Loco hauled

[whole diary]

[inspector_blakey]

The loco that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are going to use for the Padd-OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)) ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) moves is to be no other than Western Champion, and that isn't a joke! came from a very good source!

Bleaurgh! Nasty Western region plastic diesel hydraulic rubbish. Gimme a bit of 47 thrash any day. 
(there really out to be a "donning my tin helmet round about now" smiley...)

[grahame]

Hey, Maybe we as a forum should by them and start an Open Access train company operating the following route:

Minehead
Watchet
Bishops Lydeard
Taunton
Castle Cary
Bruton
Frome
Westbury
Trowbridge
Melksham
Chippenham
Swindon
Reading
London Padd

The demand for the service is there, e.g. College students in Frome attending courses at Wiltshire College Chippenham, who can only get there by Silly O' Clock trains and having to Change. Melksham (Enough Said!) Trowbridge, Same Reason as Frome but competing with the bull that is First Group.

Getting out of "loco hauled" ... so I may need to split the thread, but you have availability issues through Reading. Now if you took a Marylebone to Oxford (via Bicester chord) service and extended it to Swindon ... and on along your route ... then you would provide for the Minhead flow, all the issues of the TransWilts, deal with the "West to Oxford" from which First withdrew in 2003 and now has a poor deal with Didcot changes.   Oh - and you may just have an operator or two who have the admin in place, and the servicing and all the rest which should cut the time to market and extra money needed a little.

[JayMac]

the purple coach and its companion are apparently for sale for 25k each

Hey, Maybe we as a forum should by them and start an Open Access train company operating the following route:

Minehead
Watchet
Bishops Lydeard
Taunton
Castle Cary
Bruton
Frome
Westbury
Trowbridge
Melksham
Chippenham
Swindon
Reading
London Padd

The demand for the service is there, e.g. College students in Frome attending courses at Wiltshire College Chippenham, who can only get there by Silly O' Clock trains and having to Change. Melksham (Enough Said!) Trowbridge, Same Reason as Frome but competing with the bull that is First Group.

But we need someone to put a portfolio together and someone with a rather large cheque book

Which makes the idea practically impossible... ...

Why not, after Reading, route via Kensington Olympia and terminate or onwards to Brighton and utilise the path(s) given up by XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))?

[Btline]

I expect the path(s) given up by XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) was/were snatched by SN immediately!

[JayMac]

I expect the path(s) given up by XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) was/were snatched by SN immediately!

Sorry, forgot to add a tongue in cheek smiley to my original post!!

[Btline]

I expect the path(s) given up by XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) was/were snatched by SN immediately!

Sorry, forgot to add a tongue in cheek smiley to my original post!!

Here you are:

And welcome to the forum btw.

[thetrout]

grahame is right. If a route were to be made, it may have to avoid Reading because it is already a heavily congested junction. The route that grahame also suggested is a good idea. Not sure how Chiltern will take to it though. However saying that. they don't seem to have a problem with WSMR^▸ (Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway) Terminating at Oxford from Swindon may solve the problem. Then send customers for London to WSMR or Chiltern

Another route still using the transwilts line:

Exeter St Davids - Yeovil Junction - Sherborne - Gillingham (DSET) - Salisbury - Warminster - Westbury - Trowbridge - Melksham - Chippenham - Swindon

or

Exeter St Davids - Yeovil Junction - Yeovil Pen Mill - Castle Cary - Bruton - Frome - Westbury - Trowbridge - Melksham - Chippenham - Swindon

In theory we would need to utilise the TransWilts line as this is what there is demand for, as i'm sure, we all know

I'm open to suggestions for routes

Might need to create a seperate thread for this though...?

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

okehampton-Exeter St Davids - Yeovil Junction - Yeovil Pen Mill - Castle Cary - Bruton - Frome - Westbury - Trowbridge - Melksham - Chippenham - Swindon

:-)

[thetrout]

okehampton-Exeter St Davids - Yeovil Junction - Yeovil Pen Mill - Castle Cary - Bruton - Frome - Westbury - Trowbridge - Melksham - Chippenham - Swindon

:-)

I must admit, I would never have thought of that route

Where does the line for Okehampton split from the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line)? Only reason I ask is if you were to run a service via Yeovil Junction the train would need to arrive on the platform closest to the ticket office as this and the platform opposite are the only platforms that can get onto the Exeter Central - Yeovil Junction Line... Failing that, you could route via Taunton and Castle Cary, thus keeping grahame happy and providing a TransWilts service

[devon_metro]

Such a route would never happen. The potential for delay is collosal.

At: Cowley Bridge, Exeter St Davids, Pinhoe, Honiton, Axminster, Yeovil, single line to Castle Cary, Frome, Westbury etc

[Btline]

Just run a few HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to Torbay via Melksham.

[devon_metro]

Just run a few HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to Torbay via Melksham.

How about don't...

A simple 153 operated service is all the line needs.

[Btline]

Ok

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

for once i was messing around... was anyone else being serious?

[Btline]

Perhaps, not, but my solution would work!

(and give Melksham a direct link to London and Torbay.)