Great Western Coffee Shop

A few questions for those in the know...

1)  How many North Downs Services start at platform 5 (or 8 ) rather than 4a/b?

2)  How many North Downs Services terminate at platform 4 rather than 4 a/b?

3)  How many units stable overnight at Redhill?  (Assuming no units stable @ Gatwick)

4)  Have you any other interesting facts about diagrams / services on North Downs line?

From first hand experience tonight 2V75 the 22:22 ex GTW terminates plat 4 at RDG.
Brief check on Genius confirms 2O53 21:34 ex RDZ* forms 5O53 23:06 from GTW to Gatwick Carriage Sidings. There is a 5O54 from Gatwick Carriage Sidings to Redhill LHS but I can't tell if this is the same unit as my access only lets me look at XC stock allocation.
2O54 00:10 arrival at GTW forms 00:12 to Redhill Loco Holding Sidings.
Hope this gives you a snap shot.

*For those not in the know RDZ is the industry code for Reading platforms 4A/B, presumably to prevent replatforming of SWT's leccy services to platforms without a juice rail.

Interesting stuff, thanks RTS! You must be right about the juice rail, that makes perfect sense. I'm trying to think if there are any other places on the network where only part of a station is electrified...there must be some somewhere else...? Does the different codes thing apply there too?

I initially didn't realize that it was possible for trains arriving from the Guildford direction to go anywhere other than 4a/b, but thinking about it further that was obviously wrong since I've caught an XC service from Guildford to Oxford before now (coming back from the Isle of Wight taking a slightly odd route one weekend, I assume because of engineering). And those Turbos have to get back to Reading depot somehow as well!

Not 3rd rail, but Paddington? I believe Platforms 1 & 2 don't have OHLE.

and nor do 13 & 14

Chester 1 platform for Merseyrail.

Richmond and Wimbledon have platforms with 3 rail for SWT/NL trains and 4 rail for District line.

Barnt Green only Redditch platforms.

Does 4A/4B have a juice rail?

never noticed

At Reading?  How would the SWT services get out of the station if they didn't?

Paul

I actually thought those white things they run from reading were diesel

M-F
0434,0534,0551 booked from platform 5
0606 (Shalford) booked from platform 6 (0427 arrival from pad)

2234 and 2334 departure both stable at Redhill loco sidings and make up 0515 ex Gatwick and 0624 ex Redhill in the morning.

2032 2055 2201 2301 0001 0039 all terminate in the main station on 4,5,8 or 9 depending on how things are running at the time

Should be said that in time of disruption/engineering work this can alter.

Hope this helps

Does that mean that FGW have some train crew who are based at Redhill?

Thanks coach flyer!

I seem to remember them having a complement of both drivers and conductors based there but am willing to be corrected.

Of course some platforms at Euston have both, AC O/H and DC juice rail.

We have a dozen Guards based at Redhill but hire in Drivers from Southern.

Does this mean to do Reigate to Gatwick??  I don't understand how they would help with a Gatwick to Reading service?

Also, apart from the Brighton to Ashford International service (using class 377 diesels) how come Southern drivers have 165/6 traction knowledge - please explain further.

Thank you.

It was decided in the past it was more cost effective to contract out work and train their drivers up on the turbos and the whole route rather than employ their own staff.

Southern Drivers have 5 diagrams m-f and 4 each on sat and sun.

Wow!  Now that is an interesting fact I wasn't expecting.  So when they're driving are they in FGW uniform or Southern?

Southern, almost certainly.

Like the ATW drivers, who brought trains over from Cardiff to BRI, and then handed over to FGW drivers for the onward journey westwards - often with suitably caustic comments about the unit!  :D

Walsall, Springburn and Anniesland (both in Scotland) to add three more. (Though whether the platform at Walsall is used anymore I'm not sure since the service to Wolverhampton was cut.)