Trains making unadvertised/off-station stops

[EbbwJunction1]

Another occasion where an emergency stop may or may not have been possible was when there used to be a non-stop Fridays Only Cardiff Central to London Paddington service in the (I think) late 1970s / early 1980s.

It left Central at around 4.20pm, a few minutes before the normal service at around 4.25pm. I would often see people running for it on the platform to be stopped by staff telling them that it was the non-stop service and that they should wait a few minutes for the stopping service if they didn't want to go straight to Paddington. I'm sure, though, that there were plenty of people who did get on the first service by mistake, although I'm not sure what used to happen to them.

 

[D1537]

In the mid-80s, after loco changes at Grassmoor were no longer a thing, quite a few of the Summer Saturday services to/from Yarmouth used to stop for a crew change at March. There were a couple of "standard" moves which I did quite a few times, one of which that I remember was to take the Newcastle-Yarmouth to March for the Yarmouth-Newcastle back. No-one ever raised an objection, or even an eyelid.

 

[apinnard]

Is there still an early morning and late evening stop at Seven Kings on the GEML outer suburban service(s)?

 

[leytongabriel]

For many years in BR days, Kentish Town - Barking trains only stopped at Crouch Hill on Sunday evenings in summer. I remember one particularly busy train with a large group of Southend daytrippers bound for Crouch Hill. Alas too late! The guard must have 'had a word' as we stopped at Crouch Hill anyway and everyone trooped out, very relieved. I was happy to join them as it was much the nearest station to home. Inner London mark you, not Little Sleepingham on Sea.

 

[Tallguy]

My closest thing on this was travelling from Leamington Spa to Hinckley in Leicestershire via Coventry. The connection at Coventry was about 15 minutes but this was the last train of the night. I did the journey at least 3 times a week. The train from Leamington to Cov was late so I found the station manager at Leamington and explained the problem and how I was going to miss the last train from Coventry to Hinckley via Nuneaton and there wasn’t an alternative via Birmingham. On arrival at Coventry I sprinted up and over the bridge listening to an announcement urging Leicester passengers to go to a certain platform. I raced down to the train which had been held for me and me only, had my ticket checked, got on and off we went.

I felt a bit bad about all the other passengers having to wait 10 minutes just for me!

 

[Wolfie]

My closest thing on this was travelling from Leamington Spa to Hinckley in Leicestershire via Coventry. The connection at Coventry was about 15 minutes but this was the last train of the night. I did the journey at least 3 times a week. The train from Leamington to Cov was late so I found the station manager at Leamington and explained the problem and how I was going to miss the last train from Coventry to Hinckley via Nuneaton and there wasn’t an alternative via Birmingham. On arrival at Coventry I sprinted up and over the bridge listening to an announcement urging Leicester passengers to go to a certain platform. I raced down to the train which had been held for me and me only, had my ticket checked, got on and off we went.

I felt a bit bad about all the other passengers having to wait 10 minutes just for me!

Not as bad as you'd have felt had you missed that train l bet.

 

[Tallguy]

Not as bad as you'd have felt had you missed that train l bet.

Absolutely. Not sure if the railway would have had to pay for a taxi for me as I was through ticketed? This was 32 years Ago!