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Tamworth to Glasgow

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Brummie67

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Hi,
I'm writing a novel that includes a group of friends traveling from Tamworth in Staffs to Glasgow by train.
It's set in 1982, so I wondered if anyone knows what the likely station stops between those two points would have been back then in the 80s, or from Birmingham New Street to Glasgow.
I'm looking for a route that heads west and passes the Lake District rather than one that goes along the east coast and that seems to exist today. I can guess at potential stops - Crewe, Warrington, Preston, Lancaster, Penrith, Carlisle and Lockerbie - but would rather have them exactly right from 1982 if possible.
Many thanks,
Mike
 
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Mcr Warrior

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Basically, you need someone that is able to scan a 1982 WCML timetable.

P.S. I'm guessing that Stafford, Wigan NW, Oxenholme and Motherwell might also have been calling stops. And possibly not Lockerbie.
 

Chorley Cake

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I don’t think they were fixed optimised stops like today, different services had different mixes.

Go with Tamworth, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Motherwell, Glasgow Central.
 

Cowley

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Someone on here has copies of those sorts of timetables.
Paging @30907, was it you that came up with some useful information on something similar?
 

Brummie67

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Basically, you need someone that is able to scan a 1982 WCML timetable.

P.S. I'm guessing that Stafford, Wigan NW, Oxenholme and Motherwell might also have been calling stops. And possibly not Lockerbie.
Thanks. I'll keep searching!

I don’t think they were fixed optimised stops like today, different services had different mixes.

Go with Tamworth, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Motherwell, Glasgow Central.
Thanks. Right now I have those stops listed. I've traveled by train from Birmingham, where I grew up, to Scotland, but on the east coast line. I appreciate your help.
 

47296lastduff

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My nearest tt is May 1979 to May 1980, and there were very few trains then. The better option seemed to be changing at Birm NS (otherwise Stafford, with fewer connections forward), but there was a mix of stops after that. Crewe was a constant, but Lockerbie did not feature. Some called at Carstairs to detach an Edinburgh portion.
 

30907

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From memory (I'll look later) Tamworth had very few West Coast services, just the irregular stoppers to Stafford, and those that did stop weren't Glasgow expresses (was there a early morning one northbound?)
Birmingham to Scotland trains were every 2-4 hours from 0800, typically took 4.5 hours or so and split at Carstairs; stops varied but absolute minimum would be: Wolves, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle plus some or all of Stafford, Warrington BQ, Wigan NW, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Motherwell.

@Brummie67 Welcome! Give me a rough time of day and I'll tell you more exactly.

PS just had a look, and Tamworth had very few trains on either route back then. Would your characters like to move to Nuneaton? :)
 
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SouthDevonian

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I lived in Tamworth between 1971 and 1976 and took the train to visit my in-laws in Scotland several times. At that time, the Euston - Glasgow and Birmingham - Glasgow / Edinburgh trains changed to diesel traction at Crewe. So it was EMU stopper to Stafford. Then on to Crewe. From there I remember taking the Royal Scot behind pairs of 50s.

The 1982 timetable reflects the extension northwards of the WCML electrification and most of the Euston - Glasgow trains went to Preston first stop. Therefore a traveller from Tamworth might take the 07.34 ex Tamworth all stations EMU to Stafford to pick up the 08.10 ex New St for Glasgow & Edinburgh. After Stafford, the latter called at Crewe; Preston; Oxenholme; Carlisle; Carstairs & Motherwell.
 

WesternLancer

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Thanks. I'll keep searching!


Thanks. Right now I have those stops listed. I've traveled by train from Birmingham, where I grew up, to Scotland, but on the east coast line. I appreciate your help.
Which is not really the 'logical' route unless you you are going to Edinburgh / east Scotland for example (which would be eg Brum - Tamworth - Derby - Sheffield - Leeds / Doncaster - York - Newcastle route)

You need your novel group to go north on the West Coast Main line (main destination Glasgow), with sorts of calling points listed up thread

On a train that probably looked a bit like the one at the top of this page image wise at least north of Brum when on the 'Inter City' service
or this (spot the difference....)

Back then of course train would have had smoking and non smoking seats, 1st and 2nd (not standard IIRC) classes, a buffet car / counter and probably also a restaurant car that 2nd class passengers could use, to buy a table service meal. Possible that some seats (even in 2nd class but I think this is less likely) might have been in compartments.

It would have been possible to reserve seats - but you had to pay (£1 I think) which meant that fewer people would have reserved unless they wanted to guarantee being able to sit together and wished to pay to achieve that.

Most seats would have had tables with 4 seats around them (in 2nd class) unless in a compartment.

Good chance carriage would have been air conditioned (ie not with opening windows apart from in the doors)
 
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