Northern DMU's visiting the 'Big Smoke'

[Eagle]

Well the 380s were delivered via London... (as are most units built on the continent).

 

[ukrob]

Another question is 'Are there any units/locos of any type still running in the UK that never get to London???

Only things I can think of of are EMU's of Central Scotland -

314
318
334
380

507's.

 

[fgwrich]

Wasn't there a Regional Railways/Cross Country/Virgin 158 Service from Manchester to Brighton via Kensington Olympia*?


*Kensington Olympia is, of course, not in London - but probably as close to London as you can get without being in London.

Yep, there was 5 class 158s allocated to the Virgin XC Services -158747 to158751, and all pretty much remained in their original Regional Railways livery until their move to Wessex Trains (Bar 159750 Which initially ended up with First TransPennine Express, got stickered and then moved to FGW)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:158751_at_Westbury.JPG

EDIT - a quick search of the forum brings this thread up about Virgins 158s:
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=10183

I am surprised everyone has forgotten the nocturnal visits made by Wales and West 158s to Waterloo on a service from (I think) Cardiff. Did this start pre privatisation, i.e. under Regional Railways, and when did it finish? And if it was after the Wales and West era, who ran it? Wales and Borders or Wessex? My memory seems to say that it did not last as long as Arriva Wales though. Any information gratefully recived.

Wasn't that Wales & Borders rather long winded Waterloo to xx routes - One of those including Maesteg, Carmarthen & Manchester via Bristol Temple Meads? - Nice!

And although not strictly new to Northern - The Class 180s? Originally from London (Old Oak Common), before the split up of the fleet - this then creating the Newton Heath 3...Before ending back up at OOC, returning to FGW, before heading up to Kilmarnock still conveying the mixed hash for FGW and Northern Livery / Branding!

 

[driver9000]

507's.

Weren't the 507s delivered new to the London area?

 

[185]

Northerns 321s (3+2 seated) got to London after the Hatfield crash when the 91s were all off the road. 3 hours on that?!

 

[jopsuk]

No, the 508s were, the 507s went straight to Merseyside

 

[fgwrich]

Or whilst were now mentioning EMUs - Don't forget how many times Northerns 322s have been in and out of London - New to the Stansted Sky Train / Stansted Express services out of Liverpool Street, then displaced to work any service out of either Liverpool Street or Kings Cross, then spending time with First North Western working Manchester Airport to London Euston services, before ending back up with WAGN, Before moving to Scotrail to work the North Berwick services from 2001 to 2004, then moving back down to WAGN again for a year, before moving back to First Scotrail (This time getting refurbished and reliveried in the process - 2006) before finally moving to Northern Rail last year...

So do they win one of the prizes for the most travelled unit in Northerns Fleet? 3 London Terminus & 2 Scottish ones too!

 

[martinsh]

Another question is 'Are there any units/locos of any type still running in the UK that never get to London???

Only things I can think of of are EMU's of Central Scotland -

314
318
334
380

And also 323's - but I would take a guess that one has escaped Birmingham in its life time to reach London???

Class 139 - never gets beyond Stourbridge Junction !!
Class 333 - stuck in Yorkshire normally

 

[driver9000]

No, the 508s were, the 507s went straight to Merseyside

Ah. I often get similar looking EMUs mixed up

*Makes note to pay more attention*

 

[142094]

Northerns 321s (3+2 seated) got to London after the Hatfield crash when the 91s were all off the road. 3 hours on that?!

Makes a change from 3 hours on a 142 I'll bet!

 

[87015]

And also 323's - but I would take a guess that one has escaped Birmingham in its life time to reach London???

Despite being based at Bletchley in the early years I've never heard or seen evidence of them working south of Northampton in passenger service. I'd be surprised if they didn't work extras to Bletchley but I'd love to see evidence - and even more so south of Bletchley.

Side point about 322s - hired to Silverlink on multiple occasions aswell so add EN-BNS to their meandering spheres of operation.

 

[Pumbaa]

Side point about 322s - hired to Silverlink on multiple occasions aswell so add EN-BNS to their meandering spheres of operation.

Was just about to add that! I remember raising an eyebrow at the 'new train' in the platform... Sat down and realised it was the same one with a different stripe on the outside. Bugger.

 

[lm321412]

Despite being based at Bletchley in the early years I've never heard or seen evidence of them working south of Northampton in passenger service. I'd be surprised if they didn't work extras to Bletchley but I'd love to see evidence - and even more so south of Bletchley.

Side point about 322s - hired to Silverlink on multiple occasions aswell so add EN-BNS to their meandering spheres of operation.

I'm pretty sure the 323s have had the odd overnights stabled in London Euston during the Regional Railways days, possibly test runs from Bletchley.

 

[O L Leigh]

So do they win one of the prizes for the most travelled unit in Northerns Fleet? 3 London Terminus & 2 Scottish ones too!

Perhaps on the Northern fleet, yes.

However, I would like to make the case for the Cl317s. These units have worked regular passenger services out of every OLE electrified London terminus except for Paddington. They've been at least as far as Birmingham on the WCML, Newcastle on the ECML and Norwich on the GEML as well as working to other destinations along each line.

O L Leigh

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Northerns 321s (3+2 seated) got to London after the Hatfield crash when the 91s were all off the road. 3 hours on that?!

That wasn't after Hatfield; it was some years previously when there was a problem with the Mk4 fleet. June 1998.

 

[Philip]

175112 has visited London, roughly 10 years ago or so. The sighting was reported for the North Wales Coast Railway website and it was seen at Hither Green on some train modification testing outing. The same unit was also reported (and with a picture this time) at Ashford International a few months before the Hither Green sighting.

Also not in London of course but 175101 and 102 (I think it was those ones) spent some time at Eastleigh works again around a decade ago. 175008 and 175103 had their fire damage and landslide damage respectively repaired at Wolverton works, relatively recently.

A question on the 185 Wembley-Longsight trip. Did 185s do this under their own power/with any engines running at all and also did they go via Stoke/Macclesfield or via Crewe?

 

[MK Tom]

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet but when all the Silverlink 321s exploded or whatever it was that went wrong with them didn't pairs of 150s cover a couple of WCML duties out of Euston? I remember catching one such pair from MK to Northampton and being amazed at the slow acelleration, not to mention the noise in Hunsbury Hill Tunnel.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Will we ever see a Pacer .....work in London?

I can still feel the "shock-waves of horror" from London up here in Cheshire East after this rather dramatic scenario was posted..

 

[33056]

A question on the 185 Wembley-Longsight trip. Did 185s do this under their own power/with any engines running at all and also did they go via Stoke/Macclesfield or via Crewe?

No, they were all hauled dead though I am not sure of the route they took. The 333s were also delivered via the Channel Tunnel and were hauled to Neville Hill (IIRC) via the ECML.

Never seen a 323 south of Northampton but have seen (and indeed been on) a 304 into / out of Euston.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Sorry for double post, but have just weeded out some pictures of 185s on delivery:

185 101 without vinyls.
185 104 in the current livery.
185 110 , rather strangely in the earlier "First" livery, showing the coupling arrangement with the barrier wagon.

 

[class156]

Perhaps on the Northern fleet, yes.

However, I would like to make the case for the Cl317s. These units have worked regular passenger services out of every OLE electrified London terminus except for Paddington. They've been at least as far as Birmingham on the WCML, Newcastle on the ECML and Norwich on the GEML as well as working to other destinations along each line.

O L Leigh

They have also made it to Glasgow while being tested with the class 318s when they were new.

 

[150222]

You forgot 168s, 180s and 222s...

SWT used to have a few 170s going into Waterloo, but gave them to TPE in exchange for 158s. NXEA 170s regularly ran to Liverpool Street until 2010. 220s and 221s made it to Paddington in their first couple of years.

And a couple of months ago there was a FGW HST that died and was subbed with a 142+150.

Not to London though. Only between Exeter and Swindon. I'm very suprised everyone has not mentioned the Silverlink 150's on Gospel Oak to Barking services. I have heard something about First Hull Trains borrowing a 185 on sunday's. Is this true & does it run to London or just to Doncaster?

 

[DXMachina]

Never seen a 323 south of Northampton but have seen (and indeed been on) a 304 into / out of Euston.

I can't tell a 304 from a 305/308 however can confirm that units of this type sometimes came thru' Hemel Hempstead to Euston in the 80s when I was a kid

 

[O L Leigh]

They have also made it to Glasgow while being tested with the class 318s when they were new.

Really...? Are there any photos?

I meant to mention the Cl317 that was displayed at Ayr prior to the electrification, but that hadn't worked there under it's own power (obviously) let alone in service.

O L Leigh

 

[fgwrich]

Not to London though. Only between Exeter and Swindon. I'm very suprised everyone has not mentioned the Silverlink 150's on Gospel Oak to Barking services. I have heard something about First Hull Trains borrowing a 185 on sunday's. Is this true & does it run to London or just to Doncaster?

Ah, but don't forget that the ex LOROL / Sliverlink class 150s ended up with First Great Western...

 

[SouthEastern-465]

I can't tell a 304 from a 305/308 however can confirm that units of this type sometimes came thru' Hemel Hempstead to Euston in the 80s when I was a kid

In a modern locomotives illustrated magazine on Great Eastern EMUs, there's a picture of a Class 305 at Euston substituting for something!

 

[NXEA!]

Have 320's made it to London before?

 

[TWPacer]

I can still feel the "shock-waves of horror" from London up here in Cheshire East after this rather dramatic scenario was posted..

I'm not sure if this is actually true or is just an urban myth - but aren't 14x Pacers barred from any electrified line with 3rd rail? Presumably this is because of the excessive bogie movement may get too close ?

 

[sprinterguy]

I'm not sure if this is actually true or is just an urban myth - but aren't 14x Pacers barred from any electrified line with 3rd rail? Presumably this is because of the excessive bogie movement may get too close ?

Urban myth. Disproved by Hunts Cross for a start.

 

[150222]

I'm not sure if this is actually true or is just an urban myth - but aren't 14x Pacers barred from any electrified line with 3rd rail? Presumably this is because of the excessive bogie movement may get too close ?

It is an urban myth as they are fine at Chester/Ellesmere Port. They are banned from 3rd rail on the former southern region (so South West Trains, Southern, SouthEastern e.t.c.) as Network South East management were sceptical about them being unable to operate track circuits correctly. Nothing to do with bogie movement as there are no problems on Merseyrail.

 

[O L Leigh]

Oh no, not that old chestnut again.

There is a difference between a certain type of traction or rolling stock being banned from a line and not being cleared to use a line. There was no point ever seeking clearance for Pacers to work in the south-east because there was never any suggestion of them working in the region.

They are not banned from the former SR but simply do not have the required clearance to operate over former SR routes. However, that does not mean that they cannot be granted clearance.

O L Leigh