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I think it is an 0139 from Euston that stops everywhere. The train sits at MKC for about an hour going back to Euston before forming the first almost civilised timed north bound service to give an 08:30 ish arrival in Brum
it is probably just a way to have the train in the right place at the right time and mean a driver and guard have a productive shift rather than doing 2 journeys: one at the start and one at the end of thier shift.
They must play havoc with the rather inflexible PIS on the 333s. ISTR that we had to switch the system off - which included the external destination indicators - on the odd occasion when it was necessary to substitute a 333 for a late-running turned-back 158 on a Carlisle service. You were then reliant on the conductor being in the right lace to make manual (....or should I say 'oral'?) announcements on the approach to station stops.
Oh yes, the last time I did it the PIS said that the next station was Apperley Bridge after leaving Shipley, although other times it’s been switched off.
The king of odd services was the Ilkley to Bradford services that skipped Baildon and Frizinghall - These were Sunday morning Ilkley to Leeds services that had been diverted into Bradford due to engineering works, only calling at Shipley to enable a change onto a RRB.
A Staff train, so isn't advertised to the public. I imagine it allows staff to start their day at the likes of Essex Road - or finish, as there's one back at close of service.
Real-time train running information for 2K19 2336 departure from Edinburgh to Inverkeithing on 02/07/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
This one has always fascinated me, a once a week service on Sundays terminating at Inverkeithing. It is pretty useless for anyone leaving edinburgh late on sunday wanting to go further into Fife
I think I remember seeing it used to run into rosyth dockyard many years ago and this is the service that still remains but finishing at inverkeithing instead?
Because , once upon a time , there was an hourly all night service MK to Euston , which was way too lavish.
So essential "get people to work" trains were put in - for example there was a similar 0414 Northampton to Euston.
So if you would like to prejudice early starts for essential rail services - not just the TOC;s , but London Regional Transport , freight , Network Rail , NHS maybe and I suppose other "key" services such as the Post Office and probably early starters in other industries and maybe the odd very early traveller aiming for Eurostar etc - then by all means petition for it to be removed.
(there services are straightforward night shifts - in any case - very late on the down and a decent layover before starting these key services)
The Sunday only 2346 Kings Cross-Finsbury Park seems weird. I've guessing the DfT have stipulated a time for the final service of the day. It's worked by an in-bound Cambridge service that is then on its way back to Hornsey depot.
If 6 minutes is an acceptable connection time at Finsbury Park then it provides a connection from Kings Cross on to the last northbound Hertford Loop service to Stevenage. Since it's going anyway....
Reckon that's a valid, if tight, connection. From one 'Thameslink and Grest Northern' service to another, and five minutes is the minimum connection time at Finsbury Park in such circumstances.
Not Network Rail, but I'm sure there was a regularly timetabled Tooting Broadway to Euston Northern Line train around midday, which seemed like a pretty odd service. I caught it once and "Euston" was displayed with a BR symbol on the platform's destination screens. Took ages to get the train out of the platform too
Not Network Rail, but I'm sure there was a regularly timetabled Tooting Broadway to Euston Northern Line train around midday, which seemed like a pretty odd service. I caught it once and "Euston" was displayed with a BR symbol on the platform's destination screens. Took ages to get the train out of the platform too
There's a chord that leads onto the Piccadilly Line there before Kings Cross, I guess it waits in the tunnel and reverses onto the North/Southbound lines
Not currently, but I remember a 01:xx Birmingham New Street to London Euston Network SouthEast service, expect this service didn't carry many passengers. Was a Class 321 Dusty Bin
Not Network Rail, but I'm sure there was a regularly timetabled Tooting Broadway to Euston Northern Line train around midday, which seemed like a pretty odd service. I caught it once and "Euston" was displayed with a BR symbol on the platform's destination screens. Took ages to get the train out of the platform too
A Northern Line train arriving at Euston from the south via the Bank branch can use the old northbound tunnel (as opposed to following the new route instituted to facilitate interchange with the Victoria Line when the latter opened) and - just before the station - join the southbound Bank branch platform. In theory it can then terminate there, the driver changes ends, and it restarts as a southbound service. Though I have no idea whether that platform is signalled to enable entry from the "southern" end, and whether - even if so - it's allowed in passenger service. However, that would mean turfing confused people out onto the wrong platform to continue their journey, entailing going up and down stairs to get to the right platform - hence, if this reversal were to be used for some operating reason, I'd assume that passengers would be taken off the train at KX/StP, and that that would be shown as the destination.
To terminate on the northbound platform and continue northwards makes little sense - there's nowhere to reverse or get into anywhere for stabling without going to several other stations first which might as well be served anyway.
Reversing from the northbound platform accesses nowhere you switch to the southbound track until Moorgate - so that seems unlikely. (Though reversing from that platform does enable access to the loop to access the northbound Piccadilly just before KX/StP Picc station. But I've never seen that being used in the middle of the day - and it seems unliley it would be a scheduled daily move.)
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Assuming it terminates on the Bank branch at Euston, it can cross over from the usual running line to the old disused northbound route. But to then reverse and return to service northbound would entail blocking the currently-used northbound route while the driver changes ends. (I doubt that the link between the Northern and Picc lines there is long enough to shove it in there and have the driver change ends out of the way of other trains in service.) I've only ever seen a train heading south at Euston (Bank branch) crossing to the old tunnel when leaving the station if it's already been empty of passengers when it arrived (hence presumably being an ECS move to the Piccadilly line).
Otherwise, terminating southbound and continuing on afterwards - on either branch - seems strange, since there's nowhere useful to go that might as well not be in passenger service anyway.
There's a chord that leads onto the Piccadilly Line there before Kings Cross, I guess it waits in the tunnel and reverses onto the North/Southbound lines
At Euston a train terminating in the southbound direction will turn right south of the platform, head southbound over what was the pre-1960s northbound line, over the current northbound, and then into the 1920s connection with the Piccadilly Line. The train stops at signal L.221, where the driver will change ends and head back north. This isn’t a passenger move.
It’s also possible to terminate at King’s Cross northboundand run via the original northbound line then cross over into Euston southbound platform, where the driver can change ends and return south. This can be either empty or in service depending on operational preference.
Nothing is booked to do this move in the current timetable, though it happens regularly during disruption - mainly the southbound to northbound, though very occasionally the other way.
At Euston a train terminating in the southbound direction will turn right south of the platform, head southbound over what was the pre-1960s northbound line, over the current northbound, and then into the 1920s connection with the Piccadilly Line. The train stops at signal L.221, where the driver will change ends and head back north. This isn’t a passenger move.
It’s also possible to terminate at King’s Cross northboundand run via the original northbound line then cross over into Euston southbound platform, where the driver can change ends and return south. This can be either empty or in service depending on operational preference.
Nothing is booked to do this move in the current timetable, though it happens regularly during disruption - mainly the southbound to northbound, though very occasionally the other way.
Aha - thanks for the info. As you'll have seen from my comment on this, it wasn't obvious (to me anyway!) that the Northern-Picc link was long enough to hold a train so it could reverse there without being in the way of other services.
Aha - thanks for the info. As you'll have seen from my comment on this, it wasn't obvious (to me anyway!) that the Northern-Picc link was long enough to hold a train so it could reverse there without being in the way of other services.
Yes both the connections can hold a 95 stock train. Since the Northern Line went ATC trains don’t proceed quite as far into the King’s Cross Loop as hitherto.
At Euston a train terminating in the southbound direction will turn right south of the platform, head southbound over what was the pre-1960s northbound line, over the current northbound, and then into the 1920s connection with the Piccadilly Line. The train stops at signal L.221, where the driver will change ends and head back north. This isn’t a passenger move.
It’s also possible to terminate at King’s Cross northboundand run via the original northbound line then cross over into Euston southbound platform, where the driver can change ends and return south. This can be either empty or in service depending on operational preference.
Nothing is booked to do this move in the current timetable, though it happens regularly during disruption - mainly the southbound to northbound, though very occasionally the other way.
That's funny because it wasn't during any disruption I got on this service. I think it was around 2017, maybe 16. I can't remember what it did when it got to Euston but I remember people being very confused. The next train was quite a few minutes behind obviously whilst it waited for the trains reversal.
That's funny because it wasn't during any disruption I got on this service. I think it was around 2017, maybe 16. I can't remember what it did when it got to Euston but I remember people being very confused. The next train was quite a few minutes behind obviously whilst it waited for the trains reversal.
It wouldn’t necessarily have to be disruption as such. But if one particular train is late for whatever reason then Euston is available as a means of returning it to time.
2313 Edinburgh to Motherwell via Carstairs. The unit spends the night in Motherwell Derby Carriage Sidings then works the 0559 return via Holytown the next morning. Always a 158 too, despite the entire route being electrified.
Only rationale I can come up with is for the Parliamentary ser between Mossend South and East junctions and/or last train to Carstairs from Edinburgh.
Equally at around midnight Carstairs receives a rather random arrival from Dalmuir which then runs empty to Motherwell for the night.
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