Great Western Coffee Shop

I have just become eligible for a Senior Railcard. My most frequent journeys are from Reading to central London using an Anytime Day Travelcard, departing in morning peak time and returning evening peak time; I'm trying to establish whether the Senior Railcard discount is available for this journey.
The Senior Railcard website is confusing - at one point it says Monday-Friday a.m. peak time journeys are not covered, but elsewhere it says Anytime Day Travelcards ARE covered.
If I buy an off-peak RDG-Zones 1-6 Travelcard (which apparently IS covered by the Senior Railcard discount), will I be able to return during evening peak time, as the website says only Morning peak journeys are not covered?
Advice from ticketing experts appreciated!

Senior Railcards are valid for use in the morning (weekday) peak if the travel is not wholly within the London and South East Network Railcard area. Reading to Paddington is within the Network Railcard Area so you cannot use your railcard to travel in the morning peak.

If you have an off-peak ticket, you cannot travel in evening peak trains as the ticket is not valid unless you have an Anytime!

 I have one of these cards.

The rubric is:

"With your Railcard, you^ll save money on both long and short trips. Better still, you can use it anytime on weekends, Public Holidays and during the week. However, you won^t be able to enjoy a Railcard discount when travelling in the morning peak time Monday to Friday within London and the South East, including all South West Trains services to and from London Waterloo. The only exception to this rule is if you travel on Bank Holidays.

The times of morning off-peak services do vary by route, so it^s best to check with ticket office staff before buying your tickets."

You need to watch two factors; the times (and services) for which your ticket is valid, and the times that the SNR is valid. The definition of a.m. peak varies; some areas it is after 0930, others it is arrival at London Terminals pre 1000. The rules are slightly easier if the journey crosses the L&SE/NSE boundary.

There are some fast-ish evening down trains that are classed as OP; also there is an animal called a "non-off peak single" that can be bought with a railcard for on-peak evening return. It can even be bought in advance, in the morning from your departure station with your outward ticket.

I keep a copy of the valid OP services with me so as to settle any debates with TTI's. Generally FGW staff are excellent in their knowledge and approach to passengers (in my recent experience).

OTC

I believe you can sweat your way to Reading on a stopping Turbo in the down evening peak there are certainly no restrictions as far as Taplow. Best way is a/c Heathrow  Connect to Hayes and change. It avoids the crowds to Ealing Southall and Hayes on the Turbo!

There's also the 1706 (Bristol TM via Newbury) and 1806 (Frome) HSTs from Paddington to Reading that are Off Peak as well.

These are the fast-ish downs that I meant. They often do Reading in 30 minutes because of good paths - better than fasts!

OTC

The 1706 and 1806 are timetabled to do Paddington to Reading in 29 minutes. All the more impressive when the stops at Twyford have a dwell that can be in excess of 3 minutes disgorging the many dozens of commuters.

That's almost on a par with the original HST timings. I'm sure they were down to do Reading to London Paddington non stop in 25 mins in the late 70s.

Many services still are, and do!


Better than the fasts?! Fasts tend to do it in about 25-27 minutes!

i thought the original HST timing to reading was 22/23 minutes or just under 100mph start stop. The Westerns used to do it 30 minutes I remember sitting in Western Tower in 1968 watching the down ICs roll over Kennet Bridge 30 minutes after leaving Padd.

I've done Padd Slough start stop in 13 minutes or 85 mph in an HST and 15 minutes or 74 mph in a Turbo..

I'm sure it used to be a little quicker back in the late 70s and early 80s, but recently I've recorded Paddington to Reading in 24m 11s in a HST and 24m 02s in a 180.  You'll struggle to shave more than a few seconds off of that these days with ATP and post Ladbroke Grove crash speed restrictions, and a general trend towards more defensive driving.  Rather quicker than getting in your car and trying to drive it though!

While Paddington - Reading  may be timed for 25/7 minutes, in recent years trains tend to have been approach controlled into (old) platform 4 or had to stand at signal R28 "awaiting platform allocation", lengthening actual journeys considerably.

When HST/IC125 started in 1976, 22 minutes was the normal time achieved, there being no long 40mph to Old Oak Common, no Airport Junction and 80mph not 50mph through (old) platform 4 and of course fewer competing trains. Governor settings were said to be more liberal then also.

Loco hauled trains could do the run in 28 minutes regularly - the shortest I ever timed was the (then) 0935 from Newbury, leaving Reading at 1000. That day it was double headed by AJAX (50046) and THE QUEEN MOTHER (47722) and stopped at Paddington at 1026...

OTC

And because the off-peak they're packed, especially the 18:06, very very busy.

then 90% of the commuters get off at Twyford

Why doesn't that 1706 train appear in the Bristol timetable, only the West of England?