TRIVIA : Where haven’t Sprinters been?

[Neptune]

150001 went on a huge tour of the country when new including places sprinters have never operated. I’m fairly certain that St Pancras was used for some of its publicity shots so south MML can be ruled out for never seen a sprinter.

 

[Snow1964]

SW London branches eg Chessington, Shepperton, Windsor

Alton branch, possibly Frimley line

Was going to say Brockenhurst - Dorchester South, (think they have been to Lymington)

Sprinters (in original class 155 form) used to Operate Portsmouth - Cardiff so parts of SWR territory have seen them for about 34 years

 

[John C]

A little more obscure....Ely to King’s Lynn ? Weaver Junction to Acton Grange Junction ? Berwick to Dunbar ?

I maybe wrong but I believe the 158’s which transferred a few years back from Scot Rail to Northern (158786 etc) travelled between Haymarket and either Heaton/Neville Hill via the ECML thus covering the Dunbar-Berwick section.

 

[yorksrob]

Wasn't there a plan to use class 150s to replace Thumpers at one point? I'm sure I read that somewhere.

I believe it was mooted. I feel very lucky that it never came to anything.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

All London termini apart from Waterloo.
All of Kent

Euston had a regular 158 working in the early days of privatisation when North West Trains ran a service.

156502 reached Dover in 1989, where it used the train ferry to cross the Channel and take part in an exhibition in Holland to mark the 150th anniversary of NS

 

[jopsuk]

Weren’t 155s and 156s called Super Sprinter when they were introduced? If so, are only 150s actually Sprinters, and therefore many fewer lines have been visited?

I think for the purposes of this thread the wider definition, including the Express Sprinter, is being used.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Jan 2021 ==

Euston had a regular 158 working in the early days of privatisation when North West Trains ran a service.

156502 reached Dover in 1989, where it used the train ferry to cross the Channel and take part in an exhibition in Holland to mark the 150th anniversary of NS

I was about to post this- it went under its own power, unlike 150263 which the previous year had travelled through Dover but being towed as part of an exhibition train, along with two BREL International coaches, the class 89, a 90 and a 91 and a couple of wagons with couplers/brake adaptors (and transitional liveries) to marshal the sprinter into the consist

 

[delt1c]

What about the WCML from Lancaster to Carlisle

 

[aliceh]

Was going to say Brockenhurst - Dorchester South, (think they have been to Lymington)

I've been on one in service to Bournemouth (during flooding disruption) , and i think they occasionally go to Bournemouth depot. Plus the Corfe Castle service used one, but between Branksome and Wareham is in with a shout!

 

[JonathanH]

Wasn't there a plan to use class 150s to replace Thumpers at one point? I'm sure I read that somewhere.

I don't think there was a plan. It was mooted in a magazine at one point that 150/2s would have been desirable to run the Brighton to Ashford service when they first put the CEP trailer coaches in 207101-207103/205205 but there weren't any available.

 

[DustyBin]

How about the (now) Overground routes out of Liverpool Street? I’m thinking Cheshunt, Chingford and Enfield Town? Also there’s the new and former East London line sections, I’d be very surprised if a Sprinter has traversed those.

 

[curly42]

All London termini apart from Waterloo.
All of Kent

I've been into Paddington twice on 150/2s.

 

[Energy]

I've been into Paddington twice on 150/2s.

155s went to Oxford.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've been into Paddington twice on 150/2s.

The Silverlink 150s were often seen in the centre roads at Euston. I believe sometimes an early Sunday morning WCML diagram was operated by a pair.

One of the prototype 150s has definitely been to St Pancras (though not in its current form).

 

[Mat17]

150001 went on a huge tour of the country when new including places sprinters have never operated. I’m fairly certain that St Pancras was used for some of its publicity shots so south MML can be ruled out for never seen a sprinter.

Indeed I do believe I've seen a photo of it at St. Pancras.

My contender for never seeing a sprinter would be the line from Sheffield Victoria (as was) through to Wadsley Bridge station, which was used for football specials until the mid-90s.

 

[sprinterguy]

What about the WCML from Lancaster to Carlisle

Regularly traversed by the Crosscountry 158s in the mid-nineties to early 2000s.

The North West Trains 150s were also refurbished and repainted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock during 1999/2000 and I believe they used the WCML as far as Carlisle. Similarly the Silverlink 150s were refurbished and repainted by Railcare at Springburn.

More recently there's been movement of Northern units between Newton Heath and Kilmarnock for refurbishment.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Regularly traversed by the Crosscountry 158s in the mid-nineties to early 2000s.

That, and Sprinters (150, 156 and 158) have operated the Windermere-Manchester Airport services.

 

[Zooty]

What about the WCML from Lancaster to Carlisle

158s ran Manchester-Scotland in late BR and VXC days. And plenty of 156s on the Lancaster-Oxenholme stretch.

 

[hacman]

The Metro in Newcastle this is a guess

Pelaw - Sunderland is frequented by 156 and 158s, and Sunderland - South Hylton sees the Network Rail class 950 from time to time.

Obviously Gateshead Stadium - Pelaw Metro runs on a parallel track along the same alignment, so you could maybe count that - same with Palmersville - Northumberland park where 156s have gone up to Blyth.

 

[Sprinter107]

I've travelled into Euston from Coventry on an 8 car Tyseley rake when the juice was switched off very late one Saturday evening about 15 years ago.

 

[Whistler40145]

Finsbury Park to Moorgate

 

[Mag_seven]

HS1

 

[Polarbear]

A little more obscure....Ely to King’s Lynn ? Weaver Junction to Acton Grange Junction ? Berwick to Dunbar ?

Weaver Junction - Acton Grange Junction was briefly used by the First North Western Rochdale - Euston service that used 158's.

 

[Grecian 1998]

I've been on one in service to Bournemouth (during flooding disruption) , and i think they occasionally go to Bournemouth depot. Plus the Corfe Castle service used one, but between Branksome and Wareham is in with a shout!

SWT operated Bournemouth - Weymouth shuttles with 158s/159s during the 2012 Olympics.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Weymouth Quay branch.
Never will now

 

[Whistler40145]

North Downs line?

 

[PeterC]

A 156 did a day in service on the Braintree branch and I wouldn't be surprised if one has made it to Clacton at some point, no evidence for the latter just a hunch.

Romford - Upminster?

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Most of Merseyrail I'd think.

Merseyrail lines (excluding Hunt’s Cross, Chester, Bidston, Southport) ?

A 156 did make it to Hooton in 2013, as part of an excursion which started at Liverpool Lime Street and went via (IIRC) Warrington, Helsby and Ellesmere Port. On the way back it went via the Halton Curve.

 

[Bletchleyite]

A 156 did make it to Hooton in 2013, as part of an excursion which started at Liverpool Lime Street and went via (IIRC) Warrington, Helsby and Ellesmere Port. On the way back it went via the Halton Curve.

Did 15x ever operate the Helsby-Hooton service before it was electrified to Ellesmere Port, or was that just 1st generation DMUs?

 

[dubscottie]

A little more obscure....Ely to King’s Lynn ? Weaver Junction to Acton Grange Junction ? Berwick to Dunbar ?

Berwick to Dunbar has seen 142/143, 150, 156, 158 & 159s regularly over the years.

 

[Whistler40145]

Berwick to Chathill