Cutdown 125's to operate Penzance to Plymouth clockface service

[whole diary]

[a-driver]

Short formed HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))'s operating on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) won't be happening due to the condition of the MkIII's.

[Timmer]

Short formed HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))'s operating on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) won't be happening due to the condition of the MkIII's.

Project cancelled then? What's the plan going forward...keeping DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) due to head North?

[ChrisB]

They're running these MkIIIs now - so why not in short-form?

[paul7575]

I expect short forming is not the actual problem, I bet it will be the power door and DDA^» (Disability Discrimination Act - about) mods that are proving either more difficult (or less cost effective) than the prior publicity ever expected.

Paul

[grahame]

Short formed HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))'s operating on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) won't be happening due to the condition of the MkIII's.

Rumour rather than any official confirmation from the very limited look around I've done.   Of course rumours do have a habit of turning out to be true sometimes!

Hypothetical ... if true, a real spanner in the work of the plans as we know them, but (as someone commented the other day) there should be contingency plans in place.  We may see class 230 and 319 flex, and I'm not sure that all of the 153s going off lease are spoken for. When are the Mk4s being released from the East Coast, and would they fit between class 43s - they are newer and already have plug doors; if no-one else wants them ...

[a-driver]

I expect short forming is not the actual problem, I bet it will be the power door and DDA^» (Disability Discrimination Act - about) mods that are proving either more difficult (or less cost effective) than the prior publicity ever expected.

Paul

40+ year old vehicles with major structural changes

[chrisr_75]

I expect short forming is not the actual problem, I bet it will be the power door and DDA^» (Disability Discrimination Act - about) mods that are proving either more difficult (or less cost effective) than the prior publicity ever expected.

Paul

40+ year old vehicles with major structural changes

Sounds like the tin worm has rendered more of them beyond economic/sensible repair than was originally anticipated? Some of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) coaches seemed to look really scabby, particularly in/around the vestibules, so I am not surprised they have discovered some of them are in a bad way.

[John R]

What does this mean for Scotrail's plans I wonder?

[Timmer]

What does this mean for Scotrail's plans I wonder?

Was just about to ask, could be very serious for the plan for them to take over Scotrail's long distance services.

It seriously begs the question if building your entire franchise plan around bringing 40+ years rolling stock to Scotland is a sensible idea.

I know the HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) is a wonderful train but it can't go on forever.

[chrisr_75]

What does this mean for Scotrail's plans I wonder?

Enough available to cover for ScotRail, but more of the vehicles beyond sensible repair than anticipated (I assume some assessment of their condition has recently been carried out), so plans cancelled for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), as they were only a temporary fix anyway.

[RichardB]

Short formed HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))'s operating on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) won't be happening due to the condition of the MkIII's.

Rumour rather than any official confirmation from the very limited look around I've done.   Of course rumours do have a habit of turning out to be true sometimes!

Hypothetical ... if true, a real spanner in the work of the plans as we know them, but (as someone commented the other day) there should be contingency plans in place.  We may see class 230 and 319 flex, and I'm not sure that all of the 153s going off lease are spoken for. When are the Mk4s being released from the East Coast, and would they fit between class 43s - they are newer and already have plug doors; if no-one else wants them ...

Does seem very strange since there is the big piece in the current Modern Railways and a lot of people who should know about this sort of thing have been very positive about the idea for a long time now.   I think the original poster needs to go back to whoever told him/her that the short formed HSTs wouldn't be happening.

In term of plug doors and the toilets, they are cutting the old ones off and adding new - evidently this is easiest and the ends are where there is most corrosion.   

[JayMac]

Short formed HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))'s operating on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) won't be happening due to the condition of the MkIII's.

A source would be very helpful for this.

With both XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) and GWR Mk3s going through the conversion work at Doncaster at the moment, it seems a little hard to believe the project has been canned.

[ChrisB]

Not nevessarily canned, just not enough hood coaches for both Scotrail (who will get priority) and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).

[Timmer]

Not nevessarily canned, just not enough hood coaches for both Scotrail (who will get priority) and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).

Question is, how would you know until you started work to convert them if they are hood sorry good enough?

[ChrisB]

They have started, haven't they?