philthetube
Established Member
- Joined
- 5 Jan 2016
- Messages
- 3,762
Sorry guys, I can beat you all, March 6th this year I was waiting a Clone and a refurbished 158 arrived, never seen such luxury
I have vauge memories of being very surprised to see a 2-car DMU turn up for a stockport to brokenhurst journey (I think this was in the british rail era, the full route of the train was presumablly manchester to bournmouth).
Once worked a 4 car 156 on an Edinburgh to Glasgow express during the bad snow of 2010 when ScotRail were struggling with 170 availability due to the weather, they had no alternative, this was a rare working. Struggled to keep to time being limited to 75mph.
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...sbrough-steam-loco-works-service-train.94970/I seem to remember a steam loco + support coach move somewhere in North Yorkshire/the North East picking up passengers left stranded by a cancelled service train a few years ago?
Class 222 on a Liverpool Nottingham special for the Grand National. Not a substitution as such but unexpected for this route.
Whether such a unit should be 'unexpected' on an express route between 4 major cities is another matter...
Happens often on such events, I’ve caught it a few times. Always fun in declassified first class! I believe Meridians have popped up on the Crewe-Derby line too, when there have been events at Uttoxeter.
I remember 156s on Liverpool Norwich being relatively rare about 10 years when I used to commute on part of the route. 153 + 158 was a real rarity. I remember choosing to sit in the 153 for the novelty value of both a 153 on the Hope Valley and a 153 on an express service.Happens often on such events, I’ve caught it a few times. Always fun in declassified first class! I believe Meridians have popped up on the Crewe-Derby line too, when there have been events at Uttoxeter.
As for unexpected stock changes, I’ve seen or heard of a few.
- Class 142 on a Manchester - Crewe back in 2011.
- Class 350s covering on Milton Keynes - East Croydon services around 2009.
- Class 156’s have deputised on Liverpool - Norwich runs fairly often.
- I’ve heard (I don’t recall where) of a set of London Midland 323’s making it to Crewe once.
- I saw an article once that a pair of Chiltern Railways 168’s substituted for a Wrexham & Shropshire (RIP) loco-hauled set.
- I saw on Facebook a picture of an XC Class 170 at Manchester Piccadilly working a Manchester - Birmingham service.
- Used to travel regularly on the Chester - Manchester line on the loco-hauled set when I was working in Manchester. Often, it would be subbed for a Class 150. Not fun!
- Regularly seen Class 158s on Manchester - Milford Haven runs.
I remember 156s on Liverpool Norwich being relatively rare about 10 years when I used to commute on part of the route. 153 + 158 was a real rarity. I remember choosing to sit in the 153 for the novelty value of both a 153 on the Hope Valley and a 153 on an express service.
Fairly recently I've seen a few 153 or 156 and 158 combos though.
And as if by magic.
View attachment 76344
Not uncommon to be 2 x 153 + 156 - at least until the CV crisis. Example above 22/1/20 on the 1051 Lime St - Norwich.
And I was waiting at Salisbury for my late-running train to Templecombe in 1965 when into the station came 34001 Exeter (though nameless, I think) taking over from a failed Warship. Mind you, that probably happened about seven days a week back then.
I did read of a class 74+TC combination, which had somehow ended up back to front at Waterloo, and was put right way round by deputising for the more usual rolling stock on a Kingston Loop service.
During a strike in the early 1980s, I saw an 8-car formation of class 114s (more normally found in Lincolnshire) at Kings Cross, about to set off on a stopper to Finsbury Park, Hatfield, Welwyn GC and all stations to Doncaster.
Recently mentioned on another thread a class 419 on battery power pressed into service as a (standing room only) shuttle between Dover Marine and Priory as the result of a power failure on the branch
1. Must have been 1980s or early 1990s. Arrived at Euston one morning, and found a 31/4 on the buffer stops of a nearby platform, having arrived earlier on a service from Wolverhampton or Birmingham. Got a (poor) photo of it somewhere.
2. Labour dispute at Allerton (1975) created shortage of dmus. Class 40s + Mark 1 stock on some Liverpool area locals to Wigan, Manchester & elsewhere.
Are you sure that you are not thinking of 73's as 74's were all withdrawn in 1976That was in the mid 1980's and was a semi regular Sunday afternoon trick to turn the boat train stock on a Kingston roundabout.