Cross Country - Birmingham to Stansted

[dk1]

Typical!! The day nothing goes west of Leicester.

Possibly the reason the additional rolling stock is available.

 

[Magdalia]

when the class 31 hauled services started in 1977 leicester to Peterborough stoppers were either 3 car met cams or 2 car cravens units I can't remember ever seeing a swindon xc unit on those but have a photograph of one at Nuneaton doing a Birmingham to leicester service

Until May 1977 Swindon cross country units worked about half the Norwich-Birmingham service. You are right that the Peterborough-Leicester stoppers in 1977 were mostly Cravens and MetCams, usually Norwich sets. But the 1528 Birmingham-Cambridge and 0703 Cambridge-Birmingham was worked from the Midlands end. I've travelled on Swindon Cross country units on the 1528 Birmingham-Cambridge many times, usually throughout from Birmingham to Cambridge.

Here is a picture of a Swindon cross country set at Stamford:

lincs - swindon cc dmu stamford JL

Explore johnmightycat1's 103427 photos on Flickr!

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It is unsurprising that there are few pictures of the 1528 Birmingham-Cambridge or 0703 Cambridge-Birmingham, it was only in high summer that the times they ran were suitable for photography.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Possibly the reason the additional rolling stock is available.

I've been on 4 car 170s between Peterborough and Stamford on days with no engineering works, so I wouldn't be sure about that?

 

[dk1]

I've been on 4 car 170s between Peterborough and Stamford on days with no engineering works, so I wouldn't be sure about that?

Wasn't sure, just a wild guess. Passed many a double unit across the Fens but never sure if its planned or just disruption.

 

[duffield]

I mentioned those units but to be honest I think the route is stuck with Turbostars for the foreseeable.. They want to fIt them with ECTS eventually

Before they get around to that, I'd bet the 170s will be life expired.

 

[sharpley]

They ran 4 car 170s during lockdown when the service was reduced to a 2 hour service. They were too long for my local station (Melton Mowbray) so the last set of doors were not opened.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

They were too long for my local station (Melton Mowbray) so the last set of doors were not opened.

I seem to recall that the back carriage of a westbound 4 car train at Stamford doesn't open, even though it is fully accommodated on a very wide and clear platform.

 

[Edders23]

They ran 4 car 170s during lockdown when the service was reduced to a 2 hour service. They were too long for my local station (Melton Mowbray) so the last set of doors were not opened.

Stamfords platforms are approx 92m IIRC so a 4 car pairing should fit. Oakham for some reason has always had longer platforms. I never understood why melton didn't have longer platforms although it was probably track layout. It shouldn't be too difficult to upgrade them and add an extension. No doubt any such scheme would require millions to be spent on consultants and surveys before any workmen could do the work.

 

[sharpley]

Stamfords platforms are approx 92m IIRC so a 4 car pairing should fit. Oakham for some reason has always had longer platforms. I never understood why melton didn't have longer platforms although it was probably track layout. It shouldn't be too difficult to upgrade them and add an extension. No doubt any such scheme would require millions to be spent on consultants and surveys before any workmen could do the work.

Points fairly close to each end of the eastbound platform, plus a barrow crossing used for step-free access to the westbound platform is always going to make a platform extension at Melton that bit more expensive

 

[Steve Harris]

Your memory doesn't serve you correctly. Cambridge did not have a 2 hourly loco hauled service to and from Birmingham.

The Norwich-Birmingham service that went loco hauled in 1977 was 5 trains per day. Westbound was 0754/0950/1317/1538/1832 and eastbound was 0805/1015/1236/1640/1835. There was one train each way 0703 Cambridge-Birmingham and 1528 return, which was usually a 3 car Swindon cross country unit. This continued until 1982, when some of the westbound trains were retimed, this included the Cambridge starting at 0903, and also going over to loco hauled. The trains were steam heat until October 1982.

The timetable changed almost every year between 1982 and 1987. The maximum number of Cambridge-Birminghams was 3 each way in 1987, 2 of them Sprinter substitutions. These were 0525/0603/0713 from Cambridge and 1540/1711/2020 from Birmingham.

The full Sprinter service started in 1988.

I was talking about the services in 1983 but somehow we have gone back to 1977 !

As I said in my post, it was from my memory (which can be a little patchy as I was a young boy back in 1983, and I'm sure you remember everything in great detail from when you was 12 !).

As you and other's have pointed out there was broadly a 2 hourly service but with a few services missing (thereby some 4 hour-ish gaps). A Swindon Cross Country unit still used to turn up on a late Saturday eastbound service (when all other services were loco hauled) to Cambridge with it having it's return working on the Sunday, that I can certainly remember as a Class 120 used to make a noise similar to flatulence when accelerating and as a young lad we used to joke about it.

 

[sharpley]

I have a very distant memory of catching a loco hauled train from Peterborough to Melton in the early 80s. I was only a young'un at the time, Mum took me on a shopping trip to Peterborough. Think the coaches had compartments. That's about the limit to my recollection.

 

[Wyrleybart]

1N67 has just been cancelled due to a train fault... whoops.

Two or three coaches is just not adequate for this route. Can a 220 fit in the platform at Stansted Airport?

It is possible to get 220s into Stansted Airport but into P1 and P3 - which are normally used by Anglia Trains. AIUI P2 which XC use has an operational length and P3 AIUI it is preferred for the XC service, but is operationally restricted to 97m - a 220 is 92m

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I have a very distant memory of catching a loco hauled train from Peterborough to Melton in the early 80s. I was only a young'un at the time, Mum took me on a shopping trip to Peterborough. Think the coaches had compartments. That's about the limit to my recollection.

Probably a class 31 hauling a short rake of Mk 1 stock?

 

[Edders23]

Probably a class 31 hauling a short rake of Mk 1 stock?

By the early 80's the sets were usually early mk2's

 

[Magdalia]

As I said in my post, it was from my memory (which can be a little patchy as I was a young boy back in 1983, and I'm sure you remember everything in great detail from when you was 12 !).

Actually I do, going back to the early 1970s, but especially of the loco hauled period from 1977 to 1988. I also have a library of timetables (both public and working) to cross check my memory.

I can certainly remember as a Class 120 used to make a noise similar to flatulence when accelerating and as a young lad we used to joke about it.

Try listening to it on the departure from every station from Birmingham to Ely!

It is possible to get 220s into Stansted Airport but into P1 and P3 - which are normally used by Anglia Trains. AIUI P2 which XC use has an operational length and P3 AIUI it is preferred for the XC service, but is operationally restricted to 97m - a 220 is 92m

Class 220s could not use platforms 1 and 3 at Stansted Airport, which are electric traction only. All Cross Country trains use platform 2. This is because platforms 1 and 3 have smoke detectors that can be triggered by exhaust fumes.