Nottingham to Hereford

[Kier]

Did there used to be a direct service from Nottingham to Hereford in the days of Central Trains?

 

[MCR247]

Yes there was until towards the end of the franchise when it was split once it was known the franchise would be split.

The Hereford service used to leave Nottingham at xx37

 

[SephenWorceste]

I felt like it took forever. I am guessing that punctuality on the Hereford to Birmingham line has improved since trains do not go further to Nottingham. Best wishes, Stephen.


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[edwin_m]

Is it more that Nottingham to Birmingham is no longer affected by the single line on the Hereford route?

The two services remained in the same timings when split, with the unfortunate consequence that they were not an official connection and anyone wanting to do the through journey would be advised to get the Nottingham train 30min earlier/later and wait at New Street. For a while they even went from opposite ends of the same platform!

 

[PHILIPE]

They were actually split by the DFT (or may have been SRA) as a Performance Timekeeping issue.

 

[edwin_m]

It also conveniently, but probably unintentionally, paved the way for the break-up of Central Trains, as Nottingham-Birmingham went to XC and Birmingham-Hereford to LM.

 

[MCR247]

It also conveniently, but probably unintentionally, paved the way for the break-up of Central Trains, as Nottingham-Birmingham went to XC and Birmingham-Hereford to LM.

It was split once the DfT had decided to split the franchise, but the route was split before the CT franchise was over so the split couldn't be blamed on new TOCs by passengers

 

[davetheguard]

I seem to remember getting on a Sprinter at Droitwich Spa one day and being amazed that it had come from Cleethorpes!

 

[Gareth Marston]

I seem to remember getting on a Sprinter at Droitwich Spa one day and being amazed that it had come from Cleethorpes!

Couldn't beat the old Pwllheli to Grimsby CT 156 or the 158 worked Aberystwyth to Stanstead Airport as believe or believe it not punctuality was better than when they split the franchise!

 

[SephenWorceste]

> amazed that it had come from Cleethorpes

I would be amazed it had made it. Maintenance seems much better since London Midland.


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[james60059]

Couldn't beat the old Pwllheli to Grimsby CT 156 or the 158 worked Aberystwyth to Stanstead Airport as believe or believe it not punctuality was better than when they split the franchise!

Bet that took a while lol

 

[Martin_1981]

Couldn't beat the old Pwllheli to Grimsby CT 156 or the 158 worked Aberystwyth to Stanstead Airport as believe or believe it not punctuality was better than when they split the franchise!

I remember seeing the former at Leicester circa 1999-2000. Think it was 2x 153's and, amazingly it was on time, or at least within 5 mins of schedule anyway!

 

[Starmill]

I distinctly remember Manchester Airport to Skegness

Central had some blooming crazy ideas! Did they come up with Liverpool to Norwich too? The only one that has really survived!

 

[dannypye9999]

I think Central trains also ran a once a day Stopper from Birmingham N St to Macclesfield in about 2000 if anyone can confirm im right.

 

[Welshman]

I distinctly remember Manchester Airport to Skegness

Central had some blooming crazy ideas! Did they come up with Liverpool to Norwich too? The only one that has really survived!

I actually used it on several occasions, travelling from Heckington to Crewe, and then on to North Wales!

It was good not having to change at Nottingham and Derby, even though it was a long way to endure a Cl.153 on occasions!

Again, despite one of the reasons given for its being broken-up into Skegness-Nottingham, Nottingham-Derby and Derby-Crewe legs, time-keeping was quite good. And, again, following the break-up, overall travelling time was extended by 1 hour, as the connections just missed in Nottingham!

Which just goes to show - put on a train on an unusual route, and there's always someone who'll use it!

 

[Starmill]

Indeed, very true! And although it might sometimes have meant a sprinter on a long journey, when does one ever see a Turbostar on a Skegness or Grimsby service these days?

Oh, the luxury!

Of course they weren't on all services, but capacity numbers stack up interestingly too given the availability of 170/6s back then - a bit more than 3 times a dogbox.

 

[MCR247]

Yeah the great thing about Central was that you could get a 3 car 170 on any route. Matlock, Crewe, Skegness, Lincoln!

 

[edwin_m]

Conversely, whenever a 150 turned up on the 0810 Nottingham to Birmingham you could see three or four lawyers on their way to cases in Brum, trying to read their case notes off their laps and vowing to drive next time.

 

[sprinterguy]

I distinctly remember Manchester Airport to Skegness

Central had some blooming crazy ideas! Did they come up with Liverpool to Norwich too? The only one that has really survived!

Nope, Liverpool to Norwich was a BR route, which was developed off the back of long-established historical services such as “The European” from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Harwich via Manchester Victoria (Book-ended to start from Manchester Piccadilly only as “The Rhinelander” in 1987 which was the beginning of the end for the loco-hauled service). The frequency on the corridor was notably “beefed up” with the introduction of class 156 Super Sprinter trains in 1988 and featured as diverse a range of origins and destinations as Blackpool, Barrow and Ipswich, as well as the Liverpool to Norwich run that we are now familiar with.

I recall reading the wails of protest in the letters pages of Modern Railways at “the incredible shrinking trains” on this route following the introduction of 2-car class 156s.

 

[edwin_m]

I recall reading the wails of protest in the letters pages of Modern Railways at “the incredible shrinking trains” on this route following the introduction of 2-car class 156s.

Was that the one about the European (big enough to carry passengers going to the whole of Europe) becoming the Rhinelander (big enough to carry passengers going to the Rhineland) then the Lorelai (only big enough for anyone intending to visit a rock in the middle of the Rhine)?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

They were actually split by the DFT (or may have been SRA) as a Performance Timekeeping issue.

Ahem - it was the SRA - major reshuffle after the Operation Princess problems - part of which was removing Wales and west from Brum (and forming the Nottingham - Cardiff hourly in its place , breaking Stansted - Liverpool and so on) - very complex reworking of much of the trains - all done , I hasten to add , on a logical "passenger flow" basis and rolling stock basis.

Brum - Liverpool hourly to Central Trains was one of these recasts , as was Wessex doing a clockface TT from Gloucester to Bristol and on the Stroud Valley.