Weirdest Rolling Stock on a Line.

[Neilandrewhall]

What's the Weirdest rolling stock, you have seen on a passenger service?

Please do not include:

Steam Trains.
Trains that are now counted as Vintage.

Also its got to be a passenger train service That Stops at one of the Stations on the Lines.

Please Include Class Number and the Line

Neil

 

[atomicdanny]

Tornado actually covered for a South Eastern Service to Dover Priory during the snow (when a lot of the 375s broke down), yes it is steam and it was on a tour but it did take 100 normal passengers to Dover so I think it should count

 

[12CSVT]

For strangest item of rolling stock in passenger service how about Plasser & Theurer TASC-45 track machine/personnel carrier no DX98501.
During a visit to the West Highland line in 1992 the last southbound daytime service from Fort William failed to stop at Corrour, where about 5 people intended getting off. Once the traincrew realised this, hasty arrangements were made to commandeer the track machine at Rannoch to take the unfortunate tourists back to Corrour.

 

[jopsuk]

Not personal experience, but I've seen photos of an incident whereby a single HST powercar (no carriages) carried passengers along the newquay branchline in the Guard compartment.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

During a bad weather period I once saw a class 73 with one of the interim Weymouth line temporary reformed REP / TC push pull sets ( from when the 442s were being introduced and the traction motors were being moved over ) at Epsom having worked a stopper from Waterloo one evening. I believe it went on to Dorking!

Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me that evening - saw it on the way home from work.

 

[D6975]

I once saw a route learner class 122 added to a partly failed 3 car DMU at Temple Meads on a Taunton stopper to provide extra power.
Also there used to be a Fridays only Padd-Bristol single trip working that was a right OC chuck out turn. HST Power Car + Mk3s + barrier was not unusual on that one.

 

[route:oxford]

Night Riviera used as a "normal" service between Oxford & London - sleeping cars locked out of use.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/4886488.Sleeper_service_helps_out_city_rail_commuters/

I also recall HSTs being pressed into action to cover for 150s covering for 156s which were covering for 158s that were withdrawn from use due to coupling issues shortly after their introduction in Scotland.

 

[theblackwatch]

I once saw a route learner class 122 added to a partly failed 3 car DMU at Temple Meads on a Taunton stopper to provide extra power.
Also there used to be a Fridays only Padd-Bristol single trip working that was a right OC chuck out turn. HST Power Car + Mk3s + barrier was not unusual on that one.

I can beat the route learner - on January 4th 1988 I travelled in a route learner Cravens unit (977123+977125) on a York-Harrogate-Leeds service which it worked vice a Class 141 which had failed. The front car had no seats in the centre section (other than the ones against the partitions by the doors, and there was no partition between the driver and passengers at the front, so some bin bags were hung up.

Earlier that evening, the same unit had done the (17.10?) York-Leeds leg of a Cross Country service which was booked HST! It then came back empty to York where it was commandeered for the train I travelled on.

 

[starrymarkb]

Couple that have been reported (though I didn't see any in person)

HST on the Exmouth line (had operated as a charter from Birmingham with dignitaries for the lifeboat dedication, took the path of one of the the DMUs and so ran as a public service between Exeter and Plymouth)

153 on a Penzance to Paddington (the early morning HST had failed to Start that morning so the St Ives 153 was nicked, IIRC they added a 158 at Exeter - it also kept time as far as Exeter, but only made it to Bristol)

142 Paignton to Paddington (another sick HST, leading to the local unit being commandeered to run the HSTs turn though with an HST from Penzance via Westbury following between Newton Abbot and Taunton it was only hoovering up passengers for stations on the Bristol Route - it made it to Swindon)

 

[SprinterMan]

A couple I have heard about but not seen:

Class 56 deputising for unavailable 37/4 on passenger train on the Rhymney line. (2003)

HST working Westbury-Weymouth due to police investigating suicide at westbury. (2009?)

IC 43+VWC mk3+IC mk3+GNER 43 working VXC blackpool - glasgow. (1998)

Slightly off topic but do east midlands trains still do the 5 or 6 car 153/156/158 formations on the skegness line in the summer like central trains used to do?

 

[Jordy]

Yes EMT still do that.

 

[87015]

Still rate 33103+TC on the Gospel Oaks as one of the most bizarre things...

 

[Jordy]

The T&T 31s on the Marston Vale line were quite bizarre.

 

[12CSVT]

The class 20 and 47 in top & tail mode substituting a DMU on the Great Yarmouth line is probably the most bizarre working so far this year

 

[jayc]

Probably nothing too weird in the context of things, but I head back about 10 years ago of class 455's working London Victoria-South coast services as far as Haywards Heath in place of 400's and class 205's covering for 165/166's on the North Downs.

 

[MCR247]

A 455 worked a london - Brighton working instead of the 442

 

[Peter Mugridge]

How about this one then?

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=32520

 

[Bittern]

I didn't see this personally, but the most bizzare thing I've heard of happening up here in recent times was a two-car 170 on an Edinburgh Waverley - Glasgow Central service. The reasons for this being strange is two-fold.

1 - ScotRail 170s are always 3-car.
2 - 170s are the upmost rarity in Glasgow Central. Queen Street is their usual domain whereas Central is primarily 156 territory.

There's a picture on RailScot somewhere. Can't find it at the moment though.

 

[Ostrich]

I recall a few years back a Class 170 appearing on an evening Birmingham Cross City line service, and riding it northbound from New Street - from memory, it was 170 397 or 398.

 

[ainsworth74]

Class 156's on the Darlington to Saltburn line

 

[Jordy]

A 185 works the first Cleethorpes - Barton service of the morning rather than the usual 153, as a result of the large step it cannot stop at some of the stations.

 

[theblackwatch]

Another unit I've rememebered which I went on - Hastings DEMU 1001 hired by Northern Spirit and used on Middlesbrough-Whitby services.

 

[GospelOak117]

Not sure how rare these units were at this time but it certainly seems unthinkable now, a Western Region DMU (In this case Classes 116 and 117) running Edenbridge to Tonbridge. I thought prior to Electrification this line was primarily Southern Region DEMU's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vREQU28_Wjw&feature=related

BTW this is not my video, just one I found on Youtube ages ago

 

[lm321412]

Class 150s on the Cross City line, when 323s was unreliable.

 

[tempests1]

Not sure how rare these units were at this time but it certainly seems unthinkable now, a Western Region DMU (In this case Classes 116 and 117) running Edenbridge to Tonbridge. I thought prior to Electrification this line was primarily Southern Region DEMU's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vREQU28_Wjw&feature=related

BTW this is not my video, just one I found on Youtube ages ago

In the last couple of years before the Thames Turbo's took over from the 1st Generation DMU's the 117/119/101's were regular performers on the Reading to Gatwick services and sometimes Tonbridge. Had a run out on a 117 during the October School Half Term in 1992 from Guildford to North Camp.

 

[jayc]

I think Western Region DMU's took over from the DEMU's on the North Downs in the early 1980's.

 

[Drimnagh Road]

For me it will always be 140mph capable Pendolinos on the North Wales coast trundling their way down to the semaphored outpost of Holyhead.

Despite been a twice daily occurance up to 2008, it was always the most bizare of operation and was something that particularly Irish enthusiasts could never get their head around.

If it was common practice on other routes fair enough, but when diesel trains were operating on long distance electric routes, especially 221s Edinburgh-Birmingham, the problematic dragging of 390s & 57/3s beyond the wires was made all the more curious, and all so those WAG ministers could get a breakfast...

 

[route101]

For me it will always be 140mph capable Pendolinos on the North Wales coast trundling their way down to the semaphored outpost of Holyhead.

Despite been a twice daily occurance up to 2008, it was always the most bizare of operation and was something that particularly Irish enthusiasts could never get their head around.

If it was common practice on other routes fair enough, but when diesel trains were operating on long distance electric routes, especially 221s Edinburgh-Birmingham, the problematic dragging of 390s & 57/3s beyond the wires was made all the more curious, and all so those WAG ministers could get a breakfast...

Is the Holyhead pendos still going or is it all voyager? I have always wondered what the Irish think of uk railways .

For me its not that weird but a Voyager hired by GNER doing a Aberdeen to Edinburgh on day that the 2004 RAF Leuchars Airshow was on

 

[4SRKT]

Once saw a 3-car class 110 Calder Valley DMU substituting for a failed HST on a Newcastle > Kings Cross service as far as York. Needless to say it was rather full so I flagged it for a peak on the following Newcastle > Liverpool working.

 

[Juniper Driver]

1987 after the hurricane class 47's and inter city coaches running local services to Shenfield....(where I had to uncouple locos from coaches)...

Don't know if this counts...