Great Western Coffee Shop

i think that their should be a service from hereford to london paddington calling at abergavenny, bristol parkway, swindon, didcot, reading and london paddington.......... great western run back emty stock back this way, so why not have a revenue service this way ?

You do know how long and pointless that would actually be if you wanted to get to hereford?

Do you deffinatly run stock back that route? as it seems incredibly pointless

First Send their 1721 Padd to Hereford back to Bristol that way, and a few others not sure which ones..

It wouldnt be that pointless, might be quicker than using the evesham route..

Both the 1721 and 1821 Paddington to Hereford HST's run empty from Hereford to Bristol St Philips Marsh for servicing. The HST off 2020 Paddington to Great Malvern is supposed to stay in the sidings at Hereford, but cannot at the moment because the shore supply (external electrical supply to keep the engines warm etc) doesn't work and is so old that Network Rail are having problems finding obsolete spares. This HST is having to run empty to Bristol TM.

I was told that was fixed?  ???

Yeh - it is.

As someone who has done that route and the evesham (and regularly) I can say its not that long and pointless.

Hereford -> PAD via evesham takes about 3 hours but is incrredibably subject to delay

Ludlow -> Newport takes an hour but hereford is 15 or so before so 45

Then newport to pad is 2 hours

now, given you would not have to change, and you could cut out newport.........

Its not as stupid as it sounds

(PS - if they did a service that route I wold seriously be tempted)

Hereford sidings electricity shore supply is not fixed yet, but Mike Carroll (FGW route director east) told a public meeting in Charlbury tonight that it was a top priority and he expected it to be done within a week.

According to a post by David Cameron's researcher on the Charlbury.info website, FGW has informed him that the 05.30 from Malvern to London is now being stabled overnight at Hereford, so it looks like the electricity supply is back on tap.

What about the old BR London Paddington-Hull service, that train made up many reasonable journey options like Reading-Doncaster, Oxford-HUll, or indeed the old SW & W London Waterloo-Manchester via Hereford trains, very useful trains for some journeys.

I liked the London Waterloo to Manchester service - via Salisbury and Hereford - and Ludlow - now is there anyone there who might like to have a dirfect London train!  ;D

When did this service run? Was it BR or Wales and West?

Also- I think that running HSTs from Bristol area to Hereford is a bad idea, because sets could constantly be put into reverse formation- upsetting the Charbury Commuter group!

Wales & West I believe.

Well there are two triangles at Bristol and Newport to make sure the train stays in the correct formation (ie so that it can platform the leading first class and annoy Mookie)

 :D

bugger! I left that one there yesterday and last Friday and one day the week before that.

;D ;D ;D

I'm sure the shore supply is fixed now!

It seems to me an an entirely feasible route, therefore, there is absolutely no chance of anyone running a service this way.

Despite the fact it could also give Pontypool and Cwmbran a through service to London with a little extra time for the stops.

Haven't the DfT suggested closure of the East Curve at Maindee junction because there is no demand for services over this route?

Re teh stock workings do the sets go back to Hereford this way in the morning?

It closed to passengers when ATW introduced its standard pattern timetable in Dec 05. But still used regularly for freight and ECS workings (and steam specials, which was my last trip over it).

Presumably Networkrail will charge millions to reinstate it for pasenger traffic.

Despite the fact it's in a power signalled area and all points have FPLs, and junction signals have TPWS and all signal AWS etc.

Plus gauge clearance the stock to be used despite it going round ECS. There seems to be a very funny mindset going round that somehow just because a line is used only used by Freight and ECS it is not  safe enough to be used by passenger trains. Which must be a bit worrying for the drivers!

I think it is still passed for passenger traffic. Just that none of the TOCs want to run a service on it.

"The HST off 2020 Paddington to Great Malvern is supposed to stay in the sidings at Hereford"

So out of interest why do they terminate the service at Malvern and not run it all the way through to Hereford?

Because that would be the sensible thing to do  :P