Request stops

[jd]

I suppose LM still have the Hatton-Wilmcote stations because they used to run the service as a shuttle from Leamington to Stratford (or if not them, then CT before them - I lose track of what happened which side of the TOC changeover)... just a hangover from when they used to run the service.

The odder thing IMO is that LM run a Bham - Stratford via Solihull train at all. I suppose it's for route knowledge though.

And I've been on plenty of trains that have only stopped at one request stop (or none at all) between Stratford and Birmingham. Wootton Wawen seems quite popular though, the others less so. Quite often go straight through Wood End and Danzey in particular.

 

[chris_in_salop]

For a while in the 80s, when the plan was to close the North Warwickshire line south of Henley in Arden and deprive Wootton Wawen of its rail links, virtually all the Brum to Stratford trains went via Solihull.

 

[Jollycam]

I suppose LM still have the Hatton-Wilmcote stations because they used to run the service as a shuttle from Leamington to Stratford (or if not them, then CT before them - I lose track of what happened which side of the TOC changeover)... just a hangover from when they used to run the service.

The odder thing IMO is that LM run a Bham - Stratford via Solihull train at all. I suppose it's for route knowledge though.

And I've been on plenty of trains that have only stopped at one request stop (or none at all) between Stratford and Birmingham. Wootton Wawen seems quite popular though, the others less so. Quite often go straight through Wood End and Danzey in particular.

When CT and TT ran the Leamington to Stratford services, Bearley and Claverdon were both request stops by both operators. When Chiltern took over the route, they didn't make them requests (as I don't think they have any other request stops on their network, so I guess it makes them consistent) though it is odd that they didn't take over the stations. Therefore I think LM just carried over what CT did. However, I used to find that CT and TT mostly stopped even when they were requests and no-one was getting on/off.

On the Shirley to Stratford Line, I think the request stations are to try and shave a few minutes off the time as it takes more than an hour to do the run from Shirley to Stratford and back. So to have a 20min frequency between Birmingham - Shirley, the turnaround time in Shirley must have been quite long for terminating trains (which they can now use to extend to Whitlocks End). I also wonder whether the long signalling sections which existed between Shirley and Henley meant that it was desirable for trains to pass the section as quickly as possible.

I actually think the Stratford via Solihull train is quite sensible as it acts as the first local train between Birmingham and Dorridge for the day (to let people connect to London services), however doesn't really need to do a return journey as most Dorridge - Birmingham trains are extended from the stabling point at Leamington that time of the morning, therefore it continues to Stratford to run a commuter service back. The fact that it keeps up driver/conductor knowledge over the route is a bonus as during Engineering works between Shirley and Wilmcote, Stratford trains have run hourly via Solihull in the past. There may also be some ECS moves for LM between Stratford and Leamington however they won't travel over the Hatton North curve, only a Solihull train can do that.

 

[jd]

...the turnaround time in Shirley must have been quite long for terminating trains (which they can now use to extend to Whitlocks End).

Yes, it was - the Birmingham-bound departing train and the incoming terminating train generally pass each other either in the platforms at Shirley or somewhere between Shirley and Yardley Wood. Most trains still have 12 minutes turnaround time at Whitlocks End now, so it was definitely very close to 20 minutes turnaround time at Shirley.

I actually think the Stratford via Solihull train is quite sensible as it acts as the first local train between Birmingham and Dorridge for the day (to let people connect to London services), however doesn't really need to do a return journey as most Dorridge - Birmingham trains are extended from the stabling point at Leamington that time of the morning, therefore it continues to Stratford to run a commuter service back. The fact that it keeps up driver/conductor knowledge over the route is a bonus as during Engineering works between Shirley and Wilmcote, Stratford trains have run hourly via Solihull in the past. There may also be some ECS moves for LM between Stratford and Leamington however they won't travel over the Hatton North curve, only a Solihull train can do that.

This is very true...

 

[Broken Viking]

I used that line several times during a holiday last year and there was never a situation where the train went through more than one station. It stopped at Llanfair PG every time...

Can I possibly double-check ye on that? The only reason I ask is because I have family living in Llanfairpwll and I use the station whenever I go to visit them...And across my 30+ uses of Llanfairpwll over the last fifteen years, I've been the only passenger boarding or alighting there on all save one occasion! hock:
That said, I was last up in Cymru around April 2007CE...So if there has been a bigger movement of tourists through Llanfairpwll (Or more people without cars have moved there) over the last four years, Imaginations post would make perfect sense.

As for using trains with request stops...If I'm travelling to a request station, I'll normally notify the driver just before boarding. As he's the one operating the train, he's the first person who'll find that information useful.
As for travelling from; As others have said, it's just a case of flagging the train down like ye would a bus. I'll normally give my signal as soon as the train comes into view, and hold it until I've made eye contact with the driver and I can see that he's applying the brakes for the stop. If I'm planning to catch a request service after dark, I'll also take a torch and use it in addition to my hand signal.

 

[LE Greys]

I've done Berney Arms a few times. Funny old place with a very good pub and plenty of wildlife. I missed the train back the first time, and had to hitch a lift on a boat to Reedham (tried walking, but the path disappeared after the first mile or two). The view down the line is pretty much unrestricted, so I'd imagine that you can see anyone waiting for a good minute before passing through.