Great Western Coffee Shop

Yesterday and today the 0703 Paddington to Paignton failed at Reading.
Yesterday a Castle set ran empty from Bristol to Taunton empty  then passenger to Paignton as the 0703. It retuned as far as Exeter when it was exchanged with an IET which continued on to Paddington. The castle set taking the IETs working to Cardiff.

Today166218 took up the the 0703 from Exeter -Paignton then it went 1055 Paignton to Paddington returning as the 1440 Paddington-Paignton being changed at Exeter for the last part by a 5 car IET.

There were three short formed 150s on Exmouth-Paignton this morning including 2T07, the school train, The 200 pupils on this train are now identifying as cattle instead of cats.

Unusual - YES
Diabilical - NO
Far from ideal - YES
But better than no train - YES

Expect more of this sort of thing with the DfT slowly taking away GWR's trains...

You make it sound like a parent taking away a naughty child's toys. :P

Actually...

3 coach instead of 9 from Paddington to Paignton? Surely not???



14:36 London Paddington to Paignton due 17:44
14:36 London Paddington to Paignton due 17:44 will be terminated at Exeter St Davids.
It will no longer call at Castle Cary, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Torre, Torquay and Paignton.

This is due to overcrowding as this train has fewer coaches than normal.
Will be formed of 3 coaches instead of 9. First class not available. Catering is not available. There are no reservations on this service.

I admit the managers did the best of a bad job. What trains are Dft taking away that would cause the same failure. I don't know if it was the same stock number. GWR have got one extra train with the reform of two 3 car 158s as three 2 Car trains. The service has been working well since the new timetable with up to 4 Turbos working the Devon Metro until this week. Is it Glastonbury?

The Exeter-Paignton has arrived at Paignton as 1Z85, leaves as booked at 1904 to Paddington using 800009

I don't know the cause of the failure, or indeed if it was the same failure both days.

The removal of lots of GWR stock makes finding suitable replacements more difficult in the event of a failure or other delay, or an increased number of short forms if a unit is pinched as this one was.

Just for clarity, was it genuinely a 3 car Turbo (or similar) on the 1436 Paddington to Paignton or did Journeycheck get it wrong?

RealTime trains.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:P75386/2023-06-20/detailed#allox_id=0

8000009 continued the service from Exeter to Paignton then made the return 1A98 to Paddington.

Third time lucky today or not.
Monday 802018 failed at Reading
Tuesday 802008 failed at Reading
Today    800310 left 29 late

Paignton-Exmouth has 5 two car trains out of the 7 diagrams. This is a bad week for the Devon Metro. First Barnstaple was cancelled.

802111 went faulty enroute Plymouth to Paddington & terminated at Exeter (1A71).
Posted here - http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=24934.msg335237#msg335237

166 Paddington to Exeter then. Blimey. Hope that's not the shape of things to come!

Member broadgage will be shaking his head in sadness.
(Hope you are going on OK broadgage  ;) )

There was an up service too - pictured on social media at Westbury with an "M" main line indicator. (Edit to add - 1A81 1055 PGN-PAD)

The Paddington to Paignton service was 166218 as far as Exeter, where it arrived 10 minutes after the IET continuing to Paignton had left.

1C70 is 65 minutes late so that's likely to terminate at Exeter; Newton Abbot if you're lucky. It is diabolical what's happened to that train this week. Different stock every day, same crew???

Wrote too soon it's already cancelled Newton Abbot to Paignton so far.
It managed Newton Abbot and turned around in 8 minutes back on time.

Broadgage is still alive and getting better.
When the downgrade to new shorter trains was announced, this was exactly the sort of the thing that I forecast.

I based my forecast not on detailed study or analysis, but simply on previous experience of other large scale rolling stock renewals.
It is only going to get worse as the "castles" are withdrawn.
IETs have never met the hoped for standards of reliability and availability, and probably never will.

Lovely to see you back and posting broadgage.
Hope your recovery continues  ;)