Cut-down HSTs on Cardiff - Taunton?

[whole diary]

[Adrian]

Today I noticed "HST^▸ (High Speed Train) 2+4" stop boards at Severn Tunnel Junction and Patchway stations.  Perhaps they have been there some time and I have just been unobservant.  I remember back in April being told that cut-down HSTs would be used on selected Cardiff - Taunton services but, having heard nothing more of this plan since, wondered if it had been quietly dropped.  After all, if only 3 are being built, surely they will be fully utilised between Plymouth and Penzance?

Does anyone have any more information about this?  It would be great to have some extra capacity on the usually crush-loaded 0800 ex Cardiff and 1607 return from Taunton.

[grahame]

Today I noticed "HST^▸ (High Speed Train) 2+4" stop boards at Severn Tunnel Junction and Patchway stations.  Perhaps they have been there some time and I have just been unobservant.  I remember back in April being told that cut-down HSTs would be used on selected Cardiff - Taunton services but, having heard nothing more of this plan since, wondered if it had been quietly dropped.  After all, if only 3 are being built, surely they will be fully utilised between Plymouth and Penzance?

Does anyone have any more information about this?  It would be great to have some extra capacity on the usually crush-loaded 0800 ex Cardiff and 1607 return from Taunton.

There are going to be eleven as I recall.  First one in service, second one arrives this month and will be on staff training runs up as far as Cardiff, others arriving by (?) May next year.

[Western Pathfinder]

Pilning next ?..

[LiskeardRich]

Today I noticed "HST^▸ (High Speed Train) 2+4" stop boards at Severn Tunnel Junction and Patchway stations.  Perhaps they have been there some time and I have just been unobservant.  I remember back in April being told that cut-down HSTs would be used on selected Cardiff - Taunton services but, having heard nothing more of this plan since, wondered if it had been quietly dropped.  After all, if only 3 are being built, surely they will be fully utilised between Plymouth and Penzance?

Does anyone have any more information about this?  It would be great to have some extra capacity on the usually crush-loaded 0800 ex Cardiff and 1607 return from Taunton.

There are going to be eleven as I recall.  First one in service, second one arrives this month and will be on staff training runs up as far as Cardiff, others arriving by (?) May next year.

The second one came south last week I believe?

[Adrian]

I suppose the date they are all converted is dependent on when the last few HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) are displaced by IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train)?  Have Scotrail got all their ex-GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) HSTs now?

Something I was wondering about these cut-down sets - do they have the engines in both power cars operational?  4500 hp for a 2+4 train seems rather generous, but there's not enough weight in a power car to give decent acceleration if only one is producing power.

[LiskeardRich]

I suppose the date they are all converted is dependent on when the last few HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) are displaced by IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train)?  Have Scotrail got all their ex-GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) HSTs now?

Something I was wondering about these cut-down sets - do they have the engines in both power cars operational?  4500 hp for a 2+4 train seems rather generous, but there's not enough weight in a power car to give decent acceleration if only one is producing power.

The one that’s in Cornwall and Devon has both engines running, and goes like **** off a shovel. Locking up to the GTi nickname!

[Adrian]

One week of 2+4 HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) on the Cardiff to Bristol route, and while the extra seating capacity is welcome, the slump in punctuality is definitely not.  The two services I watch closely - the 1608 and 1706 Taunton to Cardiff - managed as many lates last week as in the previous 7 put together.  I'm hoping this is just a temporary blip, but if some of the sets are using slam door stock I think it is inevitable that longer station dwell times will wreck reliability.  Many of these services cross at or near Weston, so a delay on one service often has a knock-on effect on another in the opposite direction.

[JayMac]

The two sets running in the far west (one starts back at Bristol) are sliding doors. The ones between Cardiff/Bristol and Taunton (one starts back at Exeter) are slam door.

Diagrams:

Sliding door sets
--
2E12 0600 Penzance - Exeter St Davids
2C45 0926 Exeter St Davids - Penzance
2A85 1257 Penzance - Newton Abbot
2P49 1555 Newton Abbot - Plymouth
2C51 1755 Plymouth - Penzance
2P96 2018 Penzance - Plymouth
2C54 2242 Plymouth - Penzance (FX)

2D01 0600 Bristol Temple Meads - Bristol Parkway
2C43 0624 Bristol Parkway - Penzance
2A86 1141 Penzance - Newton Abbot
2P90 1450 Newton Abbot - Plymouth
5Z74 1604 Plymouth - St Phillips Marsh TMD^▸ (Traction Maintenance Depot)

Slam door sets
--
5U08 07+26 St Phillips Marsh TMD - Weston-super-Mare (ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock))
2U08 0841 Weston-super-Mare - Cardiff Central
2C73 1100 Cardiff Central - Taunton
2U18 1308 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C83 1600 Cardiff Central - Taunton
2U28 1808 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C34 2100 Cardiff Central - Bristol Temple Meads

2Y04 0648 Bristol Temple Meads - Weston-super-Mare
2U06 0736 Weston-super-Mare - Cardiff Central
2C71 1000 Cardiff Central - Taunton
2U16 1204 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C81 1500 Cardiff Central - Taunton
2U26 1706 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C91 2000 Cardiff Central - Taunton
5C91 22+21 Taunton - Laira TMD (ECS)

5D02 04+30 Laira TMD - Exeter St Davids
2D02 0600 Exeter St Davids - Bristol Parkway
2C65 0812 Bristol Parkway - Taunton
2W08 0937 Taunton - Weston-super-Mare
5U14 10+10 Weston-super-Mare - Taunton (ECS)
2U14 1104 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C79 1400 Cardiff Central - Taunton
2U24 1608 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C89 1900 Cardiff Central - Taunton
5C89 21+04 Taunton - St Phillips Marsh TMD (ECS)

[grahame]

The two sets running in the far west (one starts back at Bristol) are sliding doors. The ones between Cardiff/Bristol and Taunton (one starts back at Exeter) are slam door.

Perhaps it can't be helped, but it looks like the second sliding door set is running around empty after 15:34, and the first slam door set doesn't pick up its first passengers until 08:41 at W-s-M having run empty to there - 09:15 into Temple Meads.

[phile]

The two sets running in the far west (one starts back at Bristol) are sliding doors. The ones between Cardiff/Bristol and Taunton (one starts back at Exeter) are slam door.

Diagrams:

Sliding door sets
--
2E12 0600 Penzance - Exeter St Davids
2C45 0926 Exeter St Davids - Penzance
2A85 1257 Penzance - Newton Abbot
2P49 1555 Newton Abbot - Plymouth
2C51 1755 Plymouth - Penzance
2P96 2018 Penzance - Plymouth
2C54 2242 Plymouth - Penzance (FX)

2D01 0600 Bristol Temple Meads - Bristol Parkway
2C43 0624 Bristol Parkway - Penzance
2A86 1141 Penzance - Newton Abbot
2P90 1450 Newton Abbot - Plymouth
5Z74 1604 Plymouth - St Phillips Marsh TMD^▸ (Traction Maintenance Depot)

Slam door sets
--
5U08 07+26 St Phillips Marsh TMD - Weston-super-Mare (ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock))
2U08 0841 Weston-super-Mare - Cardiff Central
2C73 1100 Cardiff Central - Taunton
2U18 1308 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C83 1600 Cardiff Central - Taunton
2U28 1808 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C34 2100 Cardiff Central - Bristol Temple Meads

2Y04 0648 Bristol Temple Meads - Weston-super-Mare
2U06 0736 Weston-super-Mare - Cardiff Central
2C71 1000 Cardiff Central - Taunton
2U16 1204 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C81 1500 Cardiff Central - Taunton
2U26 1706 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C91 2000 Cardiff Central - Taunton
5C91 22+21 Taunton - Laira TMD (ECS)

5D02 04+30 Laira TMD - Exeter St Davids
2D02 0600 Exeter St Davids - Bristol Parkway
2C65 0812 Bristol Parkway - Taunton
2W08 0937 Taunton - Weston-super-Mare
5U14 10+10 Weston-super-Mare - Taunton (ECS)
2U14 1104 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C79 1400 Cardiff Central - Taunton
2U24 1608 Taunton - Cardiff Central
2C89 1900 Cardiff Central - Taunton
5C89 21+04 Taunton - St Phillips Marsh TMD (ECS)

They have already been posted here:-

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=18332.225

Anyway, these were for last week which were affected by Engineering Work.    This week there are differences:-

Sliding Door after arrival Plymouth 1534, works 2C48 1556 Plymouth to Penzance (and some days last week), 2P95 1914 Penzance to Plymouth and 5P95 21+34 Plymouth to Laira CS.
5C89 off 2C89 works 5C89 21+10 Taunton to Laira CS and Set off 2C91 works 2M76 2245 Taunton to Bristol TM^‡(resolve) (didn't run last week due Engrs)
2C48 & 2P95 is sometimes worked by IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train).
ECS are worked under STP arrangements at the mpment

[grahame]

Anyway, these were for last week which were affected by Engineering Work.    This week there are differences:-

Sliding Door after arrival Plymouth 1534, works 2C48 1556 Plymouth to Penzance (and some days last week), 2P95 1914 Penzance to Plymouth and 5P95 21+34 Plymouth to Laira CS.
5C89 off 2C89 works 5C89 21+10 Taunton to Laira CS and Set off 2C91 works 2M76 2245 Taunton to Bristol TM^‡(resolve) (didn't run last week due Engrs)
2C48 & 2P95 is sometimes worked by IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train).
ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) are worked under STP arrangements at the mpment

Yikes ... I wish there were an easier way of presenting data sometimes!   I think I have it, but please think of the guests who make up a high proportion of Coffee Shop visitors ....

Perhaps it can't be helped, but it looks like the second sliding door set is running around empty after 15:34, and the first slam door set doesn't pick up its first passengers until 08:41 at W-s-M having run empty to there - 09:15 into Temple Meads.

I think you're saying that the train that gets to Plymouth at half past three in the afternoon usually doesn't go off passenger duty at that point, but does a round trip to Penzance getting back mid evening into Plymouth.

[phile]

Anyway, these were for last week which were affected by Engineering Work.    This week there are differences:-

Sliding Door after arrival Plymouth 1534, works 2C48 1556 Plymouth to Penzance (and some days last week), 2P95 1914 Penzance to Plymouth and 5P95 21+34 Plymouth to Laira CS.
5C89 off 2C89 works 5C89 21+10 Taunton to Laira CS and Set off 2C91 works 2M76 2245 Taunton to Bristol TM^‡(resolve) (didn't run last week due Engrs)
2C48 & 2P95 is sometimes worked by IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train).
ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) are worked under STP arrangements at the mpment

Yikes ... I wish there were an easier way of presenting data sometimes!   I think I have it, but please think of the guests who make up a high proportion of Coffee Shop visitors ....

Perhaps it can't be helped, but it looks like the second sliding door set is running around empty after 15:34, and the first slam door set doesn't pick up its first passengers until 08:41 at W-s-M having run empty to there - 09:15 into Temple Meads.

I think you're saying that the train that gets to Plymouth at half past three in the afternoon usually doesn't go off passenger duty at that point, but does a round trip to Penzance getting back mid evening into Plymouth.

Can't quite work out what this should be.    2C48 has been an IET since te Timetable change but last week was either IET in which case the short HST^▸ (High Speed Train) ran straight back as 16+04 to St.Phillips Marsh.   If it worked 2C48 it ran 5C95 22+00 Plymouth to PM

[Adrian]

2C79 broke down at Nailsea & Backwell this afternoon.  Caused a fair bit of disruption to other westbound services.

[Phantom]

2C79 broke down at Nailsea & Backwell this afternoon.  Caused a fair bit of disruption to other westbound services.

Was an understatement, we had to wait for the service to come back into Temple Meads (arrived back 1630) as it was returning up the down line
Was unit 43155

[Adrian]

2C79 broke down at Nailsea & Backwell this afternoon.  Caused a fair bit of disruption to other westbound services.

Was an understatement, we had to wait for the service to come back into Temple Meads (arrived back 1630) as it was returning up the down line
Was unit 43155

Same again today.  This time 2C71 broke down at Yatton.  And again a 2-car 150/2 substituted for the evening peak. 

On both days, two consecutive Taunton to Weston services have been lost - the return working of the train that broke down, and the following delayed service that skipped stations after Highbridge & Burnham to Bristol to make up time.