Are there any FGW services to add to this list of shame?

[whole diary]

[ReWind]

I don't think Pacers have Line Clearence to go south of Westbury ( i.e Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton & Weymouth )

I may be wrong though but I have never experienced/heard of 1 going to the South Coast!

[cereal_basher]

143s are banned from going anywhere where there is 3rd rail, the furthest one can go is Salisbury or Dorchester. 153s are also banned from Portsmouth Harbour due to clearance problems with the steps on the outside of the train on the bends at Portsmouth Harbour.

[Timmer]

143s are banned from going anywhere where there is 3rd rail, the furthest one can go is Salisbury or Dorchester. 153s are also banned from Portsmouth Harbour due to clearance problems with the steps on the outside of the train on the bends at Portsmouth Harbour.

I think the boundaries for 143s are just west of Salisbury and Yeovil but that may have changed.

[cereal_basher]

143s are banned from going anywhere where there is 3rd rail, the furthest one can go is Salisbury or Dorchester. 153s are also banned from Portsmouth Harbour due to clearance problems with the steps on the outside of the train on the bends at Portsmouth Harbour.

I think the boundaries for 143s are just west of Salisbury and Yeovil but that may have changed.

It is meant to be where there is third rail due to the poor ride it isn't considered safe. You won't get one past Salisbury or on the Weymouth line as there is no where to turn them back afterwards. The 143s all had to obtain special clearance to move to Eastleigh for refurbishment.
I am not actually sure whether 143s are allowed to Salisbury, as it might just be the ex-Southern region they are banned from.

[inspector_blakey]

Sometimes Pacers would appear on the "Great Malvern to various places on the south coast" route.  I don't know if they ran all they way though, I only saw them at Worcester.

I travelled on a Great Malvern - Weymouth service the other week that puzzled me when it turned up at BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) as a 143. Not surprisingly, we switched onto a 150 at Temple Meads (where full marks go to the signallers and station staff for arranging a cross-platform change of trains for us with the replacement unit waiting ready in platform 1).

[northwesterntrains]

143s are banned from going anywhere where there is 3rd rail, the furthest one can go is Salisbury or Dorchester.

Why's that then?  142s are allowed to run on tracks which have a third rail for Merseyrail services, but they aren't allowed through the 3rd rail electrified Mersey tunnel, but it's the same with Sprinters.

[Tim]

142s are allowed to run on tracks which have a third rail for Merseyrail services,.

IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) that is not true.  The 142 and electric networks are kept separate on Merseyside.  At Kirby for example, their is only one platform face but their is buffer stop halfway along it to keep the two systems apart.

[northwesterntrains]

IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) that is not true.  The 142 and electric networks are kept separate on Merseyside.  At Kirby for example, their is only one platform face but their is buffer stop halfway along it to keep the two systems apart.

Northern Rail 142s from Chester have departed from platform 7, which has 3rd rail electrification.  I've caught a Northern 142x2 combination from the same platform that I've alighted a 507 from Liverpool.  I know 142s don't usually depart from platform 7 at Chester, but have done and also I know it's different at other stations e.g. Hunts Cross, Liverpool South Parkway.

[Tim]

IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) that is not true.  The 142 and electric networks are kept separate on Merseyside.  At Kirby for example, their is only one platform face but their is buffer stop halfway along it to keep the two systems apart.

Northern Rail 142s from Chester have departed from platform 7, which has 3rd rail electrification.  I've caught a Northern 142x2 combination from the same platform that I've alighted a 507 from Liverpool.  I know 142s don't usually depart from platform 7 at Chester, but have done and also I know it's different at other stations e.g. Hunts Cross, Liverpool South Parkway.

I stand corrected.  If it is just in stations (where speeds are low and there is little "bouncing" about then perhaps it is not a problem?

[moonrakerz]

'61 chains' describes a discrete unit of length and is therefore singular, so 61 chains is 0.7625 miles.

Having sought "higher authority" (a teacher of English), I am advised that the correct word to be used in this case is indeed:-  "are".

The subjectS are "61 chains",  not anything else, so the use of "are" is grammatically correct.

Your explanation is akin to saying "eleven men is playing for Arsenal this weekend", because 11 men make up a discrete unit of people, ie: a football team.
The teacher quoted a similar (reverse), but also very common incorrect usage:  "England are losing one nil", this should be "England is losing one nil", since "England" does indeed refer to a single entity in this case - the team. To use "are", the response should be something like "the England players are losing one-nil".

PS: I might point out that your use of "mileS" is incorrect as there is actually less than one mile  - but I won't !

[TerminalJunkie]

'61 chains' describes a discrete unit of length and is therefore singular, so 61 chains is 0.7625 miles.

Having sought "higher authority" (a teacher of English), I am advised that the correct word to be used in this case is indeed:-  "are".

Teaches English where, exactly? Sidmouth College?

The subjectS are "61 chains",  not anything else, so the use of "are" is grammatically correct.

At this point I should make it clear that I didn't actually say that the use of "are" is incorrect.

However, as I read it the subject is '61 chains' and not just 'chains'; it is therefore correct to say that there are 80 chains (subject is 'chain') in one mile, and that 80 chains (subject is '80 chains') is one mile.

Your explanation is akin to saying "eleven men is playing for Arsenal this weekend", because 11 men make up a discrete unit of people, ie: a football team.
The teacher quoted a similar (reverse), but also very common incorrect usage:  "England are losing one nil", this should be "England is losing one nil", since "England" does indeed refer to a single entity in this case - the team. To use "are", the response should be something like "the England players are losing one-nil".

You can go quickly mad trying to work out the plurals of mass nouns, count nouns and collective nouns: why, for example, is it always 'fruit and vegetables'?

And did Elvis Costello get this wrong, or could he simply not make his mind up?

  Oliver's Army is here to stay, Oliver's army are on their way...

You could always try Googling "metonymic merging of grammatical number". If nothing else it will keep you out of my hair for the next few hours

PS: I might point out that your use of "mileS" is incorrect as there is actually less than one mile  - but I won't !

Pfft. http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-non2.htm

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

moving to sidmouth college in year nine had the same effect on my education as lying my head on the third rail and then sending a pacer threw bouncing at full speed.

good old sidmouth college i worked out fine!!

 

[thetrout]

I would agree with northwesterntrains that Pacers do run on the third rail network in the Liverpool Area...

Pacers are used on the Liverpool Lime Street - Manchester Oxford Road workings... (I have relatives living up north ) A Pacer heading to Manchester will normally call at Liverpool South Parkway, However the 3rd rail network joins between Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool South Parkway. The 3rd rail line continues IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) to just after Hunts Cross, where the Merseyrail Services from Southport terminate and operate a return working to Southport...!

However, Pacers have to use the lines between Liverpool South Parkway and Hunts Cross to join onto the Hough Green > Warrington Central > Manchester Oxford Road line.

TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) and EMT^» (East Midlands Trains - about) Services also use the same routes to Manchester and beyond

[moonrakerz]

Your two statements above contradict each other, I'm afraid: 

"I didn't actually say that the use of "are" is incorrect"

"it is therefore correct to say............80 chains (subject is '80 chains') is one mile"

"80 chains" is a plural, just as "eleven bananas" is a plural (except where I have just quoted it, because in that context it is not now referring to 80 times 1 chain, or, indeed 11 times one banana), but to a single grammatical statement.

No, she doesn't teach at Sidmouth College - wherever that might be ! 

In a similar vein:
Seen in SK Fruits in Trowbridge (or was it Sidmouth !) this very day:  Melons.  Cantaloupe Melon's. Mango''s. Grrrrr !   

Enough ! It's goodnight from me and it's goodnight.....................   

[TerminalJunkie]

"80 chains" is a plural

Gotcha!

Melons.  Cantaloupe Melon's. Mango''s.

I can top that: George Hotel, Braunton - "Gateaux's"!