Pacers have a maximum of 8-cabs.
15x's can run a maximum of 12-cabs.

Of course a 158/9 still has to be considered as 3-cabs and 158798 is only 2!!

1) As already mentioned - Reading

2) Surely an hour was quite good - considering "on scene" is where? Unless it's immediately behind the train close enough to be coupled although I suspect it was actually at the signal in rear which would then have to come in slowly, couple up, detach powercar, affix tail lamp, ensure all personnel are clear of the line as well as communicate updates to the Signaller and Control then an hour sounds rather good.

3) Where were the 500 passengers going to be evacuated to? The train is not on fire, they are perfectly safe onboard. Note that the Driver injured himself walking on the ballast with his safety shoes on. How many other injuries would you have if the passengers had to walk on the ballast with their inappropriate shoes on??

6 hours is a long time to be sat on a failed train but realistically what else could have been done?

Class 180's never did reach Cornwall.

It was always an aspiration of us "in control" to try and get one there. Like it has already been mentioned we managed it to Waterloo and I personally managed to send one to Hereford from Bristol empty to take up one of the morning peak trains from Hereford to London (early at Oxford cos of powered doors!)

To get one to Penzance you needed a service which the Exeter Traincrew (Plymouth and Penzance didn't sign them) worked down and back with the same set. Typically though they would get off at Penzance for a break and work the next one back so it wasn't possible in the end.

Thank You ;-)

I'm not aware of a point of contact for organisers to make FGW aware of the potential of larger than normal passenger flows.

I guess in the absence of one - Customer Services could always be informed and yesterday I was informed of a large group who had come to a ticket office to enquire about their journey options for 10 days time with a large group.

The member of staff had the fore thought to give Control the heads-up so arrangements (if possible) could be made.

We're lucky we had a second carriage to couple to the first - where would you like to get the third one from?

The problem faced, and we face it every year is that engineering can only postpone certain heavy maintenance to provide additional units for the summer months for a certain length of time.

After that, units would have to be stopped for heavy maintenance. If we didn't then we would have too many stopped at the same time (not being worked on as there are only so many staff) and customers (and coffee shop critizisers) would bemoan the lack of carriages on peak time trains into Bristol or around Exeter during Autumn and Winter.

Therefore Train Planning have to revert to a semi high summer/low summer timetable to gradually reduce the overall requirement of units expected each day. It then gives the distorted view of some branch lines with high summer unit provision whilst some revert to the low summer or winter provision.

This does then mean that Newquay struggled having reverted to a single 153, whilst St Ives still enjoyed 4-cars.
However, there were criticisms last year that St Ives dropped from four to two cars too soon and Train Plannning have this year kept the provision for longer.

Seems whatever does get done, and lessons from previous years HAVE been leartn there are just no pleasing some people!

Our Train Planning and Special Events teams knew nothing of either event at Newquay last weekend in order to be able to plan for it.

Can't spend all day at work trawling the internet to find out can we??!!

Nearly BNM.

The Paddington - Weston SM terminator formed the additional train back to Bristol.

The terminated Cardiff - Taunton ran back empty.
The desire to run the last Taunton - Paddington into Bristol is for the simple ideology of that it is the last train of the day.
The Penzance was able to be diverted therefore passengers off that, and the passengers connecting off the "special" could all then get to London without incurring significant cots in road transport.

FC^‡(resolve).

Although by running the ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) Falmouth units to Penzance in service does provide an additional journey opportunity it also reduces operational flexibility.

I have on a couple of occasions had to run the unit from Truro to Par (or Plymouth) instead of down to Penzance, or had to couple the unit up to a failed unit from earlier in the day and tow it back to Penzance (with some faults that means neither train could run in service, resuting in the "new" Penzance having to be run by taxis) or a lack of Drivers meaning that the set has stayed in Truro all night to ensure that the following days branch services could run.

So potentially to run a service for "3 people" could inconvenience 100's more by not having the trains in the right place. There would be more complaints about the Branch not running for the sake of running a service that people don't know that they need.

If Goonbarrow closes then the Summer Newquay service would be scaled back as XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) pass at Goonbarrow.

The facts are almost correct - "The train was driven back to Bristol where it was taken out service"

Not quite: - The train was driven back to Bristol where it was swapped with the Paignton - Birmingham NS and then went to Central Rivers for a new windscreen.

But then I guess that sort of information isn't given out!

There is only one 150/9 available at the moment an it spends its time on the other diagram.

A 3-car 158 can't go to Avonmouth at the moment unless a vehicle is locked out of use due to the useable platform length available at Avonmouth so this diagram has to be the 150/9 to provide the capacity.

Therefore the 158 ends up going to Paignton.

My technological gubbins tells me it is 165126. Must be a coach LOOU^▸ (locked out of use).

The disruptive passengers at Gloucester and Ledbury are one and the same.

The Conductor for 1450 Malvern - Weymouth was assaulted at Malvern Link whilst working into Malvern.
Subsequent delay/cancellation for both services.

Also the Signalling problems was points failure at Abbotswood Jn.

Usual practise would have been to cancel the train at Exeter and run ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) towards London for repair, however, the train had already been overtaken by one HST^▸ (High Speed Train) and was still full and standing!!

Cancelled at Reading to facilitate getting the set onto OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)) easier without having the good powercars useless on the blocks at Paddington.

Expected to be out for approx another week - other vehicle is due back during the next week.