Named Trains

[Bittern]

Just trying to find out about all the named services that are left. The two obvious ones are the Caledonian and Night Rivera Sleepers. I've also read that East Coast still name one of their services "The Flying Scotsman", but does anyone know what service it is (and if this is similar to it's LNER origins)?

I've also heard that Virgin de-named the Royal Scot. I wonder why.

The others I know are EC's Highland Chieftain and Northern Lights. Have I just named them all in this post or are there more?

I'm obviously not counting RailTours here.

 

[ainsworth74]

The EC service to Hull and back I believe is still referred to as the Hull Executive.

 

[Royston Vasey]

EMT still have the Master Cutler, the South Yorkshireman, the Robin Hood and the Sheffield Continental.

FCC non-stop Kings Cross to Cambridge trains are still displayed on the destination boards as "The Cambridge Express" but I don't think that (nor the erstwhile "Cruiser" moniker) are official names.

FGW retain (from their timetable):

AC The Atlantic Coast Express
CR The Cornish Riviera
GH The Golden Hind
MF The Mayflower
MV The Merchant Venturer
NR The Night Riviera
RD The Royal Duchy
TE The Torbay Express


EDIT: and according to Wiki The Bristolian (London-Bristol), Cathedrals Express (London-Hereford), Cheltenham Spa Express (London-Cheltenham), The Red Dragon (London-South Wales), The Capitals United (London-South Wales), The Saint David (London-South Wales).

...but I think the source for those latter ones seems a little old so I don't know if current

 

[scotsman]

GC have a few - two of which are The 21st Century Limited

 

[rail-britain]

Caledonian Sleepers, is more a reference to the branding of all the ScotRail sleepers, rather than individual trains

The Flying Scotsman used to be the fast-express service between Edinburgh and Kings Cross, calling at Newcastle and York only (this stopping pattern is due to be reinstated at next timetable)
10:00 Kings Cross - Edinburgh
13:00 Edinburgh - Kings Cross

 

[Simondi]

:mad:ad:I believe Virgin decided to drop individual named trains when they launched the Pendalinos. Reason being they thought it would be too confusing

 

[YorkshireRider]

On East Coast they have The Highland Chieftain (1200 KX-INV) (0755 INV-KX)
and The Northern Lights (1030 KX-ABERDEEN). The Flying Scotsman and Hull Exec have already been mentioned. GNER used to have The Yorkshire Pullman as the 0720 LDS-KX when it only stopped at Wakefield, that may return under the eureka timetable as the 0645 LDS-KX

 

[Bittern]

On East Coast they have The Highland Chieftain (1200 KX-INV) (0755 INV-KX)
and The Northern Lights (1030 KX-ABERDEEN). The Flying Scotsman and Hull Exec have already been mentioned.

As were the Chieftain and Northern Lights.

 

[willas00]

EMT still have the Master Cutler, the South Yorkshireman, the Robin Hood and the Sheffield Continental.

FCC non-stop Kings Cross to Cambridge trains are still displayed on the destination boards as "The Cambridge Express" but I don't think that (nor the erstwhile "Cruiser" moniker) are official names.

FGW retain (from their timetable):

AC The Atlantic Coast Express
CR The Cornish Riviera
GH The Golden Hind
MF The Mayflower
MV The Merchant Venturer
NR The Night Riviera
RD The Royal Duchy
TE The Torbay Express


EDIT: and according to Wiki The Bristolian (London-Bristol), Cathedrals Express (London-Hereford), Cheltenham Spa Express (London-Cheltenham), The Red Dragon (London-South Wales), The Capitals United (London-South Wales), The Saint David (London-South Wales).

...but I think the source for those latter ones seems a little old so I don't know if current

The Cheltenham Spa Express does still exist, it's listed in the FGW timetable but it's actually 10mins or so slower than the other direct services! LOL!

 

[bnm]

Can confirm the list (and the ones mentioned in the edit) posted by Royston Vasey upthread. All currently used. In addition there is a Summer Only Pembroke Coast Express.

From the FGW Network Timetable Book:

The Pembroke Coast Express (Summer Only)
The Pembroke Coast Express runs between London Paddington, Swansea and West Wales, and serves towns on and around the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, that was established in 1952. It is the only park in the UK designated because of its spectacular coastline of rugged cliffs and sandy beaches, and covers a total area of 240 square miles.

The Royal Duchy
1206 Paddington to Penzance
1400 Penzance to Paddington
The Royal Duchy is named after the Duchy of Cornwall, one of only two Duchies in the UK. The eldest son of the reigning monarch inherits the title upon birth or upon his parent's succession to the throne.

The Cathedrals Express
0643 Hereford to Paddington
1822 Paddington to Hereford
The Cathedrals Express is named after the three cathedral cities on the route between London and Hereford. Oxford cathedral (established 1542), Worcester cathedral (est. 743), and Hereford cathedral (est. 676).

The Red Dragon
0730 Carmarthen to Paddington
1745 Paddington to Carmarthen
The Red Dragon (Welsh: Y Ddraig Goch) is named after the mythical beast that appears on the Welsh national flag. Although the flag was only granted official status in 1959, it is claimed to be the oldest national flag still in use, however the origins are now lost in history and myth.

The Mayflower
1106 Paddington to Plymouth
1500 Plymouth to Paddington
The Mayflower is named after the ship that transported 102 Pilgrims and crew from Plymouth on a 66 day voyage to the new world of America in 1620.

The Bristolian
0649 Weston-super-Mare to Paddington
1800 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
The Bristolian was inaugurated in 1935 by the Great Western Railway as an express service between London and Bristol. The name has been in use ever since, a tradition continued by First Great Western.

The Atlantic Coast Express (Summer Only)
The ACE was first introduced by the Southern Railway in 1926 running from London Waterloo to several resorts in Devon and Cornwall. The service now operates, in the summer, from London Paddington to Newquay.

The Cheltenham Spa Express
1148 Paddington to Cheltenham Spa
1431 Cheltenham Spa to Paddington
This service was named in 1923 by the Great Western Railway. It was the first train in the world to be scheduled to run at over 70mph when, from September 1932, it covered the 77.25 miles between London and Swindon in just 65 minutes.

The Cornish Riviera
1006 Paddington to Penzance
0844 Penzance to Paddington
0845 Penzance to London Paddington (Sat)
The Cornish Riviera was named by a public competition announced in the August 1904 edition of the Railway Magazine, the prize being 3 guineas (£3.15). The name (originally The Cornish Riviera Limited and referred to simply as 'The Limited' by railwaymen and women) has applied to a morning service between Paddington and Penzance since 1904, ceasing to be used only during the two world wars, making it the oldest surviving named train in the country.

The Night Riviera
2350 Paddington to Penzance (Mon-Fri)
2145 Penzance to Paddington (Mon-Fri)
2345 Paddington to Penzance (Sun)
2115 Penzance to Paddington (Sun)
The Night Riviera was named in the 1980s to complement the Cornish Riviera day service and coincided with the introduction of new air-conditioned sleeping cars. First Great Western refurbished the carriages for this train in 2008.

The Merchant Venturer
0730 Paddington to Penzance (via Bristol Temple Meads)
1600 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
This service is named after the Society of Merchant Venturers, a private entrepreneurial and charitable organisation that was formed in 13th century Bristol. In the 19th century the society helped to fund the building of Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge and members of the society also helped establish the Great Western Railway.

The Golden Hind
0505 Penzance to Paddington
1803 Paddington to Penzance
The Golden Hind was first introduced in the summer of 1964. The launch broke the then record for the time of a Plymouth to London journey. The train encouraged one commuter to buy the first ever 1st class annual season ticket from Taunton to Paddington.

The Saint David
0745 Paddington to Swansea
1128 Swansea to Paddington
This service is named after the patron saint of Wales (Welsh: Dewi Sant). St David was born sometime between 462 and 512 and was official recognised as Wales' patron saint in 1120.

The Torbay Express
1000 Paddington to Paignton (Mon-Fri)
1415 Paignton to Paddington (Mon-Fri)
1630 Paddington to Paignton (Sat)
0720 Paignton to Paddington (Sat)
The Torbay Express runs between Paddington, Torquay and Paignton and was introduced by the Great Western Railway as one of its premier holiday trains to the popular resorts of Torbay.

The Capitals United
0558 Swansea to Paddington
1645 Paddington to Swansea
The name 'Capitals United' was originally used between 1956 and 1963 by British Railways and has been reintroduced by First Great Western to highlight the continuing importance of the rail link between the capitals of England and Wales.

 

[merlodlliw]

And of course the Wag Express "Gerald Of Wales" 'Y Gerallt Gymro' perhaps the only political train of its type anywhere in the UK, run by ATW on behalf of WAG who pay over £1M a year for it to ply Mon to Fri between Holyhead & Cardiff once a day. Soon to be modelled on the W/S 67/DVTs run by its sister Company.

 

[Poolie]

Ah, but what about proper named trains with nameboard on the front and destination boards on the carriages (goes all misty eyed), none of them left................is there?

 

[stut]

Didn't the evening King's Cross to Forster Square train used to be called the "Yorkshire Gentleman"? Or did I imagine it?

 

[jopsuk]

Not service ones, no. East Coast certainly put destination boards on the carriages (or rather, in the windows) but these don't carry the train name. They only appear on timetables and on some departure boards. headboards are only ever on charters and specials these days.

 

[WillPS]

There was The Midlands Express as well, but EMT dropped it in December 2008.

 

[sprinterguy]

Virgin removed the Royal Scot as it interfered with the VHF clockface timetable, and as mentioned above it was deemed that retaining the named train would cause confusion and was unnecessary in a regular interval timetable. I seem to recall that the “Caledonian”, which arrived on the West Coast later than the more established “Royal Scot” has been/was retained on one VHF Pendolino service?

The Down Flying Scotsman remains similar to the train in its’ heyday: The 10:00 London-Edinburgh slot has been retained, albeit on a much faster schedule but with more stops than was the case in loco hauled days. The Up train bearing the name is somewhat different though: The traditional Up “Flying Scotsman” left Waverley at 10am, mirroring the Down working, whereas the current service starts at Glasgow Central at 11:50, forming the 13:00 departure from Waverley.

On the East Coast, some of the traditional BR (and LNER) Pullman names (Tees-Tyne Pullman, Yorkshire Pullman, etc) were transferred to HST operated services when they were brought into service in the late seventies. These named trains were then operated by the “Pullman” formation IC225 trains (3 FOs instead of 2) following electrification, and endured through into privatisation, when any old 91+mk 4 set was used as far as I could tell. I think these are still in the timetable? They certainly were in GNER days.

The “Highland Cheiftain” and “Northern Lights” are quite recent BR introduced names, which I think came about when those destinations gained HST services (Inverness gained its’ daily HST in 1983, which gradually replaced the traditional Euston-Inverness West Coast “Clansman” train). The Northern Lights might be even more recent than that. BR also introduced the “Executive” branded train names following dieselisation in the late 60s.

I’m amazed by just how much of its’ named train heritage the Great Western and South West main lines have retained, I wouldn’t have expected it from the hugely corporate First Group.

 

[Z12XE]

The 07.40 Up from Norwich, and the 17.00 Down from Liverpool Street are now called 'The East Anglian'

 

[sprinterguy]

Have XC removed their named trains (Such as the “Cornishman”, “Devonian” and “Devon Scot”) since Voyagerisation?

 

[EltonRoad]

Voyagerisation! Like it!

 

[jopsuk]

Are there any other services that are like The Cambridge Express, in being named-but-regular (rather than one-a-day)? Also, as I'm almost never in Kings Cross on weekdays and rarely on Saturdays, is it just the services through to Kings lynn that are displayed as such, or does the service on the opposite half hour, that terminates at Cambridge, get the name as well?

 

[d1015fan]

the FGW timetable available from ticket offices for £3.00 has a good section on the named services and how they acquired their names. interesting little touch in the 21st century

 

[GNER 373]

I'm nearly certain East Coast still run a 'Flying Scotsman' service on their timetables which is a IC225 set that leaves KX every day at 10.00am, GNER resurrected this but again only on timetables never naming the actual train itself! Also not to forget 'The White Rose' service KX-Leeds using Class 373's in 2002. Does anyone know if there still is a 'White Rose' service by any TOC?

 

[bnm]

the FGW timetable available from ticket offices for £3.00 has a good section on the named services and how they acquired their names. interesting little touch in the 21st century

As covered upthread in post #10

 

[Failed Unit]

Inverness staff still use the name as the announce the calling points. When the crew swap at newcastle I don't recall them mentioning the trains name.

 

[bnm]

You'll find the odd FGW TM who will refer to the service's name in PA announcements. Hit and miss though. Some do, some don't.

 

[37 418]

Have XC removed their named trains (Such as the “Cornishman”, “Devonian” and “Devon Scot”) since Voyagerisation?

Virgin removed the names when 'Voyagerisation' occured and when they introduced the [unsuccessful] clockface timetable on XC.

 

[ApAp]

On the East Coast, some of the traditional BR (and LNER) Pullman names (Tees-Tyne Pullman, Yorkshire Pullman, etc) were transferred to HST operated services when they were brought into service in the late seventies. These named trains were then operated by the “Pullman” formation IC225 trains (3 FOs instead of 2) following electrification, and endured through into privatisation, when any old 91+mk 4 set was used as far as I could tell. I think these are still in the timetable? They certainly were in GNER days.

The Pullman names disappeared as a result of the Mallard rollout. Looking at the seating maps on the back of ticket wallets GNER definitely did have a 'Pullman' config for their 225's until the Mallard rollout, this had an extra first class carriage at the expense of a standard coach.

Now as most will know The Flying Scotsman name is breaking with tradition and will be used for the fast morning service EDB-NCL-KGX rather than the 10am Northbound.

 

[ChrisCooper]

MML also a pair of Pullman formation HSTs with an additional FO. One was used on the Master Cutler, the other on one of the other named services (can't remember which). The Up Master Cutler used to be interesting as it was the only service booked to run via the whole Erewash Valley line (as opposed to reversing at Nottingham) and the only service booked not to call at Leicester (running none from from Chesterfield to London). These days I think it follows a more conventional routing and calling pattern.

 

[dk1]

The 07.40 Up from Norwich, and the 17.00 Down from Liverpool Street are now called 'The East Anglian'

In timetables only it seems. After naming 90008 'The East Anglian' & all the pomp in the local press, NXEA dont ask Senior Conductors to mention it in announcements & nothing is shown on or announced by Digital Dolly. Half hearted as usual

 

[route101]

Have XC removed their named trains (Such as the “Cornishman”, “Devonian” and “Devon Scot”) since Voyagerisation?

I used to have a Virgin Trains Aberdeen to Penzance window sticker , wish i could find it.