Virgin Trains Ramsgate Service Stopping Pattern

[Doomotron]

Does anyone know what the stopping pattern of the summer only Virgin Crosscountry service to Ramsgate was? I believe it was a Birmingham to Ramsgate service, and on occasion it was hauled by a hired Class 55.

 

[AlterEgo]

Does anyone know what the stopping pattern of the summer only Virgin Crosscountry service to Ramsgate was? I believe it was a Birmingham to Ramsgate service, and on occasion it was hauled by a hired Class 55.

IIRC it was

Birmingham New Street
Reading
Kensington Olympia
Bromley South
Chatham
Faversham
Margate
Ramsgate

 

[Enthusiast]

I believe the s/b service also called at Birmingham International and Coventry.

The return service (which left Ramsgate at 11:26) was extended through to Edinburgh Waverley (although the Deltic was only in charge as far as New Street). I think it made additional stops at Oxford, Banbury, Leamington Spa and Coventry. It continued beyond Birmingham (usually under class 47 traction) via the WCML through Carlisle, then Lockerbie and Haymarket, arriving in Waverley some time after 21:30. I also have in mind that there was a short-lived Manchester to Ramsgate service, also Deltic powered, but I can't recall the details.

I've got a site bookmarked somewhere which gives the details and I'll try to find it.

 

[hexagon789]

This page on the excellent 1S76 website has a timetable and some photos:

INTRODUCTION:

Little change in 1999. The Summer Saturday service to and from Ramsgate once again operated for the full summer timetable, this year the northbound service was accelerated by approx 30 minutes within Kent and now ran to Glasgow Central instead of Edinburgh. D9000 again was loco in charge between Birmingham and Ramsgate and v/v.

The Sussex Scot ran via the Seattle and Carlisle line on certain Saturdays. Last years innovation of starting the Manchester to Brighton train from Preston continued.​

---

TIMETABLE and ROUTE:

The Sussex Scot ran via the Seattle and Carlisle line on certain Saturdays. Last years innovation of starting the Manchester to Brighton train from Preston continued.​

​

Inter regional loco hauled services from Brighton 1999.

Details of train services from Brighton to Manchester and vice versa. First year of service. Includes timetable pictures and stock workings.

www.1s76.com

 

[Enthusiast]

This page on the excellent 1S76 website has a timetable and some photos:

​

Inter regional loco hauled services from Brighton 1999.

Details of train services from Brighton to Manchester and vice versa. First year of service. Includes timetable pictures and stock workings.

www.1s76.com

That's what I was looking for!

 

[hexagon789]

That's what I was looking for!

Great minds think alike, eh?

 

[Doomotron]

Thank you for the help with this. I'm trying to remake it in Train Simulator so the timetable is especially useful.

 

[hexagon789]

Thank you for the help with this. I'm trying to remake it in Train Simulator so the timetable is especially useful.

Network Rail publish the working timetables back to the formation of Railtrack on their archive if you need more detailed timings.

 

[181]

It continued beyond Birmingham (usually under class 47 traction) via the WCML through Carlisle, then Lockerbie and Haymarket, arriving in Waverley some time after 21:30.

Probably not by class 47 all the way -- VXC trains on the WCML at that time were (unless HSTs) normally hauled by class 86s north of Birmingham (if running direct) or Preston (if via Manchaster). The 1S76 site also mentions class 86s north of Preston; but a class 47 sounds plausible for any non-electrified sections north of Birmingham (I see that, surprisingly, it indicates that the train from Ramsgate called at Stoke but not Manchester).