Trivia: Coast-to-coast services in the UK

[johnnychips]

Quite. As OP I predicted that any rules would be broken after #5 and I wasn’t far wrong. But it’s good harmless fun.

 

[158747]

I'm now not sure that it did happen, but I think that they went into Portsmouth Harbour, reversed and went on to Brighton. I'm happy to be proven wrong though!

From the May 1988 summer timetable, when the 155s took over from the class 33 loco hauled services on the Cardiff Portsmouth route some services were worked by two 155s in multiple, they used to then split at Fareham, with one unit going forward to Brighton and the other one going to Portsmouth. I’m not sure how long this procedure continued for.

 

[route101]

TPE Liverpool - Edinburgh.

Does that still run?

 

[Watershed]

Does that still run?

Yes, once a day (Mondays to Saturdays) in that direction only, departing Liverpool at 07:24.

 

[Western Lord]

To throw a technical (and pedantic) spanner in the works, all of the various seas and channels around the UK are part of the Atlantic Ocean, so all of the quoted examples actually start and finish on the same (Atlantic) coast!

 

[Dai Corner]

To throw a technical (and pedantic) spanner in the works, all of the various seas and channels around the UK are part of the Atlantic Ocean, so all of the quoted examples actually start and finish on the same (Atlantic) coast!

Maybe we could use the terms used in the Shipping Forecast; Thames, Dover, Wight, Plymouth, Lundy, Irish Sea.... for the purposes of this thread?

 

[HSP 2]

In the dim and distant past there used to be a Liverpool to Hull service and return. I'm going back to about 1914 or so.

In more recent times would Barrow (Irish sea) to Liverpool (Mersey estuary) count?

 

[GoneSouth]

I have to say coast to coast to me means east coast to west coast and coast means somewhere that you can go for a paddle when you get there.

But we do have a South and north coast too and you can probably paddle at a lot of places on both

 

[Glenn1969]

But we do have a South and north coast too and you can probably paddle at a lot of places on both

Has there ever been an XC Paignton to Dundee/Aberdeen service ?

 

[Royston Vasey]

Sunderland to Liverpool was a nice extension on the Transpennine. I think it was an early privatisation piece of innovation by Northern Spirit. Possibly very late BR. Made possible by the 158s and some slack turnarounds at Newcastle in which they could make use of the units.

Couldn't happen now because of the Metro, and there aren't Northern Sunderland starters it could slot in in place of these days

 

[GoneSouth]

if Liverpool counts, has anybody mentioned Scarborough to Liverpool? Although I don’t even know if that is running at the moment.

Do any of the Barnstaple to Exeter continue to Exmouth, or have they in the past?

 

[Royston Vasey]

Does an EMT unit still cover a Norwich-Lowestoft-Norwich turn for GA in the mornings then run onto Liverpool? Not in a single service, but nevertheless in service throughout!

 

[RPI]

Has there ever been an XC Paignton to Dundee/Aberdeen service ?

No but I think there was a Dundee to Newquay a few years back on a summer Saturday?

 

[nw1]

There are five seas bounding Great Britain: The North Sea in the east; The Atlantic Ocean in the north and north-west; The Irish Sea in the east; The Celtic Sea in the south-west; and the English Channel in the south.
A coast to coast service is one which links tow of these seas


Does Scarborough to York return count?

Except do many people use the term 'Celtic Sea'? It certainly isn't in the common knowledge the way the others are. I'd consider the Newquay coast, for example, the Atlantic coast - given you have an uninterrupted line to North America if you head west from Newquay.

 

[MotCO]

There are five seas bounding Great Britain: The North Sea in the east; The Atlantic Ocean in the north and north-west; The Irish Sea in the east; The Celtic Sea in the south-west; and the English Channel in the south.
A coast to coast service is one which links tow of these seas

The last time I looked, the Irish Sea was in the west

 

[Dai Corner]

The last time I looked, the Irish Sea was in the west

Obviously you were looking from Great Britain, not Ireland

 

[Grecian 1998]

Some Weymouth-Bristol services have been extended to Weston-Super-Mare in the past, although I don't think any are currently. Mind you, Weston is only visited by the sea for about 4 hours a day.

Pre-2007 some XC services to the SW used the WCML so would have connected the Irish Sea (Hest Bank) and the English Channel (Dawlish, Teignmouth and others). In the 1991-92 timetable the Aberdeen - Plymouth service went via Carlisle so would also have connected the North Sea. Not sure how long this lasted.

 

[RPI]

Some Weymouth-Bristol services have been extended to Weston-Super-Mare in the past, although I don't think any are currently. Mind you, Weston is only visited by the sea for about 4 hours a day.

Pre-2007 some XC services to the SW used the WCML so would have connected the Irish Sea (Hest Bank) and the English Channel (Dawlish, Teignmouth and others). In the 1991-92 timetable the Aberdeen - Plymouth service went via Carlisle so would also have connected the North Sea. Not sure how long this lasted.

Yes Weston is only costal at high tide

 

[dk1]

Does an EMT unit still cover a Norwich-Lowestoft-Norwich turn for GA in the mornings then run onto Liverpool? Not in a single service, but nevertheless in service throughout!

No that ended nearly two years ago now. GA locals are 100% 755 operated.

And the famous Yarmouth to Barmouth

Only famous as a Regional Railways slogan. Never actually happened for real.

 

[Gloster]

Yes Weston is only costal at high tide

It has been referred to as Weston-super-Mud.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Where did the 1990s cross country service to Margate come from?

 

[dk1]

Where did the 1990s cross country service to Margate come from?

Birmingham New Street I think. Occasionally behind a Deltic.

 

[RPI]

It has been referred to as Weston-super-Mud.

My laughing smileys vanished from my post lol, but yeah, I went there on holiday as a kid and just remember walking miles (I was about 4 so probably a few hundred yards) across mud down to a sea of mud. But we digress

 

[EbbwJunction1]

From the May 1988 summer timetable, when the 155s took over from the class 33 loco hauled services on the Cardiff Portsmouth route some services were worked by two 155s in multiple, they used to then split at Fareham, with one unit going forward to Brighton and the other one going to Portsmouth. I’m not sure how long this procedure continued for.

That must be what I am thinking about; thanks.

I used to have a wish to take that journey, but never did!

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Some Weymouth-Bristol services have been extended to Weston-Super-Mare in the past, although I don't think any are currently. Mind you, Weston is only visited by the sea for about 4 hours a day.

The Severn is tidal as far upstream as Gloucester. Llanthony and Maisemore weirs in/near Gloucester are the usual tidal limits (on two branches of the river), but spring tides can overtop them and continue as far as Upper Lode, near Tewkesbury.

So if "being visited by the sea" is the criterion, then the existing Weymouth-Gloucester service would count. Bit of a stretch, I'll admit!

 

[GoneSouth]

The Severn is tidal as far upstream as Gloucester. Llanthony and Maisemore weirs in/near Gloucester are the usual tidal limits (on two branches of the river), but spring tides can overtop them and continue as far as Upper Lode, near Tewkesbury.

So if "being visited by the sea" is the criterion, then the existing Weymouth-Gloucester service would count. Bit of a stretch, I'll admit!

So we’ve established that Gloucester is total, but also part of the OP’s definition of coastal was below the lowest crossing point of a river. Does that mean that until the Severn bridge was built then much of Gloucester was coastal as the lowest crossing point of the Severn was Telfords Bridge at Over

I’ll ignore tunnels for the purposes of this post

Over Bridge - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Dai Corner]

The Severn is tidal as far upstream as Gloucester. Llanthony and Maisemore weirs in/near Gloucester are the usual tidal limits (on two branches of the river), but spring tides can overtop them and continue as far as Upper Lode, near Tewkesbury.

So if "being visited by the sea" is the criterion, then the existing Weymouth-Gloucester service would count. Bit of a stretch, I'll admit!

Other sources, such as Admiralty charts, apparently show the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel bring divided by a line stretching between Lavernock Point, South of Cardiff, and Sand Point, north of Weston-super-Mare. Thus Weston is definitely a coastal town.

The Severn Estuary is similarly described as extending upstream to Aust, where the first Severn Bridge is.

Does being on the banks of an estuary make Cardiff, Newport, Avonmouth or Clevedon coastal towns or cities or not?

(Ignoring for a moment the OP's lowest bridging point definition)