Trivia: Largest settlement without any post-privatisation stock

[Tetchytyke]

Using the wikipedia list of "localities" then the answer is Barnet, but if you count all the London boroughs as "London" then it isn't.

For towns, I'd probably say Barnsley or Rochdale.

 

[northwichcat]

Using the wikipedia list of "localities" then the answer is Barnet, but if you count all the London boroughs as "London" then it isn't.

Barnet is much smaller than a lot of places listed on here, unless you're referring to the Metropolitan Borough of Barnet, in which case it isn't a fair comparison with the other places listed e.g. Birkenhead (population 84,000) has been nominated as a town not Wirral as a borough (population 320,000.)
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I personally use this list for anything of this nature, though I agree it is best to properly define 'settlement' etc before everything starts

http://lovemytown.co.uk/Populations/TownsTable1.asp

Was defined in the original post

when most of the rolling stock serving the town/city is former BR stock.

 

[Kneedown]

Not sure of the population without googling, but Mansfield is a sizeable conurbation with services formed entirely of Sprinters.

 

[rebmcr]

For towns, I'd probably say Barnsley or Rochdale.

Rochdale has M5000s — whether that counts or not is another discussion in itself...

 

[Mark62]

Cramlington has a population well over 40000 and nothing new stops there.

 

[AM9]

So far, neither Great Yarmouth (pop. c 97000) or Lowestoft (pop c 59000) have been mentioned. Although separate towns, indeed in separate counties, they are in modern times almost contiguous, yet poorly served by 153s and 156s.

 

[northwichcat]

Just to summarise we're up to a town with a population of 185,000 in Swindon.

Even if you argue Swindon used to have post-privatisation stock while some other places have never had post-privatisation stock then Birkenhead has been nominated which has a population of 84,000.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Doesn't Lowestoft get nice new 170s for Ipswich runs?

 

[Yew]

Mansfield?

 

[deltic08]

Swindon was served by 180's when they were first new around 2002, but they were withdrawn from that route a few years later and replaced with more HST's. Now the FGW 180's use the Worcester line via Oxford.

Is Swindon also the largest station only served by one company?

I thought 180s run Paddington-Gloucester/Cheltenham services via Swindon.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I thought 180s run Paddington-Gloucester/Cheltenham services via Swindon.

As GlosRail said, they did. Paddington trains are now HSTs and the local ones are usually a 158. FGW 180s these days are confined to the Cotswolds line.

 

[AM9]

Doesn't Lowestoft get nice new 170s for Ipswich runs?

I've been on a 156 and I see that some diagrams are 158s.
I think that GA's 170s are usually on Breckland and Suffolk line services.

 

[Trainfan344]

170's can turn up at both Yarmouth and Lowestoft so they don't count.

 

[Rapidash]

Exmouth/Barnstaple - pop 32,000 (ish) must be up there as well. Newest thing either direction is the once-in-a-blue-moon 158.

 

[Chorley Cake]

Blackburn would get a place on the podium I suspect (105k).

 

[thenorthern]

I was going to suggest Blackburn although now I think Sunderland only has the hourly pacer service serving it, I think for a while FTPE served Sunderland but I think that was before the 185s came in.

Gateshead may also be one as I am not sure what trains serve MetroCenter but I think its only sprinters.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

I was going to suggest Blackburn although now I think Sunderland only has the hourly pacer service serving it....

Grand Central 180s, not sure how many each day though, possibly two.

 

[AndyNLondon]

Does Stevenage qualify? Population 84,000, and unless I'm mistaken there's nothing post-privatisation except for a weekly (Sunday evening) Hull Trains service.