Oldest stock you've travelled in on the network.

[Cowley]

I'm pretty sure the oldest stock I've ever travelled in on the national network would be MK1s. I know the odd LNER buffet made it in to the blue and grey era but I don't remember seeing any.
I was wondering what was the earliest stock people had travelled in on mainline trains?
I suppose I'm quite interested in some of the older members memories but actually anything goes. There were still some big four mail vans around in the early 80s that I dimly recall seeing, but what were some of the older designs like the Gresley Teaks or GWR Hawksworths like on a long journey?
Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[rg177]

On a mainline service, i've travelled behind 37s a few times.

Oldest unit would probably be the Chiltern Bubble.

 

[yorksrob]

I don't think I've been on the network on anything older than the Bullied 4 SUB (class 405) built in 1951. I assume that's older than prototype EPB 5001, also built in 1951.

 

[Kite159]

Does the Isle of Wight 1939 stock count?

 

[yorksrob]

Does the Isle of Wight 1939 stock count?

Yes it must do ! - it's the national network.

 

[Bevan Price]

Not sure, but probably pre-1923 non corridor stock (steam hauled), some of which survived well into the 1950s.

 

[507021]

For me, it's the Mark 2 carriage stock on the Cumbrian Coast.

 

[Darandio]

Anything i've travelled on will be relatively younger than many, mine would be Mk2's behind a Deltic in 81 from Durham to Edinburgh, I was only 1 at the time so I have no recollection.

Although my dad reliably informs me that on this trip, the guard was a larger than life character, and well known on this stretch of the ECML at the time. He vaguely recalls either singing, some sort of stand up routine or some sort of entertainment! I'm sure i've actually seen mention of him on here, but cannot for the life of me remember where I saw it.

 

[J-2739]

Mark 3 cars on the MML.

Ooh, I need to explore the network more!!

Also, the 1972 tube stock if that counts (they kinda run on the national rail network, don't they?).

Oh, and the A Stock.

 

[Cowley]

Does the Isle of Wight 1939 stock count?

Ah. I completely forgot about the Isle of Wight! I went on it a few times in the 1980s with the old 1920s 485s and 486s. Considerably older than any mainland stock by then.

 

[Cowley]

Not sure, but probably pre-1923 non corridor stock (steam hauled), some of which survived well into the 1950s.

Which pre grouping company Bevan? Do you remember much about it?

 

[306024]

I'm pretty sure the oldest stock I've ever travelled in on the national network would be MK1s. I know the odd LNER buffet made it in to the blue and grey era but I don't remember seeing any.
I was wondering what was the earliest stock people had travelled in on mainline trains?.

I recall travelling in a Gresley buffet car which survived on the Great Eastern into the 1970s. The North Country Continental is often recorded as having one in the formation. I think they were built in the 1930s but happy to be corrected.

Other than that, numerous journeys in the 1949 built class 306 EMUs on the Liverpool St- Shenfield route.

And just remembered the class 502s and 503s on Merseyside which were older.

 

[theageofthetra]

Went to school on Hastings DEMU's up to withdrawal in 1985. I have been on a 1913 6 wheeler between Posnan and Berlin on a raitour in 2009, also a similiar era coach on a railtour in Italy. In the UK the RPSI were using wooden bodied coaches on railtours in NI until EU interference quite recently.

 

[Raedwald]

Mine would be the Island Line 1938 stock, by quite a long way. Apart from that, I've been on Class 313s a few times, and I'm pretty sure I travelled on a Class 312 on the Harwich branch just before they were withdrawn. I have a faint memory of using slam-door trains on SWT, again in their last days, but I don't know which class. If loco-haulage counts, then my oldest would be the Class 86s on the GEML.

 

[Nym]

That would be IoW 1938 Tube Stock, A60 Stock and 1972TS on the national network, other than that, some compartment stock between Waterloo and the flower show, was too young to know what it was at the time.

 

[Ash Bridge]

For me it would probably be a class 404 (4COR) EMU from Hastings to Eastbourne during the autumn of 1971, having travelled down there on my first ever BR Seaview Excursion at a cost of 75p for a child ticket. As Mr Cowley mentioned above a handful of LNER Buffet cars did linger in service until well into the 70s and as 306024 mentioned the Harwich to Manchester Piccadilly Boat Train was famous for this, I saw it many times and photographed it (picture below from 1973) but sadly never managed to travel on that service.

Was meaning to ask, was that a Gresley or a Thompson vehicle?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

For me, the oldest would be the 1923 Stock on the Isle of Wight before the current 1938 stock and the following carriages on the true main line from Kensington Olympia to Southampton Eastern Docks - build dates in brackets behind the numbers.

213 ( 1927 )
243 ( 1928 )
245 ( 1925 )
254 ( 1928 )
255 ( 1928 )
280 ( 1932 )
281 ( 1932 )
284 ( 1932 )

 

[Mvann]

Does the old drain stock count.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Does the old drain stock count.

I guess it should as it was BR - that would give you a 1940 stock build date.

 

[yorksrob]

For me it would probably be a class 404 (4COR) EMU from Hastings to Eastbourne during the autumn of 1971, having travelled down there on my first ever BR Seaview Excursion at a cost of 75p for a child ticket. As Mr Cowley mentioned above a handful of LNER Buffet cars did linger in service until well into the 70s and as 306024 mentioned the Harwich to Manchester Piccadilly Boat Train was famous for this, I saw it many times and photographed it (picture below from 1973) but sadly never managed to travel on that service.

Was meaning to ask, was that a Gresley or a Thompson vehicle?

What a remarkable survivor to reach the blue/grey era ! i'd dearly have loved to have experienced one of those in the 70's/80's.

 

[Cowley]

For me it would probably be a class 404 (4COR) EMU from Hastings to Eastbourne during the autumn of 1971, having travelled down there on my first ever BR Seaview Excursion at a cost of 75p for a child ticket. As Mr Cowley mentioned above a handful of LNER Buffet cars did linger in service until well into the 70s and as 306024 mentioned the Harwich to Manchester Piccadilly Boat Train was famous for this, I saw it many times and photographed it (picture below from 1973) but sadly never managed to travel on that service.

Was meaning to ask, was that a Gresley or a Thompson vehicle?

Fantastic photo , I think that's a Gresley one, a couple of Thompson ones made it into blue and grey too I think and were used in Scotland.

 

[Ash Bridge]

What a remarkable survivor to reach the blue/grey era ! i'd dearly have loved to have experienced one of those in the 70's/80's.

Well I was just a youngster then Rob, it's a long time ago now but I'll never forget how archaic it seemed even then! Think they only had another year or so left by then, the west coast mk1/2 set which took us down seemed positively state of the art in comparison

Fantastic photo , I think that's a Gresley one, a couple of Thompson ones made it into blue and grey too I think and were used in Scotland.

Thanks for that, actually looking at the wooden bodywork perhaps I should have really known that

 

[Rick1984]

IOW for me. It's my local train! Must be amongst the oldest stock in regular revenue service?
Older than any other stock I have traveled on in 32 years!

 

[delt1c]

The Isle of Wight VEC & TIS stock


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[SpacePhoenix]

IoW or the old Drain Train stock (whichever is the older out of the two)

 

[delt1c]

Not the oldest but some LMS 6 wheeled bogie sleepers lasted into the 1970's and recieved blue / Grey

 

[30907]

Steam stock on the IOW in 1965. Can't be more precise but it was all pre-grouping in origin though rebuilt by SR.

I also have a memory of the Westerham branch set in red livery with internal gangway, so possibly an ex steam railmotor set. Actually the ordinary P&P sets were at least as old.

I may have travelled on 4SUBs rebuilt from pre-grouping stock too, but only remember seeing them from the footbridge near Shortlands.

And I think I may have travelled in a LNER Quad-art from Kings X to Hadley Wood or vv in 1961, but again I am only confident of having seen them. And in any case they weren't quite as old!

 

[Taunton]

There was a rail gala at Woking around 1990 and the NRM 2-BIL (built 1937) ran shuttles from there to Guildford. That was well over 50 years old. I got the feeling quite a number of members of the public on normal tickets were using it.

When we moved from Somerset to The Wirral I became a daily user of the 1938-built class 503, which certainly never showed their age until replaced in 1985. 47 years old, and certainly the oldest on the network by the end. They were in perfect condition to the end and I never even heard of a failure with them.

 

[W-on-Sea]

The old 1920s former LT "standard stock" that was latterly used on the Isle of Wight.

On the mainland: 1938 tube stock, many times, on the Bakerloo and later Northern lines; the trains from 1940 that were on the Drain. Above ground: Class 306

 

[Ash Bridge]

The 1500v DC EMUs (class 505) built for Manchester - Altrincham services from 1931 must have been contenders until withdrawal in 1971, they too received rail blue livery, sadly I never managed a journey on one of these despite them being on my doorstep so to speak.