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Author Topic: FGW West Fleet at full stretch?  (Read 15916 times)
Timmer
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« on: July 31, 2009, 17:48:41 »

Have noticed over the past couple of weeks that FGW (First Great Western) appears to be struggling to provide enough units for it's current summer diagrams with the reappearance of the dreaded daily list of short formed trains on the Cardiff-Portsmouth and the Bristol-Weymouth lines ever increasing.

I cannot begin to imagine if we did have hot weather how many more units would be down. On the plus side with the weather being so poor I would imagine running short formed trains on the Weymouths hasn't caused too much inconvenience up to now.
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smithy
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« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2009, 18:40:51 »

noticed the same myself,lots of ports-card journeys formed 2 cars.
pretty poor service really i wonder if FGW (First Great Western) regret getting rid of the 4 153's,9 150's and 12 158's over the past few years?
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slippy
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« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2009, 19:40:36 »

Anyone got the miles per causualty figure for the West fleet classes??? Would imagine its fairly high, refresh did nothing for the mechanical side of things....
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John R
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« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2009, 19:45:15 »

I think you mean fairly low then, if you're implying that their reliability is poor. 
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« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2009, 20:42:03 »

I thought it was commented that certainly Exeter TMD (Traction Maintenance Depot) had done a fantastic job with regards to the 142s for miles per casualty.
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Timmer
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« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2009, 21:24:51 »

I thought it was commented that certainly Exeter TMD (Traction Maintenance Depot) had done a fantastic job with regards to the 142s for miles per casualty.
I think its more 150s/158s that operate cross Bristol services that are causing a few Cardiff-Portsmouth and Bristol Weymouth services to be short formed at the moment.
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vacman
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« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2009, 23:35:09 »

Mark Hopwood has been boasting that our 158's have achieved the best reliability of all TOC (Train Operating Company)'s, even SWT (South West Trains)!
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Timmer
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« Reply #7 on: August 01, 2009, 06:53:37 »

Mark Hopwood has been boasting that our 158's have achieved the best reliability of all TOC (Train Operating Company)'s, even SWT (South West Trains)!
Probably was the case a few weeks back when he said that, now I'm not so sure that is the case if the daily list appearing on FGW (First Great Western)'s website is anything to go by.

Theres always the concern that with extra units required for summer duties on the Cornish branches that with such a tight fleet allocation that it only takes one or two units to be out of action on top of units being serviced for short forming to happen.
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willc
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« Reply #8 on: August 01, 2009, 11:52:11 »

noticed the same myself,lots of ports-card journeys formed 2 cars.
pretty poor service really i wonder if FGW (First Great Western) regret getting rid of the 4 153's,9 150's and 12 158's over the past few years?

They didn't have a lot of choice in the matter - they were told to give them up by DafT.

I thought it was commented that certainly Exeter TMD (Traction Maintenance Depot) had done a fantastic job with regards to the 142s for miles per casualty.

They have done, but that's in the context of a type of train that has probably the worst mpc figure of any in use in Britain, so they were starting from a pretty low base.
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Zoe
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« Reply #9 on: August 01, 2009, 13:39:33 »

They didn't have a lot of choice in the matter - they were told to give them up by DafT.
Indeed, I believe First wanted to keep them but the dft forced them to have the pacers?
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grahame
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« Reply #10 on: August 01, 2009, 14:42:31 »

They didn't have a lot of choice in the matter - they were told to give them up by DafT.
Indeed, I believe First wanted to keep them but the dft forced them to have the pacers?

Not quite so clear cut.   It was known at the franchise bid time that bidders would be favoured if they put in higher bids, and also franchises to run on a minimum of stock.    In hindsight (and hindsight is marvellous), it seems very likely that First would have won with a bid of 200 million pounds less, and with rather more units on their fleet
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Timmer
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« Reply #11 on: August 01, 2009, 14:56:57 »

Looking at today's live updates page on the FGW (First Great Western) website, there are at least three diagrams of two car 158s operating in place of three car 158s. Someone in the know please correct me if I'm wrong.
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« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2009, 15:10:42 »

Looking at today's live updates page on the FGW (First Great Western) website, there are at least three diagrams of two car 158s operating in place of three car 158s. Someone in the know please correct me if I'm wrong.

Several Hybid 158s are currently missing centre cars, due to an unusual amount of engine related problems last wseek, including 2 total seizures!
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Rogang
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« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2009, 21:12:36 »

It is getting better slowly - 158955 reformed to 3 car today, and hopefully another one will regain its third carriage tomorrow
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Timmer
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« Reply #14 on: August 02, 2009, 21:18:11 »

It is getting better slowly - 158955 reformed to 3 car today, and hopefully another one will regain its third carriage tomorrow
Thats good news. Well done to the SPM (St Philip's Marsh (Bristol depot)) crew for getting them back in service again.
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