Night Riviera - merged posts, ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[SDS]

Update at 06:12 - 1C99 now on the move.

Update at 06:00 - Customers waiting at stations between Plymouth and Penzance are able to travel on CrossCountry 1C09 06:28 Plymouth to Penzance service. Tickets will be vaild on this service.

Update at 05:30 - Driver 1Z99 has picked up the driver of 1C99 and they will shortly proceed through Whiteball Tunnel. Drivers have agreed for up trains to pass site whilst coupling is undertaken, but up trains will be stopped at UM174 signal on approach to Whiteball Tunnel and advised of the failure.

Due to engine shutdown at Whiteball Tunnel. HST^▸ (High Speed Train) in Exeter New Yard (Set for 1A73) will attach to 1C99 and drag stock into Exeter station. HST in Plymouth Station (Set for 1A75 and driver) will run EHST to Exeter to pick up passengers Ex 1C99 and convey them to Penzance. 1A75 service cancelled as a result. Stop orders on 1A74 Totnes, Dawlish and Pewsey as per contingency.

[bobm]

Delivery at Plymouth, so probably not!


Tonight's up-sleeper will be a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) between Penzance & Plymouth, with the sleeper starting at Plymouth.

..and terminating at Bristol Parkway.

Left Plymouth with a class 57 on each end just for good measure but one failed at Bathampton Junction.  Decision was taken to reverse the train using the one on the back to return to Bristol and use the Rhubarb curve to get to the Badminton Line.  Unfortunately the other loco then failed just after Bristol Parkway where (at 06:45) it sits awaiting assistance to be dragged back to the platform.

[phile]

More problems with the 57s.

Time for a change of motive power

57s used to work Cardiff to Taunton but were eventually replaced by 67s to increase reliability.  LHCS^▸ (Locomotive Hauled Coaching Stock) on this route no more now of course.   ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) used to use 57s on the
Welsh Government Cardiff to Holyhead but replaced them by 67s to increase reliability.

[Super Guard]

It's not even just FGW^▸ (First Great Western) 57s, the reason the sleeper started at Plymouth was because the DRS^▸ (Direct Rail Services Ltd) loco was struggling over the Devon banks to Plymouth due to low power, and the decision was made to run it on the back with the 'fixed' 57 pulling.  When the FGW 57 went pop at Bathampton, they thought the DRS 57 would be able to make it to Paddington, but that suitably gave up the ghost too very quickly.

[SDS]

There's a rake of sleeper carriages, 2xfgw 57s and 1 DRS^▸ (Direct Rail Services Ltd) 57 sitting outside Southall at the moment.
Suspect the sleeper issues tonight gonna be interesting.

[tom m]

There's a rake of sleeper carriages, 2xfgw 57s and 1 DRS^▸ (Direct Rail Services Ltd) 57 sitting outside Southall at the moment.
Suspect the sleeper issues tonight gonna be interesting.

Maybe they will use some steam from Southall to run it.....

[bobm]

There's a rake of sleeper carriages, 2xfgw 57s and 1 DRS^▸ (Direct Rail Services Ltd) 57 sitting outside Southall at the moment.
Suspect the sleeper issues tonight gonna be interesting.

A light loco was sent to pick up the sleeper coaches and two failed 57s from Bristol Temple Meads.

After running early it looks like they were held at Southall awaiting access to Old Oak Common

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O21551/2014/08/07/advanced

[TaplowGreen]

Did the sleepers run as scheduled last night?

[bobm]

According to Real Time Trains a service ran in each direction in the times of the sleeper, so in the absence of any notes on Journeycheck overnight about a change of facilities I would hazard an educated guess that they did.

[sprinterguard]

Last night's 1A40 PNZ-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) was terminated at Bristol Parkway due to a train fault apparently.

Last night's 1C99 PAD-PNZ appears to have made it all the way.

[TaplowGreen]

Last night's 1A40 PNZ-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) was terminated at Bristol Parkway due to a train fault apparently.

Last night's 1C99 PAD-PNZ appears to have made it all the way.

Blimey..........not a good week for the sleeper, maybe it should be renamed the Insomnia Express!!!

[bobm]

Last night's 1A40 PNZ-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) was terminated at Bristol Parkway due to a train fault apparently.

Sorry to doubt you but wasn't that the night before?

[ellendune]

Last night's 1A40 PNZ-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) was terminated at Bristol Parkway due to a train fault apparently.

That was a funny route to take

[phile]

Historical info left on Journey Check.  Possible confusing because of overnight.

[grahame]

Last night's 1A40 PNZ-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) was terminated at Bristol Parkway due to a train fault apparently.

That was a funny route to take

We've got an old thread somewhere that came up with a lot (I think it was over a dozen) different routes.

As far west as Plymouth, there are three sections of railway that it must traverse ...
* Paddington to Old Oak
* Exeter St David's to Newton Abbott
* Newton Abbott to Plymouth

There are a lot of tracks from Paddington to Old Oak, and in the event of major problems there alternative arrangements could no doubt be made at Euston / Waterloo / Olypmia.   Exeter to Newton Abbott would be mostly fixed by one of the "new inland line" options talked about to bypass the Dawlish sea wall, and it would also be fixed by Okehampton to Tavistock.  Newton Abbott to Plymouth would also be fixed by Okehampton to Tavistock, but not by the other bypass options.   As we move towards Network Rail's 7 day railway, odd routings will turn up on lots of other super-duper-offpeak services!