Does the 1751 to WOS always track up the relief line to Oxford?

[whole diary]

[Mookiemoo]

Which probably explains why it takes a good 20 minutes longer to do the journey than either of the herefords!

I will be on this most of the time me thinks (nice connection from crowthorne allowing me time to pick up groceries at RDG^‡(resolve) and then get on it - but every night we seem to crawl from Didcot - twice we've had an apology but certain not every night.  Me thinks this is planned!

[Mookiemoo]

And even better!  Despite not stopping at Didcot, we've just had a wonderful view of - I think - Platform 3 as we go at snails pace the wrong way around the station

EDIT - this does seem to be due to the signalling problems at Ascott although I feel for the people on the 1722 having to become the halts service twice in two weeks!

[Btline]

Which probably explains why it takes a good 20 minutes longer to do the journey than either of the herefords!

I will be on this most of the time me thinks (nice connection from crowthorne allowing me time to pick up groceries at RDG^‡(resolve) and then get on it - but every night we seem to crawl from Didcot - twice we've had an apology but certain not every night.  Me thinks this is planned!

Not sure what you mean. Reliefs all the way from London/Reading? Or just at Dicot?

[Mookiemoo]

Which probably explains why it takes a good 20 minutes longer to do the journey than either of the herefords!

I will be on this most of the time me thinks (nice connection from crowthorne allowing me time to pick up groceries at RDG^‡(resolve) and then get on it - but every night we seem to crawl from Didcot - twice we've had an apology but certain not every night.  Me thinks this is planned!

Not sure what you mean. Reliefs all the way from London/Reading? Or just at Dicot?
[/quote

it leaves reading ok-- runs reasonably quick until not long after pangbourne then crawls/limps into oxford. some times we get an apology for following a stopping service but not always and so far in 10 trips on it, it has happened 10 times.

tonight was made worse by the signalling problems and the 1722 turning to the halts train which we are now stuck at moreton waiting for it to clear the single track ahead of us. with the 0535 this morning being 23 late off wos and me missing my connection (costing 20 squiddle in taxi fares as a result) it feels more like the bad old days than ever!

[IanL]

Not only has the 1722 formed the cancelled stopping service, but the 1551 running over 30min late has also been (not on the same nights obviously) further delayed to form the stopping train. Tonight was a close run thing for me, 1551 arrived on time at Oxford for an announcement to be made apologising for the delay of at least 10min and probably significantly more! Ended up departing at 1715, another 5 min and I reckon we would have been further delayed to form the 1731.

The 1551 was further delayed at Wolvercote junction to pickup a pilot and at Ascot to let him get off.

[willc]

Someone else may know about the usual path for the 17.51 but tonight it was being held up by the XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) service to Manchester running about 15 minutes late, so it was basically in the path of the 17.51 all the way from Reading to Oxford.

The problems at Ascott had been cleared by then - for the second time in the day. Both the morning delays and this afternoon's were apparently caused by an old familiar problem when it rains - axle counter failure at Ascott-under-Wychwood - won't be sorry when this bit of kit is removed.

[eightf48544]

The problems at Ascott had been cleared by then - for the second time in the day. Both the morning delays and this afternoon's were apparently caused by an old familiar problem when it rains - axle counter failure at Ascott-under-Wychwood - won't be sorry when this bit of kit is removed.

I thought axle counters were Networkrail's preferred choice of new fangled technology  over unreliable 100 year old track circuits.

[IndustryInsider]

it feels more like the bad old days than ever!

Well, it's Autumn. Yesterday was a wet day and quite windy. Even if lineside equipment doesn't play up drivers will be struggling to keep to the schedules, and once delays start to build up they soon escalate. The South West seemed to be especially bad yesterday.

As for the 17:51ex Paddington, it's timetables for 27 minutes from Reading departure, to Oxford arrival. It then has 6 minutes in the platform waiting it's departure time. It has to do that as it's waiting for the 17:00ex Malvern to come off of the single line. A Reading to Oxford HST^▸ (High Speed Train) with a clear run can do the trip in around 20 minutes. That means it catches up with the 17:18ex Paddington stopper en-route and the 17:10 XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) service from Reading also gets in the way if it's a few minutes late. I've got a feeling a Freightliner is also timed to run just ahead of it. If it has clear signals running relief line from Reading it doesn't make much difference as it's 100mph anyway, so when you take acceleration and braking into account it adds only 1-2 minutes on the potential journey time.

Just the sort of necessary slack for pathing reasons that might be sorted out post re-doubling.

[Not from Brighton]

Some of the diagrams I've seen through links on this site suggest that following the Reading work, trains to Oxford could use the new grade-separated Reading West junction to cross onto the reliefs and then run on to Oxford on the reliefs. This would mean for example that XCs^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) would never touch the mains. I wonder if NR^» (Network Rail - home page) might be experimenting with with this sort of thing prior to building the junction?

[Btline]

Some of the diagrams I've seen through links on this site suggest that following the Reading work, trains to Oxford could use the new grade-separated Reading West junction to cross onto the reliefs and then run on to Oxford on the reliefs. This would mean for example that XCs^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) would never touch the mains. I wonder if NR^» (Network Rail - home page) might be experimenting with with this sort of thing prior to building the junction?

I don't see why Oxford/Cotswold trains should go onto the reliefs to slow them down even more.

[Nostalgic]

That reminds me of the days when the 6'o clock from Hereford (8:44? arrival into Paddington) used to be frquently routed via the slow line between Reading and Maidenhead or even between Reading and Langley, where it might well have to wait, to allow an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to pass, despite the Cotswold service being hauled at that time by a Class 50, which, I seem to remember, had a very good turn of speed?

But this sort of nonsense still goes on today. I've lost count of the number of times that I've been on an HST coming up from Wales or the West Country where the driver has made heroic and successful efforts to catch up all lost time, only to be brought to a shuddering halt at West Drayton to let a Heathrow Express precede it. This happened to the service that I was travelling on last Monday evening and, as I say, it realy seems to be quite a common occurence. I suppose that the signallers receive their instructions on priorities from someone? 

[devon_metro]

That reminds me of the days when the 6'o clock from Hereford (8:44? arrival into Paddington) used to be frquently routed via the slow line between Reading and Maidenhead or even between Reading and Langley, where it might well have to wait, to allow an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to pass, despite the Cotswold service being hauled at that time by a Class 50, which, I seem to remember, had a very good turn of speed?

But this sort of nonsense still goes on today. I've lost count of the number of times that I've been on an HST coming up from Wales or the West Country where the driver has made heroic and successful efforts to catch up all lost time, only to be brought to a shuddering halt at West Drayton to let a Heathrow Express precede it. This happened to the service that I was travelling on last Monday evening and, as I say, it realy seems to be quite a common occurence. I suppose that the signallers receive their instructions on priorities from someone? 

I too have suffered from that, 1500 Plymouth Paddington made up about 6 mins delay between Taunton and Reading, so was roughly on time, but Reading shafted us and put us into platform 8 as the Paddington train calling at Slough was on the mains! Most frustrating!

[Mookiemoo]

Well i'll be on it again tonight so shall report what happens.......... as far as I can see there are no signalling failures, fatalities or other tripe to mess things up so......

[Mookiemoo]

Well we were tanking it along quite nicely, just came to the usual stop - now its dark not entirely sure where we are!  I actually think we're waiting just before didcot to cross over the up main and go round the back of the station - if I see Tesco in a minute I may be right!  In which case I REALLY have been doing this too long. 

[Mookiemoo]

Well we were tanking it along quite nicely, just came to the usual stop - now its dark not entirely sure where we are!  I actually think we're waiting just before didcot to cross over the up main and go round the back of the station - if I see Tesco in a minute I may be right!  In which case I REALLY have been doing this too long. 

***** There's Tesco........goes to get a kagool with a fluffy rim on the hood and a notebook........

Conclusion not as bad as it has been up to now since we didnt crawl half the way to here!

Although I do have one bizarre question - this train stops at oxford, charlbury, shipton, kingham, moreton, evesham, pershore and worcester.  That is  one  less than the 1722/1822 which stop at oxford, hanborough, charlbury, kingham, moreton, honeybourne, evesham, pershore and worcester yet........Those two "expresses" take about 1 hour 50 minutes and this takes 2 hours and 05 minutes (roughly rounded).  It only gets to worcester 20 minutes before the 1822.....so what the heck is the point.  Ok its nicely timed for me at the moment but I wouldnt be heartbroken to see it canned.  And its never busy anyway!