The One A Day CrossCountry Service From Guildford 

This is the train Guildford station staff deny the existence of! I went to meet my son on a Sunday, coming in at 22:45 and was categorically told there were no Cross Country services to or from Guildford anymore. The look on their faces when it rolled in was priceless!!

I'd love to see a video for budget travellers, exposing the absolute dirt-cheap routes that may encourage people to go and explore a bit further afield in the UK!

Fun fact: cross country is the only train operator that runs to both Cambridge and Oxford. (sad varsity line noises and angry yelling about beeching)

Even if you're not a big train person, it's nice to see train liveries that don't belong at certain stations. A few days ago I saw what looked like an ex-GWR sprinter in Sheffield station - no branding, but still the distinctive dark green - probably halted there as it was transferring operators or something. Also, I want a Manument Bonk Shirt.

Geoff, I don't live in the UK, or ride trains, but man something about your presenting keeps my eyes glued. Thanks for the entertainment!

Geoff's T-shirt! 🤣🤣 Loving that this channel now has proper running jokes.

9:28 "We're so nerdy... I love it". Yes, yes you are! Never change 😊

Awesome video again. I was the gateline staff at Norwood Jn on Sunday morning. Nice seeing you and keep doing the stuff you do for all of us.

Very nerdy but also very good. Thanks for the video - I've caught that early morning train so many times in the past and it is an absolute godsend if you're heading anywhere up north - you can sleep the whole way!

Back in the 80s there were several inter-regionals through Guildford. My favourite was the 0805 from Portsmouth to Liverpool. There were also services to York, Manchester and Nottingham. Happy days.

There’s a similar train at Bath Spa where the first Bristol-Glasgow train of the day starts at Bath instead. Could be interesting if you don’t mind getting up early

I have many memories of travelling on the CrossCountry services between Coventry and Brighton in the days of InterCity then Virgin and the current franchise until they stopped going to Brighton. Occasionally travelling via Guildford and Redhill, in particular on a Good Friday service to Brighton that ran that way probably 2007 or 2008. Great video as ever.

Hi Geoff. Just a note to say I would love to see more these ‘unusual services’ videos! An idea for a new series perhaps? Thanks

‘I could smell the voyager’ Sounds about right

Thanks for another great video. I remember when I used to catch the train from Woking to Ash Vale and waiting on the platform at Woking, used to see the Anglia Railways service that used to come from Ipswich/Norwich on its way through to Basingstoke.

Lovely ending shot - I almost expected the "all the stations" theme to play as the train pulled out!

I saw a CrossCountry train go under the main lines at Reading about 10 years ago. This video finally answered my question, why.

Can’t believe I’ve been planning to do this trip and been outdone by Geoff!! Fair play

Congleton also has a cross country early in the morning to Manchester Picc then an evening service to Bournemouth

I hope we see more unusual services videos. Like all trains to from Sheffield to Cleethorpes are ran by Transpennine Express except for Saturdays. On Saturday’s 3 trains a day are ran by Northern and goes via The Brigg Line.

Didn’t know the history of this service. Thanks Geoff

I lived in Guildford for many years until I got a new job at Reading. For a couple of months I was doing the daily commute between the two towns (until I moved) and would occasionally catch the CrossCountry back to Guildford. I remember the first time I saw that 18:22 service to Guildford on the Trainline app and it did make me go "What is a a CrossCountry train doing, terminating at Guildford?!". It's actually really nice taking that train back, as all the slightly earlier ones are either stopping services or trains to Gatwick, and therefore packed with people.

I used to commute from Reading into London on a daily basis and on occasion often had to use the Cross Country services from Reading. I used wonder why the northbound CrossCountey sometimes would pull into Reading station from the direction of (as I thought London Paddington) rather than Newbury/Southampton. That explains everything. Thank you for solving the world’s greatest mysteries for me! Yeah - it really is the small things in life that please me.

Back in 2005,There wasn’t any XC trains from Guildford.But then I saw a 43 on platform 6 and I realised it was diverted via Guildford from Basingstoke!Fascinating

Hi Geoff. Great information as usual thanks Just been on the 1s76 site. Very good with lots of pics of good old BR trains lol 😆 I remember those cross country inter city trains as they got us to London cheap by going via reading or Gatwick from Manchester 👍🏻

Caught one of the handful of XC Brighton trains many years ago to get from Reading to East Croydon. It was running 40 minutes late but it was so much more relaxing than having to schlep across London between Paddington and Victoria.

Here re-watching this in April 2024 after Geoff linked it in the comments of his most recent video. I forgot this video ever-existed and have no recollection of watching it 4 years ago, but I definitely did as there was already a like on the video! Great work. The crosscountry service to Guildford is unfortunately no more though.

I remember the voyagers coming in on the Crosscountry (then Virgin) routes while I was regularly heading between Devon and York when I was at university - if I wanted a direct train on a Sunday it went from Bristol -Birmingham via Reading and Oxford, always used to be amused by the look of panic on people's faces when we reversed at Reading...

Have always wanted to catch this train. Before the end of 2008/7 they used to run to Brighton via Gatwick as well.

Ah, took the train that starts at Newcastle. I would leave from Sheffield and arrive home in Guildford! Very convenient :)

Why do I always watch your videos? Never knew I had an interest in trains

Ah I spent my college youth 92-95 waiting for trains at platform 1 in Guildford! Memories of those cold evenings and hot afternoons!

This is closer to home, I go through this platform every day!

I don't know if anyone has already mentioned this, but there were services from Brighton through Reading to the Midlands and the North long before 1979. I don't know when they stopped but they were certainly running in the 1950s, steam-hauled. I'm pretty sure I remember one at Redhill station (which presumably would have had to reverse there). Love your videos by the way. I only discovered them a week ago and I've been bingeing on them since!

Many thanks for the name check and plug Geoff, enjoyable video.

I have gotten this train once (the 6am) when I needed to go to Coventry. It is quite a unique journey!

In early inter city day's, there was services from York to London Paddington, or Wolverhampton to Darlington. You should try the esk valley line, where trains finish at random staitions instead of running all the way to Whitby.

I've actually taken this service the whole way, I had a Wedding in Newcastle to attend (I'm also from there) but I study down at drama school in Guildford so that service is incredibly useful

1S76 was the Sussex Scot service from Brighton to Edinburgh and ran through Clapham Junction and round that way to Reading stopping at Kensington Olympia. There was the 1M18 that ran from Brighton to Manchester via Redhill and Guildford as well as loads of trains to Gatwick and Portsmouth, all via Guildford...

I think it was 1980 when they started Inter City services on the Guildford to Reading. There was Portsmouth to Manchester and Portsmouth to Wolverhampton, which would be 47/3 hauled, and a Fridays only Portsmouth to York which would be Class 33 hauled. I remember watching the trains pass through Crowthorne, my home station.

I got this train (going the other way) a few times on the way back to Surrey from Oxford when I was at university! Never seemed worth the direct route though as the train always sat for ages at Reading so you didn’t seem to save any time over changing from CC to GWR as normal. I had no idea why it was only once a day, thanks for letting me know!

Used to catch those trains when first moved to Banbury - 1988 - to go to exhibitions at Olympia and/or Earl’s Court, never did find out what happened to them when they stopped, now I know, thanks Geoff.

When I lived in Birmingham i used to regularly catch the 1633 from New Street to Guildford during the week. I now work on the trains based at Guildford. 455s are the best!

Used to use the Brighton trains fairly regularly as my wife and I would pick them up after work to visit her mum. Some trains went to/from London Paddington as well for a while!

There is also a once a day service that runs from Gloucester all the way through to Stanstead airport, it runs Saturday only like that but on a weekday service starts at Bristol

When I was a little boy (rather a long time ago). we lived alongside the Guildford to Reading line. There was a regular service in the summer from Liverpool through Reading, then Guildford then across thru Surrey to the Kent coast (I think it eventually stopped at Margate but could stand corrected). The Guildford to Reading service was not electrified, all steam Southern region class N or U 2-6-0 locos with about 3 carriages. This ran into the other Reading terminus which stood directly beside the Western region station. There were even to sheds in Reading

5:02 XC trains to edinburgh use the ECML rather than the WCML.

Love the "MANUMENT BONK" shirt Geoff XD

I grew up in Wokingham and I had no idea that there were ever any Intercity/CrossCountry services using the line into Reading, despite having gone to school right next to it (I guess they were all too early/late for me to have noticed). The shots of the junction with the line to Waterloo and of Wokingham’s shiny new(ish) station have left me feeling a tad homesick, the ongoing global unpleasantness has kept me from visiting for well over a year which is the longest I have ever been away.

As someone who takes the Cardiff to Nottingham direct train regularly, I’m from Notts, live in Cardiff for uni, I’ll tell you it doesn’t *feel* like a small service Geoff

I actually get this from Banbury to reading really frequently and didn't realise how rare it was, so this has actually really impressed me 😂😂

One Stop to Reading is the name of my indie rock band

I've got that direct train between Guildford and Birmingham a few times, my mum lives in Hampshire and I went to uni in Brum. Live close by in the Black Country now. Remember sitting in the corridor by first class on one particularly over crowded service. And this is Crosscountry we're talking about which is often pretty overcrowded anyway.

You should’ve went all the way to Newcastle 😂

Mention of the Pines Express reminds me of my first university interview in Southampton - in the days when such things happened. The first thing my form mistress said was 'You can get the Pines Express'. I misheard her, and thought she said Pinta Express. Assumed it was the milk train (something else they still had). Having consulted Google, I guess I would have caught it at Crewe. As it was, I stayed with relatives in London overnight. It was probably that trip where I was served coffee by a BR steward who poured from 2 pots (coffee and milk), and in 2nd class. First time I'd ever seen that, let alone on a rattling train. For those who only know a trolley pushed through the carriage serving instant coffee in paper cups! Happy days - thanks for the memories ☕🛤️

There’s a swr service that runs at 5am from Waterloo to Portsmouth that calls at pretty much all of the stations in between including all of the suburban commuter stops!

Interesting detailing on the map...

Cross-Country services on diversion from the SWR due to engineering works used to run through Guildford, Havant and Fareham and then to Southampton. Nowadays, most diversions for that reason are sent to Salisbury and then to Southampton and on to Bournemouth. The empty train from Eastleigh (stabled overnight) to Bournemouth early on a Saturday or Sunday morning runs via Hedge End to Fareham, reverses and then goes off to Southampton and so on.

Also, in 2001, when we still had The Sussex Scot running via Croydon and Olympia (when the Voyagers were new, and the service was converted to Voyager from loco-hauled), there were also frequent Redhill - Birmingham New Steet trains via Guildford, every couple of hours or so, interworking with the ones from Bournemouth at Reading. There was even a small depot at Three Bridges (on part of the site of the Thameslink depot) to stable and service Voyagers at that end of the route overnight. As you say, the service was run down (almost as quickly as it started up) and now the journeys from Guildford are all that remain.

I miss the CrossCountry service which served Brighton. I heard that it was canned due to the limitations of the Brighton Main Line. I’m glad I managed to take the service from Brighton to Manchester in 2004. Six hours but it was a cool experience.

I enjoy your video's mate keep it up

Southern also chuck a few random trains a day Guildford way each day. I remember getting that train route back to Manchester direct, when it used to start from Brighton back in the mid 90s. Really handy as I was in Guildford and friends were in Brighton and Oxford (Uni days all returning to Manchester at the end of term). All managing to avoid the London change over drama. Also, back then, you could get a train from Paddington to Manchester Piccadilly, and the Euston - Piccadilly route was nearly an hour slower than it was now.

Love the t-shirts 😄

Another rare livery at Guildford is Southern, they operate 4 services a day from Guildford to London Bridge (as oppose to the usual SouthWestern services to Waterloo). 2 services in the morning, 2 in the evening.

I can recall catching a through train from Liverpool Lime Street to Plymouth with no changes... this was back in the early 1970's though!

I always see the return service to Guildford in Sheffield while i'm waiting for my train back to Nottingham. It usually arrives just before it on platform 6 lol

I get this train back to Derby from University Of Surrey regularly! Wish I knew you were in Guildford! Also, it’s sometimes two per day in the southern direction. 15:53 and 19:53 from Derby

Several GWR trains a day use the Reading diveunder - whenever a Redhill/Gatwick train is fresh out of the depot, or going back there, it used Platform 15 and the diveunder rather than platforms 4/5/6

There used to be a loco hauled Inter City from Folkestone Central to Manchester Piccadilly in the 1980s -also once daily - when Sealink sailed from Folkestone. After stopping at Dover Western Docks and Dover Priory it ran fast to Canterbury East then Bromley South. I assume it ran via Kensington Olympia. Sadly at that time I was too young to have made the journey alone. Though I did catch it from Folkestone Central to Dover Priory letting the local services go and waiting so I could travel Inter City. Great work Geoff

Well. Shopping can wait. I have to watch this.

Cross Country trains at Reading either use the bay platforms at the south-west end eg 3- (if they are using the dive under the main lines) or platform 13 (if they use the dive under from Reading West).

In BR days, I used to go to Surry Uni. Often would catch the irregular service from BHX to Guildford on a Sunday going back to Uni after a weekend at home.

In the early 2000s there was around 5 or 6 a day from Guildford. In the 1980s I remember there were services coming up from Portsmouth to places like Liverpool or York. Even nerdier, I recall Thameslink services coming down to Guildford too in the days of Network Southeast...

I love your videos

We're so nerdy I love it (Geoff laughs) with a cold 9.32 - 9.34 💛

I have used this service a few times. Also the Brighton service, when it existed. Also amusing the hangover intercity cross-country weekend stop at Congleton, Cheshire which I have used from Bournemouth. That Bournemouth reverse is dangerous... many a time it's caused me to consume a whole bar of chocolate.

Have done 1, once a day service in my time each way, but you need to travel to match it, Geoff, was Seattle to Chicago and return. Have another US one I want to do, when cleared to fly again after cancer treatments. I jokingly call it the Jean Harlow route (Wiki, Geoff) from Kansas City to Los Angeles. Good fun, and informative video, Geoff

The East Croydon to Oxford service used to be a good way of going to Oxford for the weekend - saved hauling suitcases round the Circle line. It started with quite l;ong trains but I think ended with a loco and 3 or 4 coaches.

In Paignton there's a once a week cross country train (usually a class 43 HST unless its broken like it was last summer)

I remember the Ken Olympia route to and from Brighton from my Uni days I think. Then more recently I saw they'd axed that side, all except one train...

I moved to Yorkshire in 79 and could get cheap train fares. I sometimes used to get the Brighton-Manchester Piccadilly train from Gatwick; drink cheap beer, then walk to Victoria to get a train home. I think it was side corridor stock and am fair sure a Class 47 pulled it. One of the few clear memories was the grey semi dereliction around the Thames and especially Stamford Bridge. The linked timetable says it took 5 hours. Add near an hour to get to Gatwick and another hour + from Manchester and that's a long, daft way round.

There is also a single crosscountry train from Cardiff to Manchester that goes via Bristol temple meads, I get this one quite a bit as it means a direct service from Filton abbey wood to Birmingham New Street

Ooh, I might have to find this train sometime (or other ones I can easily get to from Reading)

There were a few unused services on southern where the train comes from portsmouth or southampton and goes to barnham turns round and goes to bognor.

I remember the old Brighton to Scotland service via Kensington Olympia and Birmingham. Leaving at 9am. Usually diesel loco hauled. I'd see it when waiting for the half nine Brighton to Swansea "Regional Railways" service on a 158 in the mid 90's I wonder if the Liverpool to Norwich service is the last remaining full journey left over from the BR days?

I'm sure I've seen the ecs coming up from ESL early in the morning when I lived in Godalming. Yes it's the 5E79 0501 ESL to Guildford.

In 1989/90, if I missed the 17:36 train from Canterbury East to London Victoria to get to Sittingbourne in Kent, I used to get an Intercity service at around 17:49 to Faversham and then wait for a connection to Sittingbourne. From Faversham, it used to run non-stop to Chatham, Bromley South and Kensington Olympia and head eventually to Manchester Piccadilly. I remember it as it was hauled by a Class 47 diesel, and the seating was quite luxurious at the time compared to the Mk.1 EMUs that ran on this line.

Seemed them trains in the Bournemouth to Manchester line when i go upto waterloo and they always seem mega packed and always wonder why they don't have more than 4 carriages.

My nearest train station is a whistle stop that is around 40 km away. We get 3 trains a week Eastbound and 3 trains a week westbound. Ah the joys of living in rural Canada. It would be pretty hard to live here without a car.

If you are doing a new series on CrossCountry one offs I can recommend the only Turbostar out of Bristol the 06:13 to Stansted.

Lol 😂 I was on a cross county train to Guildford yesterday

I went on that a few years ago from Oxford to Darlington - dead handy, I was doing a tour of England visiting friends and family without bothering renting a car.

Likely find it’s for route knowledge as when they close the mainline between Southampton to Reading on weekends, the trains will often go via Guildford instead.

Yes, I remember the through trains from Brighton, direct trains to Oxford then, direct trains to Cambridge now..!! So you've actually got some "Manument Bonk" t-shirts printed!! 😁 How large was the batch, and can we buy one?

Oh god that map he drew hurts my eyes... Edinburgh XC trains via Manchester? I remember intercity trains going the Reading route from Birmingham bound for Portsmouth, I think that may have been the last incarnation of Cross Country beyond Guildford. Would love to see them run to Gatwick though

There was a daily service from Hastings and Eastbourne, via Brighton, Redhill (and also through coaches from Kent) and Guildford to Birkenhead in the 1950s, steam hauled. It was actually known as 'The Birkenhead'. Nothing's new on the railways!

There used to be a service between Basingstoke and Norwich (Anglia?), using the North London line via Kew freight chord. That didn't last very long as it was quicker getting a fast train into Waterloo and then getting the Underground to Liverpool St I recall?

I rode the weekday 1335 Newcastle to Guildford last week, from Derby to Birmingham. Had no idea it was unique.

Brings back memories of inter-regionals and 47 haulage.

Geoff If you had complete control of everything train related across the entire UK, what would you do? I can only imagine how amazing your manifesto and how extensive your planning would be.