6751
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Journey by Journey / London to the Cotswolds / Re: Class 180s return to the Cotswolds
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on: March 01, 2013, 19:30:38
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Last week was the first 100% week of 180 coverage so far. The first to get close to 100% to be honest. This week was pretty good as well with an 88% coverage rate - as usual it was diagram OC504 which was the first to be sacrificed, which only has one trip on the Cotswold Line meaning that only two trips further out that Oxford during the entire week were Turbos instead, and in both of those cases it was a 3-Car. Much better, FGW▸ !
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6754
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Great Western Main Line electrification - ongoing discussion
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on: February 28, 2013, 11:48:41
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I think the odds of them travelling in a 378 are pretty slim, as the Crossrail rolling stock will be a similar spec to the Thameslink stock, which will have proper 2+2 seating for starters.
Will they have 2+2 seating though? The specification states that each Crossrail train will have 450 seats (with room for a total of 1500 passengers). That equates to just 45 seats per carriage in a 10-car train. Compare that with the Class 378s 38 seats per carriage with its longitudinal seating and the 60-70 seats per carriage you'd expect to find in a typical 2+2 seated 20m carriage, and that suggests to me there will be quite a lot of longitudinal seating? http://www.crossrail.co.uk/assets/download/4962I personally think that they will go with a mixed layout of 2+2 and longitudinal, in a similar fashion to the S8 underground stock on the Metropolitan Line, to achieve that 45 seats per carriage ratio.
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6757
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Great Western Main Line electrification - ongoing discussion
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on: February 26, 2013, 16:04:35
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Worth mentioning that preliminary work continues at a pace, with foundation holes dug most of the way from Reading to Oxford for the overhead masts that will be installed by this wonderful electrification train that will soon be with us.
Most of the holes have simply been dug, lined with a strong canvas sack with handles, and then filled in with gravel, soil and ballast. But at a few locations the foundation post to which the gantry will be attached has also been installed.
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6758
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Reading Station improvements
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on: February 26, 2013, 16:00:27
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Treading carefully here II, I had a look with GE and it appears there is actually no junction at Scours Lane; the one to Reading West would be perhaps better named Loverock Road? Using SV, I could not see any white house there either though, just industrial buildings, - but please put me right on Scours Lane. Is that was where the signal box was possibly, I have a few old GWR▸ photos (can we mention the old company here?) and the photographer Maurice Earley took many photos there.
Not sure of signal boxes but Scours Lane does (at least did) have a name plate identifying it. There is no white house that I know of either, hence my suggestion that a Mr. Whitehouse might be involved in the project (it is marked as Whitehouse rather than White House). Anyway, it looks as if the wiring teams are about to get going as two gangs were busy installing brackets where the wires will attach onto the gantry posts installed in the east end sidings of the new depot today.
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6759
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Reading Station improvements
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on: February 25, 2013, 21:49:19
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Seen this morning:
Tilehust East junction is being relaid. Up and down relief lines being relaid to connect to new lines/freight line with what looked like connection for fast line - although these were not being connected.
Just for accuracy's sake, Tilehurst East Junction wasn't being relaid, but continuing work to install the crossovers required for the new Whitehouse Junction next to it, was - in readiness for the post-Easter blockade track layout. Whitehouse Junction is basically at the location of the current Scours Lane Junction, so quite why it was deemed necessary to rename it is beyond me? Perhaps a Mr. Whitehouse is involved in the project and fancied a bit of glory?
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6762
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Journey by Journey / London to the Cotswolds / Re: Class 180s return to the Cotswolds
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on: February 20, 2013, 14:15:51
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And now we're sat at Charlbury waiting for the 13:21 departure from Oxford coming the other way. Due here 13:41, so we'll be 30+ late by the time we're on the move again.
3Q04 (the track recording train) was over Wolvercote at 13:23, so had your train been let though next it would probably have been less than 10 minutes late departing Oxford, and would have delayed the down train by about 10 minutes - which is exactly the amount of time that it sits at Evesham later in the journey, so it would have probably got to Worcester more or less on schedule. As it is, your train is delayed by 25 minutes, is now not calling at Slough, and even with that missed stop the delay will almost certainly impact on its next working at 14:50 from Paddington. I'm always hesitant to apportion blame when I might not know the full facts, but on the face of it, that looks like bad regulation both on an overall delay minutes basis and a customer impact basis.
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