South Wales local services - Pembroke, Fishguard, Swanline, etc.

[whole diary]

[anthony215]

Good, Chester depot do seem to be doing very well with these unit.

Today i sent the quiestionaire concerning the Fishguard services back to the rail unit at the WAG^» (Welsh Assembly Government - about) together with my question about what is going to replace the 17:10 Swansea - Cardiff service now the 15:14 Cardiff - Swansea service is retimed to 15:30 and will run through to Fishguard Hbr.

The idea i suggested was the run the 18:20 Cardiff - Holyhead  expess service from Swansea at 17:10 and run non stop  through Pyle so that it doesnt delay london service behind to re-time the 16:55 & 17:55 Manchester services from Swansea to leave a few minutes earlier so that they have additional time to make a stop at Pyle (Means that commutors to Pyle get a  additional & faster journey's from Swansea during the evening peak)

[Rhydgaled]

some relief should come when they no longer have to send 1 class 150 to FGW^▸ (First Great Western), which should be around sepetmber time at London Midland are expecting at least 1 class 172 to enter Public service at the beginning of July

Isn't it two 150s that ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) lend to FGW? I think I saw both today, ATW don't run any services on any English part of the FGW Portsmouth - Cardiff route do they? I doubt my two sightings of ATW liveried 150s while in England and on the Portsmouth - Cardiff were the same unit.

[anthony215]

I thought they had reduced the no. of units they hired to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to just 1, but i could have been wrong.

A feasbility study has been launched into re-opening fishguard & goodwick station there also a small possibility  that it could be opened in time for the new services (a tempory platform mind you)

further news at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-13703089

[anthony215]

Had a bit of a shock tonight was that the 20:10 Cardiff - Manchester services is formed of a Class 158 + Class 150 + 158 x 2. I suspect some of the consit could be dropped off onroute at shrewsbury/crewe.

Also with Swansea city now playing in the premiership this year is suspect a few of the manchester services will be a lot busier  if Swansea are playing away at Manchester united or against them at home.

I wonder if we could get some football specials again?

[Jez]

Had a bit of a shock tonight was that the 20:10 Cardiff - Manchester services is formed of a Class 158 + Class 150 + 158 x 2. I suspect some of the consit could be dropped off onroute at shrewsbury/crewe.

Also with Swansea city now playing in the premiership this year is suspect a few of the manchester services will be a lot busier  if Swansea are playing away at Manchester united or against them at home.

I wonder if we could get some football specials again?

So was that a 6 carriage train? Is that the one that starts from Maesteg? I noticed a few strange formations yesterday as well. The 1455 from Swansea to Manchester was a 150, the daytime swanline that doesnt go to Shrewsbury at all was a pacer, (usually its a 150) plus the other swanline, the 13.10 from Swansea was a 158 attached to a pacer I think.

[anthony215]

8 carriages train as it was formed of a class 150 and class 158 (X3)

I think   2 class 158's were detached at Shrewsbury with the class 150 caming off at Crewe with only the class 158 at the front of the train evetually getting to Manchester

[Hafren]

So was that a 6 carriage train? Is that the one that starts from Maesteg? I noticed a few strange formations yesterday as well. The 1455 from Swansea to Manchester was a 150, the daytime swanline that doesnt go to Shrewsbury at all was a pacer, (usually its a 150) plus the other swanline, the 13.10 from Swansea was a 158 attached to a pacer I think.

On the 11.50 to Pembroke Dock yesterday I passed the 158+Pacer just outside Llanelli. Couldn't work out what it was, so I checked the online departure boards, and it appeared to be the 10.55 from Llanelli (the Pembroke Dock-Whitland-Swansea run) which had run on time until Llanelli and then left there at 12.05 because of a train fault. The Carmarthen-Manchester and Pembroke Dock-Paddington had then been held up behind it.

On the curve out of Whitland, passengers behind me noticed the cant and thought it must have  been tilting because that's what 125s do! The other 2 Pembroke diagrams were a 142 and 150, with the 150 on the service that goes through Tenby around 5pm, which is popular with day trippers returning home. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come for this summer.

I wonder if the Pacer had failed at Llanelli and the 158 then sent to rescue it. If that's the case, I'm quite impressed that they managed to find a spare 158 and a driver for the journey from Cardiff (can't imagine there's a spare set any nearer). It must have then been put on the 13.10 to take it back to Canton; the 12.20 Swanline arrival must then have been swapped onto its diagram on the 12.35 to Carmarthen, and the arrival from Shrewsbury that should have continued as the 13.10 sent back to Shrewsbury on the 13.15ish.

[Jez]

On Saturday the 10xx from Cardiff to Milford was a 158 so perhaps that was swapped at some point and then became the 13.10 Swanline (with pacer attached). The 1455 from Swansea which should have been that 158 (13xx from Milford) was a 150 so was swapped at some point.

[Jez]

Anyone know how many units are needed for the valley/cardiff local services? And generally how many pacers and 150s. I ask because trying to work out how many150s and pacers are available for elsewhere on the ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) network.  Pacers only tend to be used on swanline and pembroke services other than the valleys/cardiff services.

[phile]

25 Pacers on Vallery and 19 x 150s (some part time only)

[Jez]

25 Pacers on Vallery and 19 x 150s (some part time only)

OK thanks. The vast majority of pacers then and more 150s than I expected. That only leaves 12x 150s for elsewhere and they do get used on some Heart of Wales, Pembroke Dock, Swanline services plus some local services up North, Fishguard and Ebbw Vale (unless thats counted as a valley service). 

Some valley services seem to be 4 cars - so either a pacer and 150 together or 2 pacers. I heard they were meant to have some 6 car formations.

[phile]

Valley 4 Cars are pairs of Pacers.  150s work Ebbw Vale (not Cardiff Valley route), Fishguard, Wrexham/Bidston, Blaenau Ffestiniog and share some Maesteg/Cheltenhams with 158s
Heart of Wales usually only if deputising for 153 but some workings on Sundays.   
Pembroke Docks are 153s except at Weekends when Pacers, 150s, 175s and 158s can be seen.

[anthony215]

Ebbw Vales services are all worked by class 150's running in pairs on saturdays so all  are 4 carriages ( certainly needed and even then some services are standing room only) there was talk of the ebbw vale line requiring 6 carriage trains at certain times in the future.

 I have see a pacer & class 150 attached together a few times on the services to Abedare etc. The platforms From Treherbert were all lengthened to allow 6 carriage trains to operates, but lack of rolling stock is what is causing the lack of trains that long.

 class 153's can been seen regulary on the cityline services on saturdays normally allowing the pacers/ class 150's to be sent down to west wales.

 I do  hope that the class 121 is repaired and back in service soon to free up the unit which does the cardiff bay route  either that or copy London Midland and purchase a parry people mover. Thta displaced unit could boost capacity elsewhere on the ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) network.

[anthony215]

158838 was working together with a class 153 & 150 on the 15:33 departure from Swansea to Manchester which is diverted via Wrexham.

Nice finally have a go on the refurbished interior which was great as all the students coming back from Pembrey decided to cram all into the class 150 with the class 158 quite empty

[Rhydgaled]

Back to the new Fishguard services, I recived a reply/acknowledgment to my responce to the consultation. One passage stands out

We have worked with ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) to build on that by offering additional through journey opportunities and onward connections where possible, within train stock (1 additional unit) and financial constraints.

Bold formatting added by me. Where is this additional unit? For starters, without using more LHCS^▸ (Locomotive Hauled Coaching Stock) the only place they could be getting additional rolling stock resources from is the return of leased 150s from FGW^▸ (First Great Western), and that's 2 units not one. Secondly, I cannot see how this service would not be possible with ATW's current fleet. From previous discussions on this topic and a study of the present timetable the diagrams seem to be:

1st Diagram:
---------------------------
175xxx (from Sept.):
05:50 CMN - FGH
06:53 FGH - Clarbeston Rd.
07:33 Clarbeston Rd. - FGH
08:06 FGH - MAN

175xxx (present):
05:43 CMN - PMD
07:09 PMD - MAN
----------------------------------
2nd Diagram:
----------------------------------
09:00 HOWL service off Shrewsbury, running through to Cardiff arriving 14:15 followed by:
15:14 CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) - SWA^» (Swansea - next trains) (present)
17:10 SWA - CDF (present)

From Sept. that would be:
15:30 CDF - FGH
18:49 FGH - WTL
19:38 WTL - FGH
20:16 FGH - CMN

and, in the morning:
05:43 CMN - PMD
07:09 PMD - SWA
----------------------------------
That leaves 2 153s 06:42 CDF - CMN, which then go their seperate ways and, apart from one CMN - SWA - CMN working being ditched from September for a Fishguard service, results in both units running the same PMD - SWA runs all day. Of these, the diagram for one unit (ending it's day at Carmarthen) is completly unchanged. The other gets to Swansea at 23:45 in any case and my guess is it then runs the night Fishguard followed by the 04:36 HOWL service off Swansea.

Do those diagrams look correct to you? Two concerns I have are:

• The 153 that starts at Cardiff and currently seems to end it's day at Carmarthen (at 20:28) after running Pembroke services. Unless the third (and presumablly final) Pembroke diagram that does not go to Manchester starts from Carmarthen (somthing you'll have to inform me about) I can't see what there is for it to do in the morning at present.
  
• Of the two 153s that leave Canton at 06:42 neither get back, how does Canton not run out of 153s to send out every morning?

Now, I'm going to assume the unit off the current 17:10 SWA - CDF has no more work to do after that. I'm also going to assume ATW extend the WAG^» (Welsh Assembly Government - about) 2 unit to start from SWA to cover for the lost 17:10 SWA - CDF. In this case, since all services seem to still be covered, there doesn't seem to be any reason for requiring an additional unit. The only thing that we might not be picking up on is peak strengthening of valleys services, and with the unit for the 15:14 CDF - SWA coming off a daytime HOWL service from Shrewsbury that looks unlikely. Therefore, only one question remains, how does the unit off the 1st Pemborke, reaching SWA at 09:23, get back to Shrewsbury to form the next day's 15:30 CDF - FGH?

If I'm right, not only is the service achiveable even without the additional unit they claim to need, that 153 arriving at Swansea at 09:23 has nothing to do all day until it heads off back to Shrewsbury. So, here's a not fully checked (eg. could cause a head-on-colision on the Gowerton single track or completly screw up the diagraming) suggestion for new services the unit could run after that:
10:11 SWA - CDF (new Swanline service)
Refuel at Canton
13:33 CDF - FGH (arrive 15:51, thanks to Swansea District Line, 5hr gap - plugged)
16:00 FGH - SWA (arrive 17:45, in time for the unit to go off to Shrewsbury on the 18:21 HOWL)