Paignton to Exmouth, and the Mystery of the Disappearing Coaches (11/8/2010)

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From FGW^▸ (First Great Western) live updates:

Service incidents

16:55 Paignton to Exmouth due 18:25
This train will be formed of 1 coach instead of 4.
Last Updated: 11/08/2010 17:23

16:55 Paignton to Exmouth due 18:25
This train will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 4.
Last Updated: 11/08/2010 17:14

 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Ah! A clue:

Service incidents

16:55 Paignton to Exmouth due 18:25
This train will be terminated at Exeter St Davids. It will no longer call at: Exeter Central, St James' Park, Polsloe Bridge, Digby & Sowton, Topsham, Exton, Lympstone Commando, Lympstone Village and Exmouth. This train will be formed of 1 coach instead of 4. This is due to a train fault.
An additional service will operate from Exeter St Davids to Exmouth departing at 17:53
Last Updated: 11/08/2010 17:39

17:53 Exeter St Davids to Exmouth due 18:26
An additional train service has been planned to operate as shown 17:53 Exeter St Davids to Exmouth due 18:26 run on 11/08/10.
Last Updated: 11/08/2010 17:39

18:27 Exmouth to Barnstaple due 20:08
This train will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 4 between Exmouth and Exeter St Davids.
Last Updated: 11/08/2010 17:14

 

[Henry]

 Had a train failure at Exeter Central on the Paignton-Exmouth about 1130 this morning.
 Two set 142 failed in the platform.
 I was travelling  1150 Exeter Central - Teignmouth single set 143, needless to say full and standing,
 left quite a few behind at Dawlish.

[Nibat]

Yes, the 12.28 at Dawlish...

Conductor was very p****d off and refused to take any passengers at Dawlish.  Not really a problem as we had the 12.44 XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) with a lot more room!!!

The 11.16 did also leave behind quite a few, had to ask SSO for 2C69 CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) to PLY^» (Plymouth - next trains) for us and TGM^▸ (Teignmouth station).

Unfortunately, every 4+ coach diagrams are running relativelly quiet, with everybody coming for the later single sets...  same problem every day last 2 weeks, worst than ever today!

[grahame]

Unfortunately, every 4+ coach diagrams are running relativelly quiet, with everybody coming for the later single sets...  same problem every day last 2 weeks, worst than ever today!

I was on a Paignton to Cardiff (scheduled 4 car, actually 2) last Friday - soon after noon.  Even with 2 cars it seemed to be very quiet north of Exeter (it was comfortably busy to there). 



Of course, I don't know the rest of the diagram - but it did have me wondering "why?" and "could better use be made of resources here?"  (I appreciate that the answer may be that this 4 car is full and standing in to Paignton, then full and standing again north from Bridgwater ... so I was on a section that was essentially a transfer working for half the train)

[devon_metro]

Said diagram is the loco hauled working, which serves the purpose of covering a South West Trains path between Exeter & Torbay. It just so happens that it is conveniently timed with one of the Cardiff - Taunton circuits. There is no question that it doesn't need 4 carriages (3.5 if you count the BSO^▸ (Brake Standard Open (carriage))) but thats the service it's on as its more efficient than using a unit for an Exeter - Torbay and return with hour layover. Once the LHCS^▸ (Locomotive Hauled Coaching Stock) is disposed of I rather suspect said service will no longer run; hopefully with the aspiration for a half hourly Torbay - Exeter service.

[Timmer]

Looks like you had a bit of sea fog in the carriage there. Sorry, I'll get my coat.

[fatcontroller]

From FGW^▸ (First Great Western) live updates:

Service incidents

16:55 Paignton to Exmouth due 18:25
This train will be formed of 1 coach instead of 4.
Last Updated: 11/08/2010 17:23

16:55 Paignton to Exmouth due 18:25
This train will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 4.
Last Updated: 11/08/2010 17:14

 

Some kind customer decided to bleed on an already short-formed service. Hence the coach being locked out of use and service running 1 vice 4.

[inspector_blakey]

Ewww!

[Mookiemoo]

ok for the first time ever I am going to object to something

I have spent the last five days dealing with Mr Fallen Angel (we may live apart but we are working on it) having a major bleed in public.  He is on warfarin due to sticky blood syndrome so any injury can cause him to bleed out.

He's just been released after five days in ITU - he collapsed in tescos.  You know what caused it - an unexpectedly hot chilli dinner aggravated his stomach lining which caused it to bleed and then for him to lose 3 pints in about 24 hours

First he knew was when he got a nose bleed.

I have no issue with complaints over passenger bleeds but give a context because it might have been him

[grahame]

Thanks for the feedback on that train that's mysteriously scheduled to run as a 4 car set but seemed somewhat thin in patronage.

The 4 -> 2 -> 1 matter got me thinking

The biggest reduction in the length of this train was the failure to provide a train of the length that was supposed to run / needed by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) in the first place - hardly a day seems to go past when there aren't short formed trains - be it the 16:55 from Paignton, the 15:51 from Paddington, the 09:00 from Brighton or the 18:49 from Worcester, some of which seem to be routinely short.  Other long distance service seem to routinely have people standing to the point that's uncomfortable (14:23 ex Taunton to Paddington - "it's always like this" according to a fellow passenger last week).

It should have been just one coach in 4 out of service due to the medical issue - a minor issue if the right train had been provided in the first place - but as per previous paragraph, there are certain services where right size trains are frequently not provided!

On Medical emergencies .. the reminder is right.  "That could be your sister / mother / uncle" and let's not forget that.   Some travellers who are taken ill on a journey are taken ill "out of the blue" ... others may have a condition where they're taking a risk by travelling, but we should give the benefit of the doubt.  Do the "insider" folks here have any stats on passengers illnesses - what proportion relate to pre-exisiting conditions?