Trivia: current obscure/unusual regular timetabled services

[HChip]

I was just scrolling through RTT and saw some services by Greater Anglia which included Shenfield - Braintree and Chelmsford - Braintree. They are rare, probably only found during rush hour and quite unusual.

What other obscure or unusual services have any of you found before?

 

[fwsmVor]

Obligatory mention the 17:35 Severn Beach to Exeter St. Davids, Sundays only. "I can't believe it's not ECS!"

 

[Merseysider]

There is a (once a week I think) Northern service from Carlisle through to Nottingham.

15:19 dep this Sunday, journey time a touch under 5 hours.

 

[LowLevel]

2E32 2006 Peterborough to Nottingham via Oakham and Leicester. A development of the previous 25 odd years 2R92 2105 Spalding to Nottingham which stopped at Peterborough, Stamford, Oakham and Melton Mowbray and was then fast via Syston North Curve to Nottingham. The modern incarnation runs in service into Leicester to change ends and then does all stops to Nottingham being effectively two different services joined under the same headcode.

 

[fishwomp]

PSUL is the reference to unusual routing - which is a subset of the 'unusual services':
You can read it here: https://www.branchline.uk/PSULintro.php

Passenger Train Services over Unusual Lines

listing regular passenger trains over obscure rail routes in the British Isles​

 

[Springs Branch]

Northern have lots of trains, semi-fast & stopping, between Wigan NW and Liverpool Lime St via St Helens Central.

Once a day there's also

• 2F01 09:24 WGN to LIV
• 2W91 18:31 LIV TO WGN

both going via Newton-le-Willows & St Helens Junction rather than St Helens Central.

These infrequent oddballs have run for donkeys' years. At one time there was only one train per week in the Lime Street direction (variously 06-something on Saturday mornings, or late evening on Sunday) - presumably to retain "a passenger service" over the Golborne Jn - Newton-le-Willows curve, and maybe route knowledge for Northern crews over the Springs Branch - Golborne section of the WCML before Northern started to run Wigan to Manchester via Parkside. At least nowadays there's a vaguely useful shoulder peak service in each direction.

 

[trainmania100]

Said this before on other threads and I'll say it again, the Brighton to Newhaven harbour service. It's not rare track but it's an opportunity to see a 377 going into marine siding and coming back out.
2C98 for day time
And 2C94 evening.

Times when the seaford branch service doesn't go to seaford

 

[Fenchurch SP]

At the end of the day there is a non stop service from Hayes (Kent) to either Cannon Street or Charing Cross eg https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:P17171/2025-07-17/detailed
RTT has it as Unadvertised Express so not sure if it is actually available to passengers.

 

[The exile]

Sure I’ve mentioned these elsewhere - but a shout out for the following sequence of down trains from Bath on weekday mornings. (Times at Bath)
06.47: Paddington- Swansea: reverses at Temple Meads and Parkway
06.57: Bath - Temple Meads: one of only 2 Bath originators. All stations stopper worked by IET.
07.04: Bath - Filton AW: The other Bath originators. Departs “wrong line” from up platform and runs via Rhubarb Curve avoiding Temple Meads.

 

[MatthewE707]

1B13 0702 Shoeburyness - London Fenchurch Street, which runs non-stop between Chalkwell and West Ham, thereby skipping most of the busy stations on the line

 

[Horizon22]

Sure I’ve mentioned these elsewhere - but a shout out for the following sequence of down trains from Bath on weekday mornings. (Times at Bath)
06.47: Paddington- Swansea: reverses at Temple Meads and Parkway
06.57: Bath - Temple Meads: one of only 2 Bath originators. All stations stopper worked by IET.
07.04: Bath - Filton AW: The other Bath originators. Departs “wrong line” from up platform and runs via Rhubarb Curve avoiding Temple Meads.

I think the first one is the first IET out of Paddington towards the West, hence doing both Bristol / Cardiff and Swansea as connection.

 

[thelongestroad]

There was the Bristol to Stansted Airport train, but looks like it has stopped now.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The 2326 (SuX) final departure of the day from Sudbury (Suffolk) continues off the branch beyond Marks Tey and on to Colchester, without a change being required at Marks Tey.

Runs earlier at 2241 (SuO).

In the reverse direction, a direct train from Colchester to Sudbury (Suffolk) operates in service at 0550 (SO) and 0707 (SuO), but not, however, midweek.

 

[A S Leib]

There's posts on then-current and former services from last year.

 

[The exile]

I think the first one is the first IET out of Paddington towards the West, hence doing both Bristol / Cardiff and Swansea as connection.

It is indeed (also provides a through London - Filton AW service for any MOD early risers!). There’s a logic to all of them, but they’re all still quirky one-offs.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

If we’re allowing trains that used to run (but no longer do) then Wales & West had some excellent contenders. There was a Haverfordwest to Lostwithiel service (which presumably went into a goods loop on arrival at Par rather than a platform.) I also recall something coming off a Valleys line route to Bristol TM, and an Abergavenny to Bradford-on-Avon which avoided Bristol TM and possibly also Newport?

 

[Magdalia]

I was just scrolling through RTT and saw some services by Greater Anglia which included Shenfield - Braintree and Chelmsford - Braintree. They are rare, probably only found during rush hour and quite unusual.

The 2326 (SuX) final departure of the day from Sudbury (Suffolk) continues off the branch beyond Marks Tey and on to Colchester, without a change being required at Marks Tey.

Runs earlier at 2241 (SuO).

In the reverse direction, a direct train from Colchester to Sudbury (Suffolk) operates in service at 0550 (SO) and 0707 (SuO), but not, however, midweek.

Both of these are start or end of service moves.

More unusual is the 1558 Ingatestone-Colchester, which is primarily a schools train.

Greater Anglia also have once per day trains 0524 Lowestoft-Parkeston Quay, 0745 Parkeston Quay-Cambridge, 1946 Cambridge-Parkeston Quay and 2147 Parkeston Quay-Lowestoft.

There was the Bristol to Stansted Airport train, but looks like it has stopped now.

I think this finished in the May 2025 timetable change. There was also a period when it started from Gloucester.

 

[65477]

I was just scrolling through RTT and saw some services by Greater Anglia which included Shenfield - Braintree and Chelmsford - Braintree. They are rare, probably only found during rush hour and quite unusual.

What other obscure or unusual services have any of you found before?

I would not count these as odd or unusual. They are both the final stage. of ecs moves off Ilford carriage sidings. One is the first train of the day and the second forms the train that gives Braintree a 45min peak service in the morning rather than 1tph. For the first Shenfield is the first standard stop and the Chelmsford start must be down to pathing or traffic demands.

 

[A S Leib]

Liverpool has Lancaster services leaving every four hours ±1 min from 08:13 and the same southbound, but the first arrival and last departure are only as far as Oxenholme rather than, as the other three are, Glasgow. I'd guess that's to provide Lancaster services without reversing there?

In a similar vein, Ribblehead has a Leeds service terminating there at 21:08 and starting there at 21:45 as well as the Clitheroe service, and the 20:13 from Carlisle is nonstop from Garsdale to Settle.

Two trains per day from Glasgow terminate at Dumfries rather than going through to Carlisle, at 19:32 (next Carlisle train not until 21:00) and 23:03 (Carlisle train at 23:08).

 

[Sun Chariot]

SWR's Southampton services primarily run via Winchester. However, on weekdays, two northbound and two southbound passenger services run to Southampton via Guildford:

2Y13, 2Y61 London Waterloo to Southampton Central
2P54 Southampton Central to London Waterloo
2P70 Southampton Central to Woking.

These services use the north chord of Farlington Junction to Cosham Junction, as used by Southern for services between Brighton and Southampton; plus aggregates and engineering trains between Eastleigh and West Coastway / Portsmouth Direct Line.

 

[daveo]

Liverpool has Lancaster services leaving every four hours ±1 min from 08:13 and the same southbound, but the first arrival and last departure are only as far as Oxenholme rather than, as the other three are, Glasgow. I'd guess that's to provide Lancaster services without reversing there?

Looking at RTT the 08:13 tomorrow (1S41) continues through to Glasgow (arrival 11:31)

 

[A S Leib]

Looking at RTT the 08:13 tomorrow (1S41) continues through to Glasgow (arrival 11:31)

I should have specified the first arrival and last departure at Liverpool.

 

[Horizon22]

It is indeed (also provides a through London - Filton AW service for any MOD early risers!). There’s a logic to all of them, but they’re all still quirky one-offs.

Gets a few staff to Didcot and Swindon on time for TVSC and Route Control respectively too!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Jul 2025 ==

I would not count these as odd or unusual. They are both the final stage. of ecs moves off Ilford carriage sidings. One is the first train of the day and the second forms the train that gives Braintree a 45min peak service in the morning rather than 1tph. For the first Shenfield is the first standard stop and the Chelmsford start must be down to pathing or traffic demands.

Does the Chelmsford starter come out of Ingatestone loop perhaps?

 

[AMD]

Kirkcaldy to Glenrothes - one in the morning towards Kirkcaldy and one in the evening in the return direction.

 

[Jaydubya]

Does the Chelmsford starter come out of Ingatestone loop perhaps?

There is an electrified loop just north of Chelmsford station adjacent to the sidings for the aggregates terminal. It used to wait there before moving into Platform 2

 

[dgl]

There's the Sundays only Weymouth to Cardiff Central trains (when there's actually trains on a Sunday!), and the odd one back to Weymouth that starts at Swindon.

 

[321362]

There's a few peak time only Cannon Street to Hastings trains which call at London Bridge, Chelsfield, High Brooms, Tunbridge Wells and all stations to Hastings.

Realtime Trains | Departures from London Cannon Street all day on 16/07/2025

Train information at London Cannon Street all day on 16/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Par]

The Saturdays only Rochdale to Ribblehead at 0752 and 1452 and the corresponding return services.

 

[notspy]

1P46 Scarborough - Manchester Victoria is express York to Victoria avoiding Leeds, I believe it's the only express service that doesn't call at Leeds.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

1P46 Scarborough - Manchester Victoria is express York to Victoria avoiding Leeds, I believe it's the only express service that doesn't call at Leeds.

2245 departure. Runs via Castleford, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse and Hebden Bridge. But, as you say, NOT via Leeds.