Adelanted Services? (18/02/2008)

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Welcome to the forum, FCC_Boy

[willc]

Me and a couple of friends have decided to go on a bit of a tour of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) network this coming Thursday (28th Feb) and use up our priv boxes . I've said I want to go on a Adelante just because i've never been on one before and want to. From reading this site, it seems as though its quite hard to pin point exactly what services will be formed of 180s. Has anyone got any rough ideas of what they might be working this Thurs? the 0748 from PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) to Cheltenham Spa seems to run as '5 cars'... Is that a common service for a 180 to run?

Last week, the best bets for Adelantes were the Cheltenham train you mention, or the 05.42 from Paddington to Worcester, returning at 08.37 (10am departure from Oxford to Paddington) and the 17.51 from London to Worcester and 20.58 return. On paper, the evening return trip is part of the same diagram as the 05.42, but I don't know what was going on in the middle of the day. The full duty is as follows (borrowed from an swlines post in December):

1W07 05.42 London Paddington - Worcester Foregate Street
1P32 08.37 Worcester Foregate Street - London Paddington
1D29 11.21 London Paddington - Oxford
1P47 13.30 Oxford - London Paddington
1D43 14.51 London Paddington - Oxford
1P61 16.30 Oxford - London Paddington
1W57 17.51 London Paddington - Worcester Foregate Street
1P84 20.58 Worcester Foregate Street - London Paddington

No sign of 'five-car substitutes' today on the website, but then last week on Monday and Tuesday the Worcester trains I mention were being shown on the website as short-formed (and I had been told by local train crew that the switch to HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) was supposed to happen officially on the 18th), whereas by Friday they weren't, even though Adelantes operated both workings on Thursday and Friday. There was at least one 180 out there yesterday working a Paddington to Hereford and return.

[swlines]

As I understand it, all workings are now booked HST^▸ (High Speed Train). To find a 180 it's really a case of trying those former 180 diagrams, or just going to Paddington and seeing what is there!

[redskin125]

There are 2 Adelante diagrams this week, 4 Adelante's left in the fleet. When I left work this morning a 3rd Adelante was going to come into service late morning to cover up for HST^▸ (High Speed Train) shortage.

[Btline]

I thought FGW^▸ (First Great Western) were keeping CL services as 180s.

Or will this happen in May?

[swlines]

I'm not expecting it to happen at all to be honest. DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have allegedly stuck their oar in again according to my sources.

[Shazz]

Seeing as how them using 180's for the cotswold line ended up in parliament a few years back, i'd highly doubt they're going to use them for there at least. A better use of them would be making gloucester/chelt hourly servers to padd

[devon_metro]

I'm not expecting it to happen at all to be honest. DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have allegedly stuck their oar in again according to my sources.

Then how are they allowed to moan that the service is crap 

[swlines]

Magic.

[devon_metro]

Quite!

[smokey]

Why is the First Class (on 180s):

a- nowhere near the buffet, for the customer host;

b- in the middle of the train?

Yes why wasn't First Class on the Adelante units in a Driving Car, so that SC don't trawl through FC^‡(resolve) all the time, with the Buffet in the next car?

[Btline]

How do the stewards (known as "Customer Hosts" to FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) serve refreshments when the buffet is several coaches away?

In some ways, keeping HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) will reduce overcrowding in the peaks, and in the of peaks, how about some Firstminutefares?

[Mookiemoo]

How do the stewards (known as "Customer Hosts" to FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) serve refreshments when the buffet is several coaches away?

In some ways, keeping HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) will reduce overcrowding in the peaks, and in the of peaks, how about some Firstminutefares?

They keep a small amount of stock in the FC^‡(resolve) coach - when that runs out they go an a fetch run

[Btline]

I won't comment on that.

 

[Phil]

The only Adelante I saw today was on a Paddington to Oxford run at around 2 this afternoon.

Top marks to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) though for their efforts today: I got on a short-formed Paddington to Bristol HST^▸ (High Speed Train) with no buffet car or catering this afternoon, and the crew set up temporary facilities with what they could pick up at Reading, basically cold drinks and snacks, which they dispensed from the end of a coach at either end of the train (for sale to the Standard Class customers and "free" to us lot in First Class, although I often dispute that they're free given the additional cost of the tickets)