And didn’t some extend beyond Reading to Brighton and Portsmouth 3-4 times per day. Was there also one or two to London Paddington or am I imagining that? I’m sure this has been discussed at length in another thread.
Yes, there were definitely Brightons. Bournemouth was the most common destination but you had Brightons and Readings as well. Portsmouth came a little later, maybe around 1999/2000 perhaps, with additionals on top of the basic pattern, many of which were 158-operated (Virgin had a small number) and consequently limited-stop to prevent overcrowding.
Can't remember the southbounds, but in the late 90s the pattern out of Southampton Central was (approximate times) (and I realise this is getting OT but may be of interest):
0630 Scotland via Manchester, 47+coaches
0730 Liverpool, 47+coaches
0950 York HST
1150 Glasgow HST
1250 Edinburgh (ECML) HST
1450 Manchester (Pines Express) HST
1650 Manchester HST
1750 Manchester HST
1850 Manchester 47+coaches south of Birmingham, then 86
1950 Birmingham HST
The gaps were filled at Reading by Brightons or Reading originators, though I think some of these had non-clockface timings northbound. In those days some trains still originated at or worked into Paddington, as well.
I’m trying to jog my memory of the Birmingham-Wolves line at that time. Wasn’t it something like 3tph InterCity (1 to Manchester, 1 to Glasgow and 1 to Wolves starting at Euston),
Yes, fairly sure that's about right, not sure if the Glasgow was hourly, two-hourly or irregular some-hours-some-not, though.
2 local stoppers, and 4 Regional Railways (2 to Shrewsbury with two hourly extensions to both Aberystwyth and Chester,
Yes, that was right, I think this was this era. The Aberystwyths, at least some of them, had Pwllheli portions which on one service may have been a 153 (attached to a 158 for Aberystwyth)
1 to Liverpool with some very clapped out 310’s and 1 to Holyhead with some even more clapped out loco hailed 37’s + Mk1).
The 310s rings a vague bell. The Holyheads may not have been the whole era; I certainly remember for a while they only went to and from Crewe. Also I don't think they were clockface hourly; I seem to remember they were somewhat irregularly timed.
I’m fairly sure both Shrewsbury’s were semi-fast as there was a Wolverhampton-Wellington shuttle to serve the local stations. And didn’t some cross country services go to Liverpool? Not sure how these fitted in.
Trying to remember, I know there was a Shrewsbury terminator but can't remember whether it was all beyond Wolverhampton, or fast. I have the feeling it interworked with the Chester/Wales services.
There was at least one Virgin XC to Liverpool, from Poole (and back in the late afternoon); not sure if there were others. Northbound, it used a slot which it had used, more or less and give or take a half-hour or so, since at least 1983 (left Poole around 0650); I think the southbound slot also was pretty much unchanged over the years if I remember right (1530 or so out of Liverpool? Not 100% sure on this though).