Bristol-London 1990 timetable

[Marc T]

I was looking through the Bristol/West Wales-London pages of the Summer 1990 timetable, and what got my attention was how much more interesting the timetables for this route back then were up to nowadays.

Here are a couple of scans of the pages....








Of particular interest are the Mondays-Fridays 0740 Bristol Temple Meads-London service, which calls only at Bristol Parkway, Swindon and London Paddington. Journey time just 1 hour 24 minutes. Another service from Temple Meads just 5 minutes later calling only Bath Spa, Chippenham and London Padd. Journey time just 1 hour 23 minutes. Another services from Bristol Parkway(from Swansea) at 0802 running non-stop to London Padd. Journy time just 1 hour 11 minutes!

Then on Sundays, there's a service which leaves Temple Meads at 0957 and calls Reading and London Padd only. Journey time 1 hour 36 minutes. Then just 3 minutes later(on a Sunday!) there's another service at 1000 calling all regular stops to London Padd. Journey time 2 hours.

Some Bristol-London/London-Bristol services would also call at Slough too, which doesn't happen nowadays.

Also of interest(and not featured in the above scans) is a service from Swansea which would run non-stop from Cardiff-Reading.

So so much more interesting than the timetables of recent years where all Bristol Temple Meads-London Padd services call at Bath Spa, Chippenham, Swindon, (some services) Didcot Parkway, Reading and London Padd. I've been looking at the upcoming Summer 2007 GWML timetables and I can't see anything of particular interest in the timetables. All service having the same old stopping patern. Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Chippenham, Swindon, Didcot Parkway, London Paddington. Same old, same old.

[Roger]

I have the summer 1973 Western Region timetable and how things have changed since then. Cross Country holiday trains were far more frequent with full length trains rather than Virgin's 4 car units. Several were routed through Hereford.

London services are very similar, but what a change on the Cardiff - Bristol - Portsmouth service. One train every two hours from Bristol - Cardiff, just a handful of through trains from Cardiff - Portsmouth (and that is on a summer Saturday!!!).

Old timetables are always worth a scan (no pun intended).

[Marc T]

Bit late replying again to my own thread. But yes, the old timetables are far more interesting than the current timetables. With a lot more variation in stopping patterns and journey times.

In the 1986 Winter timetable, there's a weekday peak evening service leaving London Paddington-Cardiff General. Which would run non-stop to Bristol Parkway with just a 1 hour 5 minute journey time. Current journey between Paddington and Bristol Parkway being 1hour 27 mins-1hour 35 minutes. With of course the the station stops of Reading and Swindon included.

RE: the less frequency of the Portsmouth/Bristol-Cardiff services in the 70's. It was still like this as late as 1986. With services pretty much only about every 2 hours.

Also note in the Summer 1990 timetable there were Network Express services to Brighton. Which would run non-stop from Bath Spa-Salisbury. Don't get services like that anymore.

[James]

I wonder what the timetable was like at Taunton in the 80s when the island platform was disused? Nearly all the local services terminate and reverse there now, and some HSTs from London as well...I can't imagine how they fitted in anything but the most rudimentary of services.

[Marc T]

Problem with my scanner unfortunately. But Taunton services from the 1986 timetable. From Bristol Temple Meads slow services to Taunton on a weekday, departing at 0655, 0800, then not untill 1425, 1615, 1722, 1810,2012, 2235. Also, 1105 and 1350 Weston Super Mare-Taunton services.

Some of the services had quite long turnaround times in Taunton. They must have parked in a siding nearby, untill it was near departure time to head back on the return service.

Can't spot any services from London Paddington or Cross Country services which terminated at Taunton back then. They all went onto Plymouth, Paignton, or Penzance.

Also of note back then were peak morning services to London Paddington which would stop at Parson Street and Bedminster.

[jules]

RE: the less frequency of the Portsmouth/Bristol-Cardiff services in the 70's. It was still like this as late as 1986. With services pretty much only about every 2 hours.

But at least they were 5, 6 or 7 coach affairs, hauled by proper traction - i.e Hymeks!