Strangest long distance through trains

[Llandudno]

I attended a cricket match in Worcester recently and whilst at Worcester Foregate Street I spotted that there were through trains from Worcester to Brighton and Weymouth.

I presume that these trains originated from Birmingham?

What other unlikely destinations are served by through trains that perhaps you wouldn’t expect to see?

 

[PHILIPE]

I attended a cricket match in Worcester recently and whilst at Worcester Foregate Street I spotted that there were through trains from Worcester to Brighton and Weymouth.

I presume that these trains originated from Birmingham?

What other unlikely destinations are served by through trains that perhaps you wouldn’t expect to see?

They are GWR trains which originate from Great Malvern. GWR do not work to Birmingham.

 

[nw1]

Does historical count here? If so there are quite a few...

 

[4-SUB 4732]

There was a banger during the Bath rebuild works that saw a pair of 153s work from Exeter to Bristol as booked (all stations), then via Parkway and fast via Badminton to Swindon. Then all stations to Weymouth via Westbury and Yeovil.

Cant remember how long it took, but it was a single headcode and service. Absolutely hellfire.

 

[davetheguard]

I once caught a morning through loco-hauled train from Didcot to Hull. I travelled on it all the way to Hull Paragon. The train had originated at London Paddington.

This wasn't a special; it was a booked train that ran five or six days a week. I think it was pre-sectorisation (certainly pre-privitisation), so perhaps early to mid 1980's?

 

[Ianno87]

The daily Bristol Temple Meads-Stansted Airport XC service.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Does historical count here? If so there are quite a few...

A personal favourite of mine were the early-00s Wales & Borders services in/out of London Waterloo.

One was a 0753 from Manchester Piccadilly (0703 Saturdays) which ran via Shrewsbury, Hereford and Cwmbran to Bristol Temple Meads, then up through Bath, Warminster and Woking to arrive in London some 6 hours later (1406/1314). The return working left Waterloo at 1517 weekdays (1417 Saturdays), arriving back in Manchester at 2138/2025.

An overnight weekday working originated in Pembroke Dock at 2016 and ran via Swansea, Cardiff and Bristol Temple Meads, reaching London Waterloo at 0427. Not sure if the idea of this was a ferry connection, to offer an early connection with Eurostar, or maybe a bit of both. The return working left Waterloo at 0505 and ran back via Bath, Bristol and Cardiff to Bridgend, where it continued to Maesteg, arriving at 0911.

Elsewhere, around the same sort of era...

I seem to recall Central Trains had some weird and wonderful connections during their time, with Aberystwyth as an example seeing destinations such as Lincoln/Grimsby and Stansted Airport.

Then less distance admittedly, but the short-lived London Crosslink service operated by Anglia Railways saw them leave their home turf at Stratford, then venture through - and stop at some - north London and Surrey commuter stations, to reach the Hampshire town of Basingstoke.

 

[CD]

I once caught a morning through loco-hauled train from Didcot to Hull. I travelled on it all the way to Hull Paragon. The train had originated at London Paddington.

This wasn't a special; it was a booked train that ran five or six days a week. I think it was pre-sectorisation (certainly pre-privitisation), so perhaps early to mid 1980's?

1E54 0650 Paddington-Hull.

 

[PHILIPE]

One of the strangest was in about 2001/02 when there was a Cheltenham to Shrewsbury operated by Wales and West or may have been Wales and Borders which ran via Gloucester, Cardiff, Swansea and Heart of Wales worked by a 153. It was originally a collection of trains bunched together into one. Another was 1830 Swansea to Bangor via the Heart of Wales, Shrewsbury, Chester and North Wales coast. This was also worked by a 153 which finished at Llandudno Jn and worked on the Conwy Valley the following day.

 

[158801]

The Paddington to Hull service had a portion to Leeds (if I remember correctly).
The return writing in the afternoon was Hull / Leeds to Brighton

There used to be a Nottingham to Glasgow /Edinburgh via Sheffield, Manchester Victoria and Carstairs.

Also a York to Portsmouth Harbour via Birmingham and Reading

I also recall a Scarborough to Skegness and Leicester to Scarborough a week as some transpennine services from Leeds to North Wales

 

[nw1]

OK if we're talking historical, how about the 0805 Portsmouth to Poole 'XC' service via Reading running from May 1984 to May 1986. This has been mentioned in the Cross Country thread in the historical forum, and was largely a positioning move for an afternoon Poole-Manchester. There was a southbound Liverpool-Portsmouth (but no northbound equivalent) which this stock had worked the previous day.

As said on that thread I presume the unusual routing was to provide a connection into the Wessex Scot at Reading in lieu of the previously-existent 0805 Portsmouth to Manchester.

These two years were when the Portsmouth-York and Paddington-Hull ran, mentioned up-thread.

 

[james60059]

Does historical count here? If so there are quite a few...

Just after First Great Western axed their overnight Fishguard Harbour connection in the early 2000's, the then Wales & Borders TOC filled in the gap with an 01:50 Fishguard Harbour - Liverpool Lime Street. I only ever did it as far as Swansea, before transferring on the first FGW service of the day to Bristol Parkway. The service to Liverpool didn't last long though.

 

[nw1]

Another one from a different era - the late 90s, early SWT.
Waterloo to Brighton via Basingstoke, Eastleigh, and Fareham.

These services were hourly during the day and mostly Basingstoke to Brighton (headcode 31), operated by SWT VEPs and CIGs. Every three hours there was a 159-operated Reading to Brighton instead, again SWT.

However there was at least one service which worked through either to or from Waterloo. 0817 rings a bell, though can't remember whether that was ex-Waterloo or ex-Brighton.

 

[70014IronDuke]

Barry to Sunderland via Banbury surely is up there with the best of them - The Famous Port to Port. Somewhat preceeded privatisation though

There used to be a Nottingham to Glasgow /Edinburgh via Sheffield, Manchester Victoria and Carstairs.

I didn't know of this particular service, must have been in the 80s? But Nottingham to Glasgow is not really very odd - it was the sort-of remanant of a long tradition of Midland services (St Pancras and Leeds to Glasgow. Indeed some fuddy-duddies might say a Nottingham - Glasgow via the S&C is a service that should still run once or twice per day today).

This particular train combined, I suppose, the extension of "The European" - which was originally Liverpool to Harwich Parkeston Quay.

 

[SteelWeelApeal]

Whitby to Hexham is a very good current example. I bet very few make the entire journey.

 

[Parallel]

A couple of years ago, there was a morning Cardiff Central to Gunnislake through service which was advertised as such.

Also, the morning XC Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly via Bristol Temple Meads was another!

 

[4-SUB 4732]

On the flip side of “long distance” was the rather nice evening Gunnislake - Liskeard (or the other way round) which was all stops via Plymouth. Meant you had to see Keyham, Dockyard and Devonport twice.

 

[PHILIPE]

A couple of years ago, there was a morning Cardiff Central to Gunnislake through service which was advertised as such.

Also, the morning XC Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly via Bristol Temple Meads was another!

More like 20 years ago. Changed to a Pontypridd to Par

 

[Parallel]

More like 20 years ago. Changed to a Pontypridd to Par

They made a comeback for a period. I caught one for part of the journey in June 2018!

 

[Peter0124]

Bath Spa to Glasgow Central on CrossCountry

 

[Ken H]

There used to be a Lancaster - York via Preston, Manchester, Calder Valley, Bradford and Leeds. (Or did it go via Copy Pit) 1980's I think. And of course there was the Rose Grove - Paignton summer Saturdays train.

Going back to the 70's and early 80's, there was the St Pancras - Nottingham - Leeds - Settle - Carlisle - Dumfries - Kilmarnock - Glasgow, the Thames-Clyde Express. Doubt anyone went all the way on it.

 

[PHILIPE]

They made a comeback for a period. I caught one for part of the journey in June 2018!

Yes. Never thought of being in GWR colours.

 

[jfollows]

In the late 1970s there was something like a Poole-Poole service, which ran (I think) via Solihull into Birmingham and continued to Worcester, then Oxford, and back to Poole again. It won't have been advertised with all its calling points throughout, I'm sure, but I'm reasonably sure I caught it from Solihull to Oxford once, going via Birmingham. This pre-dated the ticketing rules we have today, so announcing it as going to Oxford via Birmingham at Solihull wouldn't have made it a "through train" and therefore "valid" for ticketing purposes in the way that it would today, but equally I don't expect I had much difficulty using something like a Macclesfield-Oxford day return for the trip anyway.

EDIT Or perhaps it was a Paddington-Paddington service, that might make slightly more sense?

 

[mm333]

Pre-COVID, Northern had a 0602 Leeds-Hull via Knareborough and York

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

There's a 15:20 Carlisle to Nottingham via Settle and Leeds operated by Northern, arriving at Nottingham at 8pm.

 

[DannyMich2018]

The daily Bristol Temple Meads-Stansted Airport XC service.

Also a Mon to Fri evening Leicester to Gloucester through service.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Wales & West had a couple of oddities; a Haverfordwest to Lostwithiel was probably the strangest I remember seeing in the timetable. Presumably it actually ran on to Par but for whatever reason couldn’t arrive on a passenger line?

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Going back to the 70's and early 80's, there was the St Pancras - Nottingham - Leeds - Settle - Carlisle - Dumfries - Kilmarnock - Glasgow, the Thames-Clyde Express. Doubt anyone went all the way on it.

And for many decades before that - the name was applied to the pre-existing train by that route in 1927 I believe, although into the 60s it used to call at Trent Junction rather than divert via Nottingham itself.

There used to be a Lancaster - York via Preston, Manchester, Calder Valley, Bradford and Leeds. (Or did it go via Copy Pit) 1980's I think. And of course there was the Rose Grove - Paignton summer Saturdays train.

Going back to the 70's and early 80's, there was the St Pancras - Nottingham - Leeds - Settle - Carlisle - Dumfries - Kilmarnock - Glasgow, the Thames-Clyde Express. Doubt anyone went all the way on it.

I did at least once, and many times for long intermediate journeys such as Nottingham to Glasgow (pre electrification the time differential (and frequency) by changing at Carlisle was much less.

There was also 'The Waverley' from St Pancras to Edinburgh, after Carlisle it took the Waverley route.

 

[6Gman]

Barry to Sunderland via Banbury surely is up there with the best of them - The Famous Port to Port. Somewhat preceeded privatisation though

There was a Hull - Swansea at one time. Through passengers were largely merchant seamen transferring between ports.

I'd also mention the 1830 Swansea Victoria - York (arr 0337) from the 1950s, via Builth Road, Shrewsbury, Crewe and Stalybridge.

A fraction over 9 hours was actually pretty good!

Used its successor, the 0011 Crewe - York several times. Just to add to the pleasures of man it often ran from Denton via Ashton Moss rather than via Guide Bridge!

Of course back in the 1950s there were some pretty bizarre trains judged by the standards of our unit-led railway in 2021.

My favourite might well be what was described as the 1455 Manchester-Cardiff which, over the course of its journey, conveyed 21 coaches! (Not all at the same time).

It left London Road with 11 coaches, only three of which were for Cardiff. At Crewe seven coaches were removed to form a train on to Birmingham (it really should have been labelled a Brum train with a Cardiff portion rather than vice versa). Four further coaches for Cardiff were attached which had come from Liverpool along with five further coaches from Liverpool bound for Plymouth (4) and Penzance (a Siphon G van). They were inserted into the train, not at the rear but between the three Manchester-Cardiff coaches and a Full Brake which was heading from Manchester to Penzance! Finally a Brake Composite was added to the very rear of the train which was a through coach from Glasgow to Plymouth!

So it left Crewe with 14 coaches. Not sure where it split subsequently - Pontypool Road? Newport? Anyway, seven coaches ended up in Cardiff while the other seven headed for the West Country. Good luck keeping people in the right portions!

 

[4-SUB 4732]

Wales & West had a couple of oddities; a Haverfordwest to Lostwithiel was probably the strangest I remember seeing in the timetable. Presumably it actually ran on to Par but for whatever reason couldn’t arrive on a passenger line?

Think Lostwithiel would have been a sensible reversing point, if you don’t have line or platform capacity at Par.