Question: Where did the locomotive hauled Network SouthEast services run to?

[whole diary]

[Reading General]

I suspect it was before NSE^▸ (Network South East) but I remember when I got hold of my first working timetable there were some Twyford terminators which ran empty to the former carriage sidings at Malago Vale just west of Bristol Temple Meads.

That seems really extreme. Dead running that far seems ludicrous now.

During one timetable, Reading Transport ran the first No. 1 bus from Newbury bus station (4.55 I think it was) dead from Reading garage to start, which I always thought a little extreme. Especially as you were given more time to get to Newbury out of service as you were to do the journey back to town.

[Reading General]

That quote went wrong as it’s being done on a phone but you get the gist.

[grahame]

That quote went wrong as it’s being done on a phone but you get the gist.

Sorted for you - I hope.   From a full-sized laptop!

[BBM]

I've just dug out some carriage labels which I kept as 'souvenirs' of my commute between Twyford and Paddington in Network SE days:

[eightf48544]

As I said I'm pretty sure that the Twyford terminators ran round in the up goods loops at Reading, leaving the coaches by the signal box they ran light engine had to run nearly to Tilehurst to change lines and run back to pick up the stock and  and run non stop ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) back to Padd. As there were no plaforms they couldn't convey pssengers to Reading or pick up passengers for Paddington. They could have stopped to pick up at intermediate stations but as the NSE^▸ (Network South East) Inspector said they were needed tio form the next train out of Padd.

I would doubt that any loco changes took place at Bedwyn.

Malago Vale was well outside NSE teritory.

[Reading General]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/131083590@N05/23069384256/in/photolist-B9yCdq-jH9Nj3-2jcQ6ZS-q29R2A-UZfpTB

Photo from Carl Looker on Flickr of what I was looking for. A loco running round it’s train at Newbury in Network SouthEast days.

[infoman]

Their was a 06:50am service westbury to Paddington,ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) from Malago vale.

Not sure of the engines,but I do recall the coach's had just been, WELL, painted in Network south east colours.

As I was unable open the sliding windows in the six passenger compartment sections

[Reading General]

So a further question sort of on this subject. I’m guessing that full daytime Bedwyn to London services arrived with the Turbos, as the London to Newbury loco hauled trains ran around at Newbury or continued beyond Bedwyn. Did this mean that Bedwyn was the terminus for the all stops service from Reading (General) until the turbos arrived?

[Zoe]

So a further question sort of on this subject. I’m guessing that full daytime Bedwyn to London services arrived with the Turbos, as the London to Newbury loco hauled trains ran around at Newbury or continued beyond Bedwyn. Did this mean that Bedwyn was the terminus for the all stops service from Reading (General) until the turbos arrived?

The 1982 WTT^▸ (Working Time-Table) shows a DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) service from Reading to Bedwyn running roughly every 2 hours off peak and the 1989 Paddington Station Workings do not show any Paddington to Bedwyn services off peak so it would seem to be the case that the regular service from Paddington was not introduced until the arrival of the turbos.  I wonder if the turbo service from Paddington was initially all stations west of Reading or if the Reading to Newbury shuttle was introduced at the same time, giving Newbury 2 trains per hour from Reading off peak (quite an improvement from what was on offer in 1982)?

[grahame]

From the history page of Bedwyn Trains

The service level had increased to eight trains in each direction by 1924. At that time the General Manager of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) was Sir Felix Pole (1921-1929), who was born in Little Bedwyn. It was recorded that the 6.0pm train from Paddington made just its second stop here at 7.26pm on request. Following the cuts in the early 1960s Bedwyn developed as a terminus station. In 1966 the number of down trains had increased to fourteen, with ten of these using the bay platform to terminate here.
​
In 1976 a new turn-back siding was constructed beyond the bridge and the bay platform was filled in. From that point onwards Bedwyn became a terminus for almost all local services, the exception being a loco-hauled commuter train which ran to and from Paddington once each weekday until the early 1990s.

[brooklea]

Browsing through some old timetables, the 1747 London Paddington to Westbury service appears to have run for the final time on Friday 13 March 1992, to be replaced by a 1747 from Paddington to Bedwyn from the following Monday, which I guess would have been when this train became Turbo operated.

Off-peak Paddington to Bedwyn services started on 28 September 1992, running two-hourly and calling only at Theale and Thatcham between Reading and Newbury. On the other hour there was a Reading to Newbury all stops service.

Two trains per hour between Reading and Newbury must have been a later innovation (sometime between 1996 and 2000).

[Reading General]

I do recall when I was young in the early 90’s, that there was a local and a semi-fast loco hauled between Reading and Newbury. Possibly one semi-fast an hour and the local every two hours but I do remember there being more than one option back to Theale or Reading at least during some hours of the day. I’m also perhaps thinking that there was a few more intercity stops during the day at Newbury then, before a solid two an hour was introduced but the early 90’s are a very hazy time for me. 

[Reading General]

As I said I'm pretty sure that the Twyford terminators ran round in the up goods loops at Reading, leaving the coaches by the signal box they ran light engine had to run nearly to Tilehurst to change lines and run back to pick up the stock and  and run non stop ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) back to Padd. As there were no plaforms they couldn't convey pssengers to Reading or pick up passengers for Paddington. They could have stopped to pick up at intermediate stations but as the NSE^▸ (Network South East) Inspector said they were needed tio form the next train out of Padd.

I’ve now seen a video on the YouTube with evidence of this happening. I think the video was 89 or 90

[Sulis John]

Browsing through some old timetables, the 1747 London Paddington to Westbury service appears to have run for the final time on Friday 13 March 1992, to be replaced by a 1747 from Paddington to Bedwyn from the following Monday, which I guess would have been when this train became Turbo operated.

Two trains per hour between Reading and Newbury must have been a later innovation (sometime between 1996 and 2000).

No doubt this was when the 17.47 was due to go over to Turbo operation. However, loco hauled operation of that service soldiered on until Friday 3rd July 1992 - presumably running ecs to Westbury as there would have been no opportunity to run round at Bedwyn.

In terms of the Twyford terminators (!) running ecs to Malago Vale, I wonder if that was every day, or just on Fridays prior to running Summer Saturday trains. I would imagine there were quite a few loco-hauled extras to Weymouth / Weston  - or replacements to allow dmus to double up.

[Reading General]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UPmco2llz5w

A great video by Soi Buakhao demonstrating a class 47 running around its train at Newbury has now appeared answering the question fully finally. He has plenty of other videos from the NSE^▸ (Network South East) era and beyond.