TRIVIA Stations on Electrified lines which are not served by electric trains

[507020]

Speaking of former cases I recall for a while a few years back the hazel grove line was operated mostly if not entirely by diesel, after the prior buxton to blackpool and hazel grove to manchester services were replaced by buxton to manchester and hazel grove to preston services. I think this may lasted until the line to preston via bolton was electrfied.

When this first started there was one electric train a day "to clean the wires", but IIRC even that dissapeard later. I'm not sure what happened on weekends.

When was it that the 180s ran to Hazel Grove? I believe Hazel Grove was wired to clear Stockport of reversing EMUs, in the same way as Blackpool North was wired more to clear Preston of reversing EMUs than being a particular priority for electrification being a dead end branch. The Hazel Grove wires end so abruptly, with no overrun at all.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Woodgrange Park in East London.
Although trains between Liverpool Street- Southend and Shoeburyness via Barking pass through it they do not stop.

Aren't the class 710s electric?

Woodgrange Park Station is on the electrified route between Barking and Gospel Oak (GOBLIN) and is served at 4tph each way by London Overground's electric trains.

 

[Mollman]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this situation going to come back thanks to the MRTF diverting the Blackpool to Hazel Grove services to Manchester Airport, with Hazel Grove, Davenport & Woodsmoor being served by the 2tph Buxton to Piccadilly service and no Hazel Grove to Piccadilly all stations shuttle?

So much for the original 2015/2016 franchise agreement to have a 2tph Hazel Grove to Piccadilly all stations shuttle as well as 2tph Buxton to Piccadilly and the Blackpool to Hazel Grove service being diverted to Macclesfield.

Depends which version is adopted, at least one version has the Preston - Victoria train replaced by Blackpool - Hazel Grove going half-hourly.

 

[plugwash]

When was it that the 180s ran to Hazel Grove?

They ran on the preston to Hazel grove route during the period when most if not all of the trains were diesel. Perhaps it was the times of day I travelled, but I don't ever remember them being more than a small minority of services.

Wikipedia says they ran from 2008 to 2012 before being replaced by 150s cascaded from London Midland, which in turn have been replaced by EMUs when the line through Bolton was electrified.

in the same way as Blackpool North was wired more to clear Preston of reversing EMUs than being a particular priority for electrification being a dead end branch.

I always assumed that the reason for electrifying Blackpool was to allow existing through services to be electrified.

It may be a dead end branch, but leaving it out of the "north west electrification" would have meant either splitting a bunch of existing services or continuing to run them with DMUs (which would rather defeat the point of the electrification).

 

[Kite159]

Between the introduction of Heathrow Express and the advent of Heathrow Connect Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes & Harlington fell into this category. Even then Acton Mainline remained on the list until the Elizabeth Line 345s started calling.

Acton Main Line lost its status as only served by diesels when the Greenford services were cut back to West Ealing and a half hourly Hayes & Harlington service started using GWR 387s.

 

[507020]

They ran on the preston to Hazel grove route during the period when most if not all of the trains were diesel. Perhaps it was the times of day I travelled, but I don't ever remember them being more than a small minority of services.

Wikipedia says they ran from 2008 to 2012 before being replaced by 150s cascaded from London Midland, which in turn have been replaced by EMUs when the line through Bolton was electrified.

Did the 180s not run through to Blackpool? 180s to 150s is a bit of a downgrade.

I always assumed that the reason for electrifying Blackpool was to allow existing through services to be electrified.

It may be a dead end branch, but leaving it out of the "north west electrification" would have meant either splitting a bunch of existing services or continuing to run them with DMUs (which would rather defeat the point of the electrification).

Yes, because those new electric through services as well as a Diesel Blackpool shuttle with the same frequency would have all had to have terminated at Preston, which would have taken up too much capacity, so it made more sense for them to all run through to Blackpool.

 

[plugwash]

Did the 180s not run through to Blackpool?

The bulk of services at that time terminated at Preston. I think there were occasional through trips to blackpool, I don't know if 180s were ever used on them.

180s to 150s is a bit of a downgrade.

The 180s were nice while they lasted (particularly if you picked the coach with declassified first class) but as I mentioned earlier they were always the exception rather than the rule on the hazel grove line with the bulk of the services being 15x. Northern only had 3 of the things and I suspect they were relatively expensive/awkward to operate so only used at busy times.

Also it was rather inconguous having an intercity DMU running local suburban services, I remember another passenger asking me once because they couldn't belive it was the right train.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Also it was rather inconguous having an intercity DMU running local suburban services, I remember another passenger asking me once because they couldn't belive it was the right train.

To be fair while it has a pointy nose the actual vehicles are the same as Class 175s, which for a period of time did operate most semifast services on that route. A friend thought it was an old train, though - I suppose the interior does have a bit of a Mk2 look about it in a way.

 

[plugwash]

Not just the pointy end, but also the overall length of the unit (nearly as long as a triple 150) and the (declassified) first class section made them look/feel very much an "intercity" train.

I don't think 175s ever ran to Hazel grove, at least I don't remember them doing so.

 

[Mag_seven]

Pilning and Severn Tunnel Junction
Edit: an IET operates a Taunton-Cardiff diagram on a Saturday but other than that STJ is served entirely by diesels

For some strange reason the IET operated 19.48 Paddington - Swansea also calls at Severn Tunnel Junction on Saturdays.

Realtime Trains - 1B32 1948 London Paddington to Swansea

Realtime Trains is an independent source of live realtime running information for the Great British railway network.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[AMD]

Clifton (Manchester), both the morning and evening calls are still scheduled for diesel units (not 769s).

 

[MadMac]

The classic in my area was Holytown. Some background: in DMU days, Lanark services ran alternately via WCML all the way and via Blantyre and Holytown. Holytown was wired as part of Weaver Junction-Glasgow, and when the EMUs took over the Lanark service, the service changed to all trains via the main line. Holytown didn’t gain an electric service until the Lanark service started missing out Motherwell some years later.

 

[Kite159]

The classic in my area was Holytown. Some background: in DMU days, Lanark services ran alternately via WCML all the way and via Blantyre and Holytown. Holytown was wired as part of Weaver Junction-Glasgow, and when the EMUs took over the Lanark service, the service changed to all trains via the main line. Holytown didn’t gain an electric service until the Lanark service started missing out Motherwell some years later.

Then it lost the Lanark trains meaning it only got a handful of EMU services at peak times, before the Shotts line got wired up.