Your best memory of travelling on a 150 with central trains/London midland

[sonic2009]

Seeing at these stalwarts of the.snow hill lines will soon be departing this is a thread in dedication to all the things you've done on a 150 in service with central/London midland. I.e the rarest working you've had etc

 

[SouthEastern-465]

Not necessarily LM or Central Trains, but I have some pretty decent memories of the LO Class 150s on the GOBLIN line, I always remember travelling through the London suburbs on them on sunnys days.

I liked the 150s quite a lot, one of the improvements I do appreciate on the 172s that replaced them is the air conditioning.

 

[Class172]

Many good memories on 150s; I've spent most of my life on them. I just love the noise as they thrash out of a station!

One of my best memories is where I was about to miss the train in the morning, but luckily the guard let me through his cab door; I got into the main area and realised I had the whole 3 carriages to myself (with exception of the driver and guard). I opened all the windows and just listened as the train left Droitwich. Then I strolled down to the unused centre cab and wached the speed go up and up. To top things off the driver gave a four-tone in the tunnel at Worcester.

I will definitely miss them when they go; at least a few are staying with LM - I'll be able to catch them on my school runs.

 

[hmp455]

Probably the only trip I've done on a 150 is from Birmingham Moor Street to Acock's Green and back, in 2008

 

[150001]

Like Class 172, been using them all my life and probably the same reasons. Love the sound, speed and the look. I'll miss them and I will miss the centre cab. They look better now than in old centro livery. Although, with new interiors and led lights like now and the front ends like now, they would've looked better! I've had a conductor just before Dorridge called Rodger (i think) let me in the back cab and let me a Virgin voyager overtake us. Awesome it was. I've had other drivers let me in the cabs and I've had waves and horns off them for years. I will miss them and I've never had a problem with cancellations. They are very reliable! But I'll still go on them elsewhere.

 

[northernrailer]

I use to go spotting at Lincoln Central back in the late 90's, so my best memories for the class 150 CT units were:

Travelling on 150010 from Skegness to Grantham on the 1747 service back in 1998, which was the first ever class 150 CT unit i ever travelled on.

Travelling on 150106 from Lincoln to Doncaster on the 1829 service back in 1998, which terminated Lincoln approx 1818 from Cardiff Central.

Travelling on 150011 from Lincoln to Grimsby back in 1998 when there was an afternoon service from either Shrewsbury or Birmingham.

Travelling on 150107 from Doncaster to Lincoln back in 2002 on the 10:23 service.

Travelling on 150008 from Doncaster to Lincoln back in 2003 on the 10:23 service, that unit took all platform 5 up. Sadly that day i forgot my camera i was well gutted.

I remember my dad taking me to New Street for the first time in 1997 to see the Centro class 150's, and he was talking to a gent who had just been to Moor St, so i asked my dad to take me, i remember following the coloured lines on floor to get there. God i was in my element with all the class 150s around. My poor dad "he wasnt really interested in the Modern Trains" suffered some really long days out and about with me as i was only 14 at that time.

Since been 16 i travelled the width and breadth of the country spotting Sprinters, got to admit that the Original Centro livery was superb and think that was the best livery for the class 150s, my first sight of a class 150/0 hybrid really did baffle me until i realised how it was done - seeing a driving cab in the middle of a unit looked weird.

I have some excellent pictures of the class 150s and some wonderful memories, lol i can still remember the grey seat covers the Centro units had - and looking up at the Centro route map above the over head racks when travelling from Skegness - Grantham.

I have been to Birmingham loads lately to see the class 150s before they go and am planning a visit next week, Snow Hill wont be the same without the 150s.

I have been on every Centro class 150, i got to say 150010 will always be the one i remember as it was the first ever Centro unit i travelled on.

Lots of memories and videos to look back on.

 

[4SRKT]

I used to enjoy them on the Cambrian Lines when new. The DMUs they replaced were pretty grim on such a long journey, although their visibility was a big plus.

Less good was when 150/2s were introduced on the North Trans-Pennine. There was an hourly Hull > Chester, with every other train going on to Llandudno, Bangor or Holyhead, and a two-hourly Scarborough > Liverpool. The two hourly Newcastle > Liverpool remained loco-hauled for a few more years. I once did Huddersfield > Holyhead on a 150, connecting into the 03:15 boat, which was pretty grim I can tell you.

 

[87015]

The 8 car lash up which worked a late evening Birmingham-Eustons on Saturday evenings for a timetable was a bit of a riot as it had to attempt to keep up with 321 timings...

 

[SouthEastern-465]

The 8 car lash up which worked a late evening Birmingham-Eustons on Saturday evenings for a timetable was a bit of a riot as it had to attempt to keep up with 321 timings...

I would of loved to see that!

 

[ChrisCooper]

One of my best memories of a 150 was having a 3 car from Leicester to Loughborough (when they often turned up on the Coventry - Lincolns) and standing in the middle cab watching the speedo creep up to 85mph!

Worst memory was a packed solid one from Skegness to Nottingham, although at least I got a seat unlike many who ended up standing!

 

[150001]

85 mph! Very fast for the 150. Any idea which unit it was?

 

[Simon Poole]

I was thinking about starting something like this up this morning...lol

I do have one memory about a Central Trains 150, back in 2001 or 2002 when Loco-Haul dominated the WCML, i finished college and had to meet my brother (IanPooleTrains) at Stafford he was coming back from Plymouth because he was at Uni at the time, the Birmingham New Street via Walsall was about to leave as my brothers train arrived on platform 5,, asked the guard he he could hold the train up an few seconds as my brothers train arrived, he managed to as my brother got off one train and onto the Class 150, the train left Stafford and travelled down the WCML, got to Rugeley Trent Valley North Junction and the Train stopped due to a points faulure, was stuck there about an 30 Minutes to an hour becuase the next Birmingham New Street Via Walsall train passed, but managed to get home late

 

[150001]

I was thinking about starting something like this up this morning...lol

Same, I was thinking of starting a memories of the 150s over the next few days, so all great minds think alike

 

[Matt Taylor]

Two car 150214 on the 1524 Portsmouth-Cardiff 18th August 1995, in full CT livery!

 

[IanPooleTrains]

I suppose my most recent memory of this would be when a 150 helped a failed 170 on The Chase Line

 

[Simon Poole]

Same, I was thinking of starting a memories of the 150s over the next few days, so all great minds think alike

Yes they do, mind you i did captured 150001 at the SVR Railcar Gala last year and rode on 150001 with 150216 leading on the day of the Royal Weddiing after a day at the Severy Valley Railway

 

[85A]

London Midland are planning a charity farewell charter train for the 150 fleet, full details will be available shortly. I will post when have the web links etc (There is a group on Facebook called 'Farewell 150')

 

[150001]

Yes! Thank you LM.

 

[2Dogbox]

I spent many years working these. Lovely units .. Nice big cabs on /1 units, nice spacious carriages, a crew door separated from the main vestibule by an area with the door controls in. (nice not to have passengers standing in front of the panel). Remember when I was very young travelling on them on the Cambrian cost line while on holiday. Shame they aren't coming back to Lincolnshire, would make a lovely unit on an all stops LCN -LEI. Good for loading and short station dwell times.

 

[Tomonthetrain]

I remember my first 150 ride (can't remember unit). It was my first trip on to birmingham and i did it between Stourbridge and New Street. Boy did I enjoy it as a kid.

 

[317666]

Whilst I've only been fortunate enough to travel on LM 150s a few times, I do have fond memories of the Anglia 150s when they were still in East Anglia. 150s are my favourite DMUs, and the fact that I'll now have to go even further than the Midlands (the North) or all the way down to Devon and Cornwall to travel on them is a pain in the backside. Hope to be on the LM Farewell Excursion if/when there is one.

 

[BrummyBoy]

Probably my best memory would be my last journey on a 150, which was from Snow Hill - Stratford Upon Avon (and back) last month. Was operated by unit number 150001 on both journeys, one of the only units i had never rode before.

 

[mumrar]

Far too many, I worked them regularly on the Snow Hill routes before the opening of Stourbridge and Snow Hill depots, and I also got to do them out of New Street too. I think the most surprising run was when I got one all the way to Cardiff vice a failed 156/158 in about 1999/2000.

 

[trentside]

Shame they aren't coming back to Lincolnshire, would make a lovely unit on an all stops LCN -LEI. Good for loading and short station dwell times.

Couldn't agree more, I still miss having the 150s around Lincoln.

My first ever 150 ride ended there - having a 3 car unit from Nottingham. We'd gone out on a packed 153, all stations (via Northgate too, in those days) and to have the space on the return was fantastic.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Been on more of them than I care to remember. Always nice to be able to hitch a lift back to Tyseley on an ECS 150 too.

 

[Crossover]

As with many people on here, I haven't really travelled on them all that many times but it's sad to say, I could have probably been on them more had I not tried to actively avoid them, preferring other routes that had the Desiros etc.

I have been on them a few times more recently and I have grown to like them (I'll blame desirokma for that :P) and the sound the engines make is somewhat characteristic, especially through the tunnel between Moor St and Snow Hill.
The last 150 I did, and probably will do, with LM was the short hop between the two Birmingham stations.

Will be looking out for them up north as we will get quite a few of them, but it won't be quite the same as the lines round Birmingham.

 

[WL113]

Class 150s were the best performers on the Cannock Line. Far better acceleration than the 170s and they always seemed to keep time easier.

Remember when the 170/153 combinations were first introduced on the route? There were plenty of problems, thankfully resolved but they still seem slower than the 150s were.

 

[158_Sprinter]

I always remember 2/3 car 150's in the bay platforms at Shrewsbury in their green livery and the commuter service between Shrewsbury and Birmingham. I also remember one journey along the Cambrian coast between Machynlleth and Barmouth.

Not central trains or LM but I remember an odd working between Cardiff and Manchester with either Wales & Borders or ATW. The train had 5 carriages. On the front was a 153, a 150/2 in forming the 2 carriages in the middle and a 158 making up the rear two carriages.

 

[Drsatan]

I travelled on a couple of LM 150s in April during the West Midlands PTE challenge, one of the advantages of LM's 150s being that they retained their original seats which I find more comfortable than the Chapman seats fitted to ATW 150s, FGW 150s and quite a few Northern 150s.

On the plus side, I live in Devon so I'll no doubt see a few ex LM 150s in operation.

 

[Boothby97]

It is okay for you lot that you have memories of 150s, but I have never traveled on one, maybe I'd have a chance if Northern put a 150 on the Brigg line instead of pacer :cry:
Thanks, Sam