Never mind that Dr B - there's at least 10 going into London.........! We only need two don't we, Westerners - one to Paddington and a back up one to Waterloo!

Quote from: Celestial on Yesterday at 08:14:27 pm
Quote from: broadgage on Yesterday at 06:58:32 pm


A 32 amp 3 phase supply would probably fully charge it overnight, and even a domestic type 13 amp supply would charge it in a few days.

Even better, use a four way extension lead and you could charge a small fleet all at the same time. Simples.

Long enough flex with a spring winding system and you could leave the train plugged in.

Not a bad idea BNM. But I have had another - how about suspending two conducting wires side by side above the track, put some kind of pick up apparatus on the roof of the train, and do away with those heavy (and expensive to produce from all kinds of rare materials whose extraction and processing is I understand not particularly environmentally friendly) batteries?

Credit to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) this morning for keeping services between Reading and Didcot going by using a two car turbo.

It was also my first refurbished one. Still the same uncomfortable seats, but at least it had undergone a good deep clean and looked a lot brighter inside with the new colour scheme,  and the new seat fabric is the "mark 2" more durable looking GWR stuff

Many of the Turbos had power points by the time I finished daily commuting at the beginning of lockdown.  The quality of the installation was often poor, and quite a few power points didn't work.

....or (hoping they did not spend a shedload of money on this) one that will concentrate its resources on doing the job, rather than PR^▸ (Public Relations), advertising, re-branding, etc.

...and back at Reading sat on the Electrostar leaving for Goring,  having had the considerable pleasure of bumping into an old friend and colleague I had not seen in person since March 2020 changing trains in the opposite direction.

This train seems as busy as it would have been pre-covid. The difference is that about half of us are wearing masks.

The new normal?

It might be the Charles Line by the time they finish!

Now sat on a train awaiting departure from Guildford.

Rest of outward journey continued in a similar manner.  More passengers than before,  but not quite to the same extent as on the Goring  to Reading leg, although the reduction in numbers during the interludes between lockdowns plan Bs etc seemed less on the North Downs.

This evening at Guildford at 18-30 ish it didn't seem too different to the pre-pandemic days over on platform 8 away from the main Waterloo line trains, but these seemed less busy.

We are now underway so I am enjoying the familiar ambience of tired Turbo interior on the way back Reading.

I am posting this from my first post Plan B commute between Goring and Guildford, last week's unfortunate events having curtailed my first attempt 

Impressions so far-

It's the busiest it's been since lockdown began nearly two years ago. Still not crowded, but noticeable that noone seems to want to share a double seat with a stranger,  so there were standing passengers by the time we left Tilehurst in half full carriage.

Mask wearing is at about 50%, with no immediately clear pattern of use, by age sex or other discernable characteristics.  This is unlike the situation before when young males tended to be the most frequent non-users.


Using the Stuving car park use test, it was 50% at Goring at 7-55, 80% at Pangbourne 5 minutes later but scarcely 25% at Tilehurst 

There's only one thing to do to reduce that subsidy- write a wildly successful children's fiction series set in the Flow Country (or set a film based on it there).

What - is that right - aren't they those the Networker generation, Turbo look-alikes that use to work the Kings Cross-Cambridge-King's Lynn services with nice comfortable 4 across seating?

Why on earth are these being scrapped when those grottier 317s are being slowly and inefficiently bodged as bi-/tri- modes instead?

No doubt there's some technical (or accountancy?) reason, but I'd like to know what it is!

It looks a poor state of affairs when the electrification seems to have stalled, unsuitable high density Turbos are being refurbished for rural cross-country/middle distance work, the 769 delays continue and (if I have got my identification right ) newer and better OHL^▸ (Over-Head Line) trains are being scrapped.

Agree - also think the flamboyantly jacketed one would make a much better job of Shapps's (and most of Shapps's current colleagues') job........

All

I have been posting about this topic on the London to Reading board here (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=25964.msg317946#msg317946) and thought there ought to be a link here.

....to find that the 8-24 is about to arrive at Goring (albeit late).

The Journey Check "drop down" still only refers to problems between Reading and Paddington. I guess at least 50% of Cholsey to Reading passengers are Reading, not Paddington passengers or (like me) changing to go elsewhere. And of course seasoned London commuters would think "Oh well, I'll have to go in via Waterloo - I'll be late"!

There has been about an hour of no service, with delays and cancellations shown at the last moment, long after the trains had not departed Didcot. This is one of the busiest parts of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s network west of Reading, and Goring was the busiest I have seen since lockdown.

I appreciate that incidents like this cause dislocation, but what is the point of all these systems if they give misleading information for the passengers they are meant to help?

PS - just checked again- Journey Check showed 8-48 to Reading/Paddington 5 late at Goring a few minutes ago. Open Train Times showed no train on its way. Journey Check now changed its forecast to "Delayed".

Sort it out GWR......

All trains now showing Delayed on Platform signs. Announcements inaudible.

Journey Check only refers to problems between Reading and Paddington,  no reference to Reading to Didcot.

I am going home.....