Are there any true non-stop expresses left in the UK?

[coolrobert21]

There's a few from Barton Under Needwood [Central Rivers Depot] that go to likes of Reading. Before covid restrictions, wasn't there a couple that went Euston-Barton under Needwood?

A contender could be Barton Under Needwood to Ilford

 

[Whistler40145]

A contender could be Barton Under Needwood to Ilford

Barton-under-Needwood is a depot and not a railway station, you'd be hard pushed to find any passenger trains to/from this facility, only stock movements

 

[47434]

Wasn't there at one point in the timetable an East Coast service that ran from Leeds to London Kings Cross with just a stop in Wakefield Westgate?

Yes - the 07:00. For the pedants, this actually starts in Bradford though so has 2 stops between origin and destination. A great train allowing sub-2hr travel Leeds - London (when we used to travel to meetings...)

 

[30907]

Yes - the 07:00. For the pedants, this actually starts in Bradford though so has 2 stops between origin and destination. A great train allowing sub-2hr travel Leeds - London (when we used to travel to meetings...)

For true pedants, it has intermediate 3 stops - Shipley being the first.

 

[scotrail170407]

The closest Scotrail services I can think of to be classed as expressed are:

1B14 0456 Inverness - Edinburgh

Fast from Dundee to Haymarket and the only scotrail service booked not to call at Leuchars

Realtime Trains - 1B14 0456 Inverness to Edinburgh

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

1A77 1639 Glasgow - Aberdeen

Only service booked not to call at Stirling, the 1539 Glasgow to Aberdeen also did this however it seems to have disappeared from the timetable for some reason and last ran on the 2nd January

(1539) https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/M59009/2021-01-02/detailed#allox_id=0

Realtime Trains - 1A77 1639 Glasgow Queen Street to Aberdeen

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

And this may be pushing it slightly for the definition of ‘express’ but the 1132 and 1329 Edinburgh to Aberdeen, the only scotrail services booked not to call at Montrose.

Realtime Trains - 1A71 1132 Edinburgh to Aberdeen

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

(1329) https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y50106/2021-01-11/detailed


Other than scotrail, the most appropriate service to be classed as an express would have to be CrossCountry’s 2A01, 0642 Dundee to Aberdeen, and amusingly it’s under a 2 headcode when it’s the fastest service between the two cities.

Realtime Trains - 2A01 0642 Dundee to Aberdeen

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[SoccerHQ]

A few years back when I knew someone in London there were cheap fares for the 5pm London Euston train that called at Tamworth and Lichfield Trent Valley and then onto Glasgow, caught a few of these and they were actually stopping at Milton Keynes just to set down but just sped through last time I caught it which was a while ago pre covid (no cheap fares weeks in advance any longer.....) so just over an hour and same time for me to get back to Sutton going by Lichfield if everything is on time than doing the more natural via New Street.

 

[D6130]

The pre-World War 2 Royal Scot ran non-stop from Euston to Carlisle, where it changed locos and crew; then stopped only at Symington (to detach an Edinburgh portion) and Glasgow Central. The same applied in reverse in the Up direction.

 

[hexagon789]

The pre-World War 2 Royal Scot ran non-stop from Euston to Carlisle, where it changed locos and crew; then stopped only at Symington (to detach an Edinburgh portion) and Glasgow Central. The same applied in reverse in the Up direction.

Mentioned a few pages back; the GWR also advertised certain expresses as non-stop between certain points when in reality they stopped to change locos.

 

[73128]

The 90s Royal Scot was Preston, Oxenholme & Carlisle. More recently Virgin had the 16:30 off Euston which I think was Preston and Carlisle only.

The Royal Scot stopped only at Preston initially (1984) (5 hour timing to Glasgow) and later had Carlisle and then an Oxenholme stop added.

Mentioned a few pages back; the GWR also advertised certain expresses as non-stop between certain points when in reality they stopped to change locos.

as did the Southern where the ACE changed MNs at Wilton.

 

[hexagon789]

The Royal Scot stopped only at Preston initially (1984) (5 hour timing to Glasgow) and later had Carlisle and then an Oxenholme stop added.

I think you mean 1974, by 1980 a Carlisle stop was added and running time extended to 5 hours 5 mins. In 1984 despite being timed for 110mph running it wasn't much better - 5hrs 05 down and 5hrs 03 up.

 

[73128]

I think you mean 1974, by 1980 a Carlisle stop was added and running time extended to 5 hours 5 mins. In 1984 despite being timed for 110mph running it wasn't much better - 5hrs 05 down and 5hrs 0I up.

I did mean 1974 - thanks for the correction. I can vaguely remember going to Glasgow on the Electric Scots that summer for an open day (when i was a little younger!).

 

[hexagon789]

I did mean 1974 - thanks for the correction. I can vaguely remember going to Glasgow on the Electric Scots that summer for an open day (when i was a little younger!).

And I can only remember the 'Electric Scots' at the end of their tenure on WCML Anglo-Scottish expresses!

Great locos though.

 

[mike57]

05:32 Hull to Scarborough is first stop Bridlington arr 06:07, then misses Bempton , next stop Hunmanby. Used this a few times pre covid from Brid, a couple of regular travellers from Hull, but would be almost empty on arrival at Brid. Arrives at Seamer at the same time as departure to York, so misses connection probably 50% of the time.

 

[30907]

the GWR also advertised certain expresses as non-stop between certain points when in reality they stopped to change locos.

Today's pedantry:

The Cornish Riviera and summer Saturday reliefs stopped at Newton Abbot for a pilot - or on summer Saturdays an engine change, which allowed Truro to be the first passenger stop. Continued well into BR days.

as did the Southern where the ACE changed MNs at Wilton.

That was the short-lived Devon Belle.

 

[hexagon789]

The Cornish Riviera and summer Saturday reliefs stopped at Newton Abbot for a pilot - or on summer Saturdays an engine change, which allowed Truro to be the first passenger stop. Continued well into BR days.

Indeed, certainly throughout the steam period, not sure about the early Hydraulics era.

 

[Southern]

How long is it since there was a non-stop service timetabled between London and Brighton?

Brighton Pride in 2012, pair of 442's off the up Eastbourne student special were used to form an additional Victoria - Brighton non-stop run.

 

[Kite159]

05:32 Hull to Scarborough is first stop Bridlington arr 06:07, then misses Bempton , next stop Hunmanby. Used this a few times pre covid from Brid, a couple of regular travellers from Hull, but would be almost empty on arrival at Brid. Arrives at Seamer at the same time as departure to York, so misses connection probably 50% of the time.

Isn't that a glorified ECS service, to get the unit/staff to Scarborough to form the first southbound service? I would imagine even in a pre Covid world it would have been empty from Hull most days

 

[marsker]

Back in the mid 1969s, there was a summer Saturday relief to the down Thames Clyde Express that was shown as non-stop from Sheffield Midland to Carlisle. I caught it once, I think in 1967, it was booked to be hauled by a Peak (later Class 45) as far as Holbeck and a Jubilee from there to Carlisle (45593 on the day I travelled). It ran via the original Midland main line through Normanton, not sure if the regular train still did then.

 

[mike57]

Isn't that a glorified ECS service, to get the unit/staff to Scarborough to form the first southbound service? I would imagine even in a pre Covid world it would have been empty from Hull most days

Certainly single digit passengers but a couple of people had started using it to commute to the industrial estates around Seamer from Hull. Would pick up quite a few in Brid and Filey.

 

[Jozhua]

I believe HS2 will bring a lot more back.
At the moment, the existing network has a lot of bottlenecks and slow areas (especially through stations), so this really reduces the benefits of running really super-non-stop expresses.

HS2 is built that trains will be able to pass by/through stations at 200mph. Birmingham is a seperate branch, instead of a stop on the route, so Manchester services may stop at Crewe, then speed straight to old oak Common, if they stop there at all!

On the Eastern leg, if it ever gets past government, it should provide the opportunity for some direct Leeds to London trains. (I believe EMH has pass through capability)

Does it really matter as much now? Stops are a lot shorter, trains accelerate a lot faster. The advantages of a non-stop train don't quite stack up anymore.

Agreed

It's standard procedure even with out COVID that the new rolling stock will run to the old timetable for a while before changes get made, you don't want to change everything at once or it's much more likely to go wrong. Shorter journey times can be between two intermediate points on a journey and new stops can be added without a time penalty resulting in more frequent connections at stations which were previously underserved.

Or at the moment, there is a lesson being learned the hard way that actually leaving the timetable be and improving resilience is also important.

 

[172101]

When the 319's were new, LEGO sponsored a non stop run from London Bridge to Brighton at 1100 on a weekday morning and I think the journey was done in 33 minutes needless to say everything was cleared from its path.
It could almost have done the round trip in the time it takes to go one way now.

 

[Bald Rick]

When the 319's were new, LEGO sponsored a non stop run from London Bridge to Brighton at 1100 on a weekday morning and I think the journey was done in 33 minutes needless to say everything was cleared from its path.
It could almost have done the round trip in the time it takes to go one way now.

The record is 36m56 seconds, by an Electrostar in 2005....

 

[Southern]

The record is 36m56 seconds, by an Electrostar in 2005....

472/474 if I remember correctly, know there were two that carried "London-Brighton Speed Run" logos for quite a few years

 

[172101]

I stand corrected!
Does anyone know the time the 319's did it in? I can't remember but it was on the news as well. I think it was something to do with the Thameslink tunnels opening.

 

[Bullfield WEst]

In the past the Royal Scot used to call at Preston only, I think. Did one ever run non-stop from Glasgow to London?

The last time I travelled on the Royal Scot (around 1973), it was change engines at Crewe, AC to 2 x D400's and next stop Carlisle.

 

[CW2]

The last time I travelled on the Royal Scot (around 1973), it was change engines at Crewe, AC to 2 x D400's and next stop Carlisle.

Oh bring me my Tardis!

 

[Whistler40145]

Oh bring me my Tardis!

Would that have avoided Preston and gone via the Settle & Carlisle line?

 

[CW2]

Would that have avoided Preston and gone via the Settle & Carlisle line?

Probably not. At the time the electrification was Euston to Liverpool and Manchester. Crewe to Preston (and on to Glasgow) was in the process of being wired, so London to Glasgow services changed locos at Crewe, then ran main line to Glasgow. There were periods when the main lines were blocked for engineering work, and diversions via Settle or Dumfries took place.

 

[Whistler40145]

Probably not. At the time the electrification was Euston to Liverpool and Manchester. Crewe to Preston (and on to Glasgow) was in the process of being wired, so London to Glasgow services changed locos at Crewe, then ran main line to Glasgow. There were periods when the main lines were blocked for engineering work, and diversions via Settle or Dumfries took place.

Cheers for your reply

 

[paul1609]

The last couple of times Ive done the (precovid) overnight Megabus from Glasgow its been straining to break the 7 hour barrier with the only stop at Lancaster services for a driver changeover. Says something when the budget bus service is running longer distances non stop than rail. No wonder easyJet dominate the South East to Scotland market.