Longest Second Generation DMU Route

[ChilternTurbo]

I remember seeing departures to Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock from Brighton in the mid 1990s. I think they were usually Class 158s.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

I don't know what it uses at the moment but according to Wikipedia Inverness-Wick is 161 miles long. Wikipedia has Waterloo-Exter St Davids as being 172miles long

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Virgin West Coast used to have 158 747-751 but I can't remember which services they were used on?

CrossCountry, not West Coast.

 

[PHILIPE]

I remember seeing departures to Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock from Brighton in the mid 1990s. I think they were usually Class 158s.

Mulford Haven 158. There were also Manchester Picc to Waterloo services via the Marches, Bristol TM and Salisbury 158 as well as a Waterloo to Fishguard Hbr, this one lumping services together. Also a Pontypridd to Truro 150 worked.

 

[Dhassell]

Class 150's if they ever work from Manchester to very south Wales?

 

[PHILIPE]

Class 150's if they ever work from Manchester to very south Wales?

They do far too often including some booked work on Sundays/

 

[sjoh]

CrossCountry, not West Coast.

I'm pretty sure Manchester-Scotland services (which they were used on) were actually in the West Coast franchise rather than the CrossCountry one. If I recall correctly, these services were shuffled out of West Coast to Transpennine Express, whilst the Birmingham to Scotland services were shuffled into West Coast from CrossCountry in 2007 at the end of the Virgin CrossCountry franchise.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

No, the 158s were definitely in the CrossCountry shadow TOC and then became part of Virgin CrossCountry. They were occasionally described as "CrossCountry Express" in the shadow TOC timetables (symbolised, if I remember rightly, by a little white E in a black circle). This is before the Voyagers arrived, and several years before the 2007 reorg you're talking about.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_158#Virgin_Trains

 

[SeanG]

They were operated by West Coast for a very short time in 2007/8 to tide them over from the end of Virgin XC and the start of the new TPE franchise

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Manchester-Scotland services were not operated by West Coast with 158s, which is what we were talking about. CrossCountry had got rid of the 158s long before the protracted transfer to TPE happened.

 

[Old Hill Bank]

On current workings Birmingham International to Holyhead via Shrewsbury must be a fair distance.

 

[dk1]

Manchester to Scotland was often formed of XC trains such as Bournemouth to Scotland via Stoke.

 

[Parallel]

I'm pretty sure I read on the forum there was a Swansea - Penzance service at one point. Can't remember if the poster said it was run with a 153 or a pacer, though.

 

[PHILIPE]

I'm pretty sure I read on the forum there was a Swansea - Penzance service at one point. Can't remember if the poster said it was run with a 153 or a pacer, though.

Further still, Milford Haven to Penzance but joined up with a 158 from Manchester at both Newport and at Bristol TM at different periods

 

[route:oxford]

Manchester to Scotland was often formed of XC trains such as Bournemouth to Scotland via Stoke.

In that case a 158 may well have done the entire Edinburgh/Glasgow to Bournemouth route.

I'm confident I did Oxford-Scotland via Manchester on a 158 in the late 1990s - so much better than a Mk2.

 

[dk1]

In that case a 158 may well have done the entire Edinburgh/Glasgow to Bournemouth route.

I'm confident I did Oxford-Scotland via Manchester on a 158 in the late 1990s - so much better than a Mk2.

Definatley didn't. They where in the hands of 47s/86s at that time. The rather tiny 158 fleet had very particular diagrams.

 

[Ianno87]

Definatley didn't. They where in the hands of 47s/86s at that time. The rather tiny 158 fleet had very particular diagrams.

I don't personally recall 158s on any South Coast-Scotland work (accept I could be wrong on this), but I'm sure they did see some use on workings like Portsmouth Harbour-Blackpool North?

 

[route101]

They were operated by West Coast for a very short time in 2007/8 to tide them over from the end of Virgin XC and the start of the new TPE franchise

No , Voyagers operated Manchester Picc to Glasgow

 

[joncombe]

I don't personally recall 158s on any South Coast-Scotland work (accept I could be wrong on this), but I'm sure they did see some use on workings like Portsmouth Harbour-Blackpool North?

158s on XC services certainly did operate to Portsmouth though I don't recall exactly where to now (but Blackpool North certainly seems likely)

 

[Geeves]

One that Ive not seen here was Central trains 153 operated Manchester Airport to (I think) Skegness. Went to Crewe, Then Stoke, Uttoxeter, Nottingham and then onwards on its trundling way to Skegness

Was there a LLanndudno to Nottingham too at one point? Think it had 150s on it

 

[fowler9]

I don't know if this fits but I remember single 150/2's from Liverpool to Scarborough and single 155's from Liverpool to Cardiff. I once got a single 158 from Reading to Liverpool on a Bank Holiday Monday, it was coming from somewhere on the south coast on the day the Reading Festival kicked out.

 

[fowler9]

Definatley didn't. They where in the hands of 47s/86s at that time. The rather tiny 158 fleet had very particular diagrams.

I most certainly had a 158 from Reading to Liverpool on an August bank holiday Monday which was a South Coast to Liverpool service. I was absolutely gobsmacked when it turned up. I may not be up to date on the units the TOC's excuse as long distance trains these days but back then I knew it was a single 2 car 158 unit. I was used to such services being at least a Spoon up front with about 5 or more Mk 2D's in tow.

 

[PaxmanValenta]

Longest second generation DMU route must be Penzance to Aberdeen XC served by a class 220/221 voyager and totally unsuitable for such a long route.

 

[driver_m]

They were operated by West Coast for a very short time in 2007/8 to tide them over from the end of Virgin XC and the start of the new TPE franchise

They were not operated by us. They were XC units.

 

[BigCj34]

It seems like these units were used for longer routes under BR than they are today? By second generation DMU's I was thinking of the 15x, 16x fleet etc. and some of the longest timetabled routes I could find are the following:

Colchester - Barrow-in-Furness (Class 156)
Barrow-in-Furness - Cambridge (Class 156)
Blackpool North - Lowestoft (Class 156\158)
Blackpool North - Harwich PQ (Class 156)
Holyhead - Hull (Class 150)
Gloucester - Penzance (Class 150)

There is nothing I can find in the current age that exceeds this or maybe I missed them?

How long did the Barrow - Colchester run take? Would have been handy for me if it still existed today, it would have been cheaper than vua the WCML no doubt!

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

158s on XC services certainly did operate to Portsmouth though I don't recall exactly where to now (but Blackpool North certainly seems likely)

There was definitely a Portsmouth Hbr to Blackpool North service on Saturdays- I've travelled on it. Routed via Haslemere / Guildford / Reading / Banbury / Solihull / New Street / Warrington. And a bloody long time it took as well.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Yes, the Virgin XC 158s to Portsmouth are chronicled here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/virgin-crosscountry-158.40248/

 

[Gareth Marston]

Central Trains Pwllheli to Grimsby Class 156 turn, Aberystwyth to Stanstead Airport Class 158 turn - 287 miles.

 

[D365]

Longest second generation DMU route must be Penzance to Aberdeen XC served by a class 220/221 voyager and totally unsuitable for such a long route.

Are the Voyagers really considered second generation DMUs?

 

[DanTrain]

Where did the Barrow - Cambridge / Colechester ones go, and what (if anything replaced them)?