Trivia: Largest settlement without any post-privatisation stock

[northwichcat]

Most large town or cities have some post-privatisation stock even when most of the rolling stock serving the town/city is former BR stock.

Which is the largest place without any post-privatisation stock?

Post-privatisation rolling stock going through the town without stopping or only being used on very rare occasions doesn't count. So somewhere like Widnes would qualify despite 185s passing through and 222s having stopped there on Grand National Days in the past.

 

[TheGrew]

OK I will bite Birkenhead has only got 507s and 508s and is larger than Widnes.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Swindon? Pop. 182,000 and usually only HSTs with the odd Sprinter isn't it?

 

[northwichcat]

OK I will bite Birkenhead has only got 507s and 508s and is larger than Widnes.

Widnes wasn't a serious suggestion. If you include the Bidston-Wrexham service than Birkenhead has 150s as well, but I doubt any 175s make it up to Bidston.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Swindon? Pop. 182,000 and usually only HSTs with the odd Sprinter isn't it?

There's some photos of 180s at Swindon around but I think that was when FGW all the 180s rather than just 5.

 

[tjlrailblue]

Does Lincoln have any post privatisation stock serving it?

 

[Bevan Price]

St. Helens. TPE 185s pass through St. Helens Junction non-stop; nothing newer than Class 156 currently stops at either St. Helens Central or Junction.

Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Rochdale, Halifax all have booked stops by nothing newer than Class 158.

 

[IanXC]

Does Lincoln have any post privatisation stock serving it?

I was thinking about Lincoln, but there's a daily 222 to London.

 

[EM2]

Not a single settlement, but apart from Stratford, Ilford, Romford and Shenfield, everywhere else on AGA Metros only ever gets 315s.

 

[tjlrailblue]

Swindon wins then???

 

[Kite159]

Salisbury only gets sprinters, but in terms of Wiltshire is beaten by the young upstart of Swindon

 

[tbtc]

Which is the largest place without any post-privatisation stock?

Post-privatisation rolling stock going through the town without stopping or only being used on very rare occasions doesn't count

There's knocking on a quarter of a million people in Rotherham but no* stops at Rotherham Central/ Swinton/ Kiveton Park/ Kiveton Bridge by "modern" trains.

Sure, there are 170s/185s/220s/221s passing through (plus a very token 222 service to Scarborough/York) but no modern trains stop (* other than one TPE service a day - dunno if that meets the OP's definition of "rare" though)?

 

[GlosRail]

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?

There's some photos of 180s at Swindon around but I think that was when FGW all the 180s rather than just 5.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

London Waterloo

The best I can find after Swindon is Slough, failing that then Birkenhead...

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Was going to suggest Halifax, but remembered Grand Central...

Can't think of anywhere bigger than Swindon, though Blackpool might be up there if/when it loses the TPE services.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Can't think of anywhere bigger than Swindon, though Blackpool might be up there if/when it loses the TPE services.

Voyagers from December

 

[61653 HTAFC]

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

Up until this May (and disregarding engineering diversions), Manchester Victoria was bigger assuming that Metrolink doesn't count.

As an aside, wasn't Swindon formerly served by VXC as it was then? Might have ended pre-Voyager days anyway, have a vague (and possibly mistaken) recollection that the Golden Valley was run by VXC 158s for a while...

 

[Penmorfa]

The population of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is given as 319,800 here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Borough_of_Wirral so that would be by far and away the biggest urban area served by pre privatisation stock.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Voyagers from December

Assuming there's no Shrewsbury-style last-minute nonsense...

 

[cm39275]

Hexham, Workington, Buxton, Barnstaple, Falmouth, looe, any station on Isle of Wright, glossop are just a few places I can think off.

 

[fowler9]

I was going to go with Birkenhead/Wirral but I guess it is where you draw the line. Are we talking a single station? I would guess Hamilton Square has a pretty heavy footfall, I could get the figures pretty easily but it is late and I'm tired and I have a job interview tomorrow I have been revising for. Ha ha.

 

[badassunicorn]

Southend Victoria

 

[klewer]

Peterborough?

 

[starrymarkb]

Peterborough?

XC 170s every hour

 

[northwichcat]

Hexham, Workington, Buxton, Barnstaple, Falmouth, looe, any station on Isle of Wright, glossop are just a few places I can think off.

I was asking for large settlements - places like Buxton and Hexham are small towns and aren't even comparable in size to places such as Birkenhead and Swindon which have already been mentioned.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Sure, there are 170s/185s/220s/221s passing through (plus a very token 222 service to Scarborough/York) but no modern trains stop (* other than one TPE service a day - dunno if that meets the OP's definition of "rare" though)?

I was thinking of a weekly service or less frequent (e.g. no booked modern traction) as 'very rare.' Rotherham and 185s is an unusual one though in that it's only one service with no return service.

 

[theageofthetra]

Many places on the Southeastern metro routes are only served by 465/6 Networkers or TSGN ( ex FCC) 319's. Brixton springs to mind as a big one.

 

[jopsuk]

XC 170s every hour

Both directions, as well

GA 170s terminating then heading back every 2 hours as well.

 

[Thomas6187]

Widnes is served by TPE, only once a day mind, by the 07:15 Liverpool-Scarborough

 

[tbtc]

I was thinking of a weekly service or less frequent (e.g. no booked modern traction) as 'very rare.' Rotherham and 185s is an unusual one though in that it's only one service with no return service.

Fair enough, didn't know how "rare" we were talking.

Whilst I appreciate that these arguments are always going to depend on how big you want to define an area as being (where are the boundaries, where do you draw the line...), Wiki has Gateshead as having slightly over 200,000 people - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Borough_of_Gateshead - and no modern trains stop at Dunston/ Metro Centre (just 1980s British Rail ones and 1970s Metro ones at Gateshead).

Roughly 150,000 people in South Tyneside too - who see no modern trains stopping there either - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Tyneside...

...and 200,000 in North Tyneside - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Tyneside who don't have any trains whatsoever (just light rail)...

...but then where do you draw the line over a "settlement"? Is this all "Newcastle" to those from outside the area? (it's not Newcastle in my opinion, but some people consider anyone from north of Scotch Corner to be from Newcastle )

 

[MidnightFlyer]

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

 

[Rapidash]

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

Some of those stats are massively out of date. Torquay has grown by some 20,000 since it was updated!

Actually, looks like they mixed up Paignton with Torquay, D'oh!