Great Western Coffee Shop

Hi all

I'm on the hunt to ride one of TFW'S class 158s from Cardiff Central, does anybody know what routes they are used on from Cardiff and how many leave from Cardiff Central Monday to Friday and Saturday?

Thanks
GWR 158

TfW tell us ((here)) (https://tfw.wales/info-for/passengers/accessible-travel/train-accessibility)


What the mix is on those Cardiff services, I don't know; the Central Wales line is exclusively class 158 and probably accounts for half of them or just over.

Thanks  Grahame

Maesteg/Cheltenham/Ebbw Vale now exclusively 170s (on weekdays at least - not sure about weekends).

THey appear sporadically on other longer-range services (but not commonly on the Manchesters). 

Realtimetrains now shows what stock is being used on TFW services, so it's worth checking there for anything of interest. It looks like a 158 made it to Carmarthen this evening, for example. Last week one of the Pembroke Dock local diagrams looks like it was regularly a 158, so it must have also appeared on services to/from Cardiff at some point to rotate the stock.

Similarly, there will be movements on the Marches line to rotate the 158s between the Cambrian Lines (where they have to be used) and Cardiff - the 20.15ish from Cardiff and 08.15ish into Cardiff were pre-Covid 158 regulars, and from a spot check on RTT it looks like that might still be the case.

15.13 CDF-LLE was regularly a 158 recently, but now it looks like it's reverted to being a through service from Holyhead and is back to being a 175.

To put it in a nutshell you can count the 158s seen in Cardiff on one hand.   They are employed almost exclusively on the Cambrian (the only class on the route due to ERTMS)  and which takes them to Birmingham and Holyhead in the course of the destinations involved in the Cambrian.    One works down to Cardiff on 0610 ex Shrewsbury and returns on 2017 Cardiff to Crewe but may hang around for a couple of days when they can be seen on Cardiff to Holyhead services and a couple visit Milford Haven at weekends.    At the moment due to spare ones thrown up by the Barmouth Bridge closure for 3 months,  2 are being used on the Pembroke Dock Branch going out from Cardiff at 0639, stabling at Carmarthen overnight and returning the following evening.   They can sometimes be seen ad hoc on the Marches standing in for a 175. 

Isn't the 'Central Wales Line' what the 'Heart Of Wales Line' used to be called? If so, there are not normally any class 158s to be found on the Central Wales Line (most recently 158s have had to run empty with airbags deflated - I understand passengers aren't allowed in 158s on the Heart Of Wales and haven't been for many years).

Indeed.  I get my Heart of Wales, Central Wales and Mid Wales mixed up with the Cambrian Lines, where you will find 158s, and at present some impressively s-l-o-w rail replacement buses.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it goes as follows:

• Central Wales Line - Craven Arms to Llanelli via Llandrindod
• Heart Of Wales Line - Craven Arms to Llanelli via Llandrindod (yep, same route as above, but two different names)
• Mid Wales Line - Newtown (or technically a junction to the west of there) to Brecon/Merthyr via Builth Wells (long closed)
• Cambrian Main Line - Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth
• Cambrian Coast Line - Dovey Junction to Pwllheli
• Cambrian Lines - combination of the Cambrian Main Line and Cambrian Coast Line

And you're right; exclusively class 158s (and/or replacement road transport) on TfW services on the Cambrian Lines at the moment.

Appreciate this is an old thread but my question relates to 158s in South Wales.

Any idea on the booked workings in South Wales currently (i.e. outside the Cambrian/Birmingham/Holyhead workings).  Sometimes I see one on Pembroke Dock-Swansea but not sure if its booked.  There still seems to be some going Manchester-Milford on weekends including the 0630 Manchester to Milford diagram and a few on Sundays on this route. 

Before covid there used to be 3 in South Wales that did everything from Maesteg to Cheltenham, Ebbw Vale, a working to Pembroke and back and then went back up North after 3 days in South Wales but that doesnt seem to be the case.  Most of the time any weekday Manchester-South Wales are substituted for 150s or 153 pairs now rather than 158s.