20/5/08 0837 WOS to PAD short formed

[whole diary]

[IanL]

Second day of the new timetable, the first down train was shortformed due to a train failure, thus the 0837 WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains),0938 Charlbury to Paddington will be an Adelante. This train is usually busy but this week it will be packed....it is the first train on which cheap tickets become available for use into London and this week it is the Chelsea Flower Show which at Charlbury at least can be expected to double the passengers waiting on the platform.

[Mookiemoo]

Second day of the new timetable, the first down train was shortformed due to a train failure, thus the 0837 WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains),0938 Charlbury to Paddington will be an Adelante. This train is usually busy but this week it will be packed....it is the first train on which cheap tickets become available for use into London and this week it is the Chelsea Flower Show which at Charlbury at least can be expected to double the passengers waiting on the platform.

sheesh

although you may want to correct the typo in the title - an 0337 I wondered - midnitght travel?

[IanL]

Sorry, subject edited, thanks for pointing out the typo.

[willc]

Rode on this today, good number of seats available all the way to Oxford and didn't seem to be any more than the usual number joining there either. Maybe the garden club is going later in the week?

And on the evidence of last night, the evening peak leg of this working (17.51 ex-Paddington) will be quiet as the grave beyond Oxford from now on, after the Hanborough stop was switched so that both the Hereford trains now call there.

[Mookiemoo]

Rode on this today, good number of seats available all the way to Oxford and didn't seem to be any more than the usual number joining there either. Maybe the garden club is going later in the week?

And on the evidence of last night, the evening peak leg of this working (17.51 ex-Paddington) will be quiet as the grave beyond Oxford from now on, after the Hanborough stop was switched so that both the Hereford trains now call there.

Well I'm on it tonight and standard is heaving

There's no saleables in the first class - and the host is unwilling to go get them

When you get to the buffet - they've sold out of everything as they have had little stock

Now, when its a last minute swap, ok, but they've known about this since this morning

[Mookiemoo]

Also - why are the notice boards so unreliable when it is an Adelante.  Tonight:

Please Note: Adelante service. Carriage A leading B,C,D,E.  First class in carriage D to the rear of the train.

Guess what - E was leading (same as every other time they make the announcement - the train is always the other way round).  Much better not to say anything at all

[Btline]

A should be leading on down services, and vice versa.

Therefore, obviously FGW^▸ (First Great Western) did not programme into the computers that the train was in reverse formation!

They should really, as poor information only increases dwell times.

[devon_metro]

A reversed 180 isn't the end of the world - First class is still fairly central!

[Mookiemoo]

A reversed 180 isn't the end of the world - First class is still fairly central!

True

But then I prefer to get on at the E end - that way you are saved the rugby scrum of everyone trying to get in the more central part at the D/C boundary

So you do end up with a fair trot down the platform

If I didnt know which way around it was - I wold loiter in the middle for best position in either case

[Mookiemoo]

Also if this is typical I WONT be using this in the new timetable

Crawl into oxford - but still have to sit for ten minutes at the platform

We are now proceeding to Charlbury at a snails pace - this is SLOW

Although the accelerator peddle has just been found - just as we go past the pikies on the right and under the A34

And now speeds up properly through the junction bit where the cross country goes up to Bicester

Is there some speed restriction?

[Btline]

Also if this is typical I WONT be using this in the new timetable

Crawl into oxford - but still have to sit for ten minutes at the platform

We are now proceeding to Charlbury at a snails pace - this is SLOW

Although the accelerator peddle has just been found - just as we go past the pikies on the right and under the A34

And now speeds up properly through the junction bit where the cross country goes up to Bicester

Is there some speed restriction?

Same at Norton Junction. 70 (?) mph from Shrub Hill to Norton - where the line is dead straight for most of the way. Then there is a 25 (?) mph limit over the junction, then 90 mph after the junction, where the line starts to bend and twist!

If they eliminated these speed restrictions journey times could be slashed - even more for HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), as they would not spend lots of time accelerating/slowing down.

Why can't they extend the 90 mph to Worcester?

[devon_metro]

http://www.trainpics.net/p44200019.html Don't fancy doing 70mph over that! Bear in mind much of the Cotswolds is operated by Mechanical signal boxes, therefore points aren't really designed for high speed.

[Mookiemoo]

Also if this is typical I WONT be using this in the new timetable

Crawl into oxford - but still have to sit for ten minutes at the platform

We are now proceeding to Charlbury at a snails pace - this is SLOW

Although the accelerator peddle has just been found - just as we go past the pikies on the right and under the A34

And now speeds up properly through the junction bit where the cross country goes up to Bicester

Is there some speed restriction?

Same at Norton Junction. 70 (?) mph from Shrub Hill to Norton - where the line is dead straight for most of the way. Then there is a 25 (?) mph limit over the junction, then 90 mph after the junction, where the line starts to bend and twist!

If they eliminated these speed restrictions journey times could be slashed - even more for HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), as they would not spend lots of time accelerating/slowing down.

Why can't they extend the 90 mph to Worcester?

Never noticed the 70 at Norton - and the train ALWAYS comes to a halt at Norton anyway.

But this wasnt just the junction - I would have noticed on every other train if it was - this was 25mph for an EXTENDED period of time

[Conner]

I'm amazed the Adelantes are so reliable this evening, all 3 out in use off diagram.

17:51 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill due 20:22
This train will run short formed with 5 carriages.This is due to an earlier train fault.


18:31 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington due 20:44
This train will run short formed with 5 carriages.This is due to an earlier train fault.


18:51 London Paddington to Oxford due 19:50
This train will run short formed with 5 carriages.This is due to an earlier train fault.

3 Adelante ran diagrams, you could have ended up with a 165 Mookie, that would have been bad.

[Mookiemoo]

3 Adelante ran diagrams, you could have ended up with a 165 Mookie, that would have been bad.

Nah - I would have waited 30 minutes and got the 1821 - the extra half hour makes no odds and rather that than (with all the padding) over two hours in a 165