Trivia: Bizarre services

[AlbertBeale]

Guildford seems to me a rather odd place to terminate a long-distance train.

I know people who would suggest you could have ended that sentence after the first 8 words...

 

[Some guy]

The morning 6:00 from Lancaster to Windermere is an odd one. Despite the set coming from Blackpool north with driver and guard onboard they can’t even start the service from Preston which has a higher population than Lancaster

 

[DelW]

Guildford seems to me a rather odd place to terminate a long-distance train.

That one is for route retention purposes, I believe XC maintain driver knowledge via Haslemere and Fareham.

They ran ECS south of Guildford, to/from Eastleigh where the train was stabled overnight. AIUI they had to be ECS as the guards didn't work through.

The Portsmouth Direct is regularly used by XC diversions at weekends.

 

[PGAT]

9W12 on the 30 July is stopping at Selhurst. Not just a staff stop, an official advertised passenger stop

 

[AlbertBeale]

9W12 on the 30 July is stopping at Selhurst. Not just a staff stop, an official advertised passenger stop

What's 9W12?

 

[bramling]

I had occasion to change trains at Crewe today, not a station I've visited before. Whilst I was hanging around, I noticed there was an EMR service to Newark Castle via Stoke. The seemed to run semi-fast to Nottingham, then calling all shacks to Newark. Sort of long distance morphing into local stopper.
Any other examples of weird services?

Here’s one I can’t fathom.

5Y89 0140 Welwyn Carriage Sidings to Welwyn Carriage Sidings arr 0150.

It essentially comes out of the sidings at 0140, sits in Welwyn Garden City platform 4 for 6 minutes, then returns to the sidings.

Anyone with local knowledge able to comment on the reason for this working? Looking at RTTT it does seem to actually run on at least some days.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

What's 9W12?

Might well be a train headcode. 0817 northbound Thameslink service from Brighton to Bedford.

Train 9W12 Brighton to Bedford Sun 30/07/2023 | Rail Record

Live Train Times for Train 9W12 Brighton to Bedford departing on Sun 30/07/2023 | Rail Record

live.rail-record.co.uk

 

[InkyScrolls]

Here’s one I can’t fathom.

5Y89 0140 Welwyn Carriage Sidings to Welwyn Carriage Sidings arr 0150.

It essentially comes out of the sidings at 0140, sits in Welwyn Garden City platform 4 for 6 minutes, then returns to the sidings.

Anyone with local knowledge able to comment on the reason for this working? Looking at RTTT it does seem to actually run on at least some days.

While I couldn't say for certain in that specific instance, movements like that are usually to get a unit out of the way for something else entering or leaving the depot. Are there any other movements to or from the carriage sidings around that time?

 

[wnr1990]

What about the 17:36 Paddington-Plymouth service that calls at Dawlish Warren all year round.

Surely that station is a bit of a ghost town in winter?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I noticed today the 16:23 to Chester skips Ludlow but then calls at Craven Arms and Church Stretton, which seems a bit backwards to me.

 

[bramling]

While I couldn't say for certain in that specific instance, movements like that are usually to get a unit out of the way for something else entering or leaving the depot. Are there any other movements to or from the carriage sidings around that time?

Not as far as I can see. That’s kind of what I was thinking. There is one further service which arrives subsequently, but there doesn’t seem any obvious reason why the unit would need to change roads.

My only thought is if there’s a road in there that staff can’t use for prep for some reason and this move frees up a road for that final arrival to use. But not aware of this having been an issue in the past.

Looking at RTTT it appears to have run this morning, but last week was sporadic.

 

[Lewisham2221]

I noticed today the 16:23 to Chester skips Ludlow but then calls at Craven Arms and Church Stretton, which seems a bit backwards to me.

1W54 0545 Carmarthen to Manchester calls at Wem, but not Whitchurch or Nantwich, which seems equally odd to me.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Looking back on them today, the Stranraer to Newcastle services look truly bizarre but at least there was the justification of the boat to Belfast.

If I remember right some of them used to run Girvan to Newcastle, something that I’ve always considered to be the most bizarre rail service!

Sadly they ended in 2009 IIRC.

Always fun to see a Strathclyde PTE 156 in the bay at Newcastle back in the day.

Glasgow - Dumfries - Carlisle - Newcastle as well. In reality a Scotrail service to Carlisle and then a Northern service to Newcastle and back borrowing the Scots 156. Lasted until May 2022!

 

[BeijingDave]

1W54 0545 Carmarthen to Manchester calls at Wem, but not Whitchurch or Nantwich, which seems equally odd to me.

Are these instances because the franchisee is required to serve particular stations a minimum number of times? Hence, you get situations where unlikely stations get a call.

 

[GN Boy]

Here’s one I can’t fathom.

5Y89 0140 Welwyn Carriage Sidings to Welwyn Carriage Sidings arr 0150.

It essentially comes out of the sidings at 0140, sits in Welwyn Garden City platform 4 for 6 minutes, then returns to the sidings.

Anyone with local knowledge able to comment on the reason for this working? Looking at RTTT it does seem to actually run on at least some days.

This unit is prepped and then shunted onto Road #1 via Welwyn GC station as Road #1 cannot be used to prep on due to the limited clearance between the train and the fence.

 

[bramling]

This unit is prepped and then shunted onto Road #1 via Welwyn GC station as Road #1 cannot be used to prep on due to the limited clearance between the train and the fence.

Thanks for clearing that one up. Is this a new(ish) restriction, or has it always been the case?

 

[Ken H]

Always fun to see a Strathclyde PTE 156 in the bay at Newcastle back in the day.

Glasgow - Dumfries - Carlisle - Newcastle as well. In reality a Scotrail service to Carlisle and then a Northern service to Newcastle and back borrowing the Scots 156. Lasted until May 2022!

In 1978-79 there was a 0001 from Newcastle to Carlisle, and a return at 0250. Stops at Haltwhistle were on request as this footnote says. This is from the Carlisle - Newcastle working, the note for the other way mentions picking up.


It ran as a DMU as I got it a few times.

 

[GN Boy]

Thanks for clearing that one up. Is this a new(ish) restriction, or has it always been the case?

Shunting to #1 isn’t new; however shunting via the platforms at Welwyn is pretty recent - I believe it’s so that the move can be logged which otherwise wouldn’t appear if shunted via the shunt spur.

 

[hexagon789]

Always fun to see a Strathclyde PTE 156 in the bay at Newcastle back in the day.

Glasgow - Dumfries - Carlisle - Newcastle as well. In reality a Scotrail service to Carlisle and then a Northern service to Newcastle and back borrowing the Scots 156. Lasted until May 2022!

Back when Sprinterisation started in South West Scotland (and for some years into the 1990s), one morning service started back from Sunderland.

Another slightly strange service in the early/mid-90s was the starting back of the Lord of the Isles from Stirling.

 

[samrammstein]

Every Sunday morning on the Wirral you can catch 2W04 0749 Rock Ferry to West Kirby - though the PIS will show Liverpool Central until James Street and then change to West Kirby. This service, along with weekday mornings 2C05 and 2C06 (ELP-LVC-CTR), are some of only the few Merseyrail services that interwork two lines in the normal timetable. Though the passengers would never notice!

 

[Old Yard Dog]

I remember a Cross Country Barrow to Colchester working in the days when XC tried to cover a range of destinations before contracting to the present core.

I believe Barrow and Colchester United were both in the National League, or whatever it was called then, at the time.

 

[Whistler40145]

I thought it was quite bizarre when Virgin CrossCountry operated Blackpool North to Portsmouth Harbour service

 

[JD2168]

There used to be a 7:05pm from Bridlington to Sheffield via Hull which stopped at virtually all stations on the route & additionally served Rotherham Central, it didn’t get to Sheffield until well after 9:30pm.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

There used to be a 7:05pm from Bridlington to Sheffield via Hull which stopped at virtually all stations on the route & additionally served Rotherham Central, it didn’t get to Sheffield until well after 9:30pm.

Don't think that one's running any more, and as I recall, the OP was actually looking for current "bizarre" services.

There's currently a 7.38 p.m. from Bridlington (originating from Scarborough) that arrives Sheffield at 9.43 p.m. with nine calls after Bridlington.

Think the smaller intermediate stations are now served mostly by trains headed to/from York.

 

[moonarrow458]

The 2128 Weymouth to Westbury GWR service strikes me as somewhat odd in that it only runs Monday to Thursday.

Realtime Trains | 2V84 2128 Weymouth to Westbury | 10/08/2023

Real-time train running information for 2V84 2128 departure from Weymouth to Westbury on 10/08/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

On Fridays it instead runs ECS back to Westbury at 2140.

Realtime Trains | 5V84 2140 Weymouth to Westbury Dmu Sidings | 04/08/2023

Real-time train running information for 5V84 2140 departure from Weymouth to Westbury Dmu Sidings on 04/08/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Anyone know why this is. Seems a little counterintuitive as one would think there would be more passengers willing to travel on a Friday evening

 

[notspy]

This one might not be the most bizarre but thought it's worth a mention

As far as I know, this is the only fast non-stop Northern service between Sheffield and Piccadilly, running on a Sunday night

Realtime Trains | 2S77 2135 Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly | 23/07/2023

Real-time train running information for 2S77 2135 departure from Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly on 23/07/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[dk1]

I remember a Cross Country Barrow to Colchester working in the days when XC tried to cover a range of destinations before contracting to the present core.

I believe Barrow and Colchester United were both in the National League, or whatever it was called then, at the time.

That was Regional Railways. Nothing to do with & long before XC.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jul 2023 ==

Services such as this were introduced after the launch of the ‘Express’ network in May 1988.

 

[30907]

The 2128 Weymouth to Westbury GWR service strikes me as somewhat odd in that it only runs Monday to Thursday.

Realtime Trains | 2V84 2128 Weymouth to Westbury | 10/08/2023

Real-time train running information for 2V84 2128 departure from Weymouth to Westbury on 10/08/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

On Fridays it instead runs ECS back to Westbury at 2140.

Realtime Trains | 5V84 2140 Weymouth to Westbury Dmu Sidings | 04/08/2023

Real-time train running information for 5V84 2140 departure from Weymouth to Westbury Dmu Sidings on 04/08/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Anyone know why this is. Seems a little counterintuitive as one would think there would be more passengers willing to travel on a Friday evening

I wonder if there has been customer trouble on Friday evenings - there is no equivalent on Saturday nights either.

 

[Watershed]

The last one from Manchester Piccadilly run by EMR from Liverpool Lime Street is the only one on this route that stops at all stops between Manchester & Sheffield.

This has long been a feature of the timetable - it's to compensate for the fact that the first westbound and last eastbound Hope Valley stopper is a lot later/earlier than usual, due to the fact that it's entirely crewed from the western, Piccadilly end.

As EMR (and their predecessors) crew the Liverpool service from the eastern end (Nottingham/Derby) this lends itself to providing what's essentially a supplemental first/last stopper.

Can running this sort of service help with ORCATS allocations maybe? Dunno how that actually works.

TfW will get all the money from that flow as there aren't any other operators that run services along the line. I suspect it's just that they - quite sensibly - figure that instead of running the train ECS to Fishguard, they might as well run it in passenger service.

While we're mentioning Barrow a bit, there's a Sunday morning service which terminates at Carnforth which strikes me as odd. It turns around to form a Carlisle service so presumably it's about the location of trains, drivers and other staff but the next two onward services from Carnforth are also from Barrow, so unless you happen to be travelling between stations on the Furness Line it's not taking you anywhere.

In the 2000s and 2010s, there was a daily Northern service from Barrow which then continued on to Buxton. I presume that this provided through journey in the Greater Manchester area, but it always seemed an odd coupling.

The Barrow services terminating at Carlisle is down to the WCML being shut until quite late (10:20, for Lancaster to Preston) on Sunday mornings during various periods throughout the year.

Never understood why the WCML has closures that are so much longer than the ECML and other equivalent mainlines see, but there you go.

 

[317 forever]

The Saturday only round trip from Stalybridge to Stockport.

It departs SYB 08.30 and reaches SPT 08.59. It then departs STP 09.04 and reaches SYB 09.28.

Admittedly these 2 points are otherwise connected by changing at Manchester Piccadilly. However, for Denton and Reddish South this hardly makes for an effective day out.