waterloo and south western mainline past services over the years

[class444 fan]

Hello all i have a load of working timetables and and
carriage working notices and reading over these i have seen
London Waterloo- plymouth/paignton
Brighton to Baskingstoke
London Waterloo to Bristol temple meeds
when did they stop also when did the Portsmouth direct line become half hourly xx 00 and xx 30

also when did the Frist great western send they hst to waterloo

thanks for all your help

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Hello all i have a load of working timetables and and
carriage working notices and reading over these i have seen
London Waterloo- plymouth/paignton
Brighton to Baskingstoke
London Waterloo to Bristol temple meeds
when did they stop also when did the Portsmouth direct line become half hourly xx 00 and xx 30

also when did the Frist great western send they hst to waterloo

thanks for all your help

You could also add West Croydon to Guildford on that list of services that no longer run

 

[class444 fan]

You could also add West Croydon to Guildford on that list of services that no longer run

I forget about them

 

[KeithMcC]

There was Waterloo to Manchester for a few years - via Wales!

 

[swt_passenger]

Brighton to Basingstoke/Reading was removed in 2007 as a result of the west coastway changes that introduced the SN Brighton to Southampton service. I’ll try and find the thread we had where I explained how in the peaks it was hijacked to form a Portsmouth to Basingstoke/Reading service, ie it wasn’t quite the hourly all day service that people thought they remembered.

SWT's defunct Reading-Basingstoke service: where did it go?

I remember SWT turbostars going from the basingstoke bound Reading Train Station platforms. Does anyone know what route this was and why it no longer exists?

www.railforums.co.uk

All the extensions beyond Exeter were removed when the Axminster redoubling was complete, (2009 or 2010?), in order to concentrate all the existing rolling stock east of Exeter to allow for the new all day hourly service. FGW or GWR were then required to introduce various additional services west of Exeter to compensate.

The few services to Bristol, (3 per day each way IIRC), which mostly split from or joined Exeter trains at Salisbury, were removed comparatively recently, in Dec 2021. I think it coincided with GWR being withdrawn from Brighton. The idea being that both TOCs were running through trains which were better utilised on their core areas.

The majority of times HST diverts by either FGW and GWR occurred they made it onto YouTube, IIRC the first time they ran for a significant period was when the major bridge immediately west of Reading station was replaced, that was around the new year 2011? As I did, if you search YouTube separately for “FGW HST Waterloo” or “GWR HST Waterloo” you’ll find loads of dates.

 

[class444 fan]

Brighton to Basingstoke/Reading was removed in 2007 as a result of the west coastway changes that introduced the SN Brighton to Southampton service. I’ll try and find the thread we had where I explained how in the peaks it was hijacked to form a Portsmouth to Basingstoke/Reading service, ie it wasn’t quite the hourly all day service that people thought they remembered.

SWT's defunct Reading-Basingstoke service: where did it go?

I remember SWT turbostars going from the basingstoke bound Reading Train Station platforms. Does anyone know what route this was and why it no longer exists?

www.railforums.co.uk

All the extensions beyond Exeter were removed when the Axminster redoubling was complete, (2009 or 2010?), in order to concentrate all the existing rolling stock east of Exeter to allow for the new all day hourly service. FGW or GWR were then required to introduce various additional services west of Exeter to compensate.

The few services to Bristol, (3 per day each way IIRC), which mostly split from or joined Exeter trains at Salisbury, were removed comparatively recently, in Dec 2021. I think it coincided with GWR being withdrawn from Brighton. The idea being that both TOCs were running through trains which were better utilised on their core areas.

The majority of times HST diverts by either FGW and GWR occurred they made it onto YouTube, IIRC the first time they ran for a significant period was when the major bridge immediately west of Reading station was replaced, that was around the new year 2011? As I did, if you search YouTube separately for “FGW HST Waterloo” or “GWR HST Waterloo” you’ll find loads of dates.

was there ever a waterloo to brighton through service.

 

[NSEWonderer]

There was Waterloo to Manchester for a few years - via Wales!

Wayback Machine

Seems also that South West trains used to do Brighton to Paignton

2000-09 WTT WG | Network Rail Corporate Archive

Industry published working timetable, September 2000

history.networkrail.co.uk

 

[class444 fan]

thanks all

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Brighton to Basingstoke/Reading was removed in 2007 as a result of the west coastway changes

All the extensions beyond Exeter were removed when the Axminster redoubling was complete, (2009 or 2010?), in order to concentrate all the existing rolling stock east of Exeter to allow for the new all day hourly service.

You are correct in basic terms AFAIR(?), and I say that (ie: "basic") as it is now a fading memory to me, someone who was involved at the time! The franchise renewal of 2007 required a complete review of the overall plan to be undertaken as part of the bid, and certain services which were duplicated by the (then) historical SR 'Division' services were deemed to be resource heavy/draining, and so SWT services to/from Brighton were pulled out.
Again, your comments about West of Exeter are on the mark (AFAIR) as going west of EX was again draining on resources. It may not have appeared as such to some, but unit diagrams were stretched and some, with the implementation of the hourly service, resulting in certain services being under resourced (as far as I was concerned - but had no other option at the time) ie: 1850 Salisbury to WA (this is off top of my head, but think I remember correctly?) which was diagrammed a single 2 car 158. Was never happy with that, but was out of 159's, so what does one do?

Edited:

Just remembered there was a phrase many of us planners use to use back in the day, and I'm talking planners not only on the SR but also W, Mid and E, as many of those involved knew each other, if only via that old school item, the telephone, but when complaints came in about overcrowding, the response was often something along the lines of: "what do you think we have, a rolling stock tree to grow more carriages" etc.......does make me laugh now!

 

[swt_passenger]

Seems also that South West trains used to do Brighton to Paignton

2000-09 WTT WG | Network Rail Corporate Archive

Industry published working timetable, September 2000

history.networkrail.co.uk

Regular, as in once or twice a week, but definitely not frequent.

was there ever a waterloo to brighton through service.

Yes in the very early morning, but it was really just a normal Waterloo to Basingstoke that continued onto the Basingstoke to Brighton circuit. Only ran once per day in that direction.

 

[class444 fan]

Regular, as in once or twice a week, but definitely not frequent.


Yes in the very early morning, but it was really just a normal Waterloo to Basingstoke that continued onto the Basingstoke to Brighton circuit. Only ran once per day in that direction.

thanks

how was the 158 handled did it come from sailsbury and stay at bourmouth depot

 

[class444 fan]

Does anyone have any diagrams covering 2010

 

[Big Jumby 74]

thanks

how was the 158 handled did it come from sailsbury and stay at bourmouth depot

I presume you are referring to the Lymington 158? It formed part of an empty from Salisbury depot to Southampton on a Monday morning, being collected from there by a Bournemouth crew and ran empty to Brockenhurst to start the Pier service. At night it stayed at Bournemouth Depot Monday night through to Thursday night, and on completion of Lym Pier services on Friday evening it ran empty to Southampton and was attached to a Southampton-Romsey service, that then finished at Salisbury depot.
IIRC the mileage involved (for the 158) running the Pier shuttles for five consecutive days took it over the mileage limit fuel wise, and a mid week (night) trip was worked in to the diagram (Wed night/Thurs IIRC) in the early days, to run it back to Salisbury depot for fuel. The unit could also be swapped for another (158) at this point, if required.
But in later times arrangements were made to refuel it mid week (nights) at Bournemouth depot, something that was not possible when this DMU working first started.

 

[55002]

Wayback Machine

Seems also that South West trains used to do Brighton to Paignton

2000-09 WTT WG | Network Rail Corporate Archive

Industry published working timetable, September 2000

history.networkrail.co.uk

View attachment 166944

Travelled on that a few times. 33 haulage

 

[class444 fan]

I presume you are referring to the Lymington 158? It formed part of an empty from Salisbury depot to Southampton on a Monday morning, being collected from there by a Bournemouth crew and ran empty to Brockenhurst to start the Pier service. At night it stayed at Bournemouth Depot Monday night through to Thursday night, and on completion of Lym Pier services on Friday evening it ran empty to Southampton and was attached to a Southampton-Romsey service, that then finished at Salisbury depot.
IIRC the mileage involved (for the 158) running the Pier shuttles for five consecutive days took it over the mileage limit fuel wise, and a mid week (night) trip was worked in to the diagram (Wed night/Thurs IIRC) in the early days, to run it back to Salisbury depot for fuel. The unit could also be swapped for another (158) at this point, if required.
But in later times arrangements were made to refuel it mid week (nights) at Bournemouth depot, something that was not possible when this DMU working first started.

yes i did thanks sorry i should have stated it.

 

[Taunton]

Depends how far you want to go back.

The Waterloo to Exeter line was steam until 1964, when it went over to Warship diesels supplied by the Western Region. After the 1967 Bournemouth electrification the Southern rapidly eliminated steam heated coaching stock, and as the Warships could only do steam heat the coaching provision changed to the Western Region. In 1971 the Warships were replaced by lower powered Class 33, which could only do electric heating, such stock being in short supply on the Western, so provision changed back to the Southern. By the end of the decade Class 50 took over, with more power, along with coaches back to the Western again; they were somewhat unreliable, so after about another 10 years of those Class 47/7 did a final few years before the present multiple units took over in the early 1990s.

Electric heating with Class 33 was somewhat nominal on the switchbacks and stop-start runs west of Salisbury, they could do it fine, but with their lower power drivers would warm the train, then switch it off for full power charging of the climbs, or accelerating from stops, to give all power to the motors, then back on again once up to speed over the summits.