Great Western Coffee Shop

For the final day of the Coffee Shop Advent Quiz. Some of the GWR fleet at the start of this year and some might-have-been alternatives.  How many changes can you spot between the pictures, what is each of those changes, and how many of the changes are to stock unsuitable for operation out of Paddington, and why?

Some questions remain from recent days (as I write, but some going fast) ...
* Stuving's quiz on Monday from France - ((here)) (http://www.passenger.chat/24397)
* My quiz from Tuesday - a Pot Pourri - ((here)) (http://www.passenger.chat/24403)
* TonyN's quiz from yesterday - ((here)) (http://www.passenger.chat/24406)
My thanks to TonyN, Reginald25, Eightonedee and Stuving for setting and moderating some of the quizzes over the month so far.  There will be a post or two tomorrow, but not a quiz (and nothing vital if you miss them).  Have a quiet, well spaced but enjoyable in its own way as you best can Christmas. I'll be online a couple of times - not expecting anyone to join me for a chat, but welcoming if you wish to. See the members area at http://www.passenger.chat/b54 - around 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. as I would not wish to interfere with lunch or The Queen. If you're a friend who's not a member, get in touch and I'll give you the number as that area is not public but I would love to see others.


The is what you had:

And had things been different, perhaps you would have had this:

In YX space, F7 could once have departed platforms 15 and 16 except it is now missing its fourth rail shoe. There are several more, but there are rules ...

PS I see the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway makes two very brief appearances in that hornful, but yet tuneful, video.

How quickly we forget that electric trains were running at Paddington long before electric trains ran out from Paddington Mainline.    In fact that we could be almost certain that the very train pictured called at the platforms deep below Paddington many, many times in its first life from 1938 onwards.

It's Christmas Eve ... either there's not really any rules on this quiz or there's a Christmas dispensation; please go ahead and fill in others. In fact, the main question requires you to look further by asking how many fleet changes there have been.

Indeed ... I did wonder if there was another quiz in identifying the places in that video - but all done for Christmas now.   I've had that sound accompaniment planned for a few days (apologies to the other member who posted it a day or two ago - hope I haven't stolen too much of its thunder).   I was looking for the "First Late Western" video - the old one that long standing members may remember - but unable to locate it; largely for old time sake.  Does anyone have a link or copy??

Just to bump this back on to the front page, B6 would have a problem with its track gauge. There has been broad gauge, standard gauge and locally the 2-foot MailRail but a doubt ever 3-foot.

The fleet comprised HSTs, Class 50s and proper DMUs which you could see out the front when I first saw the Western Region in '78.

Incredibly, the picture you have identified is of a 2ft gauge locomotive, though it would now have fitted through the Mail Rail tunnels.  Picture from Portland, Maine ...

Here are the 14 new arrivals I had during 2020.  I suspect that one or two answers I have seen considered the 150/0 units as additions (as people got a little over the 14), but they were still with us at the start of the year.  Here (column by letter, row by number) are the interlopers ...

I1 - Class 153
F2 - Cross Country Voyager
C3 - SWR Class 159
L3 - SWR Class (?)700
K4 - SWR Class 444
G5 - Class 66
B6 - 2' Gauge Steam Loco from Portland, Maine
F6 - Class 70
F7 - Class 483
L7 - Pendelio
E8 - Class 170
L8 - TransPennine class 80x
G9 - Class 508
J9 - Dublin, Enterprise

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/fleet005.jpg)

Unfortunately the SWR class 701 didn't manage to enter service as planned this year. A small number of trains have been delivered and are being tested on various SWR lines. More are arriving at a slow rate and I think the current plan is for them to be gradually introduced into service during Spring 2021.

Are you sure? Ever since SWR first let their kids paint coloured pictures of their trains across the tops of service pages on RTT (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=22328.msg298893#msg298893), a few of those have been 701s. Here's one from Thursday (https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G44045/2020-12-24/detailed#allox_id=0) - running in passenger service. Just a few each day - not that I've seen one yet, so I can't confirm that they ran as allocated.

I think you?re muddling your 701s and 707s there stuving  ;)

Of course - silly of me - I just recognised them as something we were promised ages ago but never turned up. Mind you, they would have been heroically late in that case.

I must have watched a different Vid, sure I spotted the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway SIX times.

Some appearances are very brief indeed ... but I think I spotted a couple more even than the six.  Not playing it yet again to check - family getting disturbed and we're open plan today:

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