Strangest long distance through trains

[infobleep]

This may not seem obscure but there is an East Croydon to Milton Keynes service via Kensington Olympia. This may currently be alerted sis to covid vut it was running previously.

When I worked in Harrow, some colleagues referred to it as the Magic Bus as they couldn't believe there was such a useful service, whereby one could get on a train at East Croydon and alight at Harrow & Wealdstone, without having to go through central London.

At one time the train often started from Selhurst and even before that it used to start from Brighton.

I seem to recall a Brighton to Northampton service around 2000.

 

[sjm77]

Manchester to Brighton, via Birmingham, Reading, Kensington Olympia, East Croydon and Gatwick, in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

No offence but I would not count this as a strange pairing! May be it's just me and my age but I consider this to have been a long-standing traditional connection that became a victim of cut backs to Operation Princess

 

[Kite159]

I may be getting confused with Blackpool South, but didn’t it have a service that went through the Castlefield corridor and then onto Chester via Northwich?

Sundays in a previous timetable used to be a 2 hourly Southport - Stockport and a 2 hourly Southport - Chester.

 

[zwk500]

This may not seem obscure but there is an East Croydon to Milton Keynes service via Kensington Olympia. This may currently be alerted sis to covid vut it was running previously.

When I worked in Harrow, some colleagues referred to it as the Magic Bus as they couldn't believe there was such a useful service, whereby one could get on a train at East Croydon and alight at Harrow & Wealdstone, without having to go through central London.

At one time the train often started from Selhurst and even before that it used to start from Brighton.

I seem to recall a Brighton to Northampton service around 2000.

Currently runs, although some turn back at Watford Junction and Clapham Junction as well as Selhurst. In normal times terminating at Selhurst was only for when the train was going into the depot. However it's hardly long-distance, and is tediously slow.

 

[py_megapixel]

Long distance by Northern standards (but maybe not in the grand scheme of things), isn't there a daily working early in the morning which does all stops Stoke-on-Trent - Macclesfield - Manchester - Bolton - Preston - Blackpool?

 

[Steddenm]

Northern have a few weird ones...

Crewe - Wilmslow - Manchester Airport - Manchester Piccadilly - Warrington Central - Liverpool Lime Street

Southport - Wigan - Manchester Piccadilly - Alderley Edge

Southport - Wigan - Manchester Victoria - Stalybridge

ScotRail had Ayr - Glasgow (Low Levels) - Edinburgh - North Berwick and the once a week Edinburgh - Fort William

 

[Ken H]

Used to be a Rugby - Manchester Picc stopper
Nuneaton, Atherstone, Polesworth, Tamworth, Litchfield TV, Rugeley TV, Stafford, Norton Br, Stone, stations to Stoke incl Wedgewood, Macclesfield, then all stations to Stockport, then fast to Pic. I used it from Atherstone to Manc a few times when I wanted an early start in Manchester. Probably 1987-88. Usually a Cl304.

 

[Gloster]

Wasn’t there a time, possibly in the 1980s, when the Royal Scot, or at least the southbound service, used to start at Ayr and run into Glasgow Central before heading for London. Not that weird, but it still meant a fair distance in a roughly northerly direction before going south.

 

[Ken H]

Wasn’t there a time, possibly in the 1980s, when the Royal Scot, or at least the southbound service, used to start at Ayr and run into Glasgow Central before heading for London. Not that weird, but it still meant a fair distance in a roughly northerly direction before going south.

was there a perceived demand for an Ayr - london service, or was it to bolster the morning Ayr - Glasgow service, using the set in marginal time?

 

[infobleep]

Currently runs, although some turn back at Watford Junction and Clapham Junction as well as Selhurst. In normal times terminating at Selhurst was only for when the train was going into the depot. However, it's hardly long-distance and is tediously slow.

You are correct. I'd forgotten about the long-distance element to the question.

There is Guildford to Newcastle but as it ran regularly, I don't see it as unusual. If you could book a ticket early enough and didn't mind getting up in time for 06:04, it was useful.

If you didn't book early enough then going via London could work out cheaper.

 

[Ianno87]

Not sure, but Aberdeen-Kyle or vv rings a bell, sometime in the Sprinter era.

Summer Saturdays, 1958: 9.10am to Glasgow C and 7.30pm to Stockport TD - I leave you to decide which is the more exotic

I may be getting confused with Blackpool South, but didn’t it have a service that went through the Castlefield corridor and then onto Chester via Northwich?

Sundays in a previous timetable used to be a 2 hourly Southport - Stockport and a 2 hourly Southport - Chester.

Between about 1994 and May 1998, it was hourly Southport-Chester on weekdays.

 

[ge-gn]

Not an especially long distance service, although I would imagine it takes around 2 hours, but the daily Lowestoft-Harwich International service strikes me as unusual, although I expect its probably more out of operational convenience rather than to carry the hoards from East Suffolk to the over night crossing to Holland.

 

[185143]

I may be getting confused with Blackpool South, but didn’t it have a service that went through the Castlefield corridor and then onto Chester via Northwich?

Used to be a Sundays only Southport-Chester via Man Picc and Northwich service. Ended in May 2018

 

[dk1]

Not an especially long distance service, although I would imagine it takes around 2 hours, but the daily Lowestoft-Harwich International service strikes me as unusual, although I expect its probably more out of operational convenience rather than to carry the hoards from East Suffolk to the over night crossing to Holland.

Brampton to Rotterdam has long been an untapped market

 

[30907]

No offence but I would not count this as a strange pairing! May be it's just me and my age but I consider this to have been a long-standing traditional connection that became a victim of cut backs to Operation Princess

It was strange in 1979(?) when it was introduced! Nothing like it had run all year round since before WW2, let alone stopped at East Croydon - no wonder people didn't believe it existed when enquiry clerks told them....

Not an especially long distance service, although I would imagine it takes around 2 hours, but the daily Lowestoft-Harwich International service strikes me as unusual, although I expect its probably more out of operational convenience rather than to carry the hoards from East Suffolk to the over night crossing to Holland.

Pedant mode: it connects with the day sailing; the night boat connects to/from Cambridge (using the Lowestoft unit, of course).

 

[Mogz]

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.

I remember a Liverpool-Milford Haven Alphaline working around that time.

On the subject of Manchester-London, do I remember rightly that at one time there were no less than four direct routes running (Euston-Piccadilly with VTWC, Paddington-Piccadilly with VTXC, Waterloo-Piccadilly with W&W Alphaline and Rochdale-Euston via Victoria (NWT/FNW)?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Aug 2021 ==

I wonder what interesting through journeys would be possible if passengers were allowed to travel on some ECS workings?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I remember a Liverpool-Milford Haven Alphaline working around that time.

On the subject of Manchester-London, do I remember rightly that at one time there were no less than four direct routes running (Euston-Piccadilly with VTWC, Paddington-Piccadilly with VTXC, Waterloo-Piccadilly with W&W Alphaline and Rochdale-Euston via Victoria (NWT/FNW)?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Aug 2021 ==

I wonder what interesting through journeys would be possible if passengers were allowed to travel on some ECS workings?

Like 02xx Old Oak Common via Paddington - reverse - and empty to Cheltenham Spa.? (or Bristol to Hereford)

ECS workings tend to be fairly local - though we once found a total drunk in the sidings at Watford on Xmas Eve who had missed the last stop at Camden Road and asked for the next train back.......(after Boxing Day)

 

[adc82140]

Surprised no one's mentioned the Basingstoke to Norwich services run by Anglia in the late 90s. I travelled on it once from Highbury and Islington to Farnborough, and decided I'd have been quicker taking the regular route using the tube to Waterloo.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Surprised no one's mentioned the Basingstoke to Norwich services run by Anglia in the late 90s. I travelled on it once from Highbury and Islington to Farnborough, and decided I'd have been quicker taking the regular route using the tube to Waterloo.

A great idea , but sadly lacking in business really. Those that used it appreciated it for the calm and high levels of service , and I am sure the train crew enjoyed something "different"

It was part funded by Rail Partnership funding - and to be honest , should have been pulled quicker due to low take up. Contrast to Norwich - Cambridge , a brilliant innovation by Anglia. (and a few other great ones funded by that pot of money)

 

[dk1]

Surprised no one's mentioned the Basingstoke to Norwich services run by Anglia in the late 90s. I travelled on it once from Highbury and Islington to Farnborough, and decided I'd have been quicker taking the regular route using the tube to Waterloo.

It was mentioned in #68 post. Killed off after the chaos caused by the Hatfield accident.

 

[waverley47]

Northern have a few weird ones...

Crewe - Wilmslow - Manchester Airport - Manchester Piccadilly - Warrington Central - Liverpool Lime Street

Southport - Wigan - Manchester Piccadilly - Alderley Edge

Southport - Wigan - Manchester Victoria - Stalybridge

ScotRail had Ayr - Glasgow (Low Levels) - Edinburgh - North Berwick and the once a week Edinburgh - Fort William

ScotRail's Ayr to North Berwick service ran for a very long time, in various iterations. Individual diagrams ran in combinations of North Berwick to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh to Ayr, with one train per day from Ayr to North Berwick in that direction only.

In the 80s it was a way of cycling electric units onto the North Berwick runs, being an isolated electric island without any depot nearby. This continued to modern day as a way of cycling 380s from Shields to Waverley.

Presently the Ayr to Edinburgh service has finally gone, however the Carstairs runs are still run by 380s from Shields, and one spends the afternoon shuttling to north Berwick in order to keep crew competence on those units at Edinburgh, although the 385s have made this less important.


The Edinburgh to Fort William has now gone, and runs on summer Saturdays to Oban instead, to serve the day trip market and keep the cowlairs north chord open to passengers. It's usually well loaded however I sense that when new stock is ordered for the west highland this will go, as currently it's an awkward run requiring a 156 to shuttle over on Friday nights from cockerhill.

was there a perceived demand for an Ayr - london service, or was it to bolster the morning Ayr - Glasgow service, using the set in marginal time?

So a couple of services were run either before or after a sets service, so would start from Ayr to form the forth departure from Glasgow south, instead of sitting at polmadie for an extra couple of hours. Same in reverse, where a set with no more timetabled runs would head down to Ayr before returning to Polmadie.

Probably not a great revenue stream in terms of direct end to end journeys, but collectively served the Ayrshire to Lanarkshire, Ayrshire commuters into Glasgow, and Glasgow to London markets in one set in what was previously dead time. Increased capacity into Glasgow allowing a peak time run to be doubled up was also a contributing factor.

 

[RH Liner]

Trent Junction was one of those places which came up as a question as to which stations you could catch trains to London from that departed in opposite directions to each other. Other stations could fit the bill (Exeter St David’s, Chester General, etc.), but at Trent they were supposed to use opposite sides of the same platform and, so it was said, at one time two trains doing this were in the station at the same time.

This fact re Trent was alleged to be the reason for small boys and possibly girls in Sunday School reciting ‘And lead us not into Trent Station’ during the Lord’s Prayer.

 

[sjm77]

There was also a HST Glasgow to Scarborough on summer Saturdays during the 1980s and 1990s. GNER pulled it when they experienced growth on the main ECML route but to maintain it's path North of York in both directions it ran from Scotland to Peterborough only before returning which always seemed a bit odd-ball to me!

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Like 02xx Old Oak Common via Paddington - reverse - and empty to Cheltenham Spa.? (or Bristol to Hereford)

Part of the early morning Bristol-Hereford ECS was made available to passengers for a short while, of course: FGW brought it into passenger service at Abergavenny for a couple of timetable periods.

Shame it was only the up service... I might have used the down a couple of times if that had continued to Abergavenny.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

It was mentioned in #68 post. Killed off after the chaos caused by the Hatfield accident.

Of course by the financial meltdown as a result of "Hatfield" - where the options of enhancements or supporting anything different were plagued for a long time. Especially when RT was micro managed under very expensive "administration" rules. A bad era for everything really. Apart from binning RPP schemes , freight also suffered.

 

[vlad]

Northern have a few weird ones...

One you haven't mentioned is Clitheroe - Blackburn - Bolton - Manchester Vic - Rochdale. You could also argue Blackburn - Burnley - Rochdale - Manchester Vic - Wigan - Kirkby (for Merseyrail).

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

There was also a HST Glasgow to Scarborough on summer Saturdays during the 1980s and 1990s. GNER pulled it when they experienced growth on the main ECML route but to maintain it's path North of York in both directions it ran from Scotland to Peterborough only before returning which always seemed a bit odd-ball to me!

Glasgow Queen Street to Scarborough, or for a few years Hull (via Filey and Bridlington.) This was a very long lived service that my Dad recalls seeing changing locomotives on the centre roads at York in the 1970s, usually a rake of Mk1s and class 40s. I’m pretty sure for most of its life it was advertised non-stop from Edinburgh to Scarborough (and thus very difficult to spot in Table 26!) but once York was rationalised it reversed in a platform and the stop was advertised to allow the HST to relieve the local services which were mainly wedged Sprinters. Only caught it once and I was too young to have much memory, although I remember walking the length of the train in the long platform at Scarborough.

 

[Steddenm]

Back in Central Trains days there was a Cambridge to Liverpool Lime Street service that was usually a 158, but sometimes a 156. I think it called at Ely, March, Peterborough, Stamford, Oakham, Melton Mobray, Leicester, South Wigston, Narborough, Hinckley, Nuneaton, Birmingham New Street, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Tipton, Wolverhampton, Penkridge, Stafford, Crewe, Winsford, Runcorn, Edge Hill and finally Lime Street.

 

[Mogz]

Come to think of it, before Central Trains split up they had quite a few very long distance inter-regional semi-fasts.

In addition to Norwich-Liverpool (which is still with us under EMR) I remember such gems as Grimsby-Chester (usually a 156). That must have taken a while!

 

[185143]

I'd say Hull-Halifax is a bit of a random one.