What Happens to Overnight Trains when the Clocks Change?

[johnofwessex]

These days there are very few  'overnight' passenger trains with most services finishing by midnight.

 

But when they were more common what happened to overnight services when the clocks changed?

 

Presumably in spring they just ran an hour late but what about in the Autumn, were they held for an hour or just carry merrily on?

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

They all stop where they are for an hour to let the world catch up.

 

Mike.

[Michael Hodgson]

There was one year when France decided to change its clocks on a different date from the rest of Europe.  So all week the through trains stopped at the border station for an hour to wait time, then they were an hour late when they left the other side if the country.  Since then the Frogs have synchronised their clocks !

[njee20]

Just went to see what the Caledonian Sleeper did, but doesn’t look like that runs on a Saturday night. 
 

The departures through Clapham Junction basically seem to ignore it. This train (https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:L24102/2023-10-29/detailed)  leaves Waterloo at 01.50, but there’s no indication whether that’s the first 01.50, or after the clocks have gone back. There’s no gap in the services, at all. 

[kevinlms]

5 minutes ago, njee20 said:

Just went to see what the Caledonian Sleeper did, but doesn’t look like that runs on a Saturday night. 
 

The departures through Clapham Junction basically seem to ignore it. This train (https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:L24102/2023-10-29/detailed)  leaves Waterloo at 01.50, but there’s no indication whether that’s the first 01.50, or after the clocks have gone back. There’s no gap in the services, at all. 

Not ignored because it says this in the box on the top left. So the WTT has been modified.

 

TSC 24671405, headcode 21

Altered WTT schedule
29th October 2023 only

Ordinary Passenger

Great Britain (Network Rail, TPS)

[Wickham Green too]

2 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

They all stop where they are for an hour to let the world catch up.

... then in spring, the world stops for an hour while the trains catch up.

 

Good job we're not talking about aircraft - I'm not sure how they'd stop for an hour.

[Derek 19B]

I was once told the time changes at 02:30. Not sure if it’s correct.

[njee20]

It’s at 2am. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

30 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said:

... then in spring, the world stops for an hour while the trains catch up.

 

Good job we're not talking about aircraft - I'm not sure how they'd stop for an hour.

 

Yes, simple isn't it?

 

Mike.

[adb968008]

3 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Not ignored because it says this in the box on the top left. So the WTT has been modified.

 

TSC 24671405, headcode 21

Altered WTT schedule
29th October 2023 only

Ordinary Passenger

Great Britain (Network Rail, TPS)

The ecs however left an hour early…

 

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:L26219/2023-10-29/detailed

[johnofwessex]

Thinking about it, there must be / have been some interesting train registers in the signal box's

[Wickham Green too]

Of course these things have to be tackled every night - or day - of the year where trains cross into different time zones on the worlds larger 'islands'.

[icn]

27 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said:

Of course these things have to be tackled every night - or day - of the year where trains cross into different time zones on the worlds larger 'islands'.

No they don't - it's already factored into the timetable. The difference is that for DST we're effectively winding the clock forward or backwards relative to now, when crossing a time zone boundary you're merely relabelling the same moment in time. To be fair, DST is also just a relabelling, but the trouble is that the same (labelled) moment of time appears to be repeated within the same geographical area or vice versa.

Edited October 29, 2023 by icn

[PerthBox]

1 hour ago, johnofwessex said:

Thinking about it, there must be / have been some interesting train registers in the signal box's

It’s all explained in the WON every year - 

 

 

[hmrspaul]

6 hours ago, johnofwessex said:

These days there are very few  'overnight' passenger trains with most services finishing by midnight.

 

But when they were more common what happened to overnight services when the clocks changed?

 

Presumably in spring they just ran an hour late but what about in the Autumn, were they held for an hour or just carry merrily on?

As a youngster Dad took me to see the Blackpool lights. We returned to Euston on an overnight train and it simply arrived an hour early - which was a nuisance as, on a Sunday, the London Underground was quite late to start operating - we needed to get to Waterloo for our train home. Spent the time in the Great Hall watched over by George Stephenson. The only time I can remember going in there. 

 

Paul

[Bernard Lamb]

Never mind the trains. What about the poor drivers and other staff who had to put in an extra hour on their shift last night. On the very odd time that it happened to me at work I did get paid extra for it. The same procedure the other way round, where you went home an hour early.

Bernard

[bimble]

3 hours ago, Derek 19B said:

I was once told the time changes at 02:30. Not sure if it’s correct.

 

it's done at 2am; and it's done at the same time across Europe.  So 2am here, Ireland and Portugal, but 3am for Spain through to Poland, Norway & Sweden, 4am for Finland, the Baltic countries and Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, & Greece.

 

Though there are talks about the EU dropping the clock changes because the further south you live the less sense it makes.

[Wickham Green too]

Personally, I don't think it makes a lot of sense as it is - suddenly giving us an extra hour of dark in the evenings ....................... ☹️

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

1 hour ago, Wickham Green too said:

Of course these things have to be tackled every night - or day - of the year where trains cross into different time zones on the worlds larger 'islands'.

On the world's largest continent, the Chinese have shown the way. Doesn't matter where you are, it's always and only Beiijng time. That's the way to do it!

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Ryanair gain/lose an hour every time they fly from the UK to Spain and vice versa and I've not arrived in Victorian England,,,,, yet!

 

Mike.

[rab]

14 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said:

Personally, I don't think it makes a lot of sense as it is - suddenly giving us an extra hour of dark in the evenings ....................... ☹️

One of the problems we face now

if we decide to abandon the change

is that there is a lot of electronic equipment

out there set up to cater for the changes,

and while some of it can be updated,

a lot of it can't, so would have to be replaced

[Wickham Green too]

7 minutes ago, 34theletterbetweenB&D said:

On the world's largest continent, the Chinese have shown the way. Doesn't matter where you are, it's always and only Beijing time. That's the way to do it!

Now, of course, most of the EU is on the same lump of land as China ( though there's a  nebulous Europe/Asia boundary somewhere ) - hmmmmmm !

[Wickham Green too]

3 minutes ago, rab said:

One of the problems we face now

if we decide to abandon the change

is that there is a lot of electronic equipment

out there set up to cater for the changes,

and while some of it can be updated,

a lot of it can't, so would have to be replaced

I think we managed to survive the New Millennium OK !

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

While working I stayed on GMT+2(ish) year round. Meant I got to the office in light traffic, had time to pick up the status from my oppos in Japan, and obtained a head start on the tasks of the day. Partnering with a colleague who started three hours later, thanks to getting the kids into schools, covered the overlap with Calif. very neatly.

 

Decide for yourself, don't be dictated to by the clock; artificial light is a wonderful thing...

[rab]

12 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said:

I think we managed to survive the New Millennium OK !

My comments were based on experience on my time working in a company manufacturing central heating thermostats. The twice yearly time change was programmed into them but there is no way of changing/removing it. No doubt newer models will be capable of being updated but will be a lot of this older kit out there. The only option is to replace it