Wrong Road at Ely!

[317666]

Having left a Nottingham-bound 158 at Ely, requiring to change for a train to Cambridge, I just missed a 170 bound for Stansted. However, a 365 would be coming soon, a Kings Cross stopping train. While waiting at Platform 2, a container train hauled by a DB Schenker 66 arrived there, but came to an abrupt stop! The road was set for the Ipswich (via Newmarket) branch. The signal changed to red after about 5 minutes, then cleared the road towards Cambridge. However, this stop had blocked the Kings Cross train I needed to catch, so that went into Platform 3, which is quite rare for trains that aren't changing direction or coming off the Ipswich branch. Upon arrival at Cambridge, the same container train was stopped on one of the bypass lines. But what was also funny, I saw a man running for the Kings Cross stopper I had just left, asking 'Is this the cruiser?' to the Platform attendant? The reply was 'This will get you there quicker!'. However, a cruiser was due in 5 minutes, and the stopper would be overtaken on the ECML!

 

[Menace Dennis]

Have I read this wrong and that the cruiser will pass the stopper on the ECML? If so, I beg to differ, because from Ely and Ex-Kings Lynn, the train stops in Cambridge for less than you describe and passes the one that left the latter some time before it is even due in CBG, with to No passing point between CBG and Stevenage to my route knowledge.

Most of the trains from Kings Lynn are Normally all stations to CBG, then Non-stop to KGX.

 

[O L Leigh]

There appear to be three types of service on the GN side from Cambridge up to Kings Cross. The slow train that is passed by the non-stop Cruiser originates at Cambridge and calls all stations along the Shepreth branch and then takes the slow line at Hitchin and calls at most of the bigger stations on the ECML into London. Trains coming up from Ely or Kings Lynn either become non-stop Cruisers at Cambridge or at least semi-fast to London.

The train you caught was probably a semi-fast, as it was almost certainly not a slow. In which case, the platform staff were probably correct. Even though the service was delayed out of Cambridge (at least I'm assuming that was the case), there is no guarantee that the following Cruiser would overtake it once it got onto the ECML if it was not timetabled to be passed anyway (and I believe that they are not).

O L Leigh

 

[317666]

No, the train I caught was certainly a stopper, after Cambridge it was calling at:
Foxton, Shepreth, Meldreth, Royston, Ashwell and Morden, Baldock, Letchworth, Hitchin, Stevenage, Knebworth, Welwyn North, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Potters Bar, Finsbury Park and London Kings Cross.

That's the stopper, stations in bold are also called at by the semi-fasts. As far as I know, the stopping trains leave just after a Cruiser has left, then the following Cruiser or Semi-Fast will overtake.

 

[O L Leigh]

Sorry, but it just can't have been.

I've been through the entire GN timetable and can only find one train that matches this stopping pattern and that's the 2232 'Up' from KLN (2319 from CBG) on a weekday, and that's the LAST train with no following "Cruiser". There are one or two that do go all stations to Hitchin and then fast to Finsbury Park (and the same in reverse on the 'Down'), but they are few and far between.

O L Leigh

 

[317666]

Ah, I must have made a mistake. I'm sure it was a stopper, but perhaps the following cruiser was later than I thought. There are some almost-cruisers that call at Royston and Letchworth.

 

[yorkie]

What time was this? There's certainly not a regular pattern of stopping trains to Ely/King's Lynn - they're all quite fast.