Trivia: Bizarre services

[Whistler40145]

The Saturday only round trip from Stalybridge to Stockport.

It departs SYB 08.30 and reaches SPT 08.59. It then departs STP 09.04 and reaches SYB 09.28.

Admittedly these 2 points are otherwise connected by changing at Manchester Piccadilly. However, for Denton and Reddish South this hardly makes for an effective day out.

What happens with the unit after completing the round trip?

 

[317 forever]

What happens with the unit after completing the round trip?

I don't know whether there may be a special rota on Saturdays so that its next service is the 09.52 to Southport for example.

 

[Whistler40145]

I don't know whether there may be a special rota on Saturdays so that its next service is the 09.52 to Southport for example.

The diagram is ECS from Newton Heath, followed by return trip to Stockport and ECS back to Newton Heath

 

[class397tpe]

This one might not be the most bizarre but thought it's worth a mention

As far as I know, this is the only fast non-stop Northern service between Sheffield and Piccadilly, running on a Sunday night

Realtime Trains | 2S77 2135 Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly | 23/07/2023

Real-time train running information for 2S77 2135 departure from Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly on 23/07/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

That is bizzare - anyone know why it doesn't make any stops?

 

[HamworthyGoods]

What about the 17:36 Paddington-Plymouth service that calls at Dawlish Warren all year round.

Surely that station is a bit of a ghost town in winter?

It calls to let the 18.03 Paddington to Penzance overtake it.

 

[Whistler40145]

That is bizzare - anyone know why it doesn't make any stops?

Are Northern using a cancelled path normally used by TPE

 

[stan claire]

Before the Dec 22 timetable there was one service in the early morning, I think around 06:30, that started at Stoke and went all the way to Blackpool North calling at pretty much every station (except between Salford Crescent and Bolton) and it also was the only service to call at both Adlington stations. After terminating at Blackpool it would form a service to Hazel Grove. Following the new timetable it starts from Manchester Airport just like the other services on the route. It was operated with a 331 however it was a 323 path and I am unsure if it ran at all or ran with a 319 before the 331s were introduced. I did once travel on this service, however only briefly between Buckshaw and Preston.

 

[Kite159]

Are Northern using a cancelled path normally used by TPE

It's been run since at least summer 2021 (as I caught it once for the novelty factor of a non-stop Northern service via Marple)

Before the Dec 22 timetable there was one service in the early morning, I think around 06:30, that started at Stoke and went all the way to Blackpool North calling at pretty much every station (except between Salford Crescent and Bolton) and it also was the only service to call at both Adlington stations. After terminating at Blackpool it would form a service to Hazel Grove. Following the new timetable it starts from Manchester Airport just like the other services on the route. It was operated with a 331 however it was a 323 path and I am unsure if it ran at all or ran with a 319 before the 331s were introduced. I did once travel on this service, however only briefly between Buckshaw and Preston.

Used to be a 319 before the 331s

 

[stan claire]

Used to be a 319 before the 331s

Sounds quite odd considering it would've been only 323s at that time iirc. Is that the only 319 that would've operated from Stoke then?

 

[BeijingDave]

That is bizzare - anyone know why it doesn't make any stops?

Isn't this the one that sometimes goes via Huddersfield?

 

[M60lad]

Are Northern using a cancelled path normally used by TPE

Also considering it runs non-stop to Piccadilly why does it run via Marple and not direct via Stockport?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Also considering it runs non-stop to Piccadilly why does it run via Marple and not direct via Stockport?

Is it (the non-stop Sheffield -> Manchester Piccadilly SuO service operated by Northern) essentially one which might otherwise just run ECS?

 

[30907]

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.

Presumably there is sufficient demand for the return leg to justify it, so the outward has to run - though calling all stations seems unduly generous.

The Barrow services terminating at Carlisle is down to the WCML being shut until quite late (10:20, for Lancaster to Preston) on Sunday mornings during various periods throughout the year.

Never understood why the WCML has closures that are so much longer than the ECML and other equivalent mainlines see, but there you go.

I thought it was simply due to the volume of freight (a) hammering the track and (b) making weeknight access difficult.

 

[D6975]

Another oddball is the 0523 Padd-Swansea. It runs via Bristol TM and Parkway, reversing at both.

 

[BeijingDave]

Another oddball is the 0523 Padd-Swansea. It runs via Bristol TM and Parkway, reversing at both.

Probably to link with certain early morning connections

 

[A S Leib]

Probably to link with certain early morning connections

Not tons of those (at Temple Meads a 06:34 arrival from Severn Beach, a 06:48 from Westbury which is scheduled to reach Cardiff 13 minutes before the Paddington – Swansea train, and a 06:53 from Gloucester, which calls at Bristol Parkway anyway. The only other service at Bristol Parkway in the 30 minutes before the Swansea train departs which doesn't start from Temple Meads is a 07:02 arrival from Gloucester (and the 06:59 from Swansea)).

It's the only train from Bristol Parkway to Cardiff between 06:30 and 08:00 and I suppose an extra direct Bath / Bristol - Cardiff (/ Swansea) service at that time of day makes sense, so presumably Temple Meads and Parkway are each well-used enough not to be skipped.

 

[CC 72100]

Not tons of those (at Temple Meads a 06:34 arrival from Severn Beach, a 06:48 from Westbury which is scheduled to reach Cardiff 13 minutes before the Paddington – Swansea train, and a 06:53 from Gloucester, which calls at Bristol Parkway anyway. The only other service at Bristol Parkway in the 30 minutes before the Swansea train departs which doesn't start from Temple Meads is a 07:02 arrival from Gloucester (and the 06:59 from Swansea)).

It's the only train from Bristol Parkway to Cardiff between 06:30 and 08:00 and I suppose an extra direct Bath / Bristol - Cardiff (/ Swansea) service at that time of day makes sense, so presumably Temple Meads and Parkway are each well-used enough not to be skipped.

Used to call at Filton before heading to Newport direct via Patchway and not going into Bristol Parkway.

However, the double reversal solves the problem of the unit ending up with first class then at the country end after just the one Temple Meads reversal, I suppose.

 

[73001]

Every Sunday morning on the Wirral you can catch 2W04 0749 Rock Ferry to West Kirby - though the PIS will show Liverpool Central until James Street and then change to West Kirby. This service, along with weekday mornings 2C05 and 2C06 (ELP-LVC-CTR), are some of only the few Merseyrail services that interwork two lines in the normal timetable. Though the passengers would never notice!

There aren't many on Merseyrail, normally an end to end service, but a couple of early morning oddities over the water from above are the 0559 Sandhills to Southport and 0606 Sandhills to Hunts Cross. Everything else on the Northern Line seems to start at Central or the end of each branch by running empty.

 

[Bill57p9]

5Y58
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Y35944/2023-08-16/detailed
I'm sure there is a good reason for it to be swapped between platforms at Fort William: To allow both sides to be watered perhaps?

What I can't figure is why it needs to visit Fort William Junction twice in the process.

 

[youngiecj]

0501 Nottingham-Sleaford is a bizarre service, goes via Lincoln non stop to Sleaford then ECS back to Nottingham!

 

[Penmorfa]

I had occasion to change trains at Crewe today, not a station I've visited before. Whilst I was hanging around, I noticed there was an EMR service to Newark Castle via Stoke. The seemed to run semi-fast to Nottingham, then calling all shacks to Newark. Sort of long distance morphing into local stopper.
Any other examples of weird services?

Crewe to Skegness was a service for many years, ofter with the rather nice Class 120 DMU's. An early example of BR tying services together to save units and provide more journey opportunities

 

[The exile]

Used to call at Filton before heading to Newport direct via Patchway and not going into Bristol Parkway.

However, the double reversal solves the problem of the unit ending up with first class then at the country end after just the one Temple Meads reversal, I suppose.

Gives a convenient London connection from. Filton Abbey Wood at Parkway as well. I guess the location of the MOD at Filton has a lot to do with it running at all.