Ever had a carriage/whole train to yourself?

[gimmea50anyday]

Very long shot, but was that carriage 13575 by any chance? A Mk 2 aircon? I know I have a photo somewhere of it at Waterloo at around that time...

Wasn't aircon as it was corridor stock. I had windows open so I could relish the thrash! Deffo a BG mk2, deffo a bank hol Monday and Temeraire was deffo the tug! Was waterloo bound so would have been at the rear on departure from waterloo

 

[43074]

I went from Leicester to London on December 27th, and had the whole coach to myself in both directions, on what would normally be peak services. I also had the whole coach (albeit a First Class buffet vehicle) to myself from East Midlands Parkway to Leeds on a Sunday evening HST a few weeks ago.

 

[Segedunum]

Had plenty of Metrocentre-Newcastle shuttles to myself before, and noted at least one departing completely empty (It was usually the 1231 from the Metrocentre). When they added in the Dunston call however, we normally get one or two on board nowadays.

 

[blue87]

Had the quiet coach on a Voyager to myself (apart from the odd person using the toilet at the and of it) from Brum - Southampton on the first train off Brum about 6 years ago, also from Oxford to Worcester once when the TGS on a HST was at the 1st class end of the train.

 

[backontrack]

Not perhaps a whole carriage, but the 17:00 from Norwich to Liverpool Street on a Saturday recently had very low patronage until Colchester or so.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Wasn't aircon as it was corridor stock. I had windows open so I could relish the thrash! Deffo a BG mk2, deffo a bank hol Monday and Temeraire was deffo the tug! Was waterloo bound so would have been at the rear on departure from waterloo

13575 was a corridor first, Mk 2D air conditioned - and was at the London end of the formation; obviously it had droplights at the doors. True, it wasn't a BG though.

I'll try to dig up the photo and scan it in.

 

[djpontrack]

I was on 142063 from LAN to MCM on the 21:33 this evening and I was the only passenger in 55759 and at BAR the only other passenger who was in the other carriage (55713) got off. At MCM Nobody else got on or off and the unit went back to LAN empty after the crew changed ends.

 

[43106]

I've had a whole carriage twice and a whole train once, though 2 of them are combined.
The first time was in the early 1980's, on what was the rump of "The Clansman". It used to run Euston - Birmingham - Crewe - Preston - Carlisle - Motherwell - Coatbridge - Stirling - Inverness. Then it got re-routed via Edinburgh. Shortly after that, the principal service to Inverness got switched to Kings Cross, BUT they left the Euston - Edinburgh part of it in place for about a year. I got on it once at Carlisle and had the entire carriage to myself all the way to Edinburgh!
The second time was in 2002, give or take a year. It was a Sunday, and my train from Edinburgh got delayed at York for 3 hours when it ripped down the OHLE near Northallerton. We got pulled into York with a Thunderbird and had to get a much later train that got me into Kings Cross just after midnight. I was bricking it, as I still had to get to Stanmore and I was worried in case the Underground closed down. I got a Met tube train from Kings Cross to Wembley Park, then managed to get a Jubilee Line train to Stanmore. I was near the back of the train, and I had the carriage all to myself. Although we stopped at every station, I had no idea if people were getting on and/or off, but when I arrived at Stanmore, I noticed I was the only person walking down the platform to the ticket gate. So I had the train to myself from AT LEAST Canon's Park to Stanmore!

 

[ACBest]

I had the entire train to myself when I did the Chiltern service from London Paddington to West Ruislip last year!

 

[Signalmans Eye]

late 70s travelled overnight preston - fort William and recall having breakfast in the restaurant car after crianlarrich, only myself served by one staff member who boiled my chukkie egg and served up breakfast complete with toast marmalade and tea, I can see myself there now being treated like a king,he looked very smart in his white uniform jacket.the sound of 26 up front .

 

[madannie77]

Carlisle-Scotland is an easy one to find a free carriage on. I've done Pendo's a couple of times up to Glasgow and been the sole occupant in STD. The route is quite over-served on that section.

It has never happened to me before on my many journeys to Glasgow or Edinburgh. Must be the time of day I am travelling.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I had the entire train to myself when I did the Chiltern service from London Paddington to West Ruislip last year!

Snap! A couple of years ago.





That service would make for a good forum gathering... it would really confuse the very hot place out of the train crew on the chosen day, finding every seat occupied!

 

[Cowley]

In August 1994 while on an all line rover I went to Kyle of Lochalsh behind 37087 and from I think Dingwall I had the front coach to myself, the train only had a few coaches anyway . Plenty of noise, beautiful sunny day, lovely.
How about thinking you've got the carriage to yourself though? A few years earlier in 1991 I was on another all line behind 47525 going from Preston to Blackpool in the evening, it was a train from Euston, I watched them put the loco on and then went and sat in the front coach, there were a business suited couple sat near the front so I sat a bit further back. Somewhere en route I became aware of some very strange adult noises coming from that end of the carriage, they'd obviously assumed I'd walked through into the next carriage and were making the most of the last few moments of their business trip together. When we got to Blackpool I exited the same door that they'd used and saw the realisation dawn on them as they both urgently started whispering to each other and glancing over their shoulders at my slightly bemused self as we all walked down the platform. Yeah, that was awkward.

 

[Crossover]

Thinking about it, I believe I had First Class to myself from Doncaster to Leeds on a Edinburgh to Leeds service a few months ago - it was a service that normally terminated at Doncaster but was extended and took the Wakefield Westgate Avoider

I was also one of only a handful of people on the Fife Circle evening service 18 months ago after Glenrothes - I'm sure the ticket inspector wondered where I was going when I was still on after Glenrothes - pretty sure at least the first couple of carriages were empty apart from me

 

[DasLunatic]

If memory serves, I was the only passenger on a 472 bus from Greenwich to Charlton a few weeks ago. Not quite as impressive as a whole train, but bear in mind the bus was a 10:30 shoulder-peak service.

 

[tsr]

The stock for my train to work yesterday arrived at my local station out of service, and then had to be cancelled immediately, but as I work for the same TOC I still managed to ride it to work, just as an ECS move! I therefore managed to commute by private train - a 4 coach unit through some of the UK's busiest rail infrastructure, all to myself, bar the driver.

Beat that...

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

The stock for my train to work yesterday arrived at my local station out of service, and then had to be cancelled immediately, but as I work for the same TOC I still managed to ride it to work, just as an ECS move! I therefore managed to commute by private train - a 4 coach unit through some of the UK's busiest rail infrastructure, all to myself, bar the driver.

Beat that...

Doubled up 142 at full tit up the ECML in winter

Beat that

 

[ChiefPlanner]

8 VEP + 2 HAP , Wimbledon to Woking circa 1984 - was really an empty working off the depot but due to a passenger cancellation , and i was BR staff going to work - "a lift" was arranged. You could do things like that then.

 

[Hadders]

I used to travel from Milton Keynes to Euston weekly after work. When the 350s started coming in there used to be a Silverlink train (can't remember the exact time but it was just before or just after 1700) that was Northampton-Milton Keynes-Euston.

I almost always had the rear most carriage to myself.

 

[AndrewE]

Wasn't aircon as it was corridor stock. I had windows open so I could relish the thrash! Deffo a BG mk2, deffo a bank hol Monday and Temeraire was deffo the tug! Was waterloo bound so would have been at the rear on departure from waterloo

The last versions of Mark 2 definitely included first class compartment stock, (MkIIf?) and I have a feeling that they were pressure-ventilated rather than a/c. I think they still had sliding compartment (toplight?) windows though

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The last versions of Mark 2 definitely included first class compartment stock, (MkIIf?) and I have a feeling that they were pressure-ventilated rather than a/c. I think they still had sliding compartment (toplight?) windows though

See post #66; Mk2d 1st class corridor, air conditioned.

 

[tsr]

Doubled up 142 at full tit up the ECML in winter

Beat that

If we're really going to play this game:

8 VEP + 2 HAP , Wimbledon to Woking circa 1984 - was really an empty working off the depot but due to a passenger cancellation , and i was BR staff going to work - "a lift" was arranged. You could do things like that then.

It's still done...

Due to a cancellation of a staff train, I once somehow managed to get a TOC Control to give stop orders for not one but two trains to get me to work. Cue an airport express diverted and stopped off-route at 4am, only to find I was already half way to my depot on the previous service! So that was 13 coaches' worth of train all in all.

This was within the last couple of years, and similar things still happen!

 

[EM2]

It would have late 1990 or early 1991. I was living in Maidstone, and worked in retail. I was asked to cover our Eastbourne branch for a week. At that time, I didn't drive so took the train, changing at Ashford and Hastings.
And for the whole week, the Hastings-Ashford leg on the return was empty except for me (admittedly it was only a two-car Thumper...).

 

[Strathclyder]

Yes, once. Was travelling home from taking part in a college play in early 2013. After getting the Subway from Bridge St to Partick (via Cowcaddens & Kelvinbridge), my train to Singer was a 6-car 318. Had the whole rear coach (and unit!) to myself for the majority of the journey. Not really that surprising, since this was past 9:45PM in the evening...

 

[43094]

Just remembered about 1720 PRE - EUS back in 2004, with an 87 - I was the only person in the back 3 coaches (and was right at the back, next to the 87).

The grip was an old - school Preston man, he was distinctly unamused to find he'd walked 3 coaches to find just 1 rail - rover, said he 'couldn't care less' (or some such) about them and stomped off muttering to himself ☺

 

[underbank]

Back in the 80s, we often got a half-brake coach to ourselves on Euston to Glasgow at about 6pm. There was a coach rake (or maybe several?) where the northern end of the rake had a half brake turned the wrong way around, so people walking up the platform (or through the train) would see the brake part but not go far enough towards the loco to see the seating section. Many times we'd be sat there in isolation whilst the rest of the train was busy.

 

[pdq]

When I was at Uni in the early 90s I sometimes caught the direct Swansea - York Cross Country, which left Swansea around 8am. I used to get the weekend first upgrade and occasionally had the whole 1st class carriage to myself for the complete journey.

 

[yorksrob]

It would have late 1990 or early 1991. I was living in Maidstone, and worked in retail. I was asked to cover our Eastbourne branch for a week. At that time, I didn't drive so took the train, changing at Ashford and Hastings.
And for the whole week, the Hastings-Ashford leg on the return was empty except for me (admittedly it was only a two-car Thumper...).

Ah, good old Marshlink. Much as I loved the thumper shuttle (and it is the reason for my becoming a rail enthusiast) the through service to Brighton has undoubtedly increased the numbers of people willing to use it (even within my own family !).

The thumper (with CEP trailer) through service to Brighton had a lot of potential but I thought was curtailed at Eastbourne a bit too quickly.

 

[AJM580]

During the 1989 summer timetable there used to be a 1600 Liverpool - Norwich hauled by a pair of 31/4s which arrived at Peterborough just after the 156 unit heading in the same direction. All the normals used to jump on the unit, leaving the more discerning ones (a handful of enthusiasts) to pile into the lead coach of the 11 coach formation. As far as I remember the rest of the train was largely empty. We had some memorable runs, most memorably when 31410/31445 covered the Peterborough - Norwich via Ely North Curve leg in 74½ minutes.

 

[Western Lord]

The closest I had to having a carriage to myself was one Sunday in 1973. I was spending a fortnight travelling around on a fourteen day first class all line rover (£63!) and had based myself at the Queens Hotel in Leeds for a week (surprisingly affordable in those BTH days). My Sunday itinerary was from Leeds to Manchester Victoria, then the Manchester to Glasgow to Carstairs, connecting train to Edinburgh and back to Leeds via ECML. The Manchester-Glasgow was thirteen Mk. Is double headed by Class 50s and, due to the ongoing electrification work, was diverted at Farington Jn. via Blackburn and the S & C (being Sunday there was still work going on on the S & C and we twice had to set back over the crossovers to run wrong line, no facing crossovers on the S & C, of course). On arrival at Carstairs, the Edinburgh connection was two Mk. I TSOs and a BCK hauled by a Class 27. I was the only passenger in the BCK, but not of course the only occupant! It was a very pleasant journey as we chuntered along in the sunshine doing a good impression of an old fashioned branch line train.