So......why do people like 150s so much

[whole diary]

[Mookiemoo]

I have the (dis)pleasure of travelling on several of these recently.  Routes on which I have travelled are:

Ludlow -> Machester
Ludlow -> Crewe
Shrewsbury -> Birmingham

I know these arent FGW^▸ (First Great Western) routes but bear with me......

Now, whilst I can just about see the use on Shrewsbury -> Birmingham, if you get a stopper (of which some are) its a 90 minute journey and they are cramped and uncomfortable and there is NO space to *DO* anything during that 90 minutes.

Then, look at Ludlow -> Manchester which is actually Camarthen/Milford Haven/Haverfordwest -> Machester .....  a four hour journey end to end

Same issue - they arent any good

What are they good for?

When they are proclaimed great trains and just work - are they journeys of 30-45 minutes or less (which is about all I could tolerate one for)

P.S. I do like 175/158 and 350 trains so I'm not just a HST^▸ (High Speed Train)/Pendolino FC^‡(resolve) snob......but I cant for the life of me see anything good on a 150.  Last time I went to Manchester I spent two hours with my feet on a suitcase using my lap as a table just to be able to work through some papers

[Mookiemoo]

Oh and slightly OT - I saw a 142 at liverpool lime street today - I came in on pendolino from crewe into ime street and saw over on platform 10 what looked like the fabled 142s - I went over and saw it was one.  As it was unguarded and not due to leave for 15 mins I got on and sat on it.  OH MY GOD - give me a cushion to prevent rhinosorearse any day!

[Btline]

I know- in my recent poll they scored the highest in the "local" section.

Vile clapped out thing- can't see why.

I agree- no more than 45 mins (which is, by the way, the length of a typical commute from Kidderminster to Birmingham with LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise)).

[Mookiemoo]

I know- in my recent poll they scored the highest in the "local" section.

Vile clapped out thing- can't see why.

I agree- no more than 45 mins (which is, by the way, the length of a typical commute from Kidderminster to Birmingham with LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise)).

Since I refuse point blank to use London Midland I always choose the ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) service.  Which tends to be the stopper.

Why do I not like London Midland.....

WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains) -> Moor Street

Almost 90 minutes on a train with nothing but worn out seats and no tables and no loos and no service

[Jez]

Quite surprised that a Ludlow-Manchester or Ludlow to Crewe service was run by a 150. The West Wales - Manchester service is mainly 175's with some 158's.  ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) tend to use the 150's on the Cardiff valley lines (including the new Ebbw Vale service) and the Swansea-Cardiff Swanline service.  Occasionally Maesteg to Cheltenham gets one but usually they are 158's.

Slightly off topic but with these ATW 150s now gone to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) I wonder how ATW are coping without them? I saw a 142 on a service that would normally be a 150 today.

As for 150's well I do not mind them for short journey's but do prefer 175's or 158's.

[Btline]

Worcs to Moor Street is about an hour.

I think that LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) plan to refurb the 150s between now and the arrival of the 172s.

[Mookiemoo]

Quite surprised that a Ludlow-Manchester or Ludlow to Crewe service was run by a 150. The West Wales - Manchester service is mainly 175's with some 158's.  ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) tend to use the 150's on the Cardiff valley lines (including the new Ebbw Vale service) and the Swansea-Cardiff Swanline service.  Occasionally Maesteg to Cheltenham gets one but usually they are 158's.

Slightly off topic but with these ATW 150s now gone to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) I wonder how ATW are coping without them? I saw a 142 on a service that would normally be a 150 today.

As for 150's well I do not mind them for short journey's but do prefer 175's or 158's.

To be fair its not often ad usually due to a train failure .... but when it does happen, two hours on one are not fun

[Conner]

I don't like 150's eeither and today and yesterday I can give good reasons why.
Yesterday the 06:52 BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI))-PNZ was a single ex-Wessex 150 vice 158 and it was chaos, it was boiling hot and cramped. Two vestibules were unusable as they were filled with large cases. Rediculous.
Today the 14:41 PLY^» (Plymouth - next trains)-PNZ was a single ex-Wessex 150 vice 158. I got there very late and managed to get inside one of the vestibules. I was overcrowded due to the amount of luggage around me aswell as people. We were rammed full as we left Plymouth despite an Arriva 150 sitting behind us having been uncoupled which in fairness should have only been a 153 which could have benn coupled to our service not the later one.
They are not fit for purpose as feeders to HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s.

[Mookiemoo]

Worcs to Moor Street is about an hour.

I think that LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) plan to refurb the 150s between now and the arrival of the 172s.

Really?

Kidderminster (which is where I normally get on) is about 50 minutes....... and it seems a lot longer than 10 minutes to get to WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains) fro Kiddie.

Also - why cant they run any semi fast services.....

All trains seem to go Kiddie -> Blakedown -> Hagley -> Sturport ->  miscellanous stations (including rowley regis, lye, cradley heath etc etc etc ) -> Moor Street

If there was a service that went:

WOS -> Kidderminster -> Stourport -> Smethick -> Moor Street

Even only a few times a day, I may consider using it!

[Lee]

Also - why cant they run any semi fast services.....

Quote from the Network Rail Strategic Business Plan :

There is a very high level of capacity utilisation on most radial routes into central Birmingham, partly due to the large number of services and the mix of traffic types.

The level of utilisation can have a severe impact on service resilience during perturbation, with little reserve capacity to aid service recovery. The large signalling headways on some corridors reflect the large number of mechanical signal boxes on the fringes of the route, most of which date back to the early 1930^s. Therefore, the pattern and frequency of some commuter services to important regional destinations such as, Kidderminster/ Worcester, Hednesford/Rugeley and Stratford are constrained by the long absolute block sections.

[Mookiemoo]

Also - why cant they run any semi fast services.....

Quote from the Network Rail Strategic Business Plan :

There is a very high level of capacity utilisation on most radial routes into central Birmingham, partly due to the large number of services and the mix of traffic types.

The level of utilisation can have a severe impact on service resilience during perturbation, with little reserve capacity to aid service recovery. The large signalling headways on some corridors reflect the large number of mechanical signal boxes on the fringes of the route, most of which date back to the early 1930^s. Therefore, the pattern and frequency of some commuter services to important regional destinations such as, Kidderminster/ Worcester, Hednesford/Rugeley and Stratford are constrained by the long absolute block sections.

And in English that means?

Sorry - I'm probably more fluent in rail speak than the average c'muter but I cant work out why they cant run some semi fast on that route (note - no kiddie services are ever that busy even at peak!)

[swlines]

It means there is too little capacity for an additional train.

[dog box]

The 150 is a solid old workhorse  and quite dependable more than can be said for a Pacer, they are better than a turbo but not as good as a Turbostar.

[Conner]

The 150 is a solid old workhorse  and quite dependable more than can be said for a Pacer, they are better than a turbo but not as good as a Turbostar.

Which are all shadowed by a 158.

[Mookiemoo]

It means there is too little capacity for an additional train.

Not asking for an additional train

There are two an hour - and not THAT busy

Make one a stopper and one a semi fast