Great Western Coffee Shop

Each of these is a unique service (in some way) or one of a very few. All are shown in current public timetables (to be 100% accurate, number 12 is shown in data feeds as it's not a high enough number to make the public reveal!).    I classify this quiz as more specialist and difficult than most, so please feel free to answer up to THREE each.

1. 2R23
2. 1V95
3. 1K71
4. 1B96
5. 1B97 (Sunday)
6. 2J00
7. 2O20
8. 1O98
9. 2F39
10. 1W16
11. 2K02
12. 5Y68

11. 2k02  05:37 BRI - SVB .

2R23 1559 Filton Abbey Wood to Bath Spa direct avoiding Temple Meads
1V95 1041 Holyhead to Llanelli via Swansea District Line
2O20 0611 Swindon to Southampton Central only through service

This link is useful
https://traksy.uk/live

Can you tell is what is different about each of those service (or perhaps it's one of the others with the same code that's different)?


Is there something unusual about that train?   Is so, what?   If not, is 2K02 something else too?

1B96 (https://traksy.uk/live/S+P20939+2021-12-15): Swansea-Fishguard avoiding Carmarthen.
1B97 (https://traksy.uk/live/S+P20941+2021-12-15): Fishguard-Cardiff avoiding Swansea.

Both as per http://www.psul4all.free-online.co.uk/2021.html .

7. 2O20 is now the only Swindon to Southampton service (runs via Melksham)?
8. 1O98 is the only west bound Brighton service that runs over a complete westbound route?

2R23: Starts & ends at the same station (WAT 1045 & 1211) but also 'runs as required' and is classified as an 'Unadvertised Ordinary Passenger' service.

Both CORRECT.  It seems that even @GWRHelp don't know about "The Brighton":

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/nobby1.jpg)

and its running record is - err - not good:

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/nobby2.jpg)

A useful rule of thumb is

“Never assume a TOC Twitter response comes from a suitably qualified person…”

That should be embarrassing for whoever has no real clue where Brighton is…

1. Is the significance of the GWR version of 2R23 that it runs direct avoiding Bristol Temple Meads, and is therefore of some rarity value?

1K71 is the weekdays 05:10 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington service. It is now the only direct train between Bradford on Avon/Trowbridge and London. It is also unusual in another way as the train is not scheduled to stop at Bath Spa.

Yes indeed - it is the scheduled "Parliamentary" train that takes the "Rhubarb Loop".

Yes for both of those reasons.   I will admit to being an "armchair reader" in confirming it does not call at Bath Spa - that's just what I read, never having been at Bristol so early in the morning.


Both correctly noted.   The Carmarthen avoider is clear.   There are two ways of avoiding Swansea - the Swansea District Line and the Landore loop.   One of the trains I've listed has to use the Landore curve because it calls at Gowerton,  another is said to normally run via the District Line but for operation reasons may go Landore.

Is it for historic reasons (boat trains headed for Cardiff and beyond) or modern convenience (they are the quietest trains to chose if SOMETHING has to leave out Carmarthen and Swansea) that we see Fishguard trains keep cropping up as the skippers?

9.2F39 21:10 London Euston to St Albans Abbey. Is the newley introduced direct service the only through train of the day.

10.1W16 1200 London Kings Cross to Inverness the only through train of the day.

Both correct - and you're all getting the flavour of these questions

6. could be chosen (from a whole load of other 2J00s) as the only passenger service to Wrexham Central that starts at Wrexham General. Or is the fact that that's less than half a mile* relevant?

* Standard track chainage. By class 150 crow it's only 500 m .

Lots of excellent answers ... turns out that the same reporting code is often used for unusual trains.   These are ones I had:

2R23 - only train to use the Rhubarb loop in scheduled passenger service
1V95 - Swansea District Line
1K71 - only train NOT stopping at Bath Spa (but passing through) in public service
1B96 - Carmarthen avoiding line - only train
1B97 - Landore Loop - only train
2J00 - Only direct train Wolverhampton to Walsall
2O20 - Only train from Swindon that carries on south of Warminster
1O98 - Only weekday GWR train via Bristol to Brighton
2F39 - Only through train from London to St Albans Abbey
1W16 - Only through train London (King's Cross) to Inverness
2K02 - Only train to call at Teeside Airport Station (Sunday only)
5Y68 - Empty stock train New Cross via New Beckenham and Beckenham Junction

As I lay awake last night I was thinking of some more candidates for only-once-per-day: Aberdeen-Penzance and vice versa (also longest journey), Wrexham General-Euston and vice versa, and Wrexham General platform 3-Bidston (via the connection from the main line to the Bidston line).  If they still run.

I should have added that Cross Country run a service on a Saturday that runs through Bath but doesn't call there. 1C11 (the 06:07 Bristol Temple Meads to Plymouth service) is routed via Bath and Westbury for route knowledge retention purposes. An empty coaching stock working runs the other way on a Saturday evening for the same reason running as 5C59 (the 19:18 Paignton to Bristol Barton Hill depot working).