Fastest ever Edinburgh > Kings Cross HST timings

[Lee_Again]

Does anybody know the fastest ever HST timings for public services between Kings Cross and Edinburgh (up or down).

I see that some HST services over Christmas are scheduled at 4h20m*. I don't recall any faster services in recent times. Maybe in the 80's.

Tuesday 29th December 07.55 Up ex Inverness dep. Edinburgh 11.30 arr. Kings Cross 15.50 (2 stops). I think the fastest regular service is timed at 4h23m (ex10.30 KX>ABD).

I know GNER had a 3h59m class 91 service, and I believe the overall record is h30m, again for a 91. I would be intersted to know the fastest HST service and 'specials' record.

For what it's worth, the RPS web site does not show a KX>ED time but by adding together KX>NC and NC>ED times it shows the fastest up as 3h48m47s and down 3h45m24s. Pretty impressive.

 

[yorkie]

The fastest overall service 0600 used to overtake 0650 and arrive King's Cross 0959 to do it in 3 h 59. The equivalent northbound service was 1500 ex-KGX into EDB 1859.

The fastest HST going north would probably have been the 1600 when it ran non-stop to York. It now calls at Doncaster.

 

[route:oxford]

Can't help with the HST service but the 15.00 "Pullman" service was timetabled to run from Kings X to Edinburgh in 3h59 when the "225s" were first introduced by Inter-City.

Timetabled was the important word. Memory can play tricks, but I don't recall it ever arriving on or before 18.59 when I was a passenger.

These days, with services taking just 3h59 along the west-coast between Brum and Glasgow/Edinburgh, I rarely bothering going from Ox to Edinburgh via London.

How quickly could a Voyager (Tilt enabled or otherwise) do the run from Kings X to Edinburgh?

 

[The Planner]

Id imagine a Voyager to out accelerate and brake a 91 so you may get 4 or 5 minutes out of it depending on stopping pattern, non stop I wouldnt imagine there is much in it.

 

[Failed Unit]

The Inverness - Kings Cross service is scheduled to do that every day. I could quite easily do it quicker. Last time I was on it, it arrived early at every station, we were stood 10 minutes at Newcastle, about 5 at York and we arrived in Kings Cross at 15:43.

4:13 isn't bad.

A few years ago the 12:30 Edinburgh - London (9:55) ex Aberdeen. stopped only at Newcastle in the Christmas period, it did Edinburgh - London in about the same time. I was hoping that it would use the York station avioding lines, but it went through the platforms as normal, just very slowly!

 

[Lee_Again]

The Inverness - Kings Cross service is scheduled to do that every day. I could quite easily do it quicker. Last time I was on it, it arrived early at every station, we were stood 10 minutes at Newcastle, about 5 at York and we arrived in Kings Cross at 15:43.

4:13 isn't bad.

A few years ago the 12:30 Edinburgh - London (9:55) ex Aberdeen. stopped only at Newcastle in the Christmas period, it did Edinburgh - London in about the same time. I was hoping that it would use the York station avioding lines, but it went through the platforms as normal, just very slowly!

You're right. I never spotted that. Nevertheless, is 4h20 the fastest timing or has there ever been faster? What timings did the single stop service have during the xmas period?

 

[Failed Unit]

You're right. I never spotted that. Nevertheless, is 4h20 the fastest timing or has there ever been faster? What timings did the single stop service have during the xmas period?

It was the same time as the normal 1230 service arrival at KX at 1657, hence lots of recovery time. With not doing its normal York and Peterborough stops it was always going to run early.

There has been a faster HST timing, a couple of years ago when the golf open was at St Andrews, GNER sheduled the 15:00 to be a HST and diverted it to Dundee. (The 1530 went to Glasgow). The train still was timetable to do London - Edinburgh in the 4:13 minutes it always was.

 

[Lee_Again]

4h13m is very impressive. Did anybody travel on these services and did it keep time?

Come on people, have a look through those old timetables. Can anybody find a quicker time? Is there anywhere on the web showing old ECML timetables from say 1980 to 2000?

Timetable or not, does anybody know if an HST could keep the 3h59 GNER timings? Did an HST ever cover for the 6.00am ex EDI or 3.00pm ex KGX and how did it do?

 

[43034 The Black Horse]

RPS have:

Fri 13 Feb 1976 1700 Kings Cross - Edinburgh Waverley 55 55003 169:30 Mins

No HST time Sorry.

 

[yorkie]

Under 3 hours for a Deltic to do King's Cross to Edinburgh? That's not possible.

I'm sure a HST could do the 3h59 timing if given a clear run.

 

[Darandio]

Certainly not possible, that would be looking at something like a 140mph average speed! Also, consider the same site has a "record" timing of 155:48 Mins for an HST between Kings Cross and Newcastle.

 

[90019]

Certainly not possible, that would be looking at something like a 140mph average speed!

139.3mph average.

 

[Darandio]

Not a bad guess for a quick assumption then.