Odd one out?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Ah, thanks both. Is that a national odd one out, as a National Rail passenger service which reverses at somewhere other than a station?

Nope - most Liskeard - Looe services reverse at Coombe Junction without going all the way to the station.  It's unusual though.  Oh - and there's a Reading - Oxford Crosscountry service that reverses at Foxhall Junction.  Not sure about the 03:58 Swansea - Paddington either - perhaps that reverses at "Ogmore Junction" ... not sure of the exact geography though!

[eightf48544]

Interesting though the 17:14 Kyle Elgin is I still think Inverness is a terminal station as you have to stop at the buffers on every platform!

[ChrisB]

Ah, thanks both. Is that a national odd one out, as a National Rail passenger service which reverses at somewhere other than a station?

Nope - most Liskeard - Looe services reverse at Coombe Junction without going all the way to the station.  It's unusual though.  Oh - and there's a Reading - Oxford Crosscountry service that reverses at Foxhall Junction. 

Might be booked to do so - but never has when I've caught it - just passes through Didcot platform 3 (slowly) on it's way round the curve to Oxford where it invariably arrives early.

[grahame]

Oh - and there's a Reading - Oxford Crosscountry service that reverses at Foxhall Junction. 

Might be booked to do so - but never has when I've caught it - just passes through Didcot platform 3 (slowly) on it's way round the curve to Oxford where it invariably arrives early.

Here's the booking for today

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72843/2014/08/13/advanced

1M79 Reading to Birmingham New Street
21:46 ex Reading
22:05 to 22:13 at Foxhall Junction
22:27 at Oxford

Yesterday's shows it as on time arriving at Foxhall, leaving 3 minutes early, 4 early into Oxford
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72843/2014/08/12/advanced

1M78 - previous train on same route - takes 24 minutes direct from Reading to Oxford:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72836/2014/08/13/advanced
So extra jaunt adds 17 minutes to the schedule.

[ChrisB]

Just sits on the curve & doesn't reverse.

[JayMac]

Eh? How can it get to the West Curve (between Foxhall Jcn and Didcot West Curve Jcn) to be able to sit there?

Needs to have reversed at Foxhall Jcn.

Realtime Trains shows it has used the West Curve under the 'Line' heading. DWC (Down West Curve) between Foxhall Jcn and Didcot West Curve Jcn. Followed by DCL (Down Chester Line) between Didcot West Curve Jcn and Didcot North Junction, then DO (Down Oxford) from Didcot North Jcn. (1st attachment)

As the timing points have been activated, the service must have gone via a reversal at Foxhall Jcn and on to the West Curve.

Take a look at this example of the same service on the 5th August:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72843/2014/08/05/advanced (2nd attachment)

Service left Reading 15 minutes late and ran via the Didcot Avoiding Line. Therefore it didn't reverse at Foxhall Jcn. This can be deduced as it did not activate the timing points at Didcot Parkway, Foxhall Jcn and Didcot West Curve Jcn. Each has 'No report' in the timing column.

This one on Monday didn't reverse but did go through Didcot Parkway station and onto the Down Chester Line:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72843/2014/08/11/advanced (3rd attachment)

[eightf48544]

I presumme it's booked that way to keep Crosscountry drivers route knowledge up to date so that in the advent of problems on the  Didcot avoiding lines and/or Didcot West Jn to the station, they can be routed that way.

[grahame]

I presumme it's booked that way to keep Crosscountry drivers route knowledge up to date so that in the advent of problems on the  Didcot avoiding lines and/or Didcot West Jn to the station, they can be routed that way.

I think it's a parliamentary service to be able to say that the west chord remains open for (and served by) passenger trains.

[ChrisB]

This one on Monday didn't reverse but did go through Didcot Parkway station and onto the Down Chester Line:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72843/2014/08/11/advanced (3rd attachment)

I'm on that train at least once a week (different days) and I've only gone the booked way twice since January. Very rare as you say - 1 in 3 in your examples.

[JayMac]

Four out of five days last week. Only on the 5th August (Tues) did it not take the curve.

Previous week the same. On Tues 29th July it didn't reverse.

The week before that it ran via Foxhall Jcn on three of the five days.

And four weeks ago (14th-18th July) it ran as booked on all five week days.

I've looked at the last full six weeks running of 1M79 on Realtime Trains. According to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website), out of the 30 week days, it ran via it's booked route and reversed at Foxhall Jcn on 25 occasions. 83% as booked.

So, not very rare recently. My example extracts were picked specifically to show the alternative routes, not to hightlight any perceived infrequency in the 2146 running via its booked route.

[grahame]

I'm on that train at least once a week (different days) and I've only gone the booked way twice since January. Very rare as you say - 1 in 3 in your examples.

Four out of five days last week. Only on the 5th August (Tues) did it not take the curve.

[snip]

I've looked at the last full six weeks running of 1M29 on Realtime Trains. According to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website), out of the 30 week days, it ran via it's booked route and reversed at Foxhall Jcn on 25 occasions. 83% as booked.

So, not very rare recently. My example extracts were picked specifically to show the alternative routes, not to hightlight any perceived infrequency in the 2146 running via its booked route.

There appears to be a statistically significant correlation between the presence of ChrisB on the train and it running via a more direct route than the one booked.    How odd ... ChrisB - is this, perhaps, a train which you only catch when there are significant delays, thus biasing your sample?

[ChrisB]

Only if i've struck unlucky! It's completely random the days I catch it...

[IndustryInsider]

It's nearly always done the Foxhall reversal whenever I've seen it or been on it, so I would go along with BNM's percentage.  I'm guessing the only time it doesn't is when the driver/TM^▸ (Train Manager, or possibly Ticket Machine, depending on context)'s route knowledge has actually lapsed.

[ChrisB]

Its arrived at Oxford at 2223....just sitting waiting right time. 7 mins early into Oxford, I find it hard to believe that its done it tonight either

[JayMac]

You could have answered your own question ChrisB, with a quick look at Realtime Trains. No mind, I've done so for you.   

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72843/2014/08/14/advanced

Yes, 4^ minutes early into Oxford (against scheduled arrival time), but it still made its booked reversal at Foxhall Jcn.