BR Mystex Origins and Destinations (Trivia)

[GordonT]

How many of these can you identify as definitely having taken place regardless of whether or not you travelled on them. Please try not to repeat ones previously posted. Three for starters. Glasgow Central to Southport, Glasgow Central to Aviemore, Edinburgh to Chester.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Worcester to Bognor Regis.
We were only sure of the destination when the train stopped to reverse at Barnham.

 

[PeterC]

So long ago that I am not sure if some trips were Merrymakers to named destinations. Certainly London to Newport and London to Ely were mysteries.

 

[Lemmy282]

Sheffield to Cambridge mystery which was a week after the Merrymaker to the same place! I was on both

 

[Helvellyn]

For Mystex I'll pop a list below. If it started at Carlisle it also picked up at Penrith, Oxenholme and Lancaster. If it started at Lancaster it picked up at Oxenholme, Penrith and Carlisle.

• Lancaster - Oban
• Lancaster - Gourock (via G&SW)
• Carlisle - Cardiff (out via Marches, return via Central Wales)
• Carlisle - Torquay / Paignton
• Carlisle - Southampton / Bournemouth
• Carlisle - Portsmouth & Southsea / Portsmouth Harbour
• Carlisle - Canterbury East / Dover Priory
• Carlisle - Southend Central
• Carlisle - Nottingham

 

[Taunton]

Western Region key departure points for years were Paignton and Torquay, the best day of the week was Thursday because that was when people booked on holiday Saturday to Saturday had started to get fed up with the place. Clifton Down for Bristol Zoo, or Windsor, often turned up, along with various oddball places. Anywhere that Bristol Bath Road knew the road to, for a crew change often took place there, was a starter. There was often someone who ended up being taken home and did an account of how, while everyone else mooched round the town, they went home for a cup of tea. Someone from the commercial side typically accompanied the trip and ensured such experiences got written up in the newspapers afterwards!

 

[d9009alycidon]

Glasgow Central to Chester (twice)
Glasgow Central to Morecambe
Glasgow Queen Street to York

 

[Rob F]

Nottingham to Barmouth
Nottingham to Bournemouth

 

[D1511]

Edinburgh ones were......

Blackpool
Llandudno
Chester (mentioned by OP)
York
Scarborough
Coventry
Shrewsbury

 

[CW2]

York and stations to Keighley to Ayr. Out via Carnforth and Shap, return via S&C.

Reading to Malvern, Worcester, and Leamington Spa. DMU round trip, with a couple of hours in each stop.

 

[Rescars]

Reading to Malvern, Worcester, and Leamington Spa. DMU round trip, with a couple of hours in each stop.

This seems an unusual combination. How was the train routed between Worcester and Leamington Spa?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

There's a well known story about a couple from Margate in the 1970s who went on holiday to South Wales, thought it would be good fun to take a mystery excursion from Newport and it went to...

Margate.

Supposedly they decided to forego the time spent touring the resort and popped home for a cup of tea before catching the return working back to Newport.

Which means we can add Newport to Margate to the list.

 

[CW2]

This seems an unusual combination. How was the train routed between Worcester and Leamington Spa?

Outskirts of Birmingham I think.
The couriers came through and announced each destination about half an hour before arrival, and handed out maps and tourist bumph.
Three 3-car class 117 DMUs with a Met Cammy trailer inserted, so 10 cars total.

 

[D6130]

Aberdeen and stations to Dundee ending up at Balloch Pier, sometime in the early 1980s....which brought the rare sight of a pair of 26s to the Glasgow North Electric lines. IIRC, the empty stock was taken to/from Cowlairs by a 25.

 

[Harpo]

Which means we can add Newport to Margate to the list.

Newport would have been a calling point and not the origin. Excursions from South Wales typically started from the Cardiff Valleys with stock from Canton, or from Swansea. Typical destinations were Clacton, Southend (Central), Margate and Paignton.

Inbound to South Wales the usual destination was Barry Island.

 

[The exile]

There was often someone who ended up being taken home and did an account of how, while everyone else mooched round the town, they went home for a cup of tea.

… only to realise when they got there that there wasn’t any milk, no doubt!!!

 

[Masbroughlad]

Worksop to Clacton
Worksop to Portsmouth

 

[Fleetwood Boy]

Blackpool - Newcastle & Berwick
Blackpool - Oxford

On both occasions, there must have been folk onboard who either got taken "back home" or close-by or at least through their home town (eg Leeds, Birmingham)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

When were these BR era "Mystex" tickets last offered? 1980s?

 

[contrex]

Blackpool - Newcastle & Berwick
Blackpool - Oxford

On both occasions, there must have been folk onboard who either got taken "back home" or close-by or at least through their home town (eg Leeds, Birmingham)

As a boy I once read in my dad's Daily Express about a couple on holiday somewhere who took a rail mystery trip to what turned out to be their home town of Margate. The story said they went home, made and drank a pot of tea, and went back to the station for the return trip.

 

[D1511]

As a boy I once read in my dad's Daily Express about a couple on holiday somewhere who took a rail mystery trip to what turned out to be their home town of Margate. The story said they went home, made and drank a pot of tea, and went back to the station for the return trip.

See post #12 above!

 

[Cymroglan]

There's a well known story about a couple from Margate in the 1970s who went on holiday to South Wales, thought it would be good fun to take a mystery excursion from Newport and it went to...

Margate.

Supposedly they decided to forego the time spent touring the resort and popped home for a cup of tea before catching the return working back to Newport.

Which means we can add Newport to Margate to the list.

I heard a broadly similar story about a couple from Weymouth who were on holiday in South Wales and SPOILER ‼️ their mystery excursion took them back home…..

 

[Western 52]

I had one from Cardiff around 1980 which ran to Cambridge. We were sure we were heading to Paddington until we took the left turn onto the North London line.

 

[Harpo]

I had one from Cardiff around 1980 which ran to Cambridge. We were sure we were heading to Paddington until we took the left turn onto the North London line.

Some GWML to GE excursions ran via Old Oak Common East to Kensington Olympia and either ran-round or re-engined there.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

The only one that I did - March 1969, I think - was from Newport to Liverpool, although it had started at Cardiff or even further west.

 

[Fleetwood Boy]

Quite mind boggling to think of the train crew planning required for all this, combining route and traction knowledge as well as maximum working hours. Wonder if they actually made any money?

 

[mmh]

I'm boggling more at the idea that someone would go on holiday to Newport, even in the 70s,rather than the logistics of running mystery trains.

 

[Harpo]

Quite mind boggling to think of the train crew planning required for all this, combining route and traction knowledge as well as maximum working hours. Wonder if they actually made any money?

Most adexs and mystexs ran on Sundays with standard traction and rolling stock. 47s (mostly) and mk1/2 rolling stock were universal and even freight guards signed them, so route and traction knowledge rarely caused issues.

All crews would have been on special diagrams (additional to the base roster) paid 8 hours plus enhancement but could be diagrammed up to 9 hours. Some destinations (e.g. Barmouth) could sometimes need longer ‘short rest’ jobs if there was no way to cross-travel relief. Back then, Sunday work was entirely overtime and in demand so staff reps at most places oversaw fair distribution.

I reckon (roughly) most excursions needed 2 or 3 sets of crew in each direction. Did they make money? Don’t know.

 

[GordonT]

Most adexs and mystexs ran on Sundays with standard traction and rolling stock. 47s (mostly) and mk1/2 rolling stock were universal

Presumably the favoured day and traction varied geographically to some extent. I travelled on two from Glasgow Central on two Summer Saturdays on different years. Both ended up in Southport, both were Class 40 worked with Mk1 coaches I think. (mid-1960s).

 

[Helvellyn]

Quite mind boggling to think of the train crew planning required for all this, combining route and traction knowledge as well as maximum working hours. Wonder if they actually made any money?

I know this was nationalised BR but I doubt senior management would allow these trips to be organised if they wouldn't make some money. There will have been costs worked out in advance - locomotive(s), coaching stock, crew, supplies (maps, leaflets) - and the tickets would have been priced accordingly to cover those, quite likely with a minimum load factor so anything over that would be profit.