Not enough for everybody, no.  You only need to tip the balance a little bit though as even on the worst Sunday’s there’s still usually over 90% coverage of shifts.

I suppose it could backfire in that drivers might be more inclined to work a Sunday instead of a Rest Day which they would otherwise have applied for, leaving us shorter in the week.

There will be no major movement on this, electrodes or otherwise, for a couple of years as more drivers are required, so it might be worth trying as a quick temporary fix.

The only way I can see to resolve this in the short term is to chuck money at the drivers. They ‘only’ get time-and-a-quarter for working a Sunday.  Make that time-and-a-half, or even double time, until you’ve got on top of the problem, and you might persuade enough to tip the balance back to where it should be with more drivers making themselves available than exercising their contractual right to say no.

Yes that's correct - it's basically the location where trains reverse on either the Goods Loop or Relief Line at that location, behind SB924 or SB926 signals.

It would indeed be unusual to withdraw one from service because one of the engines was out.  I have seen several running in service with one engine out before, and as Broadgage says power output increases in the remaining engines.  Perhaps there was more to it than that?

A fancy restaurant?  Not in Didcot.   

Didcot West End is a legacy of the old Didcot West End Box:  https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/gwa/S166.htm

Not an IET, no.  The reason was down to signal boxes not being opened in time between Hereford and Malvern - the ECS that forms it from St. Philips Marsh being diverted via Worcester this morning.  Though the ECS (3P12) was already 30 minutes late at Worcester, so it would probably have been late starting from Hereford anyway.

Absolutely, and they do look pretty impressive.  Thirty-five sets in total, if you include the 802s.

800304 allocated to the other diagram, starting off with the 11:36 PAD-CNM.

Don't know yet, but will try to remember to check.  Though recently on weekends it appears getting any train to go to Cheltenham is asking a bit much of GWR!

Yes.  Though perhaps better that than rush arrangements in and not have the cover and end up with even more cancellations over the rest of the week?  They should of course have attempted to get on top of it years ago.

Should be the case for the following trains (worked with two diagrams):

1G11, 07:36 PAD-CNM
1G29, 11:36 PAD-CNM
1G38, 13:36 PAD-CNM
1G60, 17:42 PAD-CNM

1L50, 10:36 CNM-PAD
1L67, 14:36 CNM-PAD
1L80, 16:20 CNM-PAD

They are indeed talking about it.  Though implementation date is not expected to be before January 2021 as it is recognised that a significant recruitment drive will be needed to bring it in and cover shifts for the rest of the week, and a trainee driver, once they have passed all the initial tests, take a year to become fully qualified.

However, if a 'harmonisation' deal which is currently being voted on passes (and it is likely to) any driver who is employed after that date will not have the option of throwing their Sunday away unless it is able to be covered by someone else, regardless of which sector they work for (some currently don't have that option anyway).  I believe this is what Broadgage suggested should happen.  Personally I think it will take several years to make much of a meaningful difference, and of course there's nothing stopping a driver from 'throwing a sickie' other than the fact that they would get no sick pay for it.


A minimum of one day off after thirteen consecutive days worked is the regulation which is nationwide following the Hidden Enquiry after the Clapham disaster.

Yes, a 9-car IET would be too long for either of the arrival platforms at Hereford in that nothing else could be routed into the other platform until it had departed, and currently that train is due to sit there for an hour or so.  I had assumed the workings would somehow change so that it was only in the platform long enough to unload, but clearly not.

As for Network Rail only recently discovering it, I and others could have told them as soon as the trains were ordered!

At least Ledbury tunnel, whom many said the trains would not fit through, isn't causing any problems at all.

The coupling/uncoupling procedure is pretty quick and straightforward, and will get slicker once crews have gotten used to it.

I would certainly agree to being critical of some of your posts, forums like this would be largely redundant if people all held the same opinions after all, but that’s a long way from any serious ridicule. 

I wouldn’t even describe any ‘crystal ball’ posts as anything more than a bit of light teasing at worst, given it’s you that keeps referring to it, but I accept that is a subjective opinion.