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Do “Through train” enthusiasts exist?

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vic-rijrode

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In the late 80s or early 90s (the memory fails me), I took a train from ipswich to Manchester via Bury St Edmunds, Ely, Peterborough, Grantham, Nottingham, Chesterfield and Stockport, using the south to west curve at Dore. Took round about 5 hours as I recall, much longer than going into London and back out - but was far more interesting!

I can't find any mention of it on the interweb.
 
The exile

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vic-rijrode said:
In the late 80s or early 90s (the memory fails me), I took a train from ipswich to Manchester via Bury St Edmunds, Ely, Peterborough, Grantham, Nottingham, Chesterfield and Stockport, using the south to west curve at Dore. Took round about 5 hours as I recall, much longer than going into London and back out - but was far more interesting!

I can't find any mention of it on the interweb.
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The European, by any chance? Harwich PQ to Glasgow & Edinburgh (though I thought it went into Sheffield)
 
43096

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Bald Rick said:
Has anyone doen Paddington - Pembroke Dock throughout? Must be quite an ordeal.
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Well, it would be an ordeal on an 80x. I have done it on an HST back before they had the new seats. Very enjoyable it was, too.
 
CaptainHaddock

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Russel said:
I guess so yeah.

I'm planning to do Matlock to Cleethorpes myself, but I'm waiting until the spring for the better weather and lighter nights.
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I did, or rather tried to do the Matlock to Cleethorpes and back run yesterday, but coming from Sheffield it seemed a bit daft to go to Matlock and back when I could catch the same train in Derby so I got the 1118 ex-Derby.

After a couple of hours strolling on the seafront at Cleethorpes I took the 1604 back, this time planning to go all the way through to Matlock (just to say I'd done it) but the train terminated at Nottingham, though another unit was in situ to continue to Matlock. However my inner pedant decided that as there was a set swap it wouldn't count as a through journey so I got off at Derby to change for Sheffield. So technically I haven't actually done the through service, which gives me a good excuse to try again when the weather's better and the days are longer!
 
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BeijingDave

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I sometimes go out of my way to do an end to end circuitous route e.g. Chester - Manchester via Knutsford and Stockport, when of course the via Warrington option is much quicker.

Another one recently was Chester - Leeds via Bradford, rather than the faster change to the via Huddersfield option.
 
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vlad

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BeijingDave said:
I sometimes go out of my way to do an end to end circuitous route e.g. Chester - Manchester via Knutsford and Stockport, when of course the via Warrington option is much quicker.
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It is - but Northern via Knutsford is also quite a bit cheaper than TfW via Warrington, which is the reason I travel on the Northern route.

(I appreciate that Northern from Victoria via Warrington is the same price as from Piccadilly via Knutsford but in that case you'd need to get to Victoria.)
 
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Never quite done the whole Norwich-Liverpool but I've done Ely-Liverpool or vice versa quite a few times. Can't say I was ever particularly enthusiastic about it though - much as I enjoy train travel, that's a bit too long without a break for my liking.

Indeed, to break it up I quite often used to do the 'get off at Peterborough, go to Leeds, get on the same train you started on at Manchester Piccadilly' thing, although sadly I don't think the new ECML timetable, combined with TPE nowadays mostly using Manchester Victoria, allow for doing this anymore.
 
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vic-rijrode

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The exile said:
The European, by any chance? Harwich PQ to Glasgow & Edinburgh (though I thought it went into Sheffield)
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No actually, it was a two carriage dmu, probably a 156, 158 or 159 (somebody will put me right). It definitely didn't go into Sheffield.
 
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A S Leib

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MikeWM said:
Indeed, to break it up I quite often used to do the 'get off at Peterborough, go to Leeds, get on the same train you started on at Manchester Piccadilly' thing, although sadly I don't think the new ECML timetable, combined with TPE nowadays mostly using Manchester Victoria, allow for doing this anymore
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The 07:55 from Norwich (as an example) gets to Peterborough at 09:27 and leaves Stockport at 12:25. The 09:51 from Peterborough gets to Doncaster at 10:41, which with a bit of luck might make getting the 10:43 to Liverpool (due at Stockport at 11:53) possible.

Using the 07:48 from Liverpool to Norwich as an eastbound example (arriving at Manchester Piccadilly at 08:41, leaving Peterborough at 11:46), you'd need to get to Leeds for 09:40 (overtaking by changing at Doncaster not possible). The closest are 08:30-09:23 from Victoria or 08:30-09:31 from Piccadilly to Leeds, so not generally possible.
 
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vic-rijrode

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The exile said:
The European, by any chance? Harwich PQ to Glasgow & Edinburgh (though I thought it went into Sheffield)
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No actually, it was a two carriage dmu, probably a 156, 158 or 159 (somebody will put me right). It definitely didn't go into Sheffield.

Edit: I've just found out what the service was (I'm pretty sure). In 1988 there was a service from Ipswich to Blackpool North departing 12.42. That would correlate with me getting into Manchester around tea-time...
 
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MikeWM

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A S Leib said:
The 07:55 from Norwich (as an example) gets to Peterborough at 09:27 and leaves Stockport at 12:25. The 09:51 from Peterborough gets to Doncaster at 10:41, which with a bit of luck might make getting the 10:43 to Liverpool (due at Stockport at 11:53) possible.
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Didn't think of looking at the Liverpool-Cleethorpes services, they didn't exist last time I did the via Leeds thing :) But yes, that does open up more possibilities.
 
Russel

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CaptainHaddock said:
I did, or rather tried to do the Matlock to Cleethorpes and back run yesterday, but coming from Sheffield it seemed a bit daft to go to Matlock and back when I could catch the same train in Derby so I got the 1118 ex-Derby.

After a couple of hours strolling on the seafront at Cleethorpes I took the 1604 back, this time planning to go all the way through to Matlock (just to say I'd done it) but the train terminated at Nottingham, though another unit was in situ to continue to Matlock. However my inner pedant decided that as there was a set swap it wouldn't count as a through journey so I got off at Derby to change for Sheffield. So technically I haven't actually done the through service, which gives me a good excuse to try again when the weather's better and the days are longer!
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I did considering doing it just from Derby, but I want to do the whole thing, from Matlock to Cleethorpes, even though I've done the Matlock branch numerous times!
 
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route101

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zero said:
Personally I don't care about individual services, but I am interested in riding the full length of routes, and if there is a 'strange' through service that goes where I want I will choose it in preference to faster or more sensible services.
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Yes, that's what I am seeking. I like the routes not so much the units or trains themselves.
 
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The exile said:
The European, by any chance? Harwich PQ to Glasgow & Edinburgh (though I thought it went into Sheffield)
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I was a frequent user of the Harwich boat train to Picc, it certainly did go into Sheffield where the locomotive changed ends and I changed seats to be forward facing. It also stopped at March in the desolation of the Fens.

Given the distance it was rarely late dep 07.40 ish from HPQ and arr.Picc at 1400...dep.1500 for the return.
 
Kite159

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Tester said:
Has anyone done the full Salisbury to Romsey (twice via Chandlers Ford)?
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In the opposite direction (so Romsey to Salisbury via Southampton), only because I was at Romsey wanting to go to Salisbury and the next GWR service was cancelled.
 
superalbs

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Has anyone done St Pancras to St Pancras on a 395, via the Kent Coast? :)
 
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Royston Vasey

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I am one. There's something about being on the train from origin to final destination that feels like camaraderie and a tick in an imaginary box, choosing the perfect seat and having it all to yourself all the way. Camaraderie even though you may well be the only person to have done so, including the staff! There's something about starting a journey, and about journey's end that is evocative, and it's not quite the same if other people got there first, or if the train leaves you behind.

I've done a few, and I like to do them, some both ways, some intercity some regional. Not including true locals like Shrewsbury to Crewe or Cambridge to Ipswich, off the top of my head:

Newark Castle to Crewe
Leeds to Carlisle
Edinburgh to London
Bradford to London
Sunderland to London
Newcastle to London
Euston to Fort William
Cardiff to Manchester
Manchester to London
Birmingham to London

Not very extreme or necessarily "for the sake of it" nor particularly whacky destinations.

It can also be quite enjoyable (and cheap) to string together end to end local journeys too and just enjoy the journey and scenery. I did Waterloo to Salisbury, Salisbury to Bristol, Bristol to Worcester recently for example.

I've gone out of my way to do Liverpool to Ely (though not yet Norwich, the cost and time always seems a bit steep)
 
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Peterthegreat

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CaptainHaddock said:
I'm intrigued to see that today EMR are running a through train from Liverpool to Sleaford. What's all that about?

Realtime Trains | 1851 Liverpool Lime Street to Sleaford | 31/01/2026

Real-time train running information for 1851 departure from Liverpool Lime Street to Sleaford on 31/01/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk www.realtimetrains.co.uk
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It appears to be a regular working on Saturdays.
It ran last week and is booked to do it next week as well (and probably more).
 
Royston Vasey

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Oh I've also done Waterloo to Waterloo, Cannon Street to Cannon Street, Victoria to Charing Cross just to explore. And the lovely city to country transition from Victoria to Epsom Downs. You feel like a survivor as you're one of the last few people left on that at the terminus.
 
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