That's why i like the DMU/DEMU^▸ (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) such as the voyagers. They've got a good speed and power up time (and as you said, to hear to sound of the engines as they power up!) Ok, it's hard to beat the space of the HST and the speed of an HST when they get started, but for speed and start/stop journeys, DMU/DEMU's are good.

Right.
From all this talk around here, I'm guessing that adelantes are virtually bye bye from the south west at the moment.
My friend who knows stuff about trains, has always wanted to go on an adelante, but we've never had the chance.
Can anyone tell me what the current situation with the adelantes are here in the west, whether they are still around, if they are usually on certain times, and if I've got even a slim chance of getting my friend on an adelante?
Thanks

Not sure if it still does it, as i dont pay attention and the trains moved platforms.
The 17:30 HST^▸ (High Speed Train) from WSM to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains), when it came in on platform 15 at Temple Meads, the 'Train now standing' announcement even though the train was not standing at the platform (it still hadn't come under the bridge, or was coming under the bridge at the time)

I am about 6 foot, and i definatly prefer the voyager legroom to the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) (but that's my personal opinion)
Overcrowding: ok, does get crowded sometimes, but so does FGW^▸ (First Great Western). There is more room between the carrages in a voyagerthat you can camp yourself in if they are crowded.

and i've somehow managed to turn this thread into a talk about the voyager class, so i am sorry

They've got to have the large amount of cupboards for electrical equipment, because each carrage has the same kit in it, to draw power from the engine/generator/or from another carrage if the engine is not functioning properly. then there's all the fuse thingys, and the engine control systems.
And as the buffets on the mark 3 (and i guess mark 2) take up half a carrage on an HST. of course the shops on the voyagers are going to be cramped...the RSM in the shop on the voyagers always does a good job in my books.

First vote: Voyagers! I know that'll proberberbly make me mad, but i like the voyagers.
Second vote...i think i forgot to do it.

Theres nothing wrong with the Voyagers.

*smiles* sorry, bad sense of humour on my part, i did mean that we'd swapped sides on the tracks, not that it had dissapeared.

Hi
Sorry if this is in the wrong area, just got a question i'm hoping someone out there in web land would be able to help me with...
I was on my way upto Cheltenham this morning, and we stopped a bit down from the Gloucester junction.
i look back out the window when we start moving, and see that theres no track, when theres suppose to be track...we're going up the down track. we move back onto the right track at the gloucester junction.

i ask the TM^‡(resolve) as we're pulling into Cheltenham, and he says it was because of a... i think he said Track circuit failer???

I might of heard him wrong, i might be talking a load of nonesense..
But can someone please shed some light on if i got that right, and what it is/means in laymans terms, please?

*starts tapping foot*

GRAHAM!!!
I keep telling you to apply for that job at Bristol, so go and flipping well do it!

I suppose when they bring the 5 HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s into play, things might chance.

I guess it can also depends on what train sets are at what depot?

According to wikipedia, so I'm not 100% how accurate this is, there are officially 44 sets of super voyagers.
Currently XC have 23 Class 221 (the super voyagers) and Virgin West Coast have 21.
They also have all 34 Class 220's (Normal Voyagers).
Virgin's west coast fleet is made up mainly of the pendlinos and the other 21 Super Voyagers
usully the penzance/plymouth to scotland services have the 5 carriage super voyagers, whilst newcastle gets a normal voyager. I'm not sure about the other services though, i can only talk about ones i see at Bristol.

Sorry to wonder into the middle of the topic, just a simple question here that really has nothing to do with this topic.

When you say something like 2+7 or 2+8 about the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s, do you mean two power cars and 7/8 charrages?

They shouldn't get rid of buffet cars or anything... another question, do trolley's work on HST's at all?

Add another charage? Have a 6 charrage instead of 4/5
I know theres been 'chat around the water cooler' about have 10 charage voyager/super voyagers (have to call them mega voyagers or something) Maybe double up a glasgow/dundee etc, and have the second train decouple at which ever stations first, and carry on up?

Ok, maybe some far fetched ideas i guess.

Sorry if this is in the wrong area or anything, But i wanted to see what peoples opinions are on something that has been bothering me for a while, since XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) took over the cross country franchise. I know this was talked about a little when Graz started a post on the CrossCountry franchise draft timetable consultation ( http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=824.0)

Anyone who uses/used a Virgin/XC train from anywhere in the SW. What do you think about this idea of taking out the shop out and one of the toilets, and replaceing it with more seating? I can't see it adding much more seating, and the trains in the busy period, would 14 to 20 seats really make much difference?

Also, if they take the shop and replace it with a trolley, how is the trolley going to get though when the train is really busy? Also, the hot food would go. Ok, so they only offer three items of hot food, but from experience when I've not had time to have breakfast, a bacon roll is good enough to fill me up. Also, what about stock and stuff? people could buy all the beer in the first 5 minutes of the journey, then they wouldn't have any till the next 'stock stop'.

And what about when they bring the 5 or so HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s into play? would they get rid of the buffet on those??

Ok, i know these are silly questions, but i just wanted to get people's opinions on the matter.

We'll see Graz my dear friend, We'll see