Most unusual/unexpected unit allocation you’ve been on?

[bramling]

There were class 313s to Cambridge after both Hatfield and Potters Bar, and for quite a few days. A handful of units had their shoes removed to work the stopping trains because they were out of gauge north of Royston.


I remember these too. Non stop on the fast line, I think from Knebworth or Welwyn North.

The time I actually got to use one of these substitutions it was either non-stop Hitchin to King’s Cross, or might have been Hitchin Welwyn North then King’s Cross. There were a few odd combinations of stopping pattern in the morning peak under the FCC timetables.

 

[LiftFan]

Seen it a few times now with GWR sending a pair of 166s on the Paignton to London Paddington run. The other month was a surprise when a 150 found itself working the Bristol - Weymouth run for the first time in years. Also at one point had a redundant full length HST set working the Bristol Temple Meads - Parkway shuttle several years ago now vice another Turbo.

 

[Turbo004]

Class 47 from Roman Bridge to Blaenau Ffestiniog is my most unexpected service a long time ago.
More recently Class 67 and Mark 4 stock on Chester - Crewe shuttles has happened although I wasn't on those.

 

[stadler]

Another rare allocation that i have just remembered is a 360 on the Romford to Emerson Park to Upminster shuttle. It was operated by a variety of 315/317/321 over the years but a 360 was very rare. I can remember one occasion when a 360 did it all day but i believe it happened on two or three other occasions. I think this was back in ONE or NXEA days.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

Back in the Central Trains days had a 158 on a Lichfield TV - Birmingham NS CrossCity service.

Also seem to recall a 390 working a Berkhamsted - Euston service once during major disruption. Or may have been a 221.

I'm sure I had a CT 158 on a Cross City working (Great Malvern - Dorridge?) From Kidderminster to Moor Street in the late 90's

Also 3x CT 150's on the Penultimate Silverlink Bham Euston on a Sat evening in late 2001. All I could glean from the guard was "The Overhead's turned off"...

 

[317362]

I was caught up in a load of disruption in the South West in (I think) 2001, can't recall what happened but was trying to get from St Austell to Reading. We ended up in a rail replacement bus to Exeter, then the same bus was sent to Temple Meads where despite it being very later we were assured a train would be waiting. A 2x165 was provided which was not at all what I was expecting in those days and went non stop to Reading (may have gone on to Paddington).

Also on one occasion in early 90s, lines down on ECML, and a 101 turned up to head south from St Neots, was sadly cancelled.

 

[bigbaldbruce]

Both IIRC.

Although I didn’t travel on it, back in Northern Spirit days I saw a class 144 pass through Dinsdale. Totally out of place, especially in WYPTE livery!

Regular traction on the Whitby branch around the turn of the century.

 

[D1537]

142037 on a Preston-Crewe service (1K04) vice electric loco and stock, 7 March 1987. I would normally have pointed and laughed at that, and waited for the next train, but I needed to be on the evening Liverpool-Paddington that night so had to grin/grimace and bear it.

I also once had a 304 from Crewe to Preston vice loco and stock, which can't have been that common.

 

[stadler]

I have a vague memory of a steam train being used on a Southeastern service about ten of fifteen years ago. I think possibly on the Ashford to London Victoria route. Maybe someone else on here remembers and can confirm. I think it might have been during disruption and it was passing through on an empty working and got put in to passenger service on a Southeastern service. I can not find it but there was definitely a news article covering this. This must count as one of the most unusual allocations ever.

 

[norbitonflyer]

I didn't travel on this one, but sometime in the late 1980s I saw the preserved Hastings d.m.u. working the Kensington Olympia shuttle.

The Olympia shuttle had all sorts of odd haulage. At one time c 1990 pairs of 73s (one /0 and one /1 for some reason) turned up from , either both at one end of a TC, or top and tailing some mark 1s. More unusual was a Hampshire DEMU (class 205), but I think the Hasting unit tops that!

During the strikes c 1980 I saw a friend off at Kings Cross on a train to Doncaster that was formed of 4x class 114 DMU

 

[Brent Goose]

After the 2013 St Jude’s storm the first service to run towards London Liverpool Street from Norwich comprised two or three class 170s rather than the usual class 90/Mk 3 combination.

Presumably as a result of issues with the overhead lines

 

[JD2168]

Some of the more unusual allocations I have been on are:
Bench seated Pacer on Blackpool to Manchester via Preston on a late night service (was one of the last times I caught a bench seated version)
Class 150 on Sheffield to Bridlington via Hull on 2 occasions
Class 195 on Sheffield to Leeds via Barnsley all stops service

 

[Ashley Hill]

Class 142 Exeter to Swindon vice HST. It should have worked to Reading but was terminated at Swindon due to late running which was no fault of the 142.

 

[D6130]

One afternoon during the RMT signallers' strikes in the Summer of 1994, I booked-on at Skipton for a late turn which involved relieving a Carlisle driver on the 14 18 Carlisle-Leeds. On this particular day the strike had ended at 14 00 and I hadn't had anything else to do for the first couple of hours of my shift. In rolled Corkerhill-allocated ScotRail unit 156 496.... complete with Radio Electronic Token Block in-cab equipment. It had obviously arrived in Carlisle from the Dumfries direction just before the strike began and when the strike ended it must have been the only DMU on hand there. I drove it to Leeds, where I coupled it to a Neville Hill unit and drove the two of them back to Skipton on the 17 25 departure, calling at all stations. I was then relieved by the same Carlisle driver who had brought it up and had had his PNB at Skipton.

On another occasion, a little more than ten years later, I booked-on at Skipton to work the 10 47 ex-Leeds to Carlisle. I couldn't believe my eyes when the Leeds driver brought in South West Trains three car unit 159 006. The 159s are electrically- and mechanically- identical to the 158s, so there was no traction knowledge issue....but I do remember being very impressed by the huge knob on the end of the power handle, compared to the tiny ones on the 158s. It turned out that Arriva Northern had borrowed the unit for a few weeks while some of their 158s we're being modified.

Going back much further to my teenage years in the Summer of 1973, a friend and I were waiting at Helensburgh Upper one sunny Saturday morning to catch the 07 55 Oban-Glasgow into Queen Street. We were very surprised to see it roll in bang on time with class 20 no. 8095 (soon to become 20 095) running nose-forward hauling the usual three Mark 1s. My first ever class 20 haulage. The booked 27 had failed at Oban the previous night and the Chopper had been purloined from a ballast train.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

Seen but not ridden on- 142051 on a Liverpool Lime Street to Norwich service in early 1993, not sure how far it went but noted through Manchester Piccadilly. An Allerton 115 on a Liverpool to Hull and return c.1986. 3-car 144 on a York to Manchester Airport c.1997 and a 155 on a Leeds to Carlisle c.2015, terminated at Skipton as they weren't permitted over the S&C.

Ridden on - A 142 on a Hull to Manchester on two occasions, a 144 3-car on a York to Blackpool, a 142 working with a 158 on a York to Blackpool (apparently the 158 had a wet drivers seat so they had "buried" the cab by attaching the 142).
Probably the strangest was Midline liveried class 121 55033 on 11th July 1992 between New Holland and Barton on Humber when it spent the day on Cleethorpes to Barton services; if only I'd had my camera with me!!

 

[High Dyke]

Not entirely common, more likely due to a fault, but I did spot a Class 33 / DEMU drag on Waterloo - Salisbury. Just can't remember the date exactly (probably mid-80's).

 

[Harpo]

Thinking again about EMUs to Norwich the Clacton class 309s can also be added, they did a few summer Saturday trains just after electrification.

The Clactons filled in for the loco-hauled sets going off-piste to Yarmouth.

Also in BR days, 306s had a few peak jobs to Southend Victoria for those wanting some extended bouncing. They also went to Southend Central on some bank holidays for control/police yobbexs to London.

The use of DMU vice EMU during isolations used to happen infrequently on both GE and LTS while it still had DMUs at Stratford.

 

[Mat17]

Whilst I myself have never had any unusual traction on a route, I do remember reading this on Railcar:

404 Page Not Found

A sandite set working a passenger service from Macclesfield to Manchester in 1998. I think that's got to be exceptionally unusual!

 

[Trainguy34]

I have a vague memory of a steam train being used on a Southeastern service about ten of fifteen years ago. I think possibly on the Ashford to London Victoria route. Maybe someone else on here remembers and can confirm. I think it might have been during disruption and it was passing through on an empty working and got put in to passenger service on a Southeastern service. I can not find it but there was definitely a news article covering this. This must count as one of the most unusual allocations ever.

I think there was a time when the third rail went (ice?) so the regular trains all got stuck and I think either Bahamas or Tornado (Not entirely sure if it was either of them) ended up taking extra passengers through to London on the railtour. Would certainly have loved to be on that on my way home!

 

[DustyBin]

The Olympia shuttle had all sorts of odd haulage. At one time c 1990 pairs of 73s (one /0 and one /1 for some reason) turned up from , either both at one end of a TC, or top and tailing some mark 1s. More unusual was a Hampshire DEMU (class 205), but I think the Hasting unit tops that!

During the strikes c 1980 I saw a friend off at Kings Cross on a train to Doncaster that was formed of 4x class 114 DMU

I have a photo from the early 90s of a 207 working the Olympia shuttle, just to add another oddity!

 

[Falcon1200]

Sunday 27th September 1998
Engineering work at Neilston. Line was open as far as Patterton but the overhead line power was off, so the (imaginative) service was via single line working over the Up line between Muirend and the point of obstruction at Patterton, with a bus connection to and from Neilston. So going in for the night shift;
156430/52430 2044 Patterton-Glasgow C

In over 30 years of using the line, the only diesel train I have ever had.

 

[Turbo004]

I've thought of a couple more. Standing on Chester station with my Dad they announced that because a Chester - Crewe train all passengers could board the steam train to Crewe. My Dad and I rushed over to buy a ticket to Crewe and travelled on the steam train. This was in the late 80's when BR ran Crewe - Holyhead return steam excursions on every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday during the summer.

Another one from my university days was catching the last train from York to Newcastle. It was direct straight down the ECML. This turned out to be a single car 153 and would have been in the early 90's.

 

[Snow1964]

Back in early 1980s when I travelled from Brockenhurst college by train. One afternoon train was a HAP and SAP formation working the stopper to Bournemouth following snow in London area.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Whilst I myself have never had any unusual traction on a route, I do remember reading this on Railcar:

404 Page Not Found

A sandite set working a passenger service from Macclesfield to Manchester in 1998. I think that's got to be exceptionally unusual!

I did read of an MLV (ie Class 419) running on battery power being used to ferry passengers between Dover Western Docks and Dover Priory due to a power failure at the former. Standing room only, of course!

 

[stadler]

I think there was a time when the third rail went (ice?) so the regular trains all got stuck and I think either Bahamas or Tornado (Not entirely sure if it was either of them) ended up taking extra passengers through to London on the railtour. Would certainly have loved to be on that on my way home!

It turns out there was two occassions of these steam trains replacing Southeastern services:

61016 Tornado worked an Ashford to London service in December 2009:

BBC News - Steam train's snow rescue 'glory'

news.bbc.co.uk

35028 Clan Line worked an Ashford to London service in November 2016:

Pullman surprise for Ashford to London rail commuters

Commuters are given a surprise upgrade when a luxury Pullman train arrives for their daily journey.

www.bbc.co.uk

On the second one the Southeastern commuters were even treated to a full breakfast sitting in VSOE Pullman carriages.

 

[geoffk]

In 2008-11 Northern leased some 180s to cover for a stock shortage and these were used on Blackpool - Manchester/Hazel Grove trains. Not sure if this within the OP's definition of "unusual/unexpected" - unusual certainly but not unexpected as they were diagrammed and I sought them out to ride on, on several occasions.

 

[Failed Unit]

Although it wasn't a unit, in the early 1990s I had a number of Loco + Coaches replace 153s in Lincolnshire.

I never went on them myself but they also had the 317 & 321s replace the 91s and mk4s during the safety inspections after the Sandy derailment.

 

[60159]

It turns out there was two occassions of these steam trains replacing Southeastern services:

61016 Tornado worked an Ashford to London service in December 2009:

BBC News - Steam train's snow rescue 'glory'

news.bbc.co.uk

35028 Clan Line worked an Ashford to London service in November 2016:

Pullman surprise for Ashford to London rail commuters

Commuters are given a surprise upgrade when a luxury Pullman train arrives for their daily journey.

www.bbc.co.uk

On the second one the Southeastern commuters were even treated to a full breakfast sitting in VSOE Pullman carriages

It turns out there was two occassions of these steam trains replacing Southeastern services:

61016 Tornado worked an Ashford to London service in December 2009:

BBC News - Steam train's snow rescue 'glory'

news.bbc.co.uk

35028 Clan Line worked an Ashford to London service in November 2016:

Pullman surprise for Ashford to London rail commuters

Commuters are given a surprise upgrade when a luxury Pullman train arrives for their daily journey.

www.bbc.co.uk

On the second one the Southeastern commuters were even treated to a full breakfast sitting in VSOE Pullman carriages.

See it, say it, sorted.

 

[TheSel]

Sadly I can't remember the exact date - probably around 1974 - there was a major electrical outage which affected Merseyrail's West Kirby line for a couple of days.

A class 108 DMU was obtained from somewhere, and used to provide a limited service between West Kirby and Birkenhead North. I managed to get a couple of shots at Meols, where I then lived (attached).

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

I recall reading many years ago that a pair of class 142 pacers substituted for an HST set between Doncaster and Peterborough on the up Flying Scotsman in 1988ish. At that point they still had mechanical SCG transmission paired with TL11 engines which makes their (clocked) 89mph down Stoke Bank even more impressive (alarming?)

My Dad recalls travelling on a HST set on an all-stations York-Harrogate-Leeds service during the Winter 1991 freeze when all of the routes south of York were blocked by frozen points.