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Whilst at Saltash yesterday the one weekly Waterloo to Penzance Saturday service crossed the bridge, ready to meander to PZ and return on the Sunday.

What's the background to this service?

Why does it still run?

What's it's future?

Answers and any other comments would be appreciated.

(feel free to relocate if appropriate)

It was originally run when the Exd-waterloo services were going to be part of the greater Wessex franchise, it was done as a trial to show that through services could be run, it is actually staffed by FGW crews between Exd and Pnz and vice versa. why it STILL runs I don't know???

I thought it was still part of the SWT franchise commitments until they start running the hourly EXD-WAT services.

FGW staff run the service so SWT staff are not out of position.  I believe it is a 2car 158 that is used now.

and because it stops the SWT staff going over their hours and i think its just the train manager that is FGW, it is driven by SWT i think.

Saw a 159 on it last saturday!

Was a 159 this weekend, it has to be driven by FGW staff from Plymouth to Penzance, SWT drivers don't sign the road into Cornwall. Think the FGW staff work it from and back to Exeter St Davids

It is booked for a 159. 158s don't go south of Salisbury (if they can help it)

It is both FGW driver and Conductor (not Train manager) between Exd and Pnz and back.

Must have been a one off then, but a 3 car 159 and 2 car 158 came in one Saturday, split and the 158 carried onto PNZ.

Pzed 'West' crew to be specific.

An Exeter man was sent down to bring it back. Was a bit thrown by the various minor differences in the controls but got it back to Exeter with no problem. After all it does say 158xxx on the end.
 ;)

I am not quite sure about this one, seems to be a mix of 158s and 159s. It is a 158 for a few weeks then a 159 for the next few. A luxury way to travel through Cornwall though, that's for sure.

This service is due to end in December 2009, as well as all SWT services west of Exeter.

Mark

is it sad that i want to go on this?

Depends of course, for what reasons ;)

If you want to go to hear such exotic locations as St Erth announced on the on board announcements, then perhaps ;)

Of course remember that the Saturday Waterloo-Penzance service doesn't call at St Erth.

even worse... im guessing that there wont be a class 159 at penzance ever again or possibly ever... camera out

Deary me  :D

I am on this very train now. This week it is a class 158. Pure luxury but unfortunately it is being very poorly used, only about 20 people on board.

The SWT summer CWNs show all Paignton, Plymouth and Penzance services as 159s, so you should only get 158s by exception (til the end of this year when they finish for good)...

Paul

It was very busy at Dawlish Warren.

They are techinically all 159s now, it's is just problems with FGW crew not signing Class 159s that will make it a 158.

I think I may have misunderstood cereal_basher... But aren't the FGW 158's still 158's because they are a full set + half a set...?! My understanding was that a 159 was a native 3 car set... Not what FGW have done to their fleet...!

I know there is a native 3 car 158 running around... But I believe that doesn't have lavatory retention tanks, which the 159's have.

Open for correction of course ;)

Yes that is true of FGW's 158s. But we are talking about the SWT 159 that is meant to operate to Penzance every week, and how that is sometimes a SWT 158 instead. It has FGW crew between Exeter St Davids and Penzance as well.

Oh right, I'm with you now ;) Thanks for clearing that up... ;) ;D

Quite amusing really considering the fact that 158/8s and 159s are pretty much identical.

Most Penzance crews don't actually sign 158's any more!

Is the SWT working not Exeter crew then?

No, its a Penzance Job, they supply the crew for the sat down/sun up service.

OK THIS IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT I KNOW ABOUT... FOR ONCE,
 swt has class 159's and 2 car 158's the recent class 159's which were aquired actually came from tpe which were converted from 3 car class 158's which were built as 3 car units, they were refurbed upto class 159 standards (toilets cctv info display) and reclassified as 159/1

the swt sprinter fleet consists of 22 159/0 3 car units, 7 or 8 159/1 3 car units converted from tpe 158 3 car units, and i think 10 class 158 two car units

Not related to this route, but I Believe SWT use to operate Turbostars on the London - Salisbury routes...! These I believe have now changed hands ;)

That's correct they did it to standardize the fleet

SWT did a swap with Trans Pennine Express. 170s for 158s.

But the use of a Class 158 is often to allow Exeter or Par crew to work it.