class 153

[whole diary]

[dog box]

saw a dogbox at btm today in Northern spirit blue and gold livery.....didnt note the number ,but is this a newcomer to our area or what??

[Conner]

I beleive it was swapped with one of our wrecks(if they can get it up country). Has been here for a couple of weeks I think.
See this thread here:
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1184.0

[vacman]

153361, it's actually an additional unit! 318 was supposed to be going to Northern but never went!

[Timmer]

153361, it's actually an additional unit! 318 was supposed to be going to Northern but never went!

If 318 is as bad a unit as you have said it is maybe Northern didn't want it?

[devon_metro]

Saw it on Spotlight, solo at Weymouth 

[Lee]

153361, it's actually an additional unit! 318 was supposed to be going to Northern but never went!

It depends what you mean by "additional." Both 153318 and 153361 appear on Tom Cairns "West Operational Fleet" list :

Class 153 (12)
153305
153318
153329
153361
153368
153369
153370
153372
153373
153377
153380
153382

Its "additional" in the sense that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have 2 more Class 153 units than what was set out in the Franchise Agreement, but not "additional" in the sense that FGW have 3 less Class 153 units than Wessex had.

Also, 1 of those units is being retained for use on future extra Falmouth line services (covering for refresh in the meantime.) The Falmouth initiative is likely to be funded by a mixture of Cornwall County Council and EU^» (European Union - about) money.

[devon_metro]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7160000/newsid_7168900?redirect=7168964.stm&news=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1

[Lee]

Saw it on Spotlight, solo at Weymouth 

Related to the link below?
http://oldfieldparktrains.blogspot.com/2008/01/2nd-january-2008.html

[Conner]

Saw it on Spotlight, solo at Weymouth 

Same here. They were making a big fuss about how the early Gloucester-Weymouth train was one car. It was actually the nicest 153 we have though.

[Shazz]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7160000/newsid_7168900?redirect=7168964.stm&news=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1

"there was plenty of space for us"

...why exactly is that guy complaining about it then?

[devon_metro]

As usual, there is no substance in the argument.

Obviously, longer distance = more carriages.

Even a donkey knows that