"Mystery Excursion"

[HMS Ark Royal]

And another at Leeds showing 'Barry' - maybe the driver's name, or an unexpected late night South-Wales run...

1Z99 Leeds - Barry overnight

 

[CromptonLad]

Some of these are quite amusing - the Stokies Rhyl 'Mystex' back to Stoke made me chuckle at work.

I think 'Valhalla' will take the biscuit but worth a shot - most 'exotic' / 'out there' destination on a loco board?

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

I know its supposed to be for trains, but I hope nobody minds this entry...

One of my hobbies is to look at where ships are going to - using the AIS system. A few years ago a ship was run aground in Turkey for scrapping, they kept changing her destination to "Valhalla", "The Promised Land" and then "Paradise" which was a nice touch and gesture from the crew who were well aware of people tracking her final movements

On topic, I remember a pacer once set off for Beverley with York on the front which caused some old timers to remark the old line must be open again

 

[BestWestern]

Some of these are quite amusing - the Stokies Rhyl 'Mystex' back to Stoke made me chuckle at work.

I think 'Valhalla' will take the biscuit but worth a shot - most 'exotic' / 'out there' destination on a loco board?

Are you sure they weren't taking the ****!?

To remain off topic for a moment; is the QE2 still tied up in Dubai?!

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Are you sure they weren't taking the ****!?

To remain off topic for a moment; is the QE2 still tied up in Dubai?!

Tied up along side the pier at Dubai, though with some parts being repaired and a watertightness inspection due January 22nd. I've heard a strong rumour she's under orders to sail once repairs are complete

Back on topic, I remember a Hull - Leeds run many years ago which had blank boards up at each end of the unit... A mystery destination I guess

 

[causton]

I saw a pair of 159s at Waterloo before with one scrolling through all the destinations in the alphabet (just missed Hatfield, my old town!) and the other said DREM!


Edit: Of course these threads repeat themselves http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=1704756&postcount=68

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Very occasionally, DLR trains will display Brunswick before they leave service

 

[Calthrop]

Not excursion-related as such: but I've always -- a bit shamefacedly -- enjoyed the section early in Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat, where the three are setting off from London for their boating holiday on the Thames. They need to get to -- long since I read the book, I forget most of the details -- but I have a feeling that it may have been Staines: call it so, for sake of the story.

They proceed to Waterloo Station, and find there, a scene of utter cluelessness and chaos. No platform-indicator notices that make any sense; no station staff have the faintest idea of what train is departing from what platform, when, for what destination; locomotive crews, when talked with, have as little notion of to where and at what time, they are working their train. Our heroes finally solve the problem by heading for a particular train at random, and successfully bribing the driver and fireman to be -- let's say -- the 10.30 for Staines. The chapter is concluded: "And this is how we got to Staines by the London & South-Western Railway".

Obviously, totally crazy hyperbole -- and one wonders why Jerome particularly had it in for the LSWR; which I've never heard of in any other context, as being supposedly particularly incompetent and inefficient. However -- a "fun fantasy". (I gather that at approximately the same date, the Chemin de Fer de l'Ouest in France was -- with rather more justification -- a byword for "being unable to find its arse, even with both hands".)

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Not excursion-related as such: but I've always -- a bit shamefacedly -- enjoyed the section early in Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat, where the three are setting off from London for their boating holiday on the Thames. They need to get to -- long since I read the book, I forget most of the details -- but I have a feeling that it may have been Staines: call it so, for sake of the story.

They proceed to Waterloo Station, and find there, a scene of utter cluelessness and chaos. No platform-indicator notices that make any sense; no station staff have the faintest idea of what train is departing from what platform, when, for what destination; locomotive crews, when talked with, have as little notion of to where and at what time, they are working their train. Our heroes finally solve the problem by heading for a particular train at random, and successfully bribing the driver and fireman to be -- let's say -- the 10.30 for Staines. The chapter is concluded: "And this is how we got to Staines by the London & South-Western Railway".

Obviously, totally crazy hyperbole -- and one wonders why Jerome particularly had it in for the LSWR; which I've never heard of in any other context, as being supposedly particularly incompetent and inefficient. However -- a "fun fantasy". (I gather that at approximately the same date, the Chemin de Fer de l'Ouest in France was -- with rather more justification -- a byword for "being unable to find its arse, even with both hands".)

They wanted a train for Kingston upon Thames. The scene at Waterloo was somewhat of a Victorian joke due to the layout which was utterly confusing even to people who worked there

 

[Calthrop]

They wanted a train for Kingston upon Thames. The scene at Waterloo was somewhat of a Victorian joke due to the layout which was utterly confusing even to people who worked there

Ah, Kingston. Thanks. I'd got the general picture of the old Waterloo being confusing -- but Jerome might seem to be over-egging the pudding -- however, imaginative authors -- "they never stop..."

 

[LowLevel]

As an aside I am told that 52806 has finally lost it's foreign destinations - the chip had evidently started to go wrong and lost some fairly crucial stops so it's been chucked and replaced with a standard one - RIP intercontinental 158 destinations!

 

[Tim R-T-C]

This was I believe the opposite issue - a 150 subbing in on Wharfdale line services, might not have had an Ilkley destination blind (or did they just not get around to setting it on the rear cab?)

 

[edwin_m]

The destination before Bradford on the blind may well be Burnley. And Ilkley is between Burnley and Bradford...

 

[Scotrail84]

There is also Garden fetstival. Manchester united football ground amongst others.