"Mystery Excursion"

[Bletchleyite]

Having seen the above displayed on a Class 158 at Crewe yesterday (no doubt a bit of a joke, as it wasn't in service)...has the destination ever been used "in anger", i.e. has a "mystery excursion" ever operated using a Class 158?

(I must admit, though, I prefer the "Bah Humbug" 350 photo... )

 

[R Trevithick]

Was on one of these mystery excursions once and they had a sweep on the destination. The driver won it.

I'm here all week

 

[Tetchytyke]

I'm sure it has been used where the actual destination wasn't loaded into the display.

My favourite was my LM 350 home a year or two ago, which ran in service to "Valhalla".

https://www.instagram.com/p/qMiT5AuUGG/

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm sure it has been used where the actual destination wasn't loaded into the display.

My favourite was my LM 350 home a year or two ago, which ran in service to "Valhalla".

https://www.instagram.com/p/qMiT5AuUGG/

I quite liked it when the 1813 to Northampton got "The Master Cobbler" put on it.

(On 350s you can type in anything you like)

 

[AndrewE]

Was on one of these mystery excursions once and they had a sweep on the destination. The driver won

BR ran Mystexes regularly in the 70's and they were popular too. Mystex was a proper description (used in the STN) and the destination was genuinely kept secret...
All that was known at Crewe ROM's train planning organisation was where it was being handed over to the destination region and where our men were coming off, and I presume the [diesel] loco diagrammer knew the expected mileage.
There was a lot of aggro after one page in the STN ws printed saying "Mystex to Scarborough" or wherever it ws going.
A

 

[185]

Doesn't beat a 158 I had which had both York and New York on the blind at one end. Think it was 808.

With a bit of playing with the vultron, I found around seven others including Atlanta, Tokyo and Sydney

 

[Phil.]

BR ran Mystexes regularly in the 70's and they were popular too. Mystex was a proper description (used in the STN) and the destination was genuinely kept secret...
All that was known at Crewe ROM's train planning organisation was where it was being handed over to the destination region and where our men were coming off, and I presume the [diesel] loco diagrammer knew the expected mileage.
There was a lot of aggro after one page in the STN ws printed saying "Mystex to Scarborough" or wherever it was going.
A

A little anecdote about a Mystex.
One was run from Cambridge to Eastbourne on a fine summer's day. The station announcer duly announced that, "The train at platform one is the mystery excursion to Eastbourne". It was re-routed to - I seem to remember - Brighton.

 

[BestWestern]

Doesn't beat a 158 I had which had both York and New York on the blind at one end. Think it was 808.

With a bit of playing with the vultron, I found around seven others including Atlanta, Tokyo and Sydney

I think it's far more fun to find amusing pre-loaded destinations than it is to simply type in whatever you like on the more modern stuff. I think it's pretty much limited to 158s though! My personal favourites are Blackpool Pleasure Beach and the scrolling Manchester United Football Ground. Sadly SWT, the spoilsports, have reconfigured theirs to just the required destinations for their services; however I presume all the rest are probably still as per BR? Possibly EMT have done the same I guess.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

I'm sure Merseyrail Electrics used to have Skelmersdale on their destination blinds.

And many years ago a ticket inspector once sold me a nonsensical collectors-item ticket from (or to?) "Go as you please" to some other fictional location which I forget when he was playing with his ticket machine. He charged me 10p to reconcile his takings.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm sure Merseyrail Electrics used to have Skelmersdale on their destination blinds.

The old Solari displays used to have things like that, and "Ormskirk via Ford" or somesuch on them (the one that was displayed was "Ormskirk via Orrell Park").

 

[swt_passenger]

Sadly SWT, the spoilsports, have reconfigured theirs to just the required destinations for their services;

...but they do include the correct info when they are running with GWR surely? Places such as Great Malvern and Brighton seem to be displayed OK.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Doesn't beat a 158 I had which had both York and New York on the blind at one end. Think it was 808.

With a bit of playing with the vultron, I found around seven others including Atlanta, Tokyo and Sydney

Wasn't that a PR thing when Manchester Airport opened?

 

[185]

It was I'm told. Had a service which was mega late with an on time one right behind so they ran ours non-stop Manc Leeds so to avoid the folk at Huddersfield going nuts, driver set his blind to London Kings Cross and I put the back one to Moscow.

 

[crispy1978]

In the modern days of technology, RTT would be a real spoilsport with mystery excursions!!

 

[itsonlyme]

Once saw "Kyle of Lochalsh" on a 323 in P1 at Crewe, due to depart in the direction of Manchester.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Some Stokeites went on holiday to Rhyl - circa 197x - treated themselves to a "Mystex" as a day out - fine - destination on this half day excursion ...

Stoke

(so they went home for a few hours , checked the mail etc - had tea - back to the holiday)

Some of the South Wales ones were "heroic" - e.g Treherbert to Ramsgate / Weymouth.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I remember the Merrymakers. They ran from North Kent on/after 1974 and I must have stopped using them by 1979 when I went to uni. Very cheap for a lad on pocket money. I fondly remember a cab ride in a VEP/CEP from Rochester (or was it Strood ?) to Portsmouth harbour via the Windsor lines and that bit of the district line.

The mystery tours on the Southern were a bit limiting if an EMU turned up !.

Sadly I need to get out more on rail tours. Tied down by the cost of the whole family though. Plus those tours I have considered seem to get cancelled so I do not really check any more. Be nice to have some dirt cheap tours again using all that spare stock (oops).

 

[6Gman]

Was on one of these mystery excursions once and they had a sweep on the destination. The driver won it.

I'm here all week

Good joke but the originating driver wouldn't know the destination.

 

[pdeaves]

Sadly SWT, the spoilsports, have reconfigured theirs to just the required destinations for their services.

If that's true they've only done that in the last two-and-a-bit years. The destination display on a 159, having arrived at Swanage on a tour, went berserk (apparently; I know someone was controlling it!) with all sorts of daft places. I can't remember exactly where now but they included, I think, places like Oban and Warsaw.

 

[Ianno87]

Once saw "Kyle of Lochalsh" on a 323 in P1 at Crewe, due to depart in the direction of Manchester.

And I have a picture of 323232 sat on the blocks at Manchester Piccadilly with "Barnstaple" on the display!

 

[fairysdad]

And I have a picture of 323232 sat on the blocks at Manchester Piccadilly with "Barnstaple" on the display!

Being a local of that area, I'd quite like to see that one Of course, in the very early 90s, I believe it was still possible to get a through train from Manchester to Barnstaple...

 

[SpacePhoenix]

In the modern days of technology, RTT would be a real spoilsport with mystery excursions!!

They could always ask those behind RTT to not show the mystery excursion train until the day after

 

[Ash Bridge]

Being a local of that area, I'd quite like to see that one Of course, in the very early 90s, I believe it was still possible to get a through train from Manchester to Barnstaple...

I stand to be corrected here, but I don't think there was ever a through service from Manchester certainly not in the 90's, having said that I did travel on a Pathfinder railtour directly from Manchester to Barnstaple (The Taw Retour) back in September 1990, top and tailed with class 50's from Exeter St Davids, I thought the only through services ever came from Waterloo and Paddington.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Not exactly a Mystery Train, but I do recall I think in the 1980s or 1990s, seeing trains mainly on Saturdays, going to odd places from Exeter St. Davids, one example was to Rose Grove. I then went through Rose Grove Station whilst on a UK Railtour 2 or 3 years ago.

SWT did have some odd destinations on St. Valentines day, I think it was a publicity stunt.

 

[higthomas]

I stand to be corrected here, but I don't think there was ever a through service from Manchester certainly not in the 90's, having said that I did travel on a Pathfinder railtour directly from Manchester to Barnstaple (The Taw Retour) back in September 1990, top and tailed with class 50's from Exeter St Davids, I thought the only through services ever came from Waterloo and Paddington.

I think it was a joke...

 

[BestWestern]

If that's true they've only done that in the last two-and-a-bit years. The destination display on a 159, having arrived at Swanage on a tour, went berserk (apparently; I know someone was controlling it!) with all sorts of daft places. I can't remember exactly where now but they included, I think, places like Oban and Warsaw.

It certainly is true, you'll notice that many/most of them now have LED displays also. They'll display a few other relevant destinations; for example the ones needed when on loan to GWR (and, I daresay on the 158s at least, possibly a few EMT destinations for the same reason). But the original full set of nationwide exotic places is sadly no more

 

[Ianno87]

Being a local of that area, I'd quite like to see that one Of course, in the very early 90s, I believe it was still possible to get a through train from Manchester to Barnstaple...

Here you go - from way back in July 2008...

 

[LowLevel]

Doesn't beat a 158 I had which had both York and New York on the blind at one end. Think it was 808.

With a bit of playing with the vultron, I found around seven others including Atlanta, Tokyo and Sydney

158806 now with EMT who still use the original Regional Railways/Central Trains Vultron programming. Codes 901-910 on 806 only feature such delights as Paris, Miami, Moscow, Gibraltar and so on.

Everything from Midline or Merseyrail service to Coalville, Ashby de la Zouch, Oldham Mumps, Irlam, Garden Festival and wherever else you might like for that matter.

889 while retaining it's SWT LED display has a standard Vultron controller fitted with it's updated CIS isolated so can display all of the above as well.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Here is a 158 displaying Mystery Excursion at Leeds while on an ECS working:



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

 

[Peter Sarf]

Here you go - from way back in July 2008...

Barnstable. The wires will get there one day .