My heart would love a regular Okehampton to Exeter service, but my head says it would be like tearing up tenners.

The station is poorly sited for the town at the top of a very steep hill (Yes I know it couldnt be anywhere else).
The A30 dual carriageway is a fast route to Exeter and beyond in about half the time it would take by rail. Sadly.

The only hope of a reopening would be as part of a through route.  There is a logic to the inland route if electrification was to happen.  Government policy is starting to shift that way again.

I've got 20 years till retirement but I dont think I'll see it in my working lifetime.

under wessex I seem to remember driving half of a 158 plus a 153. No clue as to numbers -sorry.

 Central had those units for about 5 minutes.

Those refurbs were done during the 10 years they were at Anglia

Really ? As many as that??

I had heard a rumour that 150 001 and 002  (the 3 car sets) were coming. But another 17 units (assuming the above are included in the 40 figure) would mean we could shake out those wretched 142's.

Bring it on.....

But as you say best to wait and see what actually turns up on the Marsh.

Dunno what the next working at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) was, but I can tell you the allocated unit was 150127 so perhaps someone else can tell us. I believe the train crew that bring up the 06.00 from Exeter then do a BTM  - Cardiff and return.

Indeed.

Leasing is a very complicated subject which I don't pretend to know everything about. But we've got these units for the long haul, which is no bad thing as they are better than most of what we already have.

I am looking forward to when the 10 LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) stes get here

Indeed no slanging match required.

But.....

Debranding on our two units is identical to that done at Willesden on the TfL fleet. As per the phtotgraph put up by another poster Silverlink stickered over their bird logo in purple vynil. Dont know what you saw at the Marsh.


I agree we got these two units in your words "when silverlink/ct got split up"  But refining that statement:
 Silverlink handed over the assets and the new operators -TfL got the 150 fleet.
 TfL did not need these units for their services, LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) did not need to sub-lease them prefering to use 153's.

TfL  declared them surplus. I understand TfL still hold the master lease on these units FGW^▸ (First Great Western) actually sub lease them on a long lease.

The RailwayScene thread you quote does not contradict what I have stated. It does speculate on what might be happening.

Not so. The units were returned to the leasing company by TfL^» (Transport for London - about). This was because the London Midland franchise declined to hire two units from TfL for Bedford - Bletchey services. 121 and 127 became surplus.

This all happened after the end of Silverlink.
 
Incidentally the units were debranded by Silverlink as part of their (end of) franchise agreement. In the same way that all the Wessex units were debranded  in late Mar 2006.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.

Which is why all this is a project with a 2010 end date

It is common knowledge to all the crews who currently sign Bristol Parkway that the current service is an interim measure until signalling work is undertaken at Yate.

The Down (into Exeter) is longer and can take 2x142 (4 cars) or 3cars of anything else in normal operation. so what your saw was correct.

Up platform is much shorter and can only take a 142 or 150 (2cars) with the drivers cab on the ramp, 2 x153 or anything else requires local door only as the back would be off the platform.

From Memory, (I don't have a sectional appendix in front of me) 165/166's can work to Bristol from Swindon (not sure if that is via both routes).
But are not permitted Bristol-WSM or Bristol-Westbury.

But they are permitted Westbury-Taunton-Exeter.

Being devils advocate......

Do you think a wheelchair passenger would choose St James Park as access is by a VERY steep slope on the Up side, and steps on the Down side.

I should say that the situation is far from perfect for all the reasons mentioned by the OP^▸ (Original Poster / topic starter).

We have to remember FGW^▸ (First Great Western) do not own these units, they sub lease them from Northern, who lease them from a leaseco - so they can't just do what they like. It all has to be agreed, engineered, tested, validated, implemented. It all costs money and would probably take longer than we will hopefully have these units.

But without modification to the units, this means just one leaf of the door.

In respect of these things, there is a diiferent rumour every day.

However, I understand there is a training plan for Bristol drivers and conductors to learn 142's. Whether it is implemented is another matter.

Err... Not quite.

Exeter link 1 men no longer sign Penzance. A few might still sign it. but as a general rule no.

Link 1 men have never signed Gunnislake.

However Link 2 men at Exeter sign Penzance and still have rostered work there.

Link 2 and 3 used to have rostered work to Gunnislake but not for 12 months now. Some still sign it as there have been numerous occasions when an Exeter man has been asked at short notice to cover a Par Job.

Exeter are currently the only depot to sign 142's. This may change.