Unusual stock allocations to services (BR era)

[nw1]

Just wondering how many unusual regular stock allocations people remember historically, i.e. during the BR era up to the mid 90s.

I can remember a few:

- the one a day Waterloo-Portsmouth (direct) run by 50 and coaches in 1986/87, possibly 1987/88. This was a positioning move for a Portsmouth to Paignton (I think) service - see the other thread about unusual through journeys.

- the peak-hour Waterloo to Basingstoke/Alton (split Woking) in 1983/84 formed of 6 2HAP units (most trains were VEPs, perhaps with one HAP for extra capacity but this was the only pure-HAP service of 12 coaches I remember).

- during the transition-to-442s period in 1989/90, there were a number of Waterloo-Bournemouth and Poole services formed of 73s and 4TCs. These even included some stopping trains ("93s") - ISTR the 0850 and 1650-ish Southampton to Waterloo stoppers were so formed.

- not such a big deal, but CIGs used to run quite a few stopping services out of Waterloo in the 80s, including even some Cobham line services in 1983/84 before 455s came in the following year. Imagine a 444 running a Cobham line service today!

- one Reading to Birmingham(fast, normal Cross-Country stopping pattern) in 1986/87 run by a Tyseley 116, I think it left Reading 1140. This was actually not in the timetable; they appeared to add it sometime between May and July as an extra presumably because there was demand for it and it filled in a two-hour gap in trains between Reading and Birmingham.

- peak hour trains which went towards Southampton and Salisbury formed of a 33, 4TC and one or more VEPs, splitting at Basingstoke (the 33 and 4TC for Salisbury). There was a 1700 out of Waterloo which did this in 1983/84 and another a bit later in the peak, which went non-stop through Woking.

- peak hour Oxford stoppers out of Paddington formed by 50s and MkI coaches (offpeak were 117s)

I'm sure there are others but can't think of them right now!

 

[ChiefPlanner]

WR DMU working some of the Kensington - Clapham shuttles ...

 

[Masbroughlad]

I can remember being at Shefffield once in the early 80s (?) and a 31 and half dozen 'past their best' mark ones on a tea time train to St Pancras vice HST. Took it to Chesterfield for the thrill! Lol.

 

[Old Hill Bank]

For about eighteen months Regional Railways borrowed a 165 from NSE which would otherwise be spare at Worcester to run a Worcester Birmingham via Bromsgrove service. It then Worked passenger out of New Street via Kidderminster back to Worcester picking up it's return path to Paddington, much in the local media about this new through service from the Stourbridge Line to London. Reg Rail where very quick to point out it was only a temporary arrangement. A lot of guage clearance work was needed on cross city south platforms was required to make this happen.

 

[Millisle]

Class 101 DMUs for a while in the 80s providing Edinburgh-Carstairs connexions were enjoyable for the enthusiast as they crawled their way from the east to Cobbinshaw summit. I remember reading enviously of an occasion in those years when a DMU, again I think a 101, was substituted from Perth to Inverness for a failed loco train. It was returned the next day by Inverness hauled by a 37.

 

[yorksrob]

We used to get a four carriage Hastings unit on the Marshlink in the late 80‘s, which was quite a step up in comfort from the usual Hampshire and Sussex units. Also, I remember getting a Sussex thumper between Reading and Basingstoke on one occasion in the early 90‘s, although I‘m not sure how rare this was.

I also remember seeing the VEP with the TC driving trailer about on the South Eastern, although to my eternal annoyance it was never going where I was.

 

[eastwestdivide]

WR DMU working some of the Kensington - Clapham shuttles ...

And 73 on diesel + 2 Mk1 coaches working the same service. Early 80s. I've got a picture somewhere

 

[JonathanH]

We used to get a four carriage Hastings unit on the Marshlink in the late 80‘s, which was quite a step up in comfort from the usual Hampshire and Sussex units. Also, I remember getting a Sussex thumper between Reading and Basingstoke on one occasion in the early 90‘s, although I‘m not sure how rare this was.

I also remember seeing the VEP with the TC driving trailer about on the South Eastern, although to my eternal annoyance it was never going where I was.

A number of class 207 units were transferred to Eastleigh when the East Grinstead electrification was completed, presumably because they were in better condition than the 205s. The centre carriage was something of a novelty realtive to the 205s.

 

[yorksrob]

A number of class 207 units were transferred to Eastleigh when the East Grinstead electrification was completed, presumably because they were in better condition than the 205s. The centre carriage was something of a novelty realtive to the 205s.

Thanks for the background. Makes sense as they were decent units and not life expired.

 

[Bevan Price]

There was a West of England** - Brighton service at weekends in the 1980s. To Brighton on Saturday, returning west on Sunday, and worked by a Class 73 between Portsmouth & Brighton.

** - Would need to check old timetable to see if it was from Plymouth or Paignton.

 

[55018ballymoss]

For about eighteen months Regional Railways borrowed a 165 from NSE which would otherwise be spare at Worcester to run a Worcester Birmingham via Bromsgrove service. It then Worked passenger out of New Street via Kidderminster back to Worcester picking up it's return path to Paddington, much in the local media about this new through service from the Stourbridge Line to London. Reg Rail where very quick to point out it was only a temporary arrangement. A lot of guage clearance work was needed on cross city south platforms was required to make this happen.

I remember this from when I used to commute from Droitwich to Birmingham in the nineties. I thought it worked Worcester-Hereford, Hereford-Birmingham New Street via Bromsgrove, and then Birmingham New Street-Paddington via Kidderminster.
There was a balancing working for the evening peak, but I cannot remember how the Turbo got to New Street to form the back working via Bromsgrove to Hereford...