Trivia: Bizarre services

[PGAT]

Maybe to keep route knowledge of Newhaven Marine as a turnback? Otherwise there is no purpose

 

[30907]

Maybe to keep route knowledge of Newhaven Marine as a turnback? Otherwise there is no purpose

I thought it was to allow the Network Measurement Train or similar to get to Seaford - but that doesn't explain why there are two.

 

[PGAT]

I thought it was to allow the Network Measurement Train or similar to get to Seaford - but that doesn't explain why there are two.

Looking at Seaford, there’s nothing on RTT for that hour

 

[Whistler40145]

In the early 1990s there used to be a 31 hauled Fridays Only evening Blackpool North to Manchester Victoria service which didn't call at Preston, was Kirkham & Wesham and Chorley, Bolton

 

[Mcr Warrior]

In the early 1990s there used to be a 31 hauled Fridays Only evening Blackpool North to Manchester Victoria service which didn't call at Preston, was Kirkham & Wesham and Chorley, Bolton

Good stuff, but thought that the OP was just wanting examples of current "bizarre" services. See post #27.

 

[Purple Train]

Central Trains were excellent for bizarre services.

My favourite current bizarre services are the peak-only Paddington-Didcot services, first stop Maidenhead. I find it odd how a fast platform call is retained at Maidenhead (it crosses over at Ruscombe) but not allowed (except late night/early morning) at Slough, which had regular services to the Cotswolds before the last TT change. Now even many of the fast peak commuter trains have gone, meaning a 35min journey home where previously it was 13 or 14min.
That being said, it's hideous trying to park at Slough station...

 

[thedeerstalker]

Looking back on them today, the Stranraer to Newcastle services look truly bizarre but at least there was the justification of the boat to Belfast.

If I remember right some of them used to run Girvan to Newcastle, something that I’ve always considered to be the most bizarre rail service!

Sadly they ended in 2009 IIRC.

 

[BeijingDave]

it’s not bizarre but this service from Carlisle to Preston via barrow takes 4 hours and is the only direct northern service between the 2 places

There’s already 3 faster direct services an hour which are 3 hours faster

Realtime Trains | 1909 Carlisle to Preston | 10/07/2023

Real-time train running information for 1909 departure from Carlisle to Preston on 10/07/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Is it advertised as a Preston service at Carlisle?

On departure boards, the slower service is often advertised as being for a station short of its actual destination, to stop passengers mistakenly boarding the very slow or circuitous one (as happens at Leeds with York via Harrogate services.)

 

[JKF]

There‘s now a direct Severn Beach to Exeter St Davids service on a Sunday evening.

2C51 1735 Severn Beach to Exeter St Davids

and on weekday evenings a direct train to Salisbury - I think someone said this served as a parliamentary for the Rhubarb Curve but it is timetabled to go into Temple Meads so doesn’t actually run that way.

2O16 1701 Severn Beach to Salisbury

I suspect both have been formed by stitching two separate services together, and it’s nice to have a few more direct journey options!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Is it advertised as a Preston service at Carlisle?

On departure boards, the slower service is often advertised as being for a station short of its actual destination, to stop passengers mistakenly boarding the very slow or circuitous one (as happens at Leeds with York via Harrogate services.)

Believe it's advertised on the departure boards as "Preston (via Barrow-in-Furness)".

 

[MikeWM]

Not sure if it 'bizarre' or just a little odd, but I noticed last night there's a 0003 Banbury to Reading (calling at most stops) on weekday mornings. What's the history behind this? I can't imagine there are a lot of customers at say Kings Sutton a little after midnight.

 

[davetheguard]

Not sure if it 'bizarre' or just a little odd, but I noticed last night there's a 0003 Banbury to Reading (calling at most stops) on weekday mornings. What's the history behind this? I can't imagine there are a lot of customers at say Kings Sutton a little after midnight.

To get a Turbo back to Reading depot for fuel?

 

[MikeWM]

To get a Turbo back to Reading depot for fuel?

Quite possibly, yes. I was just looking around at 1am last night to see what was still running , and this one surprised me a bit. Guess I'd just never noticed it before.

 

[moonarrow458]

Not sure if it 'bizarre' or just a little odd, but I noticed last night there's a 0003 Banbury to Reading (calling at most stops) on weekday mornings. What's the history behind this? I can't imagine there are a lot of customers at say Kings Sutton a little after midnight.

That service does have some history to it. Previously the 2314 Chiltern from Stratford Upon Avon ran through to Oxford and pre GWML electrification this then provided a planned connection into a GWR turbo stopping service on the reliefs via Reading into Paddington arriving shortly after 2am.

Since GWML electrification it was split up into a Chiltern Stratford-upon-Avon to Oxford service which still connected into the GWR turbo which ran all stops to Reading. However then a separate electrostar service ran from Reading to Paddington, departing just before the turbo from Oxford arrived this severing that connection.

Then I think during Covid the 2314 Chiltern service from Stratford-upon-Avon to Oxford service was truncated to Banbury so the present day 0003 GWR service from Banbury Is a direct replacement for the Banbury to Oxford section which has been merged together with the late night Oxford to Reading turbo. Unfortunately the onward connection to Paddington remains severed

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I was once at Balham station and a train to Victoria that had come from Wimbledon arrived into platform 2 in about 2009. Never saw a similar service again

 

[PGAT]

I was once at Balham station and a train to Victoria that had come from Wimbledon arrived into platform 2 in about 2009. Never saw a similar service again

Did it come into Balham via Tooting or the long way via Sutton?

 

[MikeWM]

That service does have some history to it...

Ah, thanks for all the detail there, that's really interesting.

I just dug out my copy of the May 2016 NRT (the earliest I have to immediate hand) and indeed there was a 2345 off Banbury, which sits at Oxford for a while before continuing onto Paddington (with the note '1st class from Oxford', so presumably added carriages there (?)) and so offers a connection at Oxford from the 2358 off Banbury which started from Stratford.

So I guess this is case of 'slightly odd service that happily survives, though a bit truncated'. Good

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Did it come into Balham via Tooting or the long way via Sutton?

I'm not sure, I always assumed it came in via Tooting, but perhaps coming in from Sutton would have made more sense as it could pick up at normal Southern stations in Mitcham etc

 

[Bill57p9]

Is it advertised as a Preston service at Carlisle?

On departure boards, the slower service is often advertised as being for a station short of its actual destination, to stop passengers mistakenly boarding the very slow or circuitous one (as happens at Leeds with York via Harrogate services.)

It certainly was advertised as a Carlisle service at Preston the last time I was marooned there by AWC whilst trying to get to Dumfries.
I can't recall whether "via Barrow" was mentioned though.

 

[The exile]

There‘s now a direct Severn Beach to Exeter St Davids service on a Sunday evening.

2C51 1735 Severn Beach to Exeter St Davids

and on weekday evenings a direct train to Salisbury - I think someone said this served as a parliamentary for the Rhubarb Curve but it is timetabled to go into Temple Meads so doesn’t actually run that way.

2O16 1701 Severn Beach to Salisbury

I suspect both have been formed by stitching two separate services together, and it’s nice to have a few more direct journey options!

The rhubarb curve service is the 07.06 Bath - Filton Abbey Wood, itself a timetable “one-off”.

 

[Mike99]

I see on the departure boards the 19:09 Carlisle to Preston, is listed as Lancaster via Barrow in Furness

 

[cjbirkett]

I see on the departure boards the 19:09 Carlisle to Preston, is listed as Lancaster via Barrow in Furness

It is Actually due to terminate short at Lancaster today according to Northern journeycheck page, reason given is train crew issue.

 

[Pokelet]

Thats almost as bizarre as the epic Aberystwyth-Stansted Airport service that Central Trains ran for a couple of years

From Great Malvern you used to be able to get to such exotic places as Grantham or Lincoln

Through London Midland and into WMT era the last one back from New St to Worcester Friday only used to continue to Gloucester and then ECS back.

 

[cuccir]

While we're mentioning Barrow a bit, there's a Sunday morning service which terminates at Carnforth which strikes me as odd. It turns around to form a Carlisle service so presumably it's about the location of trains, drivers and other staff but the next two onward services from Carnforth are also from Barrow, so unless you happen to be travelling between stations on the Furness Line it's not taking you anywhere.

In the 2000s and 2010s, there was a daily Northern service from Barrow which then continued on to Buxton. I presume that this provided through journey in the Greater Manchester area, but it always seemed an odd coupling.

 

[BeijingDave]

While we're mentioning Barrow a bit, there's a Sunday morning service which terminates at Carnforth which strikes me as odd. It turns around to form a Carlisle service so presumably it's about the location of trains, drivers and other staff but the next two onward services from Carnforth are also from Barrow, so unless you happen to be travelling between stations on the Furness Line it's not taking you anywhere.

In the 2000s and 2010s, there was a daily Northern service from Barrow which then continued on to Buxton. I presume that this provided through journey in the Greater Manchester area, but it always seemed an odd coupling.

Barrow to Hazel Grove was even odder. As essentially a suburb of Stockport, many people in Cheshire couldn't point to it on a map if asked where it was, let alone people from further afield.

 

[Some guy]

I remember a few years back northern ran a 158 from York/Leeds all the way to barrow it was extremely odd it was the only direct service between Blackburn and Lancaster

 

[Dr_Paul]

That service was a mix of two services which ran between July and October 2018. In the normal timetable the services ran as the 0820 Aberdeen - Penzance and 1335 Newcastle - Guildford where between Sheffield and Birmingham these services are about 30 mins apart. Due to the Derby Resignalling project the services were diverted adding around 30 mins into the timetable so the services 'stepped back' by half an hour after the diversion so it became the 0820 Aberdeen - Guildford for this period meaning the core service becoming Reading - Scotland and Plymouth - Newcastle.

Guildford seems to me a rather odd place to terminate a long-distance train.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Guildford seems to me a rather odd place to terminate a long-distance train.

That one is for route retention purposes, I believe XC maintain driver knowledge via Haslemere and Fareham.

 

[Kite159]

That one is for route retention purposes, I believe XC maintain driver knowledge via Haslemere and Fareham.

Which comes in handy for when Basingstoke is closed with engineering works.

 

[Springs Branch]

Maybe not the country's most bizarre example, but . . .
There's a regular 2 tph all shacks service between Wigan North Western and Liverpool Lime Street via St Helens Central and hourly limited stop Blackpool trains.

Plus there is one stopping train a day in each direction which goes via Newton-le-Willows and St Helens Junction (09:24 SX ex-Wigan NW & 18:31 ex-Lime St in current timetable)

I wonder if any passengers travelling, say, Wigan to St Helens Central, or Lime St to Thatto Heath have ever turned up at the last minute, seen the familiar destination 'Wigan NW' or 'Liverpool L.S.' plus a list of stations on the PIS, jumped on board and found themselves being taken "Up the Junction" (St Helens Junction, that is)?

Incidentally, a thrifty Wiganer who fancies a day out in Newton-le-Willows using the direct trains could save a couple of quid buying a ticket from Wigan to Huyton (six stations further on) and stopping/starting short: £9.30 WGN-HUY Day Return, versus £11.60 for WGN-NLW.