Great Western Coffee Shop

The Saturday morning Newquay to Dundee is operated by a double voyager throughout normally both units unlocked from Newquay.
This Morning the front unit wasn't unlocked until Plymouth, I.e. Load the closest unit at Newquay.
All well and good in theory, Except the stopping positions for a 9 car voyager means the back voyager isn't platformed, or only partially platformed through Cornwall. At Liskeard it resulted in only one first class coach and one standard class coach being opened, out of a 9 car train and resulted in a 7 minutes stop! Looking at RTT it spent 5 minutes at Bodmin parkway as well.
I'm guessing there was a reason for not using the front voyager, although as it was used from Plymouth I'm guessing a staffing issue. Would there of been a reason to use the rear unit rather than the front unit that's more complicated than it being the nearest unit to the buffers at Newquay? Certainly didn't seem logical based on loading times and lack of platforming.

Is it the rear unit in use on the return because it's the front unit in use on the outward journey // unable to switch around (trolley, perhaps) at Newquay so if just one's in use, it has to be awkward one way?

I'm not sure, but there is no trolley service west of Plymouth on crosscountry. We Cornish people have to go hungry/thirsty.

There is a trolley service on this Newquay service so this may be a possible reason why the rear unit was in use.

Regarding Saturdays performance in Cornwall,  the train is booked to spend 5 minutes at Bodmin Parkway as that is where the train is 'supposed' to be unlocked so no time lost there. At Liskeard however the train only spent it's booked 2 minutes in the platform. It was delayed at Largin due to a late running train on the down line. This caused it to arrive at Liskeard 7 minutes late.

Hmm.  ::)

While not wishing to belittle your trauma, richwarwicker, I'd suggest that a packed lunch of a large Ginsters pasty and a couple of cans of gently chilled St Austell Tribute would resolve that admirably.  ;D

Is there an option to minimise the length of hunger by removing stops - running (say) Penzance - St. Austell - Plymouth?   I'm not (really) being serious with the suggestion of leaving Truro (County Town of Cornwall) out, although it seems perfectly acceptable to leave the junction for the county town of Wiltshire out ...

Ginsters. The suggestion is highly offensive.

There is a Saturday afternoon GWR HST service first call after Plymouth being..... Lostwithial. Skipping Bodmin and Liskeard where people actually want to go, (deliberately I assume to control numbers) Might as well call at menheniot though!  ;D

Wow.  My apologies.  I was merely looking to reference a Cornish product.  :o

Haha. Never reference a Ginsters to a Cornishman. Wrong pastry type, wrong filling.
Philps at Hayle is probably one of the best if your ever down this way.

I was on this train from Plymouth, I think you've got your ends mixed up, the front set upon arrival at Plymouth was loaded and this was Coaches A-F. I can only presume that you mean the rear set (at the Buffers at Newquay) was not in use throughout Cornwall.

This train isn't normally a 9 car, it is booked an 8 car. As an 8-car from Bodmin Parkway to Plymouth the rear coach is locked out of use, it is permitted for the rear coach to be locked out of use and the set be in passenger service. However as a 9-car the rear 2 coaches are required to be locked out of use and as far as I am aware this isn't allowed in service and requires the whole set to be out of use. Therefore it was possible to unlock the rear set from Plymouth, with only the rear coach locked out of use until Newton Abbot - for the short platform at Totnes.

At liskeard the front train did not unlock- liskeard station staff had lined the passengers up for the front unit. The rear unit(buffers at Newquay) was the one unlocked at liskeard.

Too much of a schlep to Portreath Bakery. Tribute is a good call.