Paignton Branch: Newton Abbot to Torbay - Torre, Torquay and Paignton (merged topic)

[whole diary]

[devon_metro]

Most people drive to Totnes or Newton Abbot anyway, its far quicker from most parts of Torbay.

[Chris from Nailsea]

... I'd like to congratulate Great Western for having services that get to Stoke Canon in under 2 hours from Paddington. It'd just be picky to point out there isn't a station there.

Thanks for posting that, The Grecian.

Just as an aside, there was a railway station at Stoke Canon, for 100 years. The fire, in 1847, seems to have been rather spectacular! 

[gaf71]

I like the sentence about reaching Scotland from Kings Cross in 3h45m. That may be true but given that there's no station till Dunbar and it's at least another 25m to Edinburgh, it isn't actually that useful. In the same way, I'd like to congratulate Great Western for having services that get to Stoke Canon in under 2 hours from Paddington. It'd just be picky to point out there isn't a station there.

or Tiverton Junction...but that's not the point, is it?

[devon_metro]

Just seen a piece on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) spotlight claiming that lots of little darlings are getting left behind at Torre station after school on the 1521 Torre - Exmouth. It apparently often only has 2 out of 3 booked carriages. The footage they showed was a single 142. The conductor having fun it seemed!

I've travelled once on this service and despite it having 4 carriages was thoroughly underwelmed at the number of school children joining!

[Super Guard]

Yes, I saw it too.  It's amazing how the little darlings can be so "well behaved" when the cameras are rolling (but that's another matter).  It is usually a 142+153 combo, which is more than sufficient to carry them to Newton Abbot and Teignmouth (oh yes they forgot to mention the fact they are all off again within 2 stops.)

I do have sympathy, and would love to have at least 4 cars myself on every busy service - it's a horrible train to work, and is no fun for the Guard either!

I don't know what happened last Friday, obviously it is not the norm for no services to run for 2 hours after that - in which case I would have hoped the Guard would have let Control know that kids were left behind and if there were cancellations brewing to get a couple of taxis down there.  Sometimes due to the ridiculous rolling stock issues we have in the South-West, a 2 car just has to do, as there really is nothing else we can do.

Perhaps the head of Torquay Grammar School would like a job at FGW^▸ (First Great Western), as his answer of "Get more carriages to put on" obviously hasn't been considered by Swindon 

Fair play to Julian Crow for putting an appearance in, even if it wasn't the answer the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) were probably looking for.

[devon_metro]

For those interested, it currently features on this link however I suspect it will soon be over-written

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/england/realmedia/spotlight/plymouth/spotlight?size=16x9&bgc=C0C0C0&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1

[vacman]

if even 1% of the bought a ticket once in a while then the true passenger numbers might show up!

[Super Guard]

To be honest, a fair few on the train in question have season tickets, as it turned up as a 4-car one day, and a few of them got a bit cheeky so I started ploughing through checking their tickets and most had ST's.

[devon_metro]

2 car today - rather wedged at Newton Abbot. Then it was wedged out of Exeter Central! (as were all of the 2 car pacers leaving Central between 1700 and 1730 - sort it out FGW^▸ (First Great Western))

[FlyingDutchman]

On Radio Devon, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) said they will fix it and place a 3 Car Unit on the service.

[devon_metro]

On Radio Devon, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) said they will fix it and place a 3 Car Unit on the service.

Its already booked a 3 car, however there simply isn't enough stock to meet demand in Devon on the "triangle of doom"

[Super Guard]

Devon Metro is quite right.. it's booked 142+153.

However, the reason it runs short-formed as a 142 are due to the number of units currently on stop for various reasons or things going wrong during service requiring the 153 to be pulled off to enable another service not to be cancelled.  It's not good enough, but until the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) deem us worthy to have some more units, the current ridiculous situation will remain.

I know the service in question and reports that have come out have gone as high as Mark Hopwood and there is consideration for a 4-car to be used instead, but at the same time, the 4-car will have to come off another service, upsetting a different group of travellers.  It really is a case of being unable to please everyone all of the time.

[devon_metro]

2v3 again today! Good job its Christmas 

[FlyingDutchman]

I wish the DFT^▸ (Department for Transport) will give us some newer rolling stock;

[Super Guard]

2v3 again today! Good job its Christmas 

I wouldn't have thought they'd be too bothered about keeping it a 3 car as the kids are on holidays.