Great Western Coffee Shop

Which ones run as turbos and which as HST.

Have to ferry other half to Paddington and back on Sunday (he's in plaster so needs a minder)

These are the Turbo operated ones:

08:08 Paddington-Gt. Malvern and return at 11:08 Gt. Malvern-Paddington
09:00 Gt. Malvern-Paddington
13:10 Gt. Malvern-Paddington
14:42 Paddington-Hereford and return at 18:30 Hereford-Paddington
16:42 Paddington-Gt. Malvern and return at 20:08 Gt. Malvern-Paddington

I think that's it. Everything else should be a HST. Recently for several weekends ALL trains were Turbo operated due to engineering work, but I'm confident that is not the case this Sunday.

Thanks for that information, IndustryInsider.

And Mookiemoo - I assume you are trying to avoid the turbos, rather than the HSTs?  ;D

Hope your other half gets out of plaster soon, anyway.  ;)

Apologies if this is a daft question, but everyone seems to hate turbo trains... why?  OK, they're smaller so are more prone to overcrowding but why is their size an issue on fairly lightly loaded runs?

The 18:47 from Charlbury to Reading (and then Paddington) was recently changed to a turbo and it now almost always arrives at Reading by 19:25 - when it was a HST, it hardly ever arrived less than 3 or 4 minutes late.  It also arrives at Oxford (timetabled at 19:01) and gets going again within about 90 seconds while the HST used to be there for 3 or 4 minutes whilst people put bikes on, left doors hanging open etc... so I guess I'm favour of the turbos!

It's swings and roundabouts I suppose, James. If you were to try and board the 13:21 Paddington to Gt. Malvern at Paddington on a Friday afternoon then you will be struggling to find any kind of seat until after Oxford. That's the same Turbo you speak of on its previous service.

The trouble is that on a long run like Paddington to Gt. Malvern/Hereford chances are that at least one portion of the journey will be at a time of day that's too much for a Turbo to comfortably cope with and another portion and you could count the number of punters on your fingers and a HST looks a bit silly.

I tend to agree with James_H an uncrowded Turbo is not a bad train.

You can usually get a window seat even with the airline seats, if you're lucky you can be in a four with no one facing. Even a six with four is not too bad.

The 8 ex first class seats in the 165s are smashing.

Also as the seats aren't so high so they're less claustraphobic than the 737 HSTs.

They are also probaly better than an HST when full and standing if that's not an oxymoron.

The problem is that they are still an underfloor DMU.

My two recent visits to the Cotswold line were  Reading to Worcester Foregate Street in an Adelante not a bad journey better than a vomiter, and a Mark 1 to Long Marston from Worcester.

The longest Turbo journey I've done is Bedwyn to Reading early evening against the rush.

I've had a WAGN 365 non stop KX to Cambridge. It was good journey a lot of the time at 100. After the traversing the Fens by water I came back from Peterborough on a stopping 365 again a pleasant journey. I've also had some good off peak journies on 465s on South Eastern, love the noise the motors make as they accelerate.   So maybe if we slung the wires above the Cotswold line you could have 365s.

So for Standard Turbos get my vote as against  a 737 HST, but not if you comapre their First with First in an HST or Mark 3.

Mookie will want to avoid the Thames Turbos, as the "First Class" accommodation is of "Standard Class" standard.

The Thames Turbos are also a lot less comfortable for a long journey, due to 3+2 seating.

And no buffet car for a long InterCity journey, no quiet zone, more engine noise, no sockets for laptops....

But the sooner they actually get on with refurbishing the Turbos the better - now the only FGW rolling stock that hasn't had anything done to it since the current franchise began - and they now seem to be indicating they intend to spin out the refurbishment over the next three years.

A clean, cared-for Turbo is fine for the more lightly-loaded services on the Cotswold line, it's just that they are in poor shape, and appear on services where they aren't up to the job.

That was why the Adelantes were ideal for the line. An inter-city standard interior with enough seats for all but the key peak and peak shoulder services (eg 8.52 from Malvern and 15.51 from London), which need an HST. Unfortunately it looks like another three years are going to elapse before any new DMUs arrive, which in a four-car formation with 2+2 seats would be more like what's needed for non-HST services - ie something like a diesel 365... which, of course, takes us right back to the Adelante!

its not even that - its the lack of a table

ive done manchester to cardiff on arriva - no issues with standard

but I do have issues with not being able to do stuff during the journey - if that is the only option, ill drive

Having looked at the timings - we're going ludlow - shres - brum - euston on the way down and euston - crewe - ludlow back

Less driving at this end, and no need to use a ******** turbo - which is what the 11:23 would be - and it cant even be guaranteed its a 166!

Have you ever been on one for the average 2.5 hours WOS to PAD or even worse - the 3:15 from Hereford to PAD?

They are great for even oxford to PAD off peak - but NOT long distance stock.  Not no how by any means.

Especially if you do the journey regularly!  Maybe for 3 hrs and 15 mins you can contemplate your naval every now and again.

This is why I am not in favour of the HST's serving Slough other than the oxford fasts etc (even though at the moment it would suit me) - commuter stock and long distance (even long distance commuter stock)  are different animals. 

and this is why im not in favour of the standard class refurb with so few tables.  If I had to use a standard table I could cut down my foot print - I would not have the laptop, the wiriting pad, pencil case, pens, calculator, USB case, DVD case purse and phone all out at the same time.  But I would need the laptop, pens, calculator and writing pad.  I could manage this on a crowded SC table (I do regularly on arriva 158s) because chances are you get 2 of the four not using the space but I could not on an airline seat ( I tried one morning to see if I could go standard - not possible - my laptop doesnt even fit properly on the folding table thingy - its a 17 inch laptop not a net book)!

Mookiemoo whilst I appreciate you wanting to work on a train, have you ever considered just making the journey and perhaps reading a book, looking at the coutryside or maybe take a relaxing nap.

When I did most of my business travelling there were no mobile phones or laptops so you were  incommunicardo for the journey which made it very relaxing, especially as many trains still had dining cars so you could enjoy breakfast or one of the specialities like high tea.

The silly part then it was mostly Mark 2 and 3 on long distance trains so everyone had a table. It could be quite interesting to read any papers a fellow traveller might have spread out on the table. Like mobile phone conversations it's surprising how indiscrete some people were! 

But then again I'm afraid I've never been a great advocate of the Anglo Saxon work ethic as far as I was concerned work was for work and it stayed there. Which is maybe why I was never a high flyer but then again I suffered very little stress.

 

The "work" I do is my OU work - which I do because I enjoy it.  If I didnt have something to occupy myself I could not spend circa 5 hours a day commuting so it s a moot point - If I wasnt doing something I do at home anyway I wold not be there!

I do NOT do paid for work unless I have a client that lets me leave at 3pm because they know I'll work in transit.

There are only so any books you can read and naps you can take.

I also have a lowboredom threshold - I always have to be doing something

I find one of the great pleasures of rail travel is that it gives me the chance - sometimes - to relax and see the countryside and - other times - to think, to work, to have a meeting with friends or colleagues travelling with me.   Half a lifetime ago, I spent 10% of my waking hours on a train - many people still do - and being able to mix and match all the activities was really good news.  And if I had had to relax every time, it would have been a real issue!

These days ... I will quite openly do my "real" work on the train sometimes.  Actually I always could - it was just pencil and paper in the past whereas now it's laptop based. A business meeting in London ... so an opportunity to read up / write one final example for it on the way in to town, and to then document the meeting and record my thoughts on the way out.

Each to their own .... you're very welcome to relax on every journey, eightf48544, but please don't suggest that we should all do exactly the same :)

i dont think he was

complaining about the staff, lack of ice....the list is endless

I agree. Lot's of people take the train BECAUSE they can make use of the time. Others, to relax and let someone else to the driving.


Yawn. Sorry, but can you keep your differences to a dedicated thread please?

Well I have to say - I had an ok journey down on arriva and Virgin but on the way home.......

The most relaxing and pleasant journey home on Wrexham and Shropshire

Fully fed and watered en route - the ride on the old stock was to an extent far better than on a modern train hurtling at bullet speed - and no godamn tannoy announcements every five minutes - questioned the train crewe and got - we cant be bothered - we stop so few places and there are only three carriages - people can find us and we know whose on it

A couple of points that I'll start a new thread on - just queries of mine

I never had any real feelings for the trains but I think, unless time is of the essence, I will be going wrexham and shropshire where possible. 

OU work is an excellent way of filling  a train journey, I did a lot of my degree on the old 117s on my daily commute. Fine for doing the background reading but you couldn't write on them! Good luck with your studies Mookiemoo hope you'll enjoy doing your degree as much as I did.

One of the best courses I did was Human Factors in Systems Design. It was basically a study of system failures including Three Mile Island, Hixon Level Crossing and the Staines air crash etc. One of the things that it taught me was to look out for non disastrous precursor. EG The 6th SPAD at SN109 on 4th Feb 1998. 

I must confess I did very occasionally do some paid work on trains usually notes of any meeting, but it was usually in a Mark 2 or 3 loco hauled with a table.

 

I must try and use them at some point (but I am not sited well to use their route).

Don't forget their bargain ^55 First Advance single! (and you actually get First Class service and a First Class seat, unlike FGW and FGW on the Cotswold Line.)

On the subject, I am going to be trying Virgin First Class in the Summer. About ^25 Birmingham to Euston with a railcard, no Thames Turbos, and free alcohol & food!