington as diversionary routes to London in recent years. It’s needed relatively rarely. Originally for Marylebone this involved a reversal at Banbury, presumably no longer needed now that the route via Bicester Village is operational.

Virgin West Coast avoided a change of terminus during past major blockades, running Voyagers via the Chiltern Main Line and the Greenford branch, through Ealing Broadway and the up and over back to the approaches to Euston. This despite a significant time penalty vs serving Marylebone or Paddington.

 

[IanXC]

GWR have indeed done Marylebone via that route recently as I recall.

Other examples that come to mind:
Caledonian Sleeper to Kings Cross, Glasgow Queen Street and Oban
Hull Trains to Liverpool Street and St Pancras
Transpennine Express historically to Manchester Victoria, does Hunts Cross count (happening in the next blockade of Lime Street)?
Virgin Trains West Coast terminating at Liverpool South Parkway? (Have they historically served Paddington?)

 

[pdeaves]

Hull Trains to Liverpool Street and St Pancras

I was on a Hull Trains service to St Pancras. It was on the day the Finsbury Park block went dramatically wrong and hit the news. There was a queue of East Coast trains but the Hull one was just able to reach the right point to do its reversals to wander round North London. It effectively jumped the queue and I am sure we got to London sooner than if the diversion wasn't in place and we'd gone to Finsbury Park.

 

[Muzer]

Yeah, the Hull Trains thing was great fun. I didn't realise they'd been to Liverpool Street though! That must be a laugh.

 

[Bookd]

GWR have served Waterloo and Paddington as diversionary routes to London in recent years. It’s needed relatively rarely. Originally for Marylebone this involved a reversal at Banbury, presumably no longer needed now that the route via Bicester Village is operational.

Virgin West Coast avoided a change of terminus during past major blockades, running Voyagers via the Chiltern Main Line and the Greenford branch, through Ealing Broadway and the up and over back to the approaches to Euston. This despite a significant time penalty vs serving Marylebone or Paddington.

I enjoyed seeing GWR HSTs passing through Feltham on diversion. It might have been useful if they had stopped there; passengers for Heathrow would have had a short bus ride which might have saved them some time.

 

[IanXC]

I was on a Hull Trains service to St Pancras. It was on the day the Finsbury Park block went dramatically wrong and hit the news. There was a queue of East Coast trains but the Hull one was just able to reach the right point to do its reversals to wander round North London. It effectively jumped the queue and I am sure we got to London sooner than if the diversion wasn't in place and we'd gone to Finsbury Park.

I did that too! I calculated that the train in front of us that had joined the queue was next for a platform at Finsbury Park when we arrived at St Pancras. That said, there clearly was not the capacity for many more services to be diverted into St Pancras so while it was a useful option that HT could make use of it probably wasn't at all practical for the East Coast operator.

On another occasion Hull Trains went to St Pancras via Leicester, which was immense fun!

 

[randyrippley]

Until recently Southeastern trains were serving Waterloo temporarily whereas these are normally present at Victoria or Charing Cross.

Any other examples? I can't remember if SWT trains or even pre-privatisation NSE trains were re-routed to Victoria or other London terminuses some time in the past.

There would be some sort of contingency plan for a temporary major London stop for the SW network if it is not possible to access Waterloo in case of emergency, I assume this may be Vauxhall.

If Clapham Junction is the temporary choice, as if it is overcrowded enough already! News reports of massive crowds at Clapham can spring to mind especially during strike action on the Underground.

I'm surprised that Waterloo managed to stay open during last summer's works that SWT trains weren't diverted to other large stations and it was available for Southeastern to use temporarily! The warnings sent out in advance by Twitter/social media advising people not to travel to Waterloo seemed to help, this wouldn't have been possible 30 years ago.

There was a blockade at Waterloo in the 1970's when a bridge on the approach was being replaced. Vauxhall became a temporary terminus. From memory I think it lasted several weeks

 

[randyrippley]

GWR have indeed done Marylebone via that route recently as I recall.

Other examples that come to mind:
Caledonian Sleeper to Kings Cross, Glasgow Queen Street and Oban
Hull Trains to Liverpool Street and St Pancras
Transpennine Express historically to Manchester Victoria, does Hunts Cross count (happening in the next blockade of Lime Street)?
Virgin Trains West Coast terminating at Liverpool South Parkway? (Have they historically served Paddington?)

Back in the 80's the last London train south from Lancaster/Preston on the WCML was routed via Birmingham to Paddington. No idea why.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

Thanks for the contributions!

The West & East Coast lines are obviously very busy for some trains to be diverted away from their usual London stops.

I remember taking the Calendonian Sleeper from Glasgow to Euston few years ago, which it normally goes on the West Coast line however I woke up the next morning puzzled to find my train marooned on the East Coast line somewhere near Peterborough!

I thought oh no, the train will be going to Kings Cross then I have to find another way back to Euston and it was 2 hours late. It travelled down to somewhere in North London and along another track leading back to the West Coast Line then into Euston. Phew!

Also the Sleeper also did used to call at Kings Cross but I think this was withdrawn in the 80s.

 

[xotGD]

Does Piccadilly Line into Ealing Broadway count for this thread?

Many years ago, with a tree down south of Coventry, I travelled in and out of Padd on what should have been Birmingham - Euston services. No such thing as TOCs back then, however.

 

[swt_passenger]

...I remember taking the Calendonian Sleeper from Glasgow to Euston few years ago, which it normally goes on the West Coast line however I woke up the next morning puzzled to find my train marooned on the East Coast line somewhere near Peterborough!

I thought oh no, the train will be going to Kings Cross then I have to find another way back to Euston and it was 2 hours late.

I bet it was announced as London Euston though, especially if that was a planned diversion - it isn't at all unusual...

 

[swt_passenger]

Until recently Southeastern trains were serving Waterloo temporarily whereas these are normally present at Victoria or Charing Cross.

Any other examples? I can't remember if SWT trains or even pre-privatisation NSE trains were re-routed to Victoria or other London terminuses some time in the past.

There is no practical route capable of taking a regular service from the Southwestern mainline side into Victoria, to all intents and purposes the Southwestern mains and South Central networks are not linked at Clapham Junction at all.

There is a route from Victoria to the Windsor side, which is used by the odd charters, but it is not suitable for a frequent service.

 

[Muzer]

There is no practical route capable of taking a regular service from the Southwestern mainline side into Victoria, to all intents and purposes the Southwestern mains and South Central networks are not linked at Clapham Junction at all.

There is a route from Victoria to the Windsor side, which is used by the odd charters, but it is not suitable for a frequent service.

There's a route via Wimbledon, but as you say, it isn't particularly practical. If it were a Portsmouth service I could see it being more feasible as it could call Guildford then cut across via Epsom and Sutton.

 

[richard1976]

Havn't Cross country used Manchester Victoria if Piccadilly was closed

 

[class303]

Back in the 80's the last London train south from Lancaster/Preston on the WCML was routed via Birmingham to Paddington. No idea why.

Used to be a one a day Cross Country service from Glasgow Central to Paddington via Preston

 

[richard1976]

C2C services into Liverpool Street

 

[swt_passenger]

Used to be a one a day Cross Country service from Glasgow Central to Paddington via Preston

Yes, but that would still have been the normal terminus for that particular service. The original question was about temporary situations.

 

[DanNCL]

Many years ago a Chiltern Railways service I was on from Snow Hill to Marylebone was diverted to Didcot Parkway instead. I can't remember exactly why the Chiltern service was diverted to Didcot.

 

[swt_passenger]

I'm surprised that Waterloo managed to stay open during last summer's works that SWT trains weren't diverted to other large stations and it was available for Southeastern to use temporarily! .

The Southeastern diversions into P21/22 were on the bank holiday weekend after the Waterloo blockade was finished. They didn’t occur at the same time as the earlier SWT/SWR reduced service.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Chiltern ran to Coventry and Birmingham New Street a couple of times during one of the Evergreen projects...until West Coast objected that it was in breach of the moderation of competition protection.

They've also run a couple of specials from the Severn Valley Railway into London (return journey had a change of train at Kidderminster due to the layout), and a 168 made it to Wrexham and back at least once in the days of Wrexham & Shropshire.

 

[Iskra]

Project Rio used St Pancras instead of Euston from Manchester didn’t it for VTWC?

Edit: actually, the services were run by Midland Mainline, using ex-VT HST’s, so the unusual station was Manchester Piccadilly.

 

[PHILIPE]

GWR going to Marylebone or, on occasions, Waterloo when Engineering work has closed the route to Paddington

 

[tsr]

Southern have sent stuff into Blackfriars on occasion, on planned diversions. Not to mention the odd emergency where trains have terminated at all manner of places with handy crossovers or sidings - New Cross Gate, Streatham Hill, Balham, you name it really! There was one particularly chaotic day when somebody decided to terminate the Uckfield Line in the West London platforms at Clapham Junction.

 

[Wirewiper]

GWR have served Waterloo and Paddington as diversionary routes to London in recent years. It’s needed relatively rarely. Originally for Marylebone this involved a reversal at Banbury, presumably no longer needed now that the route via Bicester Village is operational.

A limited GWR service will be operating to and from London Marylebone again on Sunday 6th May (the Public Holiday weekend) as Maidenhead - London Paddington will be shut.

On Saturday 5th May and Holiday Monday 7th May trains the line will be closed between Maidenhead and Hayes & Harlington. A limited service will operate via the new Bicester route but will be able to run to and from London Paddington.

Other services will start/terminate at Reading. The Night Riviera will not operate in either direction on Sunday 6th May.

 

[Muzer]

A limited GWR service will be operating to and from London Marylebone again on Sunday 6th May (the Public Holiday weekend) as Maidenhead - London Paddington will be shut.

On Saturday 5th May and Holiday Monday 7th May trains the line will be closed between Maidenhead and Hayes & Harlington. A limited service will operate via the new Bicester route but will be able to run to and from London Paddington.

Other services will start/terminate at Reading. The Night Riviera will not operate in either direction on Sunday 6th May.

Do we know if they're going via South Greenford or via the New North Main Line the whole way?

 

[talltim]

In October 1991 and also in 1992 work on the southern WCML meant that services were dragged by diesel from Nuneaton to Bedford before continuing on electric into St Pancras.
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/class-87s-into-st-pancras-wouldnt-happen-now.30525/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/79134428@N03/21087409461
http://www.gensheet.co.uk/photo1/87pancras.jpg

 

[DanTrain]

I did that too! I calculated that the train in front of us that had joined the queue was next for a platform at Finsbury Park when we arrived at St Pancras. That said, there clearly was not the capacity for many more services to be diverted into St Pancras so while it was a useful option that HT could make use of it probably wasn't at all practical for the East Coast operator.

Was that route even electrified, does it go via the GOBLIN (which would have been wire-less) or can it go via the NLL? If it's the GOBLIN then it would have been no use to EC anyway.