Class 85 Euston - Northampton

[Simon Poole]

I'm after a bit of information about the Class 85's on Euston - Northampton Cobbler trains, i managed to get some information but there's just one thing that i haven't found yet, i was wondering if anyone know where the Class 85's stopped between London Euston and Northampton on the Cobblers, all i got is Euston, Leighton Buzzard and Northampton but i'm also guessing it stopped at Watford Junction and Milton Keynes Central,

anyone knows the stations when this service stopped at in the 80's

 

[87015]

Euston, Leighton, Bletchley, M.Keynes, Wolverton and Northampton although patterns varied by train and with timetable changes.

 

[4SRKT]

The 1985 timetable has Cobblers at 17:14 (Bletchley), 17:18 (Leighton Buzzard, MKC, both set down only), 17:45 (LB) and 18:15 (LB set down, Bletchley, MKC). All other trains I'm assuming to be EMUs (310s ) because of the lack of the reservations diamond at the tops of the columns.

Southbound these trains departed Northampton at 07:20 (LB), 07:36 (Wolverton, Bletchley), 07:46 (MKC, LB) and 08:08 (MKC, Bletchley, LB).

That's four rakes of the grottiest Mk I compos you can imagine employed on a mere one out-and-back per day. Not great utilisation! At weekends these sets often turned up on railtours, and two could be seen in summer on Saturdays on the 07:30 and 09:35 Euston > Aberystwyth trains, which ran in the paths of two normally Mk IId-f worked London > Shrewsbury workings.

 

[33056]

Don't forget that at least one of the sets was split in half and run as fast trains to Northampton (first / last stop LB) off-peak for at least a year. Can't give exact dates as my memory is hazy and I am not terribly good at keeping notes of such things, but would guess around the 1986/7 mark.

 

[lm321412]

the 07:30 and 09:35 Euston > Aberystwyth trains, which ran in the paths of two normally Mk IId-f worked London > Shrewsbury workings.

I'm quite interested to know the exact calling points of the Euston > Aberystwyth trains as I cannot remember them and would be interested to see some more information on them.

 

[4SRKT]

I'm quite interested to know the exact calling points of the Euston > Aberystwyth trains as I cannot remember them and would be interested to see some more information on them.

In those days there was a half hourly 86-hauled working of Mk IId-f stock as far as Birmingham. Every hour one of these went forward to Wolverhampton, and every 2 hours one of these was duff-hauled on to Shrewsbury (86 left at Wolverhampton). South of Coventry trains called at a selection of Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central and Rugby. After that it was Coventry, International, New St, Sandwell & Dudley, Wolverhampton, Wellington and Shrewsbury.

The Aberystwyth trains just operated in two of the Shrewsbury paths on summer Saturdays, with the same stopping patterns. Instead of Mk II aircons they were formed of the grim cobbler stock, and operated all stations to Aberystwyth except Dovey Junction (trains only called there on the few occasions where a better Cambrian Coast connection for passengers to/from Aberystwth could be made than at Machynlleth).

While the cobbler stock was unquestionably grim for holidaymakers to have to ride in all the way from Euston to Aber, it was much appreciated by the hordes of (very rowdy) bashers who joined the train at Shrewsbury. Those were the days!

 

[Helvellyn]

Wasn't the stock facelifted by Network SouthEast in 1986/87? I'm sure the stock used after then was Mark 1 TSOs, CKs and BSKs, so it wasn't all corridor stock. It was also around this time that 86401 acquired NSE colours and the name Northampton Town.