The first electrification masts are up on the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line)!  Quite a surreal sight to be honest, but about half a mile of track just to the east of Reading station has now got masts up (no wires yet of course) in the same area as the new switches and crossings that have been installed at Kennet Bridge Junction.  I'm guessing that this is a short test/proving area prior to the HOOP train starting in earnest next year?

Unable to help yesterday unfortunately as I was otherwise engaged in the pub all day!

The platforms at Shrub Hill are hardly Gloucester length - they can only accommodate around eleven 23 metre carriages.

In this case they'd pulled the emergency chord in the toilet, so until the staff could gain access they couldn't reset it and the brakes were stuck on.


Whilst it might be a problem some of the time, the Gloucester train was booked off of the up platform at 12:54 having arrived from Worcester Foregate Street at 12:42 (so it had a 12-minute layover), and could have waited at the end of that platform, as the only other train (besides the train I was on) was a LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) arrival which was then heading back towards Birmingham, so that could have been accommodated at the other end of the platform.

And that's the problem.  There aren't enough people in Control to control things when they go wrong, so with a weak link at the very top of the information structure what chance does the rest of the chain stand?

Here's an example:  I was on a train the other day to Hereford from London chatting to the crew and we got delayed at Hanborough by about 20 minutes because someone got stuck in the disabled toilet.  We had a fair few people on board wanting to make a 15-minute connection to Gloucester and Cheltenham at Worcester (their original train via Swindon had been cancelled I think).  The train crew managed to get on to Control after a fair while and an agreement was made to hold the connection.  The TM^‡(resolve) then made an announcement to everyone on board saying that the train would be held.  A great example of good customer service.

BUT... We came over Norton Junction and what was waiting at the signal to come the other way?  Their connecting train.  Which had left Shrub Hill on time.  A phone call from the TM to Shrub Hill station revealed that nobody had told Shrub Hill staff to hold the train so they let it go on time.  Cue a very embarrassing announcement from the TM and a whole heap of angry passengers.

The cab isn't really set up for driver only operation - the view isn't great and stations with 'look back' dispatch, where the driver literally looks back, would prohibit DOO-P use on them.  Though in terms of door controls, the driver has got buttons for everything they would need, unlike in a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) for example.

Wolmar has joined in the argument:

http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2012/12/time-to-run-trains-on-boxing-day/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+feed%2Fchristianwolmar+%28Christian+Wolmar%29

Here is a full comparison of carriages provided at Paddington last December and this December.  All (Except Heathrow Express) AM Peak arrivals 06:30-10:30 are shown, as are PM Peak departures 16:30-20:30 together with the number of carriages provided on each service.

I deliberately chose a day with minimal disruption on both occasions and at the same time of year.  Since last December the HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) have all been extended to 2+8 sets, Class 180s have returned, and Class 150s have been deployed between Reading and Paddington.

The result, as you can see below, is around 30 extra carriages over each peak period compared with a year ago.  That doesn't actually translate to 30 extra carriages of extra seats, as a few of the trains that were 3-Car Turbos are now 5-Car Adelantes but still provide roughly the same number of seats.  Though to balance that out there are still a couple of 2+7 HST sets running around and there shouldn't be if everything was running as planned.

Last December there was a short formed trains in the evening peak which explains why the difference is 33 carriages - in reality it should be 30.  In total, I reckon around 2300-2500 extra seats are now being provided each peak for the times I've surveyed.

Here are the full details:

Route control northwards covers as far as Appleford (down) and Radley (up).

There's some internal and external pictures here: http://photos.signallingnotices.org.uk/photo_index.php?pc=3 - although bigger than Slough IECC^▸ (Integrated Electronic Control Centre) it is just as ugly!

Closure of Swindon 'B' IECC^▸ (Integrated Electronic Control Centre) takes place tomorrow with control transferring over to a 'Didcot & Level Crossings' Workstation at the Thames Valley Signalling Centre in Didcot.  Swindon 'B' only opened as recently as September 1993 and incorporated similar technology (such as Automatic Route Setting) that was found in the recently closed Slough IECC.

That means only Swindon Panel, Oxford, and Slough Panel remain to transfer to the TVSC^» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about) from the original list - though I believe the TVSC will now have to be expanded to cater for additional box closures.

Looks strikingly similar, except I expect all the signals worked OK after the water receded!

I believe all radios have been fitted, so any further replacement Turbos will be due to the Traincrew issues following the flooding.  Had the Class 180 situation not been so dire before the Christmas disruption, I don't think anyone would have bothered too much with a temporary (and to be honest, sensible) removal of them from the route over the past couple of days, but it does appear to be one excuse after another.

I think, come the start of the new year, we will all be watching the Class 180 situation with interest, and it needs to improve greatly otherwise I can see it becoming a serious issue for FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s credibility in the run up to a new delayed franchise.


If you let me know what train you're booked on I can let you know what is planned and what you'll get.

Just an update on Class 180 availability.  I'm told that part of the reason for the poor availability throughout early December was that the fleet needed fitting with GSM-R^▸ (Global System for Mobile communications - Railway.) radio equipment before the NRN^▸ (National Radio Network) gets switched off at the end of the year.  There have not been any out in the last few days due to the other service disruption and the need to keep as many Train Manager's available as possible, so running a Turbo DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) between Oxford and London instead of a Class 180 gives you spare staff to play with. 

Does seem like any excuse to pull them out of service though, and it doesn't help the poor sods who are expecting to have a nice reserved seat awaiting them and instead have to fight it out for space on a Turbo.  This is the reservation list for one train, the 09:21 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-WOF this morning:

There were no shortage of sets stabled in Reading fuel point as I went past around noon on Friday - probably about ten at a guess.  Not all would have been available for use, but I bet a fair few of them would have been.

Funny how the adverts on TV and in the papers from last year for snow tyres have gone away this year when severe winter snowfall starts to seem a distant memory again.