Cut-down HSTs on Cardiff - Taunton?

[whole diary]

[DaveHarries]

They were tested for Newquay and appropriate stop boards put out not long ago. I’ve heard there is a Saturday Newton Abbot to Newquay diagram starting next month. Like wise an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) was tested. Both caused havoc at Quintrell Downs level crossing as both tests were fouling the crossing for 5+ minutes!

Just checked on RealTimeTrains for Saturday 25th May and found the following which suggest you are right:
2E87 0808 Plymouth - Exeter St. Davids, arr. 0915
2N04 0934 Exeter St. Davids - Newquay, arr. 1239
2A99 1322 Newquay - Newton Abbot, arr. 1613

RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) has 2A99's timing pathed as a Class 158.

Dave

[phile]

They were tested for Newquay and appropriate stop boards put out not long ago. I’ve heard there is a Saturday Newton Abbot to Newquay diagram starting next month. Like wise an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) was tested. Both caused havoc at Quintrell Downs level crossing as both tests were fouling the crossing for 5+ minutes!

Just checked on RealTimeTrains for Saturday 25th May and found the following which suggest you are right:
2E87 0808 Plymouth - Exeter St. Davids, arr. 0915
2N04 0934 Exeter St. Davids - Newquay, arr. 1239
2A99 1322 Newquay - Newton Abbot, arr. 1613

RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) has 2A99's timing pathed as a Class 158.

Dave

Strange.  I've just been having a ganders and 2A99 is timed as 75 mph 15x Sprinter like the rest.

[Adrian]

Until last week, one of the Cardiff - Taunton diagrams had regularly been a sliding door set.  With start of the new timetable, I guess all the Castles are needed further west, and this diagram is now slam-door like the rest.  Not good news for punctuality on the route, which seems to have taken a turn for the worse since Monday.

[Adrian]

Until last week, one of the Cardiff - Taunton diagrams had regularly been a sliding door set.  With start of the new timetable, I guess all the Castles are needed further west, and this diagram is now slam-door like the rest.  Not good news for punctuality on the route, which seems to have taken a turn for the worse since Monday.

And I noticed GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s May timetable changes poster today.  It promises *more* refurbished Castle Class HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) on the Cardiff to Taunton route from May.  Really?

[Adrian]

Until last week, one of the Cardiff - Taunton diagrams had regularly been a sliding door set.  With start of the new timetable, I guess all the Castles are needed further west, and this diagram is now slam-door like the rest.  Not good news for punctuality on the route, which seems to have taken a turn for the worse since Monday.

And I noticed GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s May timetable changes poster today.  It promises *more* refurbished Castle Class HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) on the Cardiff to Taunton route from May.  Really?

Still only Classics, but punctuality does at last seem to be improving on the "all stations" services in the late afternoon / early evening.  With the train manager and assistant closing train doors in a coordinated way they seem to be able to get average dwell times down to around 90 seconds.  Even then, it's still pretty challenging for some of these down services to clear Uphill Junction before the up train from Taunton is due to get there.

[Western Pathfinder]

Short sets of HST^▸ (High Speed Train) are stoping at Pilning these days,but only on a Saturday of course !...

[Adrian]

I notice the 1200 and 1800 ex Cardiff; 0916 and 1456 ex Taunton diagram has been a 'classic' this week.
That's classics on most of this route's diagrams now, isn't it?  Exceptions are the 0602 TAU^» (Taunton - next trains) - CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) / 0900 CDF - PLY^» (Plymouth - next trains) and 0925 SJP - CDF / 1300 CDF - EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains), I think.

I understand that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) now have 6 'castles' - they're not all required for the far west services, so where are the others?  I haven't seen any on the Cardiff to Taunton run since the May timetable change.

[bobm]

The remaining Castles are still caught in the refurbishment logjam at Wabtec.

There’s also an important staffing implication between the two types.  The Classics with slam doors need a train manager as they have knowledge of the trains.  The sliding doors can be worked by a conductor. They have been trained on the Castles but not the slam doors. 

It therefore makes sense to keep the Castles where the staff have been trained for them.

[JayMac]

My 'Castle' in my forum signature is now at the correct length. Slam door though!

[grahame]

My 'Castle' in my forum signature is now at the correct length. Slam door though!

Classic!

[Adrian]

The remaining Castles are still caught in the refurbishment logjam at Wabtec.

There’s also an important staffing implication between the two types.  The Classics with slam doors need a train manager as they have knowledge of the trains.  The sliding doors can be worked by a conductor. They have been trained on the Castles but not the slam doors. 

It therefore makes sense to keep the Castles where the staff have been trained for them.

Yes - I realise the rest are still in the queue at Wabtec.  The point I was making is that GW05 and GW06 have arrived since the May timetable started, but I'm not aware of any new Castle diagrams.

[phile]

The remaining Castles are still caught in the refurbishment logjam at Wabtec.

There’s also an important staffing implication between the two types.  The Classics with slam doors need a train manager as they have knowledge of the trains.  The sliding doors can be worked by a conductor. They have been trained on the Castles but not the slam doors. 

It therefore makes sense to keep the Castles where the staff have been trained for them.

Yes - I realise the rest are still in the queue at Wabtec.  The point I was making is that GW05 and GW06 have arrived since the May timetable started, but I'm not aware of any new Castle diagrams.

There was a move from Laira to Wabtec today

Correction:-  Tomorrow

[Adrian]

I notice the 1200 and 1800 ex Cardiff; 0916 and 1456 ex Taunton diagram has been a 'classic' this week.
That's classics on most of this route's diagrams now, isn't it?  Exceptions are the 0602 TAU^» (Taunton - next trains) - CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) / 0900 CDF - PLY^» (Plymouth - next trains) and 0925 SJP - CDF / 1300 CDF - EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains), I think.

I understand that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) now have 6 'castles' - they're not all required for the far west services, so where are the others?  I haven't seen any on the Cardiff to Taunton run since the May timetable change.

Seem to be back to just 3 'castle' diagrams on Cardiff-Taunton in recent weeks.  Today I think it was only 2.  One diagram was a 3-car dmu.  I think everything else was 2-car.  Not very impressive, and no reason to think anything will magically improve next month.

[SandTEngineer]

Here is the current list as published on the WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes) Forum:

Consists for 4th Nov 2019.

LA21
42087 42364 42095 44042

LA22
43172 42566 42302 42304 44068 43191

LA23
43162 42565 42103 42167 44100 43156

LA24
43191 42582 42092 42554 44076 43160

LA25
43 42570 42310 42231 44069 43

LA26
43 42563 42105 42580 44081 43

LA72
43196 42005 42015 42016 44005 43161

GW01
43005 48103 48102 48101 49101 43187

GW02
43041 48106 48105 48104 49102 43097

GW03
43 48109 48108 48107 49103 43192

GW04
43188 48112 48111 48110 49104 43158

GW05
43170 48115 48114 48113 49105 43194

GW06
43154 48118 48117 48116 49106 43155

GW07
43094 48121 48120 48119 49107 43122

[Red Squirrel]

2K08 (08.03 Bristol Temple Meads - Avonmouth) was a very crowded 2-car unit this morning...