Great Western Coffee Shop

Hi All,

Don't often surface here but I have two very short totally un-related questions that (probably) fit into this catagory:

On the Exeter-Barnstaple line I noticed the new communications towers have gone up, looking similar to others on the network. Are these GSM-R and if so, is this a step towards ERTMS for our little regional line?

Second - on the Exeter-Sailsbury line there seem to be HST stop marks at most stations that look fairly new. Some even re-installed on the re-doubled sections. Does this alude to a specific NR plan? I'm not sure HSTs have ever been in service on this line have they?

Thanks!

On your second question the west of England line is used as an alternative route to paddington via pen mill during diverts

Expect NR are on the Ball, During the Reading rebuild sometime this December, West Country HST's are booked Exeter-Waterloo.

not strictly correct, they are running Westbury Waterloo via salisbury

Hst's at Waterloo?

Between Exeter and Yeovil HST's are often Diverted when Exeter St Davids-Taunton is closed.
Due to limited paths some SWT Waterloo-Exeter trains terminate Yeovil and FGW HST's call at stations Yeovil Junc to Exeter hence the HST stop boards.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/justindperkins/3368064451/

That appears to be so during the Christmas/New Year shutdown of Reading.

Don't forgtet BR XC HSTs used to do Basingstoke Poole on the third rail, before those tincans were introduced.

I did understand that it's a question of Short or Long Swing Link Bogies, perhaps one of our engineers can explain.

I expect they are - GSM-R will be in widespread use in the next couple of years on pretty much all lines I think, replacing the current NRN, CSR and GSM-P systems.  Although GSM-R goes hand-in-hand with ETRMS, the ETRMS side of things will be a long way into the future for something like the Barnstaple line!

Jargon buster:  NRN = National Radio Network, CSR = Cab Secure Radio, GSM = Global System of Mobile Communications (R) Railway, or (P) Public.

And HSTs from Edinburgh down the East Coast travelled around London to reach Waterloo on the services designed to connect with Eurostar. XC supplied the sets, presumed ECML crews took them south to Waterloo. Remember this would be in the good old InterCity days (or was it Intercity then.).

Usually empty as they could not carry intermediate passengers.

I think previously most SWT's to Exeter were cancelled beyond Yeovil Jn and replaced by a limited FGW service, before the hourly service became possible, but AIUI we haven't had any weekend diversions since? 

It will be interesting to see what happens next time. Perhaps they'll run alternate hour FGW and SWT services.

Paul

If i remember hearing somewhere correctly, there will be enough paths on the single line to have an extra HST in each direction per hour. Both HSTs would pass at Axminster, and then pass the SWT services at Chard Junction and Honiton.

There could be a problem in trying to fit them in between Exmouth Junction and Exeter St Davids between the Exmouth branch line services. Will definitely be interesting to see what happens next time!

It is not possible to run a 2 tph service though. The loops at Chard and Honiton are not positioned correctly to allow it, they'd both have to be moved to the mid points between the double tracked sections. This has been analysed to death before now, I went as far as drawing detailed graphs of distance/time, and it can't be done.

Paul

100% correct, standard HST coaches a-la FGW are fine as they are SSL, XC HSTs are hybrid SSL and LSL due to being a mix of original HST build mark III coaches (SSL) and loco-hauled ex WCML mark III (LSL) coaches.

The Barnstaple line Masts are purely for GSM-R cab radio purposes. There is no intention at this stage to dispense with the NSTR signalling between Crediton & Barnstaple. Apparently the radio bandwidth currently used for NRN Cab Radio (Band III VHF which is shared allocation with bus companies) is already allocated for some other use once GSM-R takes over during 2011.

I gather Axe & Broom level crossings are shortly to be closed temporarily for 'upgrading' work. Does this mean that there are plans afoot to widen them to extend the Axminster double track section to go as far as Chard Junction loop?

One of my HSS colleauges also advises there are moves afoot to transfer Salisbury Panel and all the intermediate Waterloo line signalbox control areas to Basingstoke Panel in the not too distant future. Not too sure of the validity of that story though story to be honest.

Not heard anything about extensions, but anyway, connecting Axminster and Chard loops gives very little operational benefit. It might provide a perturbation margin, but it still doesn't help increase frequency.

Assuming that the obvious increase over an hourly service would be to a half hourly through service, you'd need both a loop exactly half way between Axminster and Yeovil Jn, ie just about at Crewkerne, and you'd also need another loop somewhere west of Whimple (like Cranbrook). 

Can't see it even in the medium term, even the half hourly Exeter to Axminster stopper is pretty much on the back burner as far as I can see. The GWML RUS reckoned there was no business case yet.  (It did make me wonder why it's discussed in there BTW - perhaps because it is Exeter related?)

Paul