Great Western Coffee Shop

There seems to be a general sensors of opinion by local staff that FGW are going to run an IC125 set without the buffet car this season in stead of the usual loco hauled stock with a revised time table due to the acceleration problem that the line posses. Has anyone heard any different.

Acceleration problems? Please explain, it's a new one on me?

Could be a real money spinner for FGW because they won't have to hire in stock and with the capacity of an HST carry many more passengers so would expect heavy promotion. I would imagine 1st class would be available on a weekend first supplement basis.

It has been explained to me that due to the size and weight of the stock it would not be possible to keep to the time table that the 150/158 stock are capable of ?.

The additional summer loco hauled service was given a very leisurely 2^ hours for the run from BRI to WEY and the same for the return, with fewer stops than the 150/158 diagrammed services. I see no problem with a slimmed down HST, maybe 2+5, keeping to the previous loco-hauled timings.

But it will be too much work to slim down a set just for a Saturday. So using a 2+7 set makes sense. As well as acceleration, the increased dwell time caused by slam door stock will slow things down a bit too.

2+7 has much better handing than 67 hauling the equivalent of 8 coaches. (class67 similar weight to 4 mk2s)

Any idea if the supposed issue of running SSL vs LSL bogies over the third rail section from Dorchester to Weymouth is likely to impact on this operation...?

Sorry blakey, I can't find my anorak.....can you explain 'SSL vs LSL bogies'? ... ???

Short Swing Link v Long Swing Link bogies.   The LSL ones are not allowed on the third rail sections as they might foul the third rail, but from what I gathered on a previous thread, (almost) all of the FGW fleet is SSL.  Not sure of the technical design issues - Google doesn't give me anything ... the best I came up with was:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=4721.

bogies being SSL /LSL wouldnt be an issue.... as i dont reckon there can be more than about 20 LSL bogied vehicles in service ,a few of these seem to be TGS vehicles whilst others appear to be 1st class

Slight tangent but this is the reason XC can't run their HSTs to Bournemouth at the moment as the rakes are mixed SSL/LSL.

Xc just can't be bothered

But why should they spend the money changing the bogies (assuming they can), when they can put the sets to good use on the South West route (whether of course they do that is another matter, which I suspect is where the "can't be bothered comment "is coming from).

That'd be interesting to see. A photo of the HST at Chetnole or Thornford would be amusing - a HST stopping at a small concrete platform on a single line in the middle of nowhere (the villages aren't particularly close to their stations). An HST would also be able to make more use of the 100mph section between Westbury and Castle Cary to keep the timings down.

One ran in the path of last years 1730 WEY-BRI calling at all of the small stations.

However if an HST is used it will run: Castle Cary - Yeovil - Maiden Newton - Dorchester - Weymouth to avoid using too many short platforms.

Some pictures here attempt to explain the difference between SSL & LSL bogies. 

http://rail.bodnet.com/oddments/llsl.html (http://rail.bodnet.com/oddments/llsl.html)

AFAICS it isn't the long swing link itself (that is next to the suspension casing) that fouls the 3rd rail, it is that 'stirrup like' component. On the SSL bogie it is different, the site owner calls it a cable - I'd have said wire rope. The third picture (RH top) shows it best I think.

IMHO the cable or 'stirrup' is a safety device in case an actual swing link fails, but I'd welcome a better explanation.  The bogie type used on Mk3 HST trailers is BT10, - I'm trying to find engineering drawings online through Google.

Paul

 

It'd be unlikely to stop at Chetnole or Thornford. Last summer's loco-hauled never did, not even on request. And if the same calling pattern was kept for this summer, there would be little opportunity for 100mph running between Westbury and Castle Cary as there is a Frome stop also.

There's an easy way to tell whether a given vehicle has SSL or LSL bogies that doesn't involve poking around below platform level...they're marked SSL or LSL as appropriate near the data panel on the vehicle end!

I wasn't suggesting people do a visual check, I was really responding to Grahame who seemed to be asking a question on the technicalities.

However they probably have to do a actual check in the depot, if the poster in the thread last May (linked earlier) was correct. He reckoned there are coaches with incorrect data panels...

Paul