Great Western Coffee Shop

As well as the ongoing hire of a SWT Class 158, I noticed a Class 159 pressed into FGW service this past Tuesday. It was being used on the 0723 Warminster to Great Malvern service.

Here it is at Bristol Parkway earlier this week:

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/100_0950a_zps963c132b.jpg)

Possibly hired in for a couple of weeks to allow services to be strengthened for Glastonbury?

It was mentioned at the Community Rail Conference last month by Mark Hopwood (FGW MD) that a second unit was being hired in from SWT.  It was to allow a unit to go west and strengthen holiday services in Devon & Cornwall.

This plan was SX High Summer from 04 July and every Saturday and Sunday throughout Summer.

So it would appear that FGW have got this unit a little earlier than planned, yes?

Looks like the Weekday hire has started a few weeks early. Should work roughly the same diagram Mondays-Saturdays:

2C04 0602 Salisbury-Westbury (With FGW 150 and SWT 158, the 159 is probably locked out of use.)
5E17 0653 Westbury-Warminster ECS
2E17 0723 Warminster-Great Malvern
1O98 1050 Great Malvern-Brighton
1V96 1659 Brighton-Bristol Temple Meads
1O86 2223 Bristol Temple Meads-Salisbury (SWT service, with SWT 159 and SWT 158) (Not Saturdays)

Sundays it should work:
5F31 1550 St Phillips Marsh-Cardiff Central ECS
1F31 1740 Cardiff Central-Portsmouth Harbour
1F40 2205 Portsmouth Harbour-Westbury (With FGW 158. Locked out of use and detached at Salisbury)

So anyone travelling on the afternoon service to Brighton over the Summer should have a nice luxurious journey.

Yep. And declassified 1st Class as well. My short trip from Temple Meads to Parkway on Tuesday was in the posh seats.  :D