Evening all, I am fairly sure that I have read on here somewhere that Wembley central can no longer take loco hauled trains (or those awful pendolino things) My reason to ask is that in the unlikely chance Preston NE get to the leauge 1 play off final is there a chance of a footy special? The stupid late kick off doesn't lend it's self to train travel from Preston easily. My last trip was 87017 to Wembley central. If the 68's were running on a Sunday would use them. Any trip to London from up her now I use Chiltern, waaaaaaay better. Thanks, Dave.
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Wembley Central platform lengths
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G_A_C_C_C
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1 - 0 up from the first leg, our first ever away win in the play-offs....we have a better chance than ever of making our 4th final (only to lose obviously).
There is nothing to stop longer trains from stopping at Wembley Central.The only problem I can see is the dwell time. All six platforms have constant traffic, the issue is not so much the inwards journey when the passengers will be fairly eager to leave the train, but the outward journey is a big problem. The train couldn't sit there for ages waiting for hundreds of disappointed fans to crawl back to the station. The fans would have to be held somewhere (not good as some will be under the influence) - currently Southern passengers are held back on the concourse and stopped from waiting on the platforms. The fans would then be released on mass and be expected to all find their coach, embark, find their seats in quite a hurry...and I really can't see that working.
There is nothing to stop longer trains from stopping at Wembley Central.The only problem I can see is the dwell time. All six platforms have constant traffic, the issue is not so much the inwards journey when the passengers will be fairly eager to leave the train, but the outward journey is a big problem. The train couldn't sit there for ages waiting for hundreds of disappointed fans to crawl back to the station. The fans would have to be held somewhere (not good as some will be under the influence) - currently Southern passengers are held back on the concourse and stopped from waiting on the platforms. The fans would then be released on mass and be expected to all find their coach, embark, find their seats in quite a hurry...and I really can't see that working.
The Planner
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Pretty sure Wembley can't do more than 8 car, without messing with SDO, it may actually be 7.
Cherry_Picker
Established Member
68s will run from Birmingham to Wembley Stadium for major events if that's what you were wondering. You might find it's about as quick to change in Birmingham as it is to mess about in London if you just want the stadium too.
class303
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When Northampton made the play off final 2 years ago the specials just went from Northampton to Euston & punters had to take tube to Wembley. Would imagine any specials from Preston (if any) will be the same.
Sunday though, the 68's don't run on a Sunday do they? I would take arseing about in Birmingham and the extra time any day over travelling on a Pendo'. Chiltern, even the units, staff everything are waaaaay better than Virgin.
Cherry_Picker
Established Member
Just based on personal experience, if there is a crowd of 70,00+ expected at Wembley then Chiltern services will be strengthened. 68s were running for the FA cup semi final a couple of Sundays ago, admittedly that might have been different because a Birmingham based team (Aston Villa) were playing and the trains were expected to be full and standing leaving Moor Street but I'd expect loco hauled stuff to run for all three play off finals.
RichmondCommu
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In all honesty I would get the Tube from Euston Square as that way you get to walk up Wembley Way.
BantamMenace
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I'm a Bradford fan and when we went twice a couple of years ago I did it both ways (travelling from Lancaster might i add), if you haven't experienced Wembley Way on matchday before it is definitely worth going into Euston then out on the tube. After the game if you've won go Wembley way, if you've lost make a sharp break for Wembley stadium and get the first thing northbound.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
On Southern it is SDO and only the front seven coaches.
On London Midland it is UDS and only the front four coaches.
If there's a FootEx it'll be into Euston and then the tube up to Wembley Park, I'd expect. Wembley Stadium station can take a loco-hauled train though.
Chiltern didn't use the 68s (well, 67s) for our play-off final a couple of years ago, they used 168s and 172s in multiple.
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For all the talk about SDO the key issue is surely the one identified by G_A_C_C_C - dwell time on the platforms, which with something the size of even a nine-car Pendolino would need to be so long for unloading and loading that it would mess up the normal timetabled services.
CallySleeper
Established Member
Preston NE are sponsored by Virgin Trains. So you'd have thought they might conjure up something.
The 4 actual finals we made we took at least 3 trains down, Wembley once and Cardiff 3 times (a pair of 37's on one of them). Despite being sponsored by Virgin they have only run us 1 train, to Milton Keynes, a Pendo by all accounts, there must be a spare set on a Saturday but this is a Sunday and is the WCML not being worked on that weekend? Can we not be sponsored by DRS
G_A_C_C_C
Member
WE WON!!!!! Wembley!!! Wembley!!!...right then...not really hard for me as I live next to the old Wycombe line between Bourne End and Wooburn Green. Either Wife drives me to Beaconsfield and train to Wembley Stadium....or walk to BE and bugger around in London for several hours before kick off.....hm.....option B has less dependency on Wife....always a good thing....
Note to self ...MONDAY is a Bank Holiday....GET WASTED!!!!
Note to self ...MONDAY is a Bank Holiday....GET WASTED!!!!
dangie
Established Member
I remember the old football specials very clearly (along with the vandalism). There were always quite a lot of them.
Is there much spare stock about nowadays to form specials?
Arsenal said they hired stock for Hull last Monday but I'm not sure what happened as I didn't go. I have found an "Unadvertised Express" on Real time but that got canned.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
Chelsea tend to organise FootEx specials when they are playing up north, the last time I saw one organised was when they were at Stoke on a Monday night. They always used to hire the Pretendolino but I'm not sure what they use now.
East Coast organised additional trains when Bradford City were at Wembley twice in 2013, although these weren't specifically restricted to football ticket holders.
Studying national rail site and it would appear there's no service from Preston to Crewe and though Virgin are sponsors they wont run a train, maybe no paths via Wigan or more likely not arsed. Manchester tickets are silly money, so it looks like a drive to Crewe or Leamington spa. I don't suppose there will be 68's out either. Good innit!
Kite159
Veteran Member
At least you have it better than Swindon. If they reach their playoff final, there are no trains around Swindon on the bank holiday weekend
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