Unrealistic Musing: "Coaster" Overnight Service

[Bedpan]

And I’d ask why we don’t have more! London to Leeds via Shrewsbury. Birmingham to Manchester via Peterborough. The Great Way Round is reborn

London to Shrewsbury via Exeter, Bristol, Cardiff, Sugar Loaf. If you used the Swansea District line you wouldn't need to reverse.

 

[JamesRowden]

If there were engineering works between Brighton and Eastbourne then passengers could get the N12 "Coaster" bus service.

Did the OP get the idea for the service by taking the N12 and thinking 'let's make it a train and make it run for the whole night without terminating'?

 

[DanTrain]

London to Shrewsbury via Exeter, Bristol, Cardiff, Sugar Loaf. If you used the Swansea District line you wouldn't need to reverse.

I’d love to measure the patronage on the sleeper to Sugar Loaf

 

[ccityplanner12]

London to Shrewsbury via Exeter, Bristol, Cardiff, Sugar Loaf. If you used the Swansea District line you wouldn't need to reverse.

Then have it go Chester > Warrington Bank Quay > Liverpool Lime Street > Manchester Victoria > Ashton-uL > Huddersfield > Halifax > Bradford I > Leeds > York > Stockton-oT > Durham > Newcastle Central
If we could get it under the Mersey it could either use the Mid-Wirral line or curve off at Chester to serve Liverpool instead of reversing at Lime Street.

Did the OP get the idea for the service by taking the N12 and thinking 'let's make it a train and make it run for the whole night without terminating'?

No, but I see where you're coming from.

 

[Merseysider]

Stick a 139 on to do the route and you’ll just about fit in all your passengers

 

[Statto]

Then have it go Chester > Warrington Bank Quay > Liverpool Lime Street > Manchester Victoria > Ashton-uL > Huddersfield > Halifax > Bradford I > Leeds > York > Stockton-oT > Durham > Newcastle Central
If we could get it under the Mersey it could either use the Mid-Wirral line or curve off at Chester to serve Liverpool instead of reversing at Lime Street.


No, but I see where you're coming from.

Think if it went via the Wirral, one idea could be using the line currently used for ECS movements between James Street & Liverpool Central.

 

[GW43125]

Stick a 139 on to do the route and you’ll just about fit in all your passengers

When the pacers come off-lease, use them. Benches you can lay across to sleep and the lack of suspension should rock you to sleep!

 

[backontrack]

This would be conventional carriages behind a class 73 locomotive. It would go from London to Weymouth round the coast.
Out late on a Friday night calling at:

London Victoria > Denmark Hill [3] > Lewisham [4] > Welling > Dartford > Gravesend > Strood > Rochester > Chatham > Gillingham > Rainham > Sittingbourne [2] > Faversham [3] > Whitstable > Herne Bay > Birchington-on-Sea > Margate [1] > Ramsgate [2] > Sandwich > Deal > Dover Priory [1] > Folkestone Central > Ashford [6] (reverses & switches to diesel mode) > Rye > Ore (switches back to electric mode) > Hastings [2] > St Leonards Warrior Square > Bexhill > Eastbourne [3] (reverses) > Hampden Park > Lewes [4] > Falmer > Brighton [3] (reverses) > Hove [3] > Portslade > Shoreham-by-Sea > Lancing > Worthing [3] > Durrington-on-Sea > Angmering > Bognor Regis [2] (reverses) > Barnham [3] > Littlehampton [1] (reverses) > Chichester > Havant > Hilsea > Fratton [2] > Portsmouth & Southsea [3] (reverses) > Fratton [1] > Cosham > Portchester > Fareham > Swanwick > Woolston > St Denys [4] > Southampton Central [4] > Totton > Brockenhurst [3] > New Milton > Christchurch > Bournemouth > Poole > Dorchester South > Weymouth [1] (reverses) > Upwey (switches to diesel mode) > Dorchester West > Yeovil Pen Mill > Castle Cary [2] > Bruton > Frome > Westbury [3] > Trowbridge > Bradford-on-Avon > Bath Spa > Bristol Temple Meads

Returning on a Saturday night calling at:

Bristol Temple Meads > Bath Spa > Bradford-on-Avon > Trowbridge > Westbury [2] > Bruton > Castle Cary [2] > Yeovil Pen Mill > Dorchester West > Upwey (switches to electric mode) > Weymouth [1] (reverses) > Dorchester South > Poole > Bournemouth > Christchurch > New Milton > Brockenhurst [2] > Totton > Southampton Central [1] > St Denys [3] > Woolston > Swanwick > Fareham > Portchester > Cosham > Fratton [2] > Portsmouth & Southsea [3] (reverses) > Fratton [1] > Havant > Chichester > Barnham [3] > Littlehampton [1] (reverses) > Bognor Regis [2] (reverses) > Angmering > Durrington-on-Sea > Worthing [2] > Lancing > Shoreham-by-Sea > Portslade > Hove [2] > Brighton [3] (reverses) > Falmer > Lewes [3] > Polegate > Eastbourne [3] (reverses) > Bexhill > St Leonards Warrior Square > Hastings [3] > Ore (switches to diesel mode) > Rye > Ashford [6] (reverses & switches back to electric mode) > Dover Priory [2] > Deal > Sandwich > Ramsgate [3] > Margate [3] > Birchington-on-Sea > Herne Bay > Whitstable > Faversham [2] > Sittingbourne [1] > Rainham > Gillingham [2] > Chatham > Rochester > Strood [2] > Gravesend > Dartford [2] > Welling > Lewisham [3] > Denmark Hill [4] > London Victoria

This journey will undoubtedly be very long, but that's kind of the point. It's to give clubbers & low-budget tourists who have been out late at night a place to get some sleep without having to pay for a hotel/hostel.
Perhaps first-class passengers could ask to be woken up when they reach their destination (would make more money by encouraging more people to buy first-class).

Based on National Rail Enquiries searches, this service would take 10 hours 30 minutes if it were to go all the way to Bristol, or 8h33m if it were to terminate at Weymouth.

*snaps fingers*

I knew that there was something we could do with the 707s!

 

[bussnapperwm]

*snaps fingers*

I knew that there was something we could do with the 707s!

Don't forget the obligatory loco haul!

 

[Intermodal]

I'm surprised nobody has suggested steam haulage for this yet. Seems just as practical as the rest of the ideas! Get WCRC to grab some Mk1 stock from Crewe and fire up one of the A4s for it! Could even have a brake van heading up the rear with the disabled space turned into a disco coach!

 

[backontrack]

Don't forget the obligatory loco haul!

Baby Deltics all the way.