Named Trains

[flymo]

"The Highwayman" from Newcastle to somewhere not actually London - Potters Bar, maybe,

Finsbury Park I believe

 

[L&Y Robert]

Looking through the '98 TT there are some others too.

Pines Express Manchester < > Bournemouth

Strange to see the 'Regatta Express' from Henley to London and the 'Sand & Cycle Explorer'.

I thought "The Pines" was Bournemouth < > York? Could it have been "The Pines" I caught at Oxford for my return home to Newcastle? On the occasion of which I'm thinking, the GW steam engine came off at Banbury, to be replaced by (to me, then) some anonymous diesel. The train then took the branch line at Banbury North Junction to join the GC at Woodford Halse. GC all the way to Sheffield then, creaking and groaning over tracks badly distorted by mining subsidence somewhere.
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The Pines Express, Thames-Avon Express, Emerald Isle Express - what is meant by the word "Express"? Is it implied that trains so designated are faster? - or don't stop everywhere? or go only to the destination advertised? Or what? What is the antithesis of "Express" then? The Local? "The stopping train"? Or perhaps "The Parliamentary" (joke for historians, there). Trains styled as "Express" that I have travelled on didn't seem to be particularly fast, or classy, or special as I recollect. Out in another arena we also have "Express Coach Services" i.e. vehicles operating more like trains do: A to B, and possibly C as well - but above all, NOT to be confused with the local bus. Is there a clue there?

 

[flymo]

I thought "The Pines" was Bournemouth < > York? Could it have been "The Pines" I caught at Oxford for my refurn home to Newcastle? On the occasion of which I'm thinking, the GW steam engine came off at Banbury, to be replaced by (to me, then) some anonymous diesel. The train then took the branch line at Banbury North Junction to join the GC at Woodford Halse. GC all the way to Sheffield then, creaking and groaning over tracks badly distorted by mining subsidence somewhere.

Over the years it is possible that destinations have changed on the various named trains. The Pines may well have had a different routeing. Any idea of the year in this case??

Edit: This dates from '62

 

[Welshman]

Over the years it is possible that destinations have changed on the various named trains. The Pines may well have had a different routeing. Any idea of the year in this case??

Edit: This dates from '62

And before that, the "Pines Express" was routed via Bath Green Park and the S & D.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I thought "The Pines" was Bournemouth < > York? Could it have been "The Pines" I caught at Oxford for my return home to Newcastle? On the occasion of which I'm thinking, the GW steam engine came off at Banbury, to be replaced by (to me, then) some anonymous diesel. The train then took the branch line at Banbury North Junction to join the GC at Woodford Halse. GC all the way to Sheffield then, creaking and groaning over tracks badly distorted by mining subsidence somewhere.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The Pines Express, Thames-Avon Express, Emerald Isle Express - what is meant by the word "Express"? Is it implied that trains so designated are faster? - or don't stop everywhere? or go only to the destination advertised? Or what? What is the antithesis of "Express" then? The Local? "The stopping train"? Or perhaps "The Parliamentary" (joke for historians, there). Trains styled as "Express" that I have travelled on didn't seem to be particularly fast, or classy, or special as I recollect. Out in another arena we also have "Express Coach Services" i.e. vehicles operating more like trains do: A to B, and possibly C as well - but above all, NOT to be confused with the local bus. Is there a clue there?

I always thought the "Pines Express" was Manchester London Rd [then Piccadilly] to Bournemouth - via the S&D until 1962, then via Oxford & Reading West, as flymo mentions.

Regarding the meaning of "express" - again, I thought it referred to the speed of the train, rather than the stations at which it stopped. For example, I remember the Liverpool Exchange-Newcastle Express which used to stop at Sowerby Bridge, and the "South Yorkshireman" express from Bradford Exchange to London Marylebone which even used to stop to pick-up passengers at Shepley & Shelley and Denby Dale & Cumberworth!

Interestingly, the coaches used to imply a different meaning with their marketting. Do you remember the National Express "Rapide" services? They cut journey times by being equipped with toilets and serving drinks/light refreshments onboard, therefore, within the limits of drivers' working hours, removing the need to stop at service stations. But they were subject to the same speed limits on the motorways as other services.
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I'm getting carried away now, but there were some romantically and imaginatively named trains at one time.

The L & N.E.R. seemed inspired by Walter Scott. So, there was "The Fair Maid" [from Scott's Fair Maid of Perth], running between London Kings Cross and [yes, you've guessed] - Perth.

Then there was also "The Talisman" - running between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh, again inspired by Walter Scott's novel of the same name, about the Crusades.

And, also racing from London to Edinburgh, c/o Walter Scott, was "Heart of Midlothian"

[Apparently the original 'Heart of Midlothian' is a heart-shaped mosaic near the main door of St Giles High Kirk, recording the position of the now demolished 15c. Old Tolbooth. This was the administrative centre of the old city and one of several sites of public execution - not a thought I would imagine which was uppermost in the minds of those steaming northwards in the luxury of their express train!]

I feel a new category in the "Quiz" section coming along!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Nightrider appears in the list, but that was a brand name not an individual train name wasn't it?

 

[FGW_DID]

The Railway Magazine recently ran an article (over a few issues) concerning all the named trains that have been operated (or still are) in the UK.

 

[flymo]

Nightrider appears in the list, but that was a brand name not an individual train name wasn't it?

'The Nightrider' was the name given to a low cost overnight 'seats only' service on both the ECML (KX < > Aberdeen) and WCML (Euston < > Glasgow C). At the time, there were overnight services from both KX and Euston.

I remember going to Newcastle Central in the early hours (01:00 - 05:00) and seeing both northbound and southbound ECML Nightriders and being amazed at the amount of people on board. They really did serve a niche market, which perhaps Megabus does now.

 

[Central Trains]

The East Anglian never stopped at Diss under Intercity or Anglia Railways it stopped only at Ipswich in both directions. The name was eventually dropped under Anglia when the up morning service first lost its restaurant, then became trolley only & finally ended up as a pair of 170s originating Great Yarmouth & Lowestoft which combined at Ipswich. The 17.00 down service has always been loco-hauled & did briefly run through to Great Yarmouth in 2004/5 as part of NXs 'one' franchise commitment.

Diss was inserted into the 'down' EA around 2006 & into the relaunched loco-hauled 'up' EA (now also stopping aditionally Diss) in 2010 when 90008 was also officially named The East Anglian.

Unfortunatley neither NX or GA do anymore than show it in the timetables with no mention in announcements or on departure screens.

I am sure I have heard it announcement on board as ''The East Anglian''

 

[dk1]

I am sure I have heard it announcement on board as ''The East Anglian''

There are some very pro-active & rail interested S/Conductors out there.

 

[Central Trains]

There are some very pro-active & rail interested S/Conductors out there.

Think this one was a Train Manager.

 

[David Goddard]

When I started on the railway at Cambridge station, the 0848 non-stop to Liverpool Street (originating from Kings Lynn as CockneySparrow said) was "The Fenman". The closely following train from Cambridge to Liverpool Street was the 0858 (which made 3 stops (Audley End, Bishops Stortford and Harlow Town) before the terminus IIRC) was named "The Bury Fenman" (after Bury St. Edmunds) although the train originated at Ipswich.

Ditto with the down trains in the evening, but the timings escape me now - it's over 40 years ago!

The return used to leave Liverpool Street at about 16:35, I remember travelling on it with my Dad the first time I went to London in 1988.
By then it called at Whittlesford as well.

The Fenman disappeared in 1990 when the through trains to London were curtailed and replaced with EMUs to Cambridge and DMUs onward to Kings Lynn.

Upon completion of electrification to Kings Lynn in 1992 the name reappeared on the 07:00 (or thereabouts) train from Kings Lynn to Kings Cross, which called at Downham Market, Ely, Cambridge and Royston, arriving in at about 08:40. The return was at 16:45 on the same pattern.

The name lived on again until privatisation when it was discontinued,

Greater Anglia has recently brought it back again with the 06:17 Kings Lynn to Liverpool Street and 17:07 return

 

[Condor7]

This might be of interest:

http://www.classicmagazines.co.uk/product/View/productCode/5433/the-encyclopeadia-of-titled-trains

This is a very recent publication from The Railway Magazine, and is a comprehensive list of virtually all titled trains that have ever run on British railways with a potted history of each.

Titled trains that were still currently running at the time of publication (which was December 2011 so should still be very accurate) are marked accordingly.
There was also some talk of them having it on line so they could update it regularly, although I am not aware if they have done that.


As an aside as it has not been mentioned yet in this thread, is the 'West Riding Limited', Bradford-Leeds-London. As far as I am aware Bradford and Leeds only titled train these days. (You will find it listed in the East Coast's own timetable, but sadly omitted in both national timetables)

 

[dk1]

Think this one was a Train Manager.

We only have Conductors & Senior Conductors out East.

 

[D1009]

"The Highwayman" from Newcastle to somewhere not actually London - Potters Bar, maybe, it ran sometime in the late 60s. Marketing was aimed at the student fraternity, and the proposition was that the clientelle didn't actually want to go to London, but somewhere "Down south", subsequently accessible by The Tube, or suburban services. Thinking about it now, it seems as if a potential traffic had been identified, but there weren't the paths available into KC, and someone came up with this "Not Quite" solution.

I do remember the Highwayman, it was an unsuccessful attempt by BR to run a "Bargain basement" service. Starting and terminating at Finsbury Park, it was class 40 hauled therefore not very fast compared to other trains on the ECML, formed with fairly decrepit mark 1s, and may have been looped a couple of times. I don't recall how long it lasted.

 

[Welshman]

Yes, I remember it too.

It was also an attempt to compete with the lower fares offered by motorway coaches, hence the name.

It was scheduled to take six hours from Finsbury Park to Newcastle, so passengers must have spent some time admiring the scenery from the passing loops up the ECML!

IIRC it was stated the reason it did not use Kings Cross was shortage of space. I suspect the real reason was embarrassment at having it there amongst the other more prestigious services which took only two thirds of the time!