Marooned!!

[6Gman]

Where's the worst place you've ever found yourself stranded on a railway journey?

Back in the early 1980s, on a Scottish Rover I was staying in Perth. Decided to get an early evening Inverness train to Dunkeld and then pick up the last daytime southbound back. Unfortunately we ran late and crossed at Murthly loop instead!

Alighted at Dunkeld facing a wait of several hours before the Up Sleeper!

Very fortunately managed to hitch a lift back into Perth, but a close-run thing!

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

Well similarly, I missed the last bus from Wareham back to West Bay so I had to get a train instead and change at Weymouth for a bus as far as Bridport. Oh the joys:/

I've been ditched at Stafford before when one of the new 11 car Pendolinos broke down, but a rescue train came quickly.

Birmingham New Street's been notorious for marooning me over the years. (Central Trains and Virgin Trains have been the two ToCs that delays have caused me to get stuck in Birmingham)

 

[tsr]

I've never yet been completely marooned. A relative has had a journey of over 300 minutes between Brixton and Redhill (yes, really!) in severe snowstorms, and thought he was going to be stranded at Purley (you may laugh, but the line of the North Downs can be completely treacherous to cross in bad weather). A couple of evenings later, I was temporarily stranded at Flitwick whilst six or so southbound FCC services were cancelled - and that was on one of their reduced emergency timetables! Now that was a crazy night - in fact, at -18ºC, it was one of the coldest I've ever experienced, too.

I have also been caught up in a Victoria Line suspension on a packed tube train in temperatures over 30ºC, a suspension of services through Reigate and all sorts of other things.

 

[Polarbear]

I did hear tell, (several years ago) of a group of haulage enthusiasts who were travelling behind a loco of their favourite class (forget which one now) between Edinburgh & Newcastle. The said loco expired just outside Chathill station.

The replacement loco wasn't to their liking so they bailed - on a Saturday evening...! :roll:

Cue very long wait for next service train to get them out of there (or a long walk to the bus route to get back to Berwick).

 

[Wath Yard]

Fell asleep on a service from Euston, missed my stop at Crewe, and ended up overnight at Lime St. Got propositioned by someone who thought I was a rent boy, so that was pretty bad!

Also shared a waiting room overnight with a tramp, the old fashioned sort, at Clapham Jnc once. Didn't get a lot of sleep.

 

[mallard]

I've never been completely marooned. I did catch a too-late train home once, but I'd planned for it and there was an overnight bus service (the joys of living fairly close to an airport!). It's quite annoying that EMT don't have any Southbound services from Derby after about 9pm and that there's a big gap in the service from Nottingham from about 10pm to about half past 11.

 

[asylumxl]

I was once marooned at South Hampstead station with two other members of the forum. Several hours passed, then we eventually decided to walk to Swiss Cottage...

 

[WestCoast]

Yes, I've been marooned in Skipton of all places - a few years ago on a snowy and cold December night. I was attempting to travel back home to Lancaster, but a combination of missing an earlier train and the weather conditions left me with no sensible options to get back home until about 05.30 the next day.

It was bloody awful trying to sleep at the desolate station, so I ended up at the 24/7 Tesco nearby. After considering the weather, the security guard was kind enough to let me stay in the warm foyer for five hours! I can't imagine many people have overnighted at a supermarket before....

Apart from that, I've overnighted twice at Manchester Airport after delayed flights meant missing the last train. I had the option of going to Piccadilly on both occasions and sleeping there, but I imagined the airport terminal would be far nicer. Airports in general are more comfortable (and safer) to sleep in than central or remote railway stations!

 

[dangie]

....and ended up overnight at Lime St....

As I can't recall a 'worst' may I hijack the thread and give a best.

Some years ago the wife and I went on a cycling holiday to the Isle of Man. We caught the last train from Stafford to Liverpool with the intention of spending the night in Lime Street station waiting room before catching the early morning ferry. On speaking to some night shift Royal Mail workers they didn't recommend us spending the night with loads of drunks and dropouts so they made us very welcome in their messroom all night. We were fed, watered and slept. Wonderful.

 

[fgwrich]

Lowestoft on a sunday - to be honest, it's abit of a nothing town...Nothing open, nothing to do, long wait for the next train...Yeah, deffinatly the worst in my eyes!

 

[user15681]

I was unfortunately on the Jubilee line train that got stranded between Baker St and St John's Wood at the end of May this year. 5:30pm, packed, boiling hot and the train failed. A rescue train was sent to push us, but as we were on a gradient, it couldn't. To make things worse, a woman down the other end of my carriage started having a fit. 2 hours later, we were walked along the track.

I was then too exhausted to go anywhere, so I went to street level and found a bench in the shadows, knowing that the Jubilee line would be suspended for a while longer. Not completely marooned as there were taxis, buses etc but I just couldn't go anywhere after being in such heat for hours.

 

[Anon Mouse]

Ciera Nad' Tisau (or however its spelt) Barrack Town in Slovakia near to the border with Ukraine. Got off a train from Kosice expecting to get a train to Chop in Ukraine in the middle of Winter to find I had worked out the trains wrong and the one I expected was a Summer only service. Unfortunatley by the time I realised my error the train back to Koisice had already left leaving me stuck for several hours. Freezing cold, no bus/coach/taxi alternative, too far from the border to walk, no pub, no cafe, nowt. (well apart from the marshalling yard and depot)

 

[dvboy]

Never been completely stranded, but have had to blag my way onto a Sleeper at Edinburgh on the advice of Scotrail staff at Glasgow, otherwise I could have been stranded at either.

My longest delay has been at Par after a Voyager failed to make it twice up the hill towards Newquay. Overall delay topped 2 1/2 hours, half of which was spent on the Voyager. There is absolutely nothing at Par, not even a vending manchine.

Had a lucky escape once coming back off holiday into Birmingham Airport on a Saturday evening. It was a delayed flight, hopped on the first and last train to New Street and all the time wondering if I'd make it across to Snow Hill in time for the last Metro at midnight - got to New Street and there was an LM service to Crewe that had been delayed over an hour and still hadn't left because it was waiting for a driver - just as well since the trams had been part-suspended.

 

[Flamingo]

I once spent a very long hour and a half sitting in Morton on Marsh on a Sunday night in the middle of November waiting for a train that was running late.

 

[flymo]

Truro is the only place I have been marooned so to speak. Staying in Torquay and taking a ride into Cornwall, I misread the timetable and thought I could get as far as Truro and still make the last Penzance - Exeter train. Sadly we passed the up train on the approach to Truro which was right on time as the connection time was -2 ....

Only options was to wait at Truro for the up sleeper and get back to Torquay in the early hours or somehow get to Par for the only other service eastbound before the sleeper. Sooooo..... off to the taxi rank outside Truro station and negotiated a £20 (I think) fare to Par which I made with ease. Took a fair while to find the station though but got the train OK and made it back to Torquay.

Last time I made any close 'connections' like that.

 

[Blindtraveler]

nearly spent Xmas at Edinburgh Waverley after an NRE mistake advertised quite a few weeks in advance the last run down the WCML as running as sheduled despite the earlier service only going to Carlisle. This was in the days of Virgin running to Manchester from Scotland and at the time I lived in inverkeithing. Myself and 40 or so others were just deciding what to do with our last trains gone and Xmas eve well past its best when some bustitution was arranged and my dad spent much of Xmas day sleaping after having to get up and drive to Lockerbie to pick me up!

 

[HawkeyeTheNoo]

During heavy rains in February 2010 I was on a VT home journey from Euston to Glasgow. Initially was put off the train at Preston as no trains going any further on the WCML because of the rain. Was on the platform speaking to my wife on the phone asking her to look into getting me a hotel room for the night when a TPE service going to Edinburgh came in. Thought to myself that I'd get that and then shuttle over to Glasgow! Spoke to the guard and he said I could get on and more than a few of us did!
This service got us as far as Oxenholme when again we were put off due to a freight derailment. Informed that nothing going north or south and that roads were blocked as well so no bus replacements so most resigned ourselves to a night in the waiting room (well peed off that the wee coffee bar was closing) However after an hour or so a Pendolino came in and we were told the derailment had been cleared and that this service was the only one "attempting" to go north to Glasgow that night . We all crammed ourselves on, allowed to sit in first class and even given bottled water and sandwiches by the crew. Got home in the early hours narrowly avoiding being stranded however that journey from Oxenholme to Glasgow was one of my best ever due to the blitz spirit of passengers and VT crew!

 

[sonic2009]

Back in 2007, i decided to venture out on a West Midlands Day Ranger from Malvern, on that dreadful rainy day causing all the floods around Worcester & Malvern.

It came to around 1500 and i was in Walsall and needed to get back asap due to the rain coming down in bucketloads.

I boarded a 150 to Birmingham New Street only to get as far as Bescot and be told we cannot go anywhere due to Tame Bridge station having water up to the platforms, after about an hour we made a move slowly crawling through the station (we were the last service to Birmingham).

Eventually i got to Birmingham to be told nothing was going to Worcester because of a landslip at Tunnel Hill.

No buses either due to the M5 being a car park.

So i had to resort staying with a friend of mine just near to the airport overnight, the next day came and i realised i had to get home to go on holiday the next day, i ended up having to make the most difficult journey ever!.

144 Bus to Droitwich
Taxi to Worcester Royal Hospital
Walk to Powick through floodwaters and picked up the other side.

Teach me to go out when its raining.


Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

 

[Gathursty]

Gargrave. I did not fancy the long wait between trains after having missed the previous one by 20 mins so I walked back to the village looking at bus timetables to no avail. The first person I spoke to ask for a taxi number happened to be the only taxi driver in the village who helped take me to Clitheroe so I could continue my journey the long way round.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Cheltenham during those floods in 2007. Got to the station to go north, after getting a lift, which was a horrendous car journey in itself.
Asked the staff member standing there what were the chances of going north, and he just pointed to the platforms, where the rails were already under water. There was a waterfall coming off the southbound platform, caused by the old branch line to Stratford acting as a river channel, funnelling loads of water down what's now a cycle path straight into the car park and across the platform. Gave up, and booked a terrible B&B, then got a meal at a pub, which gave me food poisoning the morning after.
Then took refuge at a church coffee morning until someone came south to pick me up.
On the plus side, I did manage to get a room, unlike many people who slept that night in an HST up to its wheels in water in the platform.

 

[DiscoStu]

Blair Atholl (well almost)

I must've been about eleven, and we were doing the Edinburgh - Inverness internal overnight. I sleepwalked out onto the snow covered platform in my t-shirt, and with no bag or other belongings.

It was only because my my old man randomly woke up that he saw me out on the platform in the snow. That could've been a VERY long night!!

 

[westcoaster]

When I was younger we missed the last through train from teighnmouth to bristol, could only get to exeter when we spent the night, continued on the first northbound in the morning.

Another time me and 3 mates went to copenhagen for a short break, got to the airport on the way home me and one friend checked in ok but the other two had booked there return flight for the same day we had come out, they spent 3 days at the airport before getting cheap flights home.

 

[Anon Mouse]

I rember once, going on a Railtour with my Grandma from Newcastle to Fort William. The train broke down in the middle of nowhere and we had to wait for hours with no lighting or heating until the replacement loco turned up. Too young to appreciate the class 37 haulage too!

 

[shaun]

Temporarily...Haddenham & Thame Parkway, there is literally a car park and thats it! Our train broke down for 90 minutes in the snow back in 2008, was no fun at all. Also there was nothing going in the opposite direction either so couldn't leave the station even if i wanted to!

 

[ex-railwayman]

Ermm, Skegness, 1976, Sunday night at 7.40 pm, got to the station to find the last train for Nottingham had left at 7.30 pm, no more trains out that night, until 6.30am Monday morning, day return ticket useless now, no driving licence, very little money, no credit cards either in those days, didn't have much of a choice but to walk home to Nottingham, about 88 miles, via Lincoln, took me about 4.5 hours to get to Horncastle, managed to get a lift from a mobile disco van into Lincoln, then walked another 4 hours to Newark, blagged a lift to Bingham, then walked to Nottingham Forest's Football Ground where I got a bus at around 6.45 am into town, then another one home, got a right ticking off from my parents, then showered got changed and went to work very tired. A TRUE STORY.

Cheerz. ex-railwayman.

 

[flymo]

Ermm, Skegness, 1976, Sunday night at 7.40 pm, got to the station to find the last train for Nottingham had left at 7.30 pm, no more trains out that night, until 6.30am Monday morning, day return ticket useless now, no driving licence, very little money, no credit cards either in those days, didn't have much of a choice but to walk home to Nottingham, about 88 miles, via Lincoln, took me about 4.5 hours to get to Horncastle, managed to get a lift from a mobile disco van into Lincoln, then walked another 4 hours to Newark, blagged a lift to Bingham then walked to Nottingham Forest's Football Ground where I got a bus at around 6.45 am into town, then another one home, got a right ticking off from my parents, then showered got changed and went to work. TRUE STORY.

Cheerz. ex-railwayman.

Crikey matey, brilliant story. Not sure what I would have done there in those circumstances but I don't think an 88 mile walk would have been on the cards......

 

[sprinterguy]

Where's the worst place you've ever found yourself stranded on a railway journey?

Crewe. The roof leaks, too...

 

[dvboy]

Crikey matey, brilliant story. Not sure what I would have done there in those circumstances but I don't think an 88 mile walk would have been on the cards......

warm and dry enough to walk 88 miles? warm and dry enough to sleep on the beach

 

[185]

Xmas eve, wrong side of a big river, thanks to Merseyrail, who'd struggled to understand the basics of the 24-hour clock, when writing out the station's last-train posterboard at Liverpool Central. Would they help? Nope.

Was considering thumbing a lift at the Liverpool end when fortunately, one of the tunnels police pulled up within minutes, gave me a lift under and dropped me on off the other side.

 

[deltic1989]

I've had a few, mostly relating to girls.
In about 2006 I misread the timetable and got stuck in Gloucester, after going down from Lincoln for the day to visit my Girlfriend at the time. She had to go home so I went to get my train which due to my error had long gone, with it being around 22:00 and not knowing any other way to get home, I had to make other arrangements, being short of cash and not wanting to stray too far in an unfamilar town I spent the night in the waiting room, occasionally wandering to the local 24 hr shop for a drink or snack I stayed awake all night and slept on the Voyager home. Luckily I had bought an open return as strangely it worked out cheaper than a day return.

The next was around 2008 whilst living in Lincoln I got stranded in Nottingham due to my car breaking down. As there were no trains, I spent the night in a "hotel" close to the station which was a total dump, but for £25 plus breakfast I wasn't complaining.

The last of mine is another Nottingham story, I was still living in Lincoln at this time and my relationship with Mrs Deltic was in its early days, I traveled over for the Mrs birthday planning to get the 22:20 train home, I arrived on platform 1 at 22:16 (confirmed by the station clock) to see the 158 I wanted to be on just clearing the end of the platform, quick to my mobile phone I photographed the train (the number and destination perfectly clear) with a clock on platform 2 in shot . You cannot imagine how blue the air turned as i had to be back for an early appointment the following morning. My only option was to get a taxi home at a cost of £65.
I wrote a letter to EMT complaining and receved a reply stating that the train had left on-time, they made the biggest U-turn I have ever seen when I sent them the picture.
I got my £65 back in vouchers.

And one from a friend of mine who, knew full well the time the train left, but was too busy enjoying himself with a lady friend to notice the time and missed the last train to Lincoln from Derby by over an hour, and had to spend the night mooching around Derby as he was too embarrassed to call for help. Its a standing joke to this day and he has never returned to Derby alone since.