Disclaimer: I have no connection with Timetable World aside from as a user.
However, in the most recent update there's something interesting for fans of the later BR years. Namely full working books for Reading station for both 1981 and 1982 (though 1982 is Mon-Fri only).
Other old timetables meant I had gained a fair idea of service patterns, however these are interesting to see as they show full stock allocations.
Several points of interest: 1982 was the year when the Worcester through trains were withdrawn, so with both years present you can compare "before" and "after".
In 1981 the pattern out of Paddington was xx50 out of Paddington with trains alternating Worcester and Birmingham (or beyond), mostly.
In 1982 the pattern out of Paddington was still xx50 towards Oxford. There were no Worcester services off-peak, however the timetable also saw the introduction of HSTs on Oxford services, which has been mentioned previously.
In more detail, the off-peak Oxford pattern was XC hauled sets at 0950, 1250 and 1450 and HSTs at 1100 (off-pattern), 1150, 1350 and 1550.
Some other points of interest too. This appeared to be the "golden age" of Paddington HSTs, with 4 departures on a clockface basis every hour, including a fast Bristol (Reading or Swindon, Bath and Temple Meads only). This was something that had already been lost by the time I first visited Reading for enthusiast purposes in Jan 1984 (i.e. 1983 timetable), if I remember right, and didn't come back until around the millennium.
Plenty of heritage DMUs around, and interestingly, three consecutive Paddington-Oxford stoppers (at 1301, 1401 and 1501) were loco-hauled (you can tell this, as the DMU-worked services are marked with "3 car set NN", and none of these are). The last of these, the 1501, is operated with air-braked stock (Mk II?)
I do remember that in 1983/4, the following year, the 1301 was hauled, but I think that was the only one.
1982 also saw the best-ever XC service between Reading and Birmingham prior to privatisation, with services slightly better than hourly for much of the day (0632, 0730, 0831, 0933, 1022, 1102, 1135, 1245, 1322, 1438, 1522, 1640, 1704). Later in the 80s there was typically at least one two-hour gap. (One of these, the 1245, the 1105 ex-Portsmouth, was my first ever trip on an IC service and first ever long railway journey, so brings back some special memories).
However, in the most recent update there's something interesting for fans of the later BR years. Namely full working books for Reading station for both 1981 and 1982 (though 1982 is Mon-Fri only).
Other old timetables meant I had gained a fair idea of service patterns, however these are interesting to see as they show full stock allocations.
Several points of interest: 1982 was the year when the Worcester through trains were withdrawn, so with both years present you can compare "before" and "after".
In 1981 the pattern out of Paddington was xx50 out of Paddington with trains alternating Worcester and Birmingham (or beyond), mostly.
In 1982 the pattern out of Paddington was still xx50 towards Oxford. There were no Worcester services off-peak, however the timetable also saw the introduction of HSTs on Oxford services, which has been mentioned previously.
In more detail, the off-peak Oxford pattern was XC hauled sets at 0950, 1250 and 1450 and HSTs at 1100 (off-pattern), 1150, 1350 and 1550.
Some other points of interest too. This appeared to be the "golden age" of Paddington HSTs, with 4 departures on a clockface basis every hour, including a fast Bristol (Reading or Swindon, Bath and Temple Meads only). This was something that had already been lost by the time I first visited Reading for enthusiast purposes in Jan 1984 (i.e. 1983 timetable), if I remember right, and didn't come back until around the millennium.
Plenty of heritage DMUs around, and interestingly, three consecutive Paddington-Oxford stoppers (at 1301, 1401 and 1501) were loco-hauled (you can tell this, as the DMU-worked services are marked with "3 car set NN", and none of these are). The last of these, the 1501, is operated with air-braked stock (Mk II?)
I do remember that in 1983/4, the following year, the 1301 was hauled, but I think that was the only one.
1982 also saw the best-ever XC service between Reading and Birmingham prior to privatisation, with services slightly better than hourly for much of the day (0632, 0730, 0831, 0933, 1022, 1102, 1135, 1245, 1322, 1438, 1522, 1640, 1704). Later in the 80s there was typically at least one two-hour gap. (One of these, the 1245, the 1105 ex-Portsmouth, was my first ever trip on an IC service and first ever long railway journey, so brings back some special memories).
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