Specific trains/services you miss

[Mcr Warrior]

Is the last one still 0134 off of Euston?

It appears so.

 

[Roast Veg]

The through Leeds to Morecambe service, for much easier Yorkshire-Isle of Man journeys. Were these removed because Morecambe moved over to West side drivers?

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Oh boy, so many services in South London I miss...

Firstly, I miss the Outer South London Line Victoria to London Bridge trains that were withdrawn when the pandemic started. A half-hourly service over the South London Line is pretty poor considering the breadth of areas the line serves. I've seen people stare with disbelief at the destination boards after just missing a West Croydon one and realising they've got to wait another 30 mins for their train home. Inner South London can be a fairly remote place anyway with its numerous hills and valleys, so cutting the train service back just makes it feel even more inaccessible than it's always felt.

Balham calls on Horsham fasts in the peaks. Really helped to spread out the load on the platforms at Clapham Junction. Now platform 15 fills up pretty quickly in the evening after a barely half-full Horsham train has left.

Plus, I miss the inner South London Line services from Victoria to London Bridge that went in 2012 when the Overground started. It was a great alternative to the Underground to get from Clapham to Central London. This service should really be reinstated, apart from the poor souls at Denmark Hill and Peckham Rye who have to contend with 2-3tph to Victoria or get dumped at Blackfriars, now with the Battersea Power Station development, a service from Wandsworth Road to Victoria routed via Stewarts Lane could call at a new station right next to the Power Station.

The loss of Brighton calls at Clapham Junction. Why. Why. Why. Absolute pandemonium on platform 13 at Clapham over the Summer when the station staff had to beg a trainload of passengers for Brighton to join the first train and change at Croydon since they'll be waiting a very, very long time for a direct Brighton train. People around me can't believe Clapham Junction to Brighton isn't direct any more. In all seriousness, is there not a Southern Metro rail users group where these concerns can be raised?

Lastly, as I always say - Eurostars through South London. How exciting it was to see one of those wonderful trains as a child glide over Clapham High Street on its way to France, or watching them from Brockwell Park run over the rooftops of Herne Hill.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

People around me can't believe Clapham Junction to Brighton isn't direct any more. In all seriousness, is there not a Southern Metro rail users group where these concerns can be raised?

Is the 'Brighton Line Commuters' group no longer active? See link below...

BLC Home

Welcome to Brighton Line Commuters, the independent voice of Brighton, Eastbourne and Worthing commuters. rail user group resolving complaints,timetable,trains,buses,taxis,station issues.

www.brightonlinecommuters.org

 

[yorksrob]

I've probably said before that I miss the day Ashford - Charing Cross via Maidstone East service that used to run in the 1990's.

Fortunately for to engineering works, I was able to relive nearly the experience today as the Chatting Cross trains were diverted that way

 

[Galvanize]

Oh boy, so many services in South London I miss...

Firstly, I miss the Outer South London Line Victoria to London Bridge trains that were withdrawn when the pandemic started. A half-hourly service over the South London Line is pretty poor considering the breadth of areas the line serves. I've seen people stare with disbelief at the destination boards after just missing a West Croydon one and realising they've got to wait another 30 mins for their train home. Inner South London can be a fairly remote place anyway with its numerous hills and valleys, so cutting the train service back just makes it feel even more inaccessible than it's always felt.

Balham calls on Horsham fasts in the peaks. Really helped to spread out the load on the platforms at Clapham Junction. Now platform 15 fills up pretty quickly in the evening after a barely half-full Horsham train has left.

Plus, I miss the inner South London Line services from Victoria to London Bridge that went in 2012 when the Overground started. It was a great alternative to the Underground to get from Clapham to Central London. This service should really be reinstated, apart from the poor souls at Denmark Hill and Peckham Rye who have to contend with 2-3tph to Victoria or get dumped at Blackfriars, now with the Battersea Power Station development, a service from Wandsworth Road to Victoria routed via Stewarts Lane could call at a new station right next to the Power Station.

The loss of Brighton calls at Clapham Junction. Why. Why. Why. Absolute pandemonium on platform 13 at Clapham over the Summer when the station staff had to beg a trainload of passengers for Brighton to join the first train and change at Croydon since they'll be waiting a very, very long time for a direct Brighton train. People around me can't believe Clapham Junction to Brighton isn't direct any more. In all seriousness, is there not a Southern Metro rail users group where these concerns can be raised?

Lastly, as I always say - Eurostars through South London. How exciting it was to see one of those wonderful trains as a child glide over Clapham High Street on its way to France, or watching them from Brockwell Park run over the rooftops of Herne Hill.

Massively agree with both the South London and “Palace Rounders” between London Bridge and London Victoria!

As a Resident of South (East) London…that rings very true, when a Service is lost or closed for a formality like Engineering Works, it cuts a whole area off just like that.

The SLL via Denmark Hill was a very useful link, quite often used by Drivers and Guards travelling PASS between the two Terminals, and in times of Service Disruption, for moving Staff around. The only problems with it really were short turnarounds at both ends (5 minutes)…the trains invariably lost time (especially at peak times!), so it wasn’t uncommon for an Instruction to Terminate Short at Battersea Park to be given to the Driver, or if the Driver HAD to go to Victoria…the train would sometimes run NON STOP to Victoria.

In the morning (though I tried not to work Early Turn if I could help it!), one diagram was 2x456, the other had the luxury of a 4 car 377 (complete with Toilets and Declassified First Class), but both diagrams Evening Peak were 2 car 456s! One Saturday in November 2011 when Battersea Park Firework Display was on, I recall the SLL got its best ever service provided by Southern, two additional trains per hour operated using 377s, giving Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road a train roughly every 15 minutes. Not sure if that was done every year though.

Some of the regular Customers who used the SLL service were quite pleasant, I remember a very down to earth guy who worked in the Construction Industry, he’d always say Hi when he came to catch his train, never got annoyed if the train was cancelled. Sadly never saw him again after the service was withdrawn.

 

[py_megapixel]

Fortunately for to engineering works, I was able to relive nearly the experience today as the Chatting Cross trains were diverted that way

Is that autocorrect, or some sort of derogatory reference to people on Charing Cross trains talking too much?

 

[yorksrob]

Is that autocorrect, or some sort of derogatory reference to people on Charing Cross trains talking too much?

Auto-correct (I wouldn't know if people on Chatting Cross trains talk too much as I always have headphones )

 

[NSE]

I miss the Charing Cross to Dartford via Bexleyheath, fast Waterloo East to Kidbrook.

I hear of lots like this. Fast to Kidbrooke, fast to Sidcup, the sorts of services that now can’t run due to so many services it’s just easier to run everything all stations at a higher frequency. I get it totally. But I’d love for some of them to still operate.

 

[JonathanH]

Is the 'Brighton Line Commuters' group no longer active? See link below...

Passengers travelling to Brighton aren't really their problem.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Passengers travelling to Brighton aren't really their problem.

Don't commuters from Brighton not travel back home to Brighton in the evening?

 

[47434]

Loco hauled trains on the S&C. IIRC the last time was the early noughties with Cl37/4's

(and obviously Cl47's on TPE's through Huddersfield...!!)

 

[xotGD]

Loco hauled trains on the S&C. IIRC the last time was the early noughties with Cl37/4's

(and obviously Cl47's on TPE's through Huddersfield...!!)

Who wants 47s when you've got 68s?

 

[Pacco]

Monday to Saturday, the Buxton service is 2 per hour peak and 1 per hour off-peak.

This is good. Thanks!

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Both long gone but I still miss through workings from Crewe to Boston (and Skegness) and from Liverpool to Portsmouth. Getting back from matches at Boston United is getting harder and harder due to poor connections at Nottingham and Derby and the fact that the Pilgrims new ground is apparently a long way out of town.

 

[AGH]

As a child once got a sleeper from Lime Street to Euston to catch an early flight to America. Only vaguely remember but recall it was corridor coach and we stopped for ages at Stafford. Think it took about 6 hours.

 

[sk688]

Is the last one still 0134 off of Euston?
Vaguely recall during the 2012 Olympics when various Additional Trains were operating, think LM as was had an even later departure at 02:34 off of London Euston.

Yep currently 0134 , which is still not too bad to be fair , but that extra half hour is worthwhile sometimes

 

[318266]

The old Helensburgh rush hour trains were nice, usually a 320 vice the 334s which usually ran on the Edinburgh trains.
Mainly the 0759 to Airdrie (Craigendoran, Cardross, Dalreoch, Dumbarton C, Scotstounhill, Hyndland then all stops), and the 1714 from Bellgrove (High Street, Glasgow QS, Charing Cross, Partick, Dumbarton C then all stops)

Both were 320s and went after the Queen Street tunnel closure, but I still have no clue why the first one stopped at Scotstounhill of all places!

 

[jfollows]

As a child once got a sleeper from Lime Street to Euston to catch an early flight to America. Only vaguely remember but recall it was corridor coach and we stopped for ages at Stafford. Think it took about 6 hours.

In 1980, for example, 1A02 00:30 Liverpool-Euston was 01:50-02:03 in Stafford and arrived in Euston 04:42, however sleeper passengers were allowed to remain snoring until later in the morning. I once used 1A01, 00:27 Manchester-Euston which was booked into Euston 04:06. In the opposite direction the sleepers ran as one train Euston-Stafford and split there for Manchester and Liverpool, but in the up direction they ran as separate trains throughout.

 

[Strathclyder]

The semi-fast Dalmuir - Larkhall services, which skipped Bridgeton, Dalmarnock, Cambuslang & Newton between Argyle Street & Blantyre, calling only at Rutherglen in-between. Think it disappeared when the Whifflet Line was electrified and added to the Argyle Line's itinerary (December 2014); all Dalmuir-Larkhall services are now all-stations turns.

One interesting tidbit related to this is that when the Larkhall line was reopened back in December 2005 and when unrefurbished 318s were inevitably used, they didn't have 'Larkhall' on the blinds (no real point in altering the blinds thusly either, as the class was in the midst of a major refurbishment at the time which would see LED screens installed), so 'Special' in conjunction with 'via Glasgow Central - Limited Stop' were used (linked image from the railwaymedia.co.uk site). One wonders if any confusion resulted from this arrangement; most likely none worth mentioning lol

Class 318 - Railwaymedia

318268 Anniesland 15/2/2006 2L20 1031 Dalmuir-Larkhall

www.railwaymedia.co.uk

In the same vein, through Dalmuir/Milngavie - Lanark services, without having to change at Glasgow Central. Heck, the entire Argyle Line timetable period pre-Whifflet Line electrification, for the sake of consistency if nothing else. While I don't at all doubt that electrification of the line was beneficial, it did come at a price in regards to existing services.

With this latter point in mind, Holytown was the biggest loser of that particular timetable recast by some margin. Yes, it now has regular electric services into Glasgow Central High Level in the form of the hourly Shotts Line stopper, but it lost it's regular rail link to Motherwell (Holytown's closest major settlement), not to mention direct links to Lanark, Partick & Milngavie.

(I may have gone a bit off-topic twice here, oops lol)

 

[fgwrich]

Two from the South Western - the 158 & 159 operated services to Paignton, Plymouth and Penzance. And any Waterloo - Weymouth services with the 442s (in their original SWT Condition with the Buffet, Snug and FC Compartments)

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Massively agree with both the South London and “Palace Rounders” between London Bridge and London Victoria!

As a Resident of South (East) London…that rings very true, when a Service is lost or closed for a formality like Engineering Works, it cuts a whole area off just like that.

The SLL via Denmark Hill was a very useful link, quite often used by Drivers and Guards travelling PASS between the two Terminals, and in times of Service Disruption, for moving Staff around. The only problems with it really were short turnarounds at both ends (5 minutes)…the trains invariably lost time (especially at peak times!), so it wasn’t uncommon for an Instruction to Terminate Short at Battersea Park to be given to the Driver, or if the Driver HAD to go to Victoria…the train would sometimes run NON STOP to Victoria.

In the morning (though I tried not to work Early Turn if I could help it!), one diagram was 2x456, the other had the luxury of a 4 car 377 (complete with Toilets and Declassified First Class), but both diagrams Evening Peak were 2 car 456s! One Saturday in November 2011 when Battersea Park Firework Display was on, I recall the SLL got its best ever service provided by Southern, two additional trains per hour operated using 377s, giving Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road a train roughly every 15 minutes. Not sure if that was done every year though.

Some of the regular Customers who used the SLL service were quite pleasant, I remember a very down to earth guy who worked in the Construction Industry, he’d always say Hi when he came to catch his train, never got annoyed if the train was cancelled. Sadly never saw him again after the service was withdrawn.

Lovely story, I only ever used it twice and I'm sure the residents of Clapham and Wandsworth Road wouldn't mind a direct service to Victoria again.

Yes it does cut off a whole area, the Crystal Palace Line really needs 6tph instead of the current 2.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

The early morning Scunny to Grimsby train Northern ran.

 

[muddythefish]

What trains do I miss? There are so many

The overnight sleeper to Milford Haven (more than once i was the only passenger on it beyond Carmarthen); the Fishguard boat trains; the Thames-Clyde express via the S & C; the "Waverley" over the beautiful route from Carlisle to Edinburgh; the early morning newspaper and mail trains out of King's Cross that always had a few coaches tagged on the rear; the Motorail trains down to Cornwall.

I could go on!

 

[hexagon789]

One interesting tidbit related to this is that when the Larkhall line was reopened back in December 2005 and when unrefurbished 318s were inevitably used, they didn't have 'Larkhall' on the blinds, so 'Special' in conjunction with 'via Glasgow Central - Limited Stop' were used (linked image from the railwaymedia.co.uk site). One wonders if any confusion resulted from this arrangement; most likely nothing worth mentioning lol

That's very interesting, I'd never appreciated that small detail.

Also, at the time Larkhall re-opened for some reason I always thought the new 334s ran the branch service (I was only eight and so hopefully 8-year-old me can be forgiven this transgression!), it was only years later I found out this wasn't the case in fact.

 

[muddythefish]

Referring back to your previous post about 1B01/2B01 being unable to restart from Craigendoran on one occasion, I can recall numerous instances of the Down sleeper grinding to a halt on the curving, tree-lined 1 in 58 gradient towards Helensburgh Upper and then having to reverse back down to sea level at Craigendoran to have a run at the bank. What was the official rule book take on such a manoeuvre? My friends and I used to enjoy boarding that train at Helensburgh Upper at 06 42 on a Saturday morning, then heading straight for the restaurant car for a slap-up breakfast alongside the Gare Loch, Loch Long and Loch Lomond.

Memories of the overnight London-Inverness sleeper when they put on a restaurant car on the back of the train at Perth at about 5am. Cooked breakfast as the sun came up over the Highlands!.

 

[Strathclyder]

That's very interesting, I'd never appreciated that small detail.

Also, at the time Larkhall re-opened for some reason I always thought the new 334s ran the branch service (I was only eight and so hopefully 8-year-old me can be forgiven this transgression!), it was only years later I found out this wasn't the case in fact.

You are forgiven lol

In fact, I too thought the same thing for the longest time, it was only through stumbling across that pic of 318268 at Anniesland a few years ago that I found out that it wasn't the case at all. It's also a half-decent portrait of a Carmine/Cream 318 with the classes' original front-end design, so there's that too lol

 

[Cheshire Scot]

I still have no clue why the first one stopped at Scotstounhill of all places!

Scotstounhill was a longstanding call in a peak hour Helensburgh 'express' going back at least to the 1970's. I suspect it may have been introduced way back then due to some senior BR Manager residing there and seeking to avoid some of the few stops into Queen St for himself and probably his golfing buddies, and it just stayed in place thereafter. Initially it would have been non stop to Charing Cross with Partick added at a later date.

Similarly I am aware that a morning Sheffield to Manchester express and evening return picked up a stop at Hathersage as on of the Manchester Managers lived there!

Oddly Helensburgh had four peak expresses in the morning but only two back in the evening, with the further quirk that only one of the four arrived in Queen St before 09.00 - my father used to catch the 08.30 (non stop Craigendoran to Charing Cross) arriving Queen St at 09.01 which got him to his office at about 09.05 and the two later trains arrived approx twenty and forty minutes after that, perhaps reflecting that a start of 09.00 - or earlier - was most certainly nota not requirment for many Helensburg commuters in that era. Other than the 08.30 the rest were all non stop from Dumbarton Central to either Partickhil or Charing Cross until that Scotstounhill stop was added to the 08.10 (exact timings did of course vary from to time), likewise the evening returns were both fast to Dumbarton Central although I think one did pick up the anomoly of the Scotstounhill stop in due course.

 

[D9006]

Yep, great shout. Used to use them all the time from East Croydon to Reading. Only one stop at Kensington Olympia if I recall correctly, and cheaper fares as you didn't set foot in zone 1!

Talking of East Croydon, there was an overnight sat/sun Manchester to Gatwick Airport which was booked @ 33/2 from mitre bridge to Gatwick, only booked 33/2 pax diagram. Although as we know appeared regularly on others

 

[47827]

Too many to mention. This one probably wasn't the best "ever", but probably one of the oddest was in the late 90s 1N30 2010 New St to Preston calling Wolves, Crewe, Warrington BQ and Wigan NW. Was the 47/8 off the 1800 Manchester to New St. Very seldom dropped anything other than the booked traction and don't recall a single failure on it (drivers not up for playing trains either), although did have RFD loco 47281 into New St from Manchester on 1G56 to reach it once I think (but that got replaced for a 47/8 ex SY). I was generally almost always the only ever enthusiast on board North of Crewe (it did make the loco hauled Euston - Holyhead parcels hauled turn though at Crewe). Staff including guards and a few of the drivers became friendly as a result. Frequently did the last Blackpool to Liverpool (various dmu combos) back to Broad Green for the half hour hike home but then landed up starting Preston Uni and occasionally doing it on a weekday evening post lectures (sometimes then off to a night club afterward). Generally a pretty empty service that could have stayed a 2 car 158 as per what it was originally, but was simply loco hauled to balance the revised stock diagrams of the time then RR and ECS to Longsight. Generally a flying run up the WCML retaining the original dmu schedule with drivers on the way home not in the mood to dawdle. Replaced eventually by a hst starting back from Bristol after just a year or two loco hauled, then lost altogether during a big recast at the end of the 90s.

Generally all the few diesel hauled IC trains left into the 2000s on XC route ex Liverpool/Preston/North West area and WCML North West drags and WCML loco hauled diesel legs (such as the Holyhead route) were held in similar high regard to the loss of 1N30 itself. But that's a more general list.