4L36 08:12 Wentloog-Felixstowe North & 4V36 22:45 return is known as ‘The Wine Liner’.
It was a nice touch to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III.
4L89 currently from Garston to Felixstowe seems to be known to some as the ‘Up Scotch’ even though it hasn’t run from Coatbridge for several years!
There’s also The Welshman and another Carolean Express (from memory both go between Swansea and London, though the Carolean does London - Swansea first. I happened to catch the first one and got a goodie bag).
The name plates shown on the HSTs are great - though having been taking several of the South Wales ones since 2015 I’ve never seen a plate!
Funny how long it takes for anything to die out on the railway. Always been the same.
In theory a named train should have something special about it whether it is the fastest, or maybe has a restaurant car when others on the route don’t or is more luxurious or commemorates something etc etc. While this can and does apply to some named trains and certainly did in the past, in today’s modern railway that is not always the case.
I inclined to agree. Although I'm normally sensitive to not changing things and keeping historical terms in place, I really don't understand why some random services to the same place, amongst some others, have been allocated a name that doesn't mean anything to most people and is only really published in the timetable (not displayed on information screens, etc) - e.g. see The Carolean Express!
Should call it the Bratex then!
If you mean since the Northern Rail network began, then no. The LNER named trains use certain sections of it such as The West Riding Limited to and from Bradford Forster Square, and most of the LNER named trains at some point run over sections used by Northern Trains but not mostly or wholly.
No. I mean since railways began. I suspect only London bound trains and their returns were named though.
The 7.23 departure from Cardiff - ‘Capitals United’ is the fastest train between Cardiff and London running non stop from Swindon to Paddington. Does the journey in 1hour 51 minutes.
Capitals United is the previous train (0557 from Swansea rather than 0623), which annoying does now stop at Didcot, Swindon and Reading. 0723 from Cardiff as you say is non stop from Swindon.
That being the case, it would be better if the 6.23 from Swansea was named ‘Capitals United’ as that is the faster train and also likely to have more passengers.
While it is true that all the current named trains travel both to and from London (with the exception of The Flying Scotsman that these days only goes to London from Edinburgh) there have been quite a few in the past that haven’t. The North Briton was one example it ran from Leeds to Glasgow via York Newcastle & Edinburgh. It ran between 1949 to 1968 before reappearing in 1972 to 1975 when it finally ceased.
I think the 0557 gets the name as it gets you into London before 0900 - certainly I can easily make a 0930 meeting in the City, which you can’t do on the 0623. It’s also a very minimal time saving, as the 800s are quick off the mark and the approach into Paddington is slow and busy.
