Strangest long distance through trains

[railfan100]

From memory a few strange ones:

Circa 1988 Hull-Holyhead normally Class 150 units in pairs but many times a 142 was used for the full trip
Circa 1989 - Barrow-Cambridge operated once per day with a Class 156 although recall 150 units being used at times. Lasted no more than 12 months
Circa 1989 - Colchester-Barrow, daily in one direction only and Class 156 operated
Circa early 90's Wolverhampton-Wakefield Westgate via Wrexham and Man Vic, typically a 150 unit, recall using this and it was a legacy 108 unit.
1997 approx London Paddington-Man Pic via Birmingham
2004 Wick-Aberdeen Class 158
2004 Aberdeen-Kyle normally a double 158, cannot recall if one unit was removed at Inverness?
Circa mid 2000s Man Pic-Penzance via Marches line double 158

 

[dk1]

From memory a few strange ones:

Circa 1988 Hull-Holyhead normally Class 150 units in pairs but many times a 142 was used for the full trip
Circa 1989 - Barrow-Cambridge operated once per day with a Class 156 although recall 150 units being used at times. Lasted no more than 12 months
Circa 1989 - Colchester-Barrow, daily in one direction only and Class 156 operated
Circa early 90's Wolverhampton-Wakefield Westgate via Wrexham and Man Vic, typically a 150 unit, recall using this and it was a legacy 108 unit.
1997 approx London Paddington-Man Pic via Birmingham
2004 Wick-Aberdeen Class 158
2004 Aberdeen-Kyle normally a double 158, cannot recall if one unit was removed at Inverness?
Circa mid 2000s Man Pic-Penzance via Marches line double 158

The latter was always quite busy & usually a pair of 158s & avoided Newport. Used to have a trolley changeover from the stores at Newton Abbott.

 

[30907]

I was going to mention this. If memory serves correct it also runs from Leeds via Wakefield Westgate (without stopping), and runs down to Wakefield Kirkgate and then reverses to go via Barnsley.

Sorry to disappoint, but it is booked via Normanton.

 

[Halish Railway]

Have the odd Alphaline services that went to Waterloo from places like Cardiff (Maybe Manchester IIRC) that had the sole objective of connecting with Eurostar trains been mentioned?

 

[dk1]

Have the odd Alphaline services that went to Waterloo from places like Cardiff (Maybe Manchester IIRC) that had the sole objective of connecting with Eurostar trains been mentioned?

And the horrendous flop that where the Intercity Eurostar connection trains to Waterloo.

 

[Whistler40145]

I remember when Regional Railways operated a Nottingham to Blackpool North loco hauled service with a 37/4, quite often 37408 was allocated, pretty sure it routed from Chesterfield to Sheffield via The Old Road and then the Hope Valley line and Stockport

 

[stuu]

From memory a few strange ones:
...
Circa mid 2000s Man Pic-Penzance via Marches line double 158

Who was that run by?

 

[PHILIPE]

Who was that run by?

Wales and Borders

 

[ajs]

adc82140 said:
Surprised no one's mentioned the Basingstoke to Norwich services run by Anglia in the late 90s. I travelled on it once from Highbury and Islington to Farnborough, and decided I'd have been quicker taking the regular route using the tube to Waterloo.

If l remember correctly, the original plan was to run the service through to Southampton but SWR started additional services to block the route.

Whilst it was certainly slower it was a lot easier and less stressful to catch the train at Woking and get to Colchester rather than travel across London, especially with luggage and young children.

The times l used it, was a 3 car 170, which had the micro buffet in the centre car but don’t remember that ever being open.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Have the odd Alphaline services that went to Waterloo from places like Cardiff (Maybe Manchester IIRC) that had the sole objective of connecting with Eurostar trains been mentioned?

There was certainly a Manchester Piccadilly to Waterloo and return via the Marches and I think Salisbury. I've not trawled back to see if it is already listed. Not sure that Eurostar would be the sole objective as the Manchester one offered a lot of other connectivity and from the North West probably took twice as long up the WCML and cross London transfer.

 

[Foxcover]

I remember when Regional Railways operated a Nottingham to Blackpool North loco hauled service with a 37/4, quite often 37408 was allocated, pretty sure it routed from Chesterfield to Sheffield via The Old Road and then the Hope Valley line and Stockport

If it’s the same one, I think this may have been in the year before the Sprinters took over the East Anglia to North West in the late 80s. There was a single new diagram introduced in 1986/7, running back and forward a couple of times daily from Nottingham to Blackpool which was booked for a 150 Sprinter, supplementing the existing boat trains like the North West Dane in that section of the route in preparation for the new hourly 156 service in 1987/8.

Sprinters were rarely available though so early in the Sprinterisation programme, so the diagram was usually a 47 or 37 with coaches except on Sundays. Because the turnaround at Sheffield was very short and booked for a multiple unit, the diagram would often lose a lot of time time running the loco around there, and I noticed after a few journeys that the diagram began taking the alternative route north after Chesterfield, thereby arriving at Sheffield facing the right way for Manchester. I always assumed this was to save the time/capacity running round at Sheffield, as it only ever happened on the sprinter substitution diagrams, and I never saw it happen again.

 

[Mat17]

Sorry to disappoint, but it is booked via Normanton.

Ah they've changed it, I last caught it in 2016, when it did run via Westgate to get to Kirkgate. I figured it was a strange little manoeuver, going via Normanton made more sense.

 

[swt_passenger]

In 2018 I caught a Cross Country train from Berwick to York that due to engineering works was terminating at Guildford.
I did think it kind of surreal that there would be a train originating at Aberdeen that finished its journey at Guildford.
Back in 1989 thete was one train a day M-F that originated at Colchester and finished its journey at Barrow in Furness.
I realise it makes operational sense, but at face value, Redcar does seem an odd final destination for Transpennine Trains.

Sometimes when there’s XC Engineering work they swap southern destinations, to make the paths fit either side of Birmingham, so what you probably had was a normal service from Scotland that would usually head to the SW via Bristol swapped somewhere en route with a service starting at Newcastle that would normally terminate at Reading or Southampton, and it just happened to be the one per day extended to Guildford. The flip side of the coin would have seen more Newcastle starters heading to the SW.

 

[Ianno87]

Another thread reminded me of the occasional Manchester Airport-Millom services that operated in the 1990s.

 

[Killingworth]

This thread reminds me of my father eagerly awaiting each new national timetable and poring over it to plan interesting trips. I have quite a few old volumes, rarely looked at today. Having looked I'm amazed how many weird connections were available on summer Saturdays. I've now got eye strain trying to make sense of all the masses of footnotes to confirm what's a through train and what's a connection. There were lots more one off special trains I'm sure.

Easier to read is a copy of The Sheffield Traffic Survey by the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society taken by 20 people on inclement Saturday 11th August 1962 from 08.00 until 20.00. Mixed diesel and steam traction and lots of old carriages are noted.

For this thread I've found the following less usual services reflecting the holiday destination preferences of 60 years ago. I may have missed some. (Leicester (LR) - Craigendoran was a first class special.) Some long distance services included some non-corridor stock.

Sheffield (M) - Morecambe.
Sheffield (M) - Blackpool
Chesterfield - Scarborough Londesborough Road
Birmingham - Glasgow St Enoch
Nottingham - Blackpool
Radford - Blackpool (N)
Burton-on-Trent - Scarborough (C)
Colwyn Bay - Sheffield (M)
Llandudno - Sheffield (M) 2 of them
Yarmouth (Vauxhall) - Chesterfield
Paignton - Bradford (F S) 3 of them
Paignton - Newcastle
Paignton - Leeds City (N)
Weston -s-Mare - Sheffield (M)
Bournemouth - Bradford (F S)
Newton Abbot - Bradford (F S)
Exeter - Bradford (F S)
Bournemouth -Sheffield (M)
Newquay - Newcastle
St Pancras - Halifax
Chesterfield - Yarmouth (Vaux)
Sheffield (M) - Paignton
Sheffield (M)- Blackpool
Carlisle - Derby (M)
Bradford (FS)- Bournemouth
Hull - Worcester
Sheffield (M) - Bangor
Halifax - St Pancras
Bradford (FS) - Paignton 2 of them
Sunderland - Bristol
Scarborough (LR) - Leicester
Filey Camp - Kings Norton
Scarborough (LR) - Kidsgrove
Blackpool (N) - Nottingham
York - St Pancras
Blackpool (N) - Radford
Scarborough - Kings Norton
Morecambe - Sheffield (M)
Glasgow - St Pancras 2 of them
Edinburgh - St Pancras
Scarborough - Bristol
Morecambe - Nottingham (M)
Bradford (FS) - Bristol
Rotherham - Plymouth

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

06:51 ICE/IC from Zuessow (1438 inhabitants) to Wiesloch Walldorf. Stops at many bigger places in between.

 

[Neptune]

Ah they've changed it, I last caught it in 2016, when it did run via Westgate to get to Kirkgate. I figured it was a strange little manoeuver, going via Normanton made more sense.

No it’s always been booked via Normanton. The only times it would run via Westgate and reverse at Kirkgate would be for engineering works or disruption (points/signal/train failure etc….)

 

[Mat17]

No it’s always been booked via Normanton. The only times it would run via Westgate and reverse at Kirkgate would be for engineering works or disruption (points/signal/train failure etc….)

Wow, well all three times I've caught it, it went via Westgate. What are the chances of that? And it wasn't three consecutive weeks either.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Did I ever mention the Stockport to Sinfin North service I saw back in 2013?

Stockport to Sinfin North???

Whilst waiting at Stockport for my train home to Sheffield on Saturday, I was bewildered to see a 19.41 service to Sinfin North listed on the information screens. A quick google search reveals that apparently some charter services are shown with a fake destination to deter regular passengers...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[The exile]

06:51 ICE/IC from Zuessow (1438 inhabitants) to Wiesloch Walldorf. Stops at many bigger places in between.

What days does this run?

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

What days does this run?

My high school German exchange visit was to stay with a family in Wiesloch, a really lovely part of the world. Presumably it’s an intercity service to Heidelberg that continues to Wiesloch-Waldorf for operational reasons?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

What days does this run?

Mo, Sa 27.3-30.10, not 5.4, 24.5, also 2+6.4, 25.5. Other days it starts from Greifswald or Stralsund. I saw it in the pocket timetable for RE3 Stralsund - Berlin etc.

One could describe it as an odyssey winding through Germany, reversing in Hamburg etc

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

I caught the daily Eurocity train from Brussels to Brig about 20 years ago, it wound down through Luxembourg, Basel and Bern, then the Lotschberg route to Brig, a fairly minor town in the Alps near the Swiss border. I think the intention was for a connection to Milan but surprised it wasn’t a through service. Not that it was particularly busy, I think the through portion was 5 coaches and various other bits got put on and off en-route. I have a distinct memory of being shunted between platforms at Bern during the 30-odd minute dwell time.

 

[The exile]

Mo, Sa 27.3-30.10, not 5.4, 24.5, also 2+6.4, 25.5. Other days it starts from Greifswald or Stralsund. I saw it in the pocket timetable for RE3 Stralsund - Berlin etc.

One could describe it as an odyssey winding through Germany, reversing in Hamburg etc

Looks like the run you mention is only on a few dates when engineering work curtails both ends. Still a massive loco hauled odyssey though (assuming it’s not ICE running as IC for tariff reasons)

 

[DannyMich2018]

Back in early Central Trains days there were quite a few odd services:-
Late lunchtime Coventry-Spalding service via Leicester, Nott, Newark, Lincoln, Sleaford (this route was generally hourly Cov-Lincoln with about every other service going to Grimsby) Think this was weekdays only.
15.24 Coventry-Sleaford via the same route. Think this was weekdays only too.
08.40 Peterborough to Coventry via Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Newark, Nott, Leicester, quite a detour! Weekdays only I think.
Unit which worked the locals between Nuneaton and Stafford (153 unit) formed the 17.15 Coventry to Stoke on Trent, the only service on the Cov-Nuneaton route to go north and not reverse at Nuneaton, weekdays only I think and because of it's time usually well loaded even after Nuneaton.
Also a daily Birmingham to Norwich service in the afternoon (all other services went to Cambridge) and two I think(?) Birmingham to Skegness services in the morning, not sure if both went via Nuneaton?
If I can remember right these were early Central Trains Days 1997-1999 period.

 

[alholmes]

The May 1971 and May 1972 timetables include a Saturday only service from Kings Cross to Harwich Town (via Cambridge). Kings Cross depart at 13.04, Harwich Town arrive at 16.51, calling at Potters Bar, Hatfield then all stations.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

I caught the daily Eurocity train from Brussels to Brig about 20 years ago, it wound down through Luxembourg, Basel and Bern, then the Lotschberg route to Brig, a fairly minor town in the Alps near the Swiss border. I think the intention was for a connection to Milan but surprised it wasn’t a through service. Not that it was particularly busy, I think the through portion was 5 coaches and various other bits got put on and off en-route. I have a distinct memory of being shunted between platforms at Bern during the 30-odd minute dwell time.

In an earlier era it did run through to Milan.

 

[181]

Wow, well all three times I've caught it, it went via Westgate. What are the chances of that? And it wasn't three consecutive weeks either.

And the one time I caught it (March 2018 if I remember rightly).

 

[Trainfan2019]

If it’s the same one, I think this may have been in the year before the Sprinters took over the East Anglia to North West in the late 80s. There was a single new diagram introduced in 1986/7, running back and forward a couple of times daily from Nottingham to Blackpool which was booked for a 150 Sprinter, supplementing the existing boat trains like the North West Dane in that section of the route in preparation for the new hourly 156 service in 1987/8.

Sprinters were rarely available though so early in the Sprinterisation programme, so the diagram was usually a 47 or 37 with coaches except on Sundays. Because the turnaround at Sheffield was very short and booked for a multiple unit, the diagram would often lose a lot of time time running the loco around there, and I noticed after a few journeys that the diagram began taking the alternative route north after Chesterfield, thereby arriving at Sheffield facing the right way for Manchester. I always assumed this was to save the time/capacity running round at Sheffield, as it only ever happened on the sprinter substitution diagrams, and I never saw it happen again.

Might sound a daft question but how/where does the loco get turned round at Sheffield?

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Might sound a daft question but how/where does the loco get turned round at Sheffield?

From Chesterfield take the Old Road via Barrow Hill, round the connection to Darnall then down into Sheffield Midland via Nunnery Jcn, arriving from the north end.