TRIVIA : Where haven’t Sprinters been?

[Gloster]

Irascible said:

The train ferry?

A 150/2, together with Class 89, 90 and 91 locos, two International coaches and two old ferry motor-car vans went to an exhibition in Hamburg in 1988. The motor-car vans were match-trucks for the 150 and were painted to match.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There is is a photo of 153310 at Morecambe Promenade on Flickr, taken on 4th December 1993.

Morecambe Promenade station closed in February 1994.

Here it is:

Regional Railways 153310 - Morecambe Promenade.

With the Pennines as a backdrop, 153310 looks rather lost as it arrives at a bleak looking Morecambe Promenade with the 12.03 from Lancaster on December 4th 1993. The one remaining long platform was a relic from the busy days when thousands descended on the seaside town from the Yorkshire and...

www.flickr.com

That's a sad picture of former glory, a single 153 in a platform intended for long loco-hauled tourist trains.

(to be fair, Morecambe generally is a sad picture of former glory - it is to be hoped that the Eden Project will considerably improve it)

As for the station, the new one is actually nearer the town centre.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Corby—Manton Junction?

Actually - I wonder if the whole of Kettering-Corby-Manton might never have seen a Sprinter. (The short-lived 1980s service was NSE-liveried Class 122s, I believe.)

 

[ginge8991]

The Balloch branch line?

 

[Jamesrob637]

Loads of model railway tracks especially those built across North Devon around a decade ago for the James May series.

 

[paul1609]

Good point. In fact, have Sprinters ever travelled anywhere north of Brighton in Sussex?

158s were used by Virgin XC on the Portsmouth Direct Line via Haslemere for a period so technically yes. Several stretches of the Portsmouth Direct Line are in West Sussex.

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Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Seaford, Sheerness?

In the days of SWT trains to Brighton trains were diverted to Littlehampton when the coastway was closed for engineering works. Ive been on a Sunday evening 159 from Littlehampton to Exeter St Davids.

 

[Strathclyder]

Yep. There was a tunnel closure (Knightswood?) between Westerton and Anniesland in the 1990s or early 2000s IIRC so for the duration of the closure Milngavie was served by extended Maryhill trains

Sounds about right; here is a pic of 156433 The Kilmarnock Edition sat at Milngavie in July 1998 as proof. The use of 150s on this duty as noted earlier in the thread is news to me though. Though, given they could occasionally appear at Queen St, it's not that surprising.

Excluding the 950, maybe some of the Strathclyde branches, e.g. Gourock, Wemyss Bay, Balloch, Neilston, Larkhall, Lanark etc? What about Bellgrove-Bathgate?

156s ran to Largs in service last year IIRC and have covered most of the “main” routes either in service or ECS.

Think a 156 ran down the Inverclyde Line in the last 18-24 months on (I believe) a test run of some description. There was a pic floating about, but damned if I can find it now.

The 950 aside, am not sure the likes of Balloch, Neilston, Larkhall & Lanark have ever had a Sprinter visit them. I'd also throw Helensburgh Central in under the same token, unless anyone knows any different.

 

[NoMorePacers]

Actually - I wonder if the whole of Kettering-Corby-Manton might never have seen a Sprinter. (The short-lived 1980s service was NSE-liveried Class 122s, I believe.)

In response to this, I've seen elsewhere on the internet today a pair of 156s operating on the Corby line.

 

[DannyMich2018]

In response to this, I've seen elsewhere on the internet today a pair of 156s operating on the Corby line.

Yes, very interesting, could this be first time for these units on this line? Well first since 2nd re-opening in 2009 but not sure if they ran in the earlier period before it closed in about 1990?

 

[northernbelle]

A 150/2, together with Class 89, 90 and 91 locos, two International coaches and two old ferry motor-car vans went to an exhibition in Hamburg in 1988. The motor-car vans were match-trucks for the 150 and were painted to match.

They survive at the South Devon Railway stabled at Totnes Littlehempston albeit in GWR chocolate and cream rather than 'Sprinter' livery.

 

[CR165022]

anywhere between marylebone & aylesbury/banbury i would assume hasnt ever seen a sprinter

 

[dannyh73]

I’m pretty confident that Shenfield to Southend Victoria/Southminster and the entire C2C network have never seen Sprinters

The Network Rail 950 has been down to Southend Vic (before it was painted yellow!). Not sure if that counts

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The Network Rail 950 has been down to Southend Vic (before it was painted yellow!). Not sure if that counts

And it does go to Southminster now every couple of months

 

[warwickshire]

anywhere between marylebone & aylesbury/banbury i would assume hasnt ever seen a sprinter

Banbury from ayno Junction received 156496 and 156447 yesterday from eastleigh Trsmd to Heaton T&R.S.M.D stock move from refurbishment ie Monday the 8th February 2021. However sprinters have been past also through banbury area before. However unless the network rail 150 has been used up the met line aylesbury area etc than most likely a sprinter hasant been here. However in 1993 when chiltern extended to Birmingham snow Hill. With some x3 car 165 car chiltern class 1650 series on hire to thames trains for a short while. Some 150s operated by regional railways and hired in did work as far as bicester north only and got swapped over to return back to Birmingham snow Hill. To operate the service.

 

[paul1609]

When Virgin Cross Country started the Liverpool to Portsmouth Harbour service they were formed of 158s for the first couple of years, so there would have been regular sprinter workings through Banbury and Ayno Junction then.

 

[Efini92]

Stourbridge Junction -> Stourbridge Town?

They used to run a 153

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Stourbridge Junction -> Stourbridge Town?

This used to be operated by a 153.

They used to run a 153

Already been clarified upthread by @507021.

 

[Efini92]

Already been clarified upthread by @507021.

Apologies, missed that one

 

[philwall]

When Virgin Cross Country started the Liverpool to Portsmouth Harbour service they were formed of 158s for the first couple of years, so there would have been regular sprinter workings through Banbury and Ayno Junction then.

All of 156s have visited Banbury, there was a proving run from Met Cam to Banbury just prior to handover, the units used to run down mid day on a Thursday and return about an hour later. I'll try and find a photo.

 

[D6130]

What about the WCML from Lancaster to Carlisle

Sometime back in the late 'nineties - I think it was 1998, but I'm open to correction - the Settle & Carlisle was closed for several weeks between Blea Moor and Kirkby Stephen for wholesale track renewal and the 08 55 Carlisle-Leeds and 17 56 Leeds-Carlisle services (worked by 156s), together with the 09 47 Leeds-Glasgow and 13 50 return (worked by 158s) were diverted via Carnforth (reversing in the Down Passenger Loop) and the WCML. At that time Leeds crews signed 158s, but not the Settle Junction-Carnforth line and Skipton crews signed the route, but not the traction. Therefore the Leeds crews worked the Glasgow services to/from Carnforth, conducted by Skipton crews. Carlisle Northern Spirit crews were specially route-trained for the diversions. I was a Skipton driver at the time and this was my first experience of handling 158s, although we were subsequently trained on them when they replaced the 156s on the Leeds-Ribblehead/Carlisle services a few years later. At about the same time, Virgin had five hired-in 158s which they used on Manchester Airport-Edinburgh/Glasgow services.

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Have they been down Airedale and wharfedale lines?

As well as their use on Leeds-Ribblehead/Carlisle and Leeds/Skipton-Lancaster/Morecambe services for many years, there was a regular Sunday diagram for several years both before and after the Airedale electrification, which had a 156 detaching at Skipton from the late afternoon Leeds-Carlisle service and then working the last three return trips of the day from Skipton to Bradford FS at 17 37, 19 37 and 21 37. After overnight cleaning and watering at Skipton, the set then formed one half of Monday morning's 06 00 empties to Ribblehead, the 07 15 Ribblehead-Leeds, 08 47 Leeds-Carlisle, 11 51 Carlisle-Leeds, 14 18 Carlisle-Leeds and 17 56 Leeds-Carlisle.

 

[Halish Railway]

As well as their use on Leeds-Ribblehead/Carlisle and Leeds/Skipton-Lancaster/Morecambe services for many years, there was a regular Sunday diagram for several years both before and after the Airedale electrification, which had a 156 detaching at Skipton from the late afternoon Leeds-Carlisle service and then working the last three return trips of the day from Skipton to Bradford FS at 17 37, 19 37 and 21 37. After overnight cleaning and watering at Skipton, the set then formed one half of Monday morning's 06 00 empties to Ribblehead, the 07 15 Ribblehead-Leeds, 08 47 Leeds-Carlisle, 11 51 Carlisle-Leeds, 14 18 Carlisle-Leeds and 17 56 Leeds-Carlisle.

Do you know if Sprinters went to Ilkley pre-electrification?

There was also the interesting SO diagram which existed until the May 2018 timetable change that we could talk about. It started in the morning as the early morning Retford to Leeds service before operating the 09:02 Leeds to Ilkley service and the 09:40 return to Leeds before coupling up to another unit to form the 10:49 to Carlisle, all of this making use of a unit that would have otherwise sat at Leeds for two hours, as well as giving a later start to the 333 that would have come in to takeover the diagram, with its first duty of the day being the 09:56 from Leeds to Skipton.

It’s a shame that this diagram no longer exists as a result of Northern implementing a Saturday timetable that is almost exactly the same as the weekday timetable as it did add a bit of variety to the Wharfedale line.

 

[D6130]

Do you know if Sprinters went to Ilkley pre-electrification?

There was also the interesting SO diagram which existed until the May 2018 timetable change that we could talk about. It started in the morning as the early morning Retford to Leeds service before operating the 09:02 Leeds to Ilkley service and the 09:40 return to Leeds before coupling up to another unit to form the 10:49 to Carlisle, all of this making use of a unit that would have otherwise sat at Leeds for two hours, as well as giving a later start to the 333 that would have come in to takeover the diagram, with its first duty of the day being the 09:56 from Leeds to Skipton.

It’s a shame that this diagram no longer exists as a result of Northern implementing a Saturday timetable that is almost exactly the same as the weekday timetable as it did add a bit of variety to the Wharfedale line.

Yes, Sprinters did occasionally go to Ilkley pre-electrification.....usually standing-in for the diagrammed 142/144s.

 

[A0]

Don't think that London Marylebone to Aylesbury via Amersham has been mentioned - but given they haven't ever had tripcocks they could only operate as 165-15X-165, which I doubt would ever happen.

And also another one where LUL and NR share tracks between Gunnersbury and Richmond.

What about Harrow & Wealdstone & Queens Park or are those NR tracks and therefore not tripcock enabled ?

 

[Whistler40145]

Folkestone Harbour?