Yesterday evening I found myself in the situation where the fastest and cheapest way to get from New Street to Euston was a pair of LNW services, changing at Long Buckby onto this Crewe-Euston service (1U46) https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P45224/2019/10/06/advanced. Given the length of its journey, I was quite surprised to find it calling at places like Cheddington (presumably due to the two-track timetable on the WCML on a Sunday evening) and on examination found it called at every station from Crewe to Hemel Hempstead, after which it skipped Apsley and King’s Langley - I’m excluding Polesworth as that is now a northbound-only station!
I wondered if Crewe-Hemel Hempstead might be the longest stretch of all-stops running on any train, in mileage terms - 133 miles 24 chains. Inevitably, a bit of cursory research found this wasn’t even vaguely the case. My first thought was that Scotland would beat it, so checked the obvious contenders:
Helensburgh Upper-Mallaig (137 miles 39 chains)
Inverness - Wick via Thurso (174 miles 31 chains)
But both of those are beaten by 1H17, the Sundays-only Glasgow Queen Street-Elgin service, which calls at every station between Dunblane and Elgin (183 miles 10 chains) https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G89176/2019/10/13/advanced
I also wondered about the West Country, but can’t find anything to top Penzance-Dawlish (119 miles 26 chains).
So maybe Wales and the border area? The Heart of Wales line can offer Crewe-Bridgend (180 miles 2 chains), but I think the winners might well be among the North-South Wales services on the Marches route. In the week there is 1W90, the 05:08 Cardiff Central-Llandudno, which calls at every station on its 196 mile, 75 chain journey. However, on Sundays 1V90, the 10:20 Holyhead-Cardiff Central calls at every station (with a few request stops, obviously) - 233 miles 51 chains https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P76498/2019/10/13/advanced. That’s a hundred miles more than my original guess.
This is a based on a very cursory, gut-feeling search. Does anyone have any more?
I wondered if Crewe-Hemel Hempstead might be the longest stretch of all-stops running on any train, in mileage terms - 133 miles 24 chains. Inevitably, a bit of cursory research found this wasn’t even vaguely the case. My first thought was that Scotland would beat it, so checked the obvious contenders:
Helensburgh Upper-Mallaig (137 miles 39 chains)
Inverness - Wick via Thurso (174 miles 31 chains)
But both of those are beaten by 1H17, the Sundays-only Glasgow Queen Street-Elgin service, which calls at every station between Dunblane and Elgin (183 miles 10 chains) https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G89176/2019/10/13/advanced
I also wondered about the West Country, but can’t find anything to top Penzance-Dawlish (119 miles 26 chains).
So maybe Wales and the border area? The Heart of Wales line can offer Crewe-Bridgend (180 miles 2 chains), but I think the winners might well be among the North-South Wales services on the Marches route. In the week there is 1W90, the 05:08 Cardiff Central-Llandudno, which calls at every station on its 196 mile, 75 chain journey. However, on Sundays 1V90, the 10:20 Holyhead-Cardiff Central calls at every station (with a few request stops, obviously) - 233 miles 51 chains https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P76498/2019/10/13/advanced. That’s a hundred miles more than my original guess.
This is a based on a very cursory, gut-feeling search. Does anyone have any more?
