Long turn-rounds at quiet terminus stations

[nw1]

Does this ever happen? i.e. a train terminates at either a dead-end terminus or a very quiet junction station as part of the regular hourly clockface service, and has a long turn around time of more than 30 minutes, due to timetable constraints. I'm thinking of any occurrence in modern times, post-Beeching, i.e. from approximately 1970 onwards - but I am thinking of the regular off-peak pattern, not exceptions around the peaks or late at night.

I wonder what drivers and guards do if there is a long wait at such a terminus station as part of the hourly pattern. I'd imagine that it might help if there is a station cafe...

To give an example of the sort of stations I'm thinking of, they would include - but not be restricted to - Alton, East Grinstead, Uckfield, Henley and Marlow.

 

[Peter0124]

Mallaig?

 

[Bigfoot]

Does this ever happen? i.e. a train terminates at either a dead-end terminus or a very quiet junction station as part of the regular hourly clockface service, and has a long turn around time of more than 30 minutes, due to timetable constraints. I'm thinking of any occurrence in modern times, post-Beeching, i.e. from approximately 1970 onwards.

I wonder what drivers and guards do if there is a long wait at such a terminus station as part of the hourly pattern. I'd imagine that it might help if there is a station cafe...

To give an example of the sort of stations I'm thinking of, they would include - but not be restricted to - Alton, East Grinstead, Uckfield, Henley and Marlow.

Alton is a good place for a nap, a visit to. The cafe or waitrose. Unless it's a Sunday and it's mostly in and out.

 

[dk1]

Always good in locations such as Lowestoft with an excellent Wetherspoons opposite. Not my patch but Pwllheli springs to mind too.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Brum to Shrewsbury has a long layover at Shrewsbury and almost none at New St.

 

[John C]

Buxton the layover is around 50 minutes, generally outside of peak times arrives from Manchester Piccadilly at :06 and departs again around :55.

 

[popeter45]

the GWR 800's can have quite long turn arounds at swansea upwards of 45 minutes some times
e.g.

Realtime Trains | 1B19 1448 London Paddington to Swansea | 12/11/2022

Real-time train running information for 1B19 1448 departure from London Paddington to Swansea on 12/11/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Realtime Trains | 1L32 1822 Swansea to London Paddington | 12/11/2022

Real-time train running information for 1L32 1822 departure from Swansea to London Paddington on 12/11/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[nw1]

Buxton the layover is around 50 minutes, generally outside of peak times arrives from Manchester Piccadilly at :06 and departs again around :55.

Yes, Buxton is a good example of the type of station I had in mind, thanks for that.

I used Buxton once or twice a year in the mid-to-late nineties but can't remember what the turnaround was like then.

 

[py_megapixel]

Buxton the layover is around 50 minutes, generally outside of peak times arrives from Manchester Piccadilly at :06 and departs again around :55.

Was just going to mention Buxton. The timetable on that line is quite silly; it's apparently so tight that trains can't serve both Middlewood and Dove Holes in the same hour, and yet there's time for a 50 min layover at the end and a slow crawl into Manchester stopping at Heaton Chapel and Levenshulme.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Not my patch but Pwllheli springs to mind too.

Are the turn-around times at Pwllheli particularly long? Twenty or so minutes seems to be fairly typical.

 

[JonathanH]

Reading, Windsor and Weybridge for most of the day since 2004.

 

[dk1]

Are the turn-around times at Pwllheli particularly long? Twenty or so minutes seems to be fairly typical.

Oh I have no idea. As I said, off my patch. Just that a good Spoon is almost opposite.

 

[nw1]

the GWR 800's can have quite long turn arounds at swansea upwards of 45 minutes some times
e.g.

Realtime Trains | 1B19 1448 London Paddington to Swansea | 12/11/2022

Real-time train running information for 1B19 1448 departure from London Paddington to Swansea on 12/11/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Realtime Trains | 1L32 1822 Swansea to London Paddington | 12/11/2022

Real-time train running information for 1L32 1822 departure from Swansea to London Paddington on 12/11/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Though AFAIK that's quite normal for IC services at large city stations. I'm not so much thinking of places like Swansea, which have many facilities and perhaps staff depots, but rather smaller stations in smaller towns, such as Buxton, Alton, East Grinstead, Uckfield and so on, where facilities are less.

Are the turn-around times at Pwllheli particularly long? Twenty or so minutes seems to be fairly typical.

Given the long journeys involved, I'd expect somewhere like Pwllheli to have a long turn-around to allow for recovery time!

Was just going to mention Buxton. The timetable on that line is quite silly; it's apparently so tight that trains can't serve both Middlewood and Dove Holes in the same hour, and yet there's time for a 50 min layover at the end and a slow crawl into Manchester stopping at Heaton Chapel and Levenshulme.

Have checked the 1982 timetable for Buxton, on Timetable World. Long turn-around then too, arr Buxton xx30, depart xx08 next hour. That year it was all stations every hour, including (oddly - I'd expect them to be served by the EMU services on the route) Heaton Chapel and Levenshulme.

In the 90s I remember the alternating Middlewood/Dove Holes skip also happened, but trains ran fast Stockport-Manchester and v.v. That was the pattern when the Buxton ran on the opposite half-hour to the Chester, and both continued across Manchester to Bolton and beyond.

 

[pdq]

Pembroke Dock gets almost an hour and there's not a great deal to do there...

 

[rg177]

Pembroke Dock gets almost an hour and there's not a great deal to do there...

This was what came to mind for me. Recall doing an ALR and spending quite a long time sat on a bench looking at the water hoping for departure time to come.

 

[Magdalia]

Kings Lynn is an interesting example.

20 years ago the down trains were xx45 from Kings Cross arriving at Kings Lynn at xx19 for a journey time of 94 minutes. There was a 37 minute turnround at Kings Lynn with departure of up trains at xx56, arriving Kings Cross xx33 for a journey time of 97 minutes.

Now the down trains are xx42 from Kings Cross arriving at Kings Lynn at xx31 for a journey time of 111 minutes. There is a 13 minute turnround at Kings Lynn with departure of up trains at xx44, mostly arriving Kings Cross xx33 for a journey time of 109 minutes.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Pembroke Dock gets almost an hour and there's not a great deal to do there...

Strangely, the first and last trains of the day do seem to have a far shorter turn-around time. Three minutes or so, but a lot longer during the middle of the day.

 

[Peter0124]

There are also one or two turnarounds at Gourock that are 4-6 hours. The unit basically stables there during the day.

 

[Bevan Price]

There used to be some turnrounds of almost 2 hours at New Mills Central (from Manchester Piccadilly) when the Hope Valley local ran 2-hourly, but currently about 40 minutes seems to be the longest turnround. Units usually shunted to the siding and waited there until their return working, but occasionally one might continue empty to near Chinley South Jn and return North via Stockport.

 

[Kite159]

.

Strangely, the first and last trains of the day do seem to have a far shorter turn-around time. Three minutes or so, but a lot longer during the middle of the day.

The issue with Pembroke Dock is the position of the loop at Tenby.

Not sure but on a Sunday (at least in the past) the trains have a short turnaround as it's not a clockface 2 hourly service but something like a train every 150 minutes with them passing between Whitland & Carmarthen

 

[Dai Corner]

Trains are allowed 37:minutes to get from Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach, then sit for 38 minutes before returning.

 

[zwk500]

To give an example of the sort of stations I'm thinking of, they would include - but not be restricted to - Alton, East Grinstead, Uckfield, Henley and Marlow.

Fairly sure that Alton is almost exactly 30 minutes, as the departure is immediately after an arrival, with the recently arrived train forming the following departure. This allows stepping up of units in the event of disruption. It also causes a massive pain in the neck for movements on/off the Mid Hants if you arrive in the wrong half of the hour as you need to reverse the platform plan for the whole day or find somewhere to hide for half an hour.

 

[GWVillager]

Trains terminating at Hereford can sit there for some time, though it varies. In my experience train crew rarely leave the train.

 

[Birmingham]

Reading, Windsor and Weybridge for most of the day since 2004.

Quiet terminus station?

 

[JonathanH]

Quiet terminus station?

Long turnaround due to constraints elsewhere on the route - scope exists for a long turnaround because the relevant platforms have spare capacity.

 

[Birmingham]

Long turnaround due to constraints elsewhere on the route - scope exists for a long turnaround because the relevant platforms have spare capacity.

My point is I don't think that's the kind of station the OP had in mind.

 

[td97]

40 minutes at Hazel Grove for the Blackpool North services

Realtime Trains | 5N68 1315 Hazel Grove to Hazel Grove | 12/11/2022

Real-time train running information for 5N68 1315 departure from Hazel Grove to Hazel Grove on 12/11/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[johnnychips]

40 minutes at Hazel Grove for the Blackpool North services

Realtime Trains | 5N68 1315 Hazel Grove to Hazel Grove | 12/11/2022

Real-time train running information for 5N68 1315 departure from Hazel Grove to Hazel Grove on 12/11/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

I suppose the staff could use it as an official break - as long as the train has a toilet. Mind you, I have no idea how these things work.

 

[alistairlees]

In the early 1980s turnaround at Scarborough on summer Sundays was around 5 hours. Services from Sheffield, Bradford and other places would arrive by midday(ish) then depart at tea time. Same loco, coaches and crew. The punters would have a day out at the seaside. Possibly the crew too?

 

[AlbertBeale]

Brum to Shrewsbury has a long layover at Shrewsbury and almost none at New St.

Given the occupancy level of platforms in New St at times, that make sense...