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DidcotPunter
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« Reply #270 on: June 09, 2016, 10:24:11 » |
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Informed insiders would find it very difficult to deny these stories   Very good! Of course there are informed insiders on here too!
There is huge sense in having a single standard fleet (until a problems' found / check's needed on the whole fleet as happened with HEX)
Agreed. The idea of a split fleet for what was essentially the LTV▸ outer suburban services and the branches (inner suburban is going to Crossrail) seemed a bit daft to me. Also LTV will still be retaining some turbo units for the Marlow branch and Gatwick services, as well as a Didcot-Oxford stopping shuttle until Oxford is wired.
Would I be right in saying that 387s are dual equipped - overhead and 3rd rail - so that (for example) the outer suburban services could be diverted into Waterloo if there was a problem between Paddington and Reading?
I think from the pictures I've seen that they are (there are clearly collector shoe beams on the driving car bogies), but I'm not expert on that. Any diversion into Waterloo would require the creation of a 25kV AC/750V DC▸ interface at Reading New Junction on the connection with the down main or on the eastern underpass. |
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DidcotPunter
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« Reply #271 on: June 09, 2016, 10:34:08 » |
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Assuming that all comes to pass then it is an improved situation on what was already quite a good deal for GWR▸ passengers:
As you say, the AT300's will allow the through Bedwyn services to continue - though I have a feeling that many will continue to Westbury or beyond - which was really awkward if Newbury to Bedwyn diesel shuttles had needed to be retained as originally planned. The turnback at Bedwyn will need to be extended to accomodate a 5-car Hitachi unit.
The more trains with 125mph capability on the main lines the better, and with an all-new fleet of Class 387 and none of the much older Class 365s the eastern end of the GWR routes will have the most modern fleet in the country. Most welcome news for passengers and staff.
I suspect the DfT is taking a bit of a hammering financially to make all this possible, due to the electrification delays!
Indeed, if this now happens it will be excellent news for passengers and staff. A silver lining in the cloud surrounding the electrification delays. You're not the only one suggesting the Bedwyn services might be extended to Westbury. Provided there are the IEP▸ /AT300 units available this would be a sensible idea. Good connections at Westbury for passengers travelling west of Newbury and also might provide Pewsey with a decent service for the first time in living memory. |
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #272 on: June 09, 2016, 11:03:03 » |
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Yes indeed. It's only really the historical reasons of the old Network SouthEast border being at Bedwyn, and DOO▸ / CSR▸ equipment not being fitted beyond Bedwyn that stopped the Turbo trains ever getting there. It was mooted a few times over the years but never happened. You might need to find two extra units to work the service, but with that you would get much better service resilience. At the moment there is just seven minutes between arriving at Bedwyn from Paddington, doing the shunt to the other platform and then departing for London, so if a train from London arrives late, it departs late back to London! Connections west from Newbury and Hungerford would be massively improved, as would the service at Westbury and especially Pewsey. One for the timetable planners hopefully...  |
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To view my GWML▸ Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/ |
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paul7575
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« Reply #273 on: June 09, 2016, 13:08:42 » |
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As they're new build for GWR▸ , I doubt it's included in the spec....but does anyone *know* for sure?
The pictures of GW▸ liveried units from the follow on batch of 8 show that they have pickup shoes, but that doesn't mean the rest will. But fitting shoes to a modern EMU▸ is a fairly trivial matter, because they all have a DC▸ stage in their traction power system. Whether or not they come fitted would not prevent them being so fitted in future, if some cunning plan required then to run on DC lines somewhere near Reading for instance. Paul |
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Noggin
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« Reply #274 on: June 09, 2016, 13:11:58 » |
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Yes indeed. It's only really the historical reasons of the old Network SouthEast border being at Bedwyn, and DOO▸ / CSR▸ equipment not being fitted beyond Bedwyn that stopped the Turbo trains ever getting there. It was mooted a few times over the years but never happened. You might need to find two extra units to work the service, but with that you would get much better service resilience. At the moment there is just seven minutes between arriving at Bedwyn from Paddington, doing the shunt to the other platform and then departing for London, so if a train from London arrives late, it departs late back to London! Connections west from Newbury and Hungerford would be massively improved, as would the service at Westbury and especially Pewsey. One for the timetable planners hopefully... Don't forget also that the current Under Secretary of State for Transport just happens to be MP▸ for Devizes, which covers Pewsey IIRC▸ , not to mention that an awful lot of other constituencies elected Tory MPs at the last election. I was also reminded this morning that the MP for Derbyshire Dales (i.e. the bit north of Derby) is Secretary of State for Transport. Can't have done much harm when it came to orders being sent Bombardier's way, particularly as Derby North is a pretty marginal seat (and even Derby South might be winnable if Margaret Beckett should step down). AFAIK▸ , pick-up shoes are generally fitted at manufacture to allow acceptance testing, then if not required, removed to facilitate maintenance, avoid damage from obstructions etc. But ultimately, the ROSCO» owns a dual-voltage EMU▸ that can be redeployed to a TOC▸ where the shoegear is required. |
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paul7575
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« Reply #275 on: June 09, 2016, 13:18:34 » |
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AFAIK▸ , pick-up shoes are generally fitted at manufacture to allow acceptance testing, then if not required, removed to facilitate maintenance, avoid damage from obstructions etc.
Or in the case of the LM▸ 350/1s they simply run around with their shoe gear permanently in the raised position, where it can't be seen behind the shoe beam unless you get down really low. Paul |
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grahame
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« Reply #276 on: June 09, 2016, 19:20:19 » |
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Yes indeed. It's only really the historical reasons of the old Network SouthEast border being at Bedwyn, and DOO▸ / CSR▸ equipment not being fitted beyond Bedwyn that stopped the Turbo trains ever getting there. It was mooted a few times over the years but never happened. You might need to find two extra units to work the service, but with that you would get much better service resilience. At the moment there is just seven minutes between arriving at Bedwyn from Paddington, doing the shunt to the other platform and then departing for London, so if a train from London arrives late, it departs late back to London! Connections west from Newbury and Hungerford would be massively improved, as would the service at Westbury and especially Pewsey. One for the timetable planners hopefully... There have been various ideas mooted over the years. A suggestion to extend to Westbury on existing stock levels, halving frequency west of Newbury, went down like a lead balloon. Ideas of skipping stops alternately at Kintbury and Bedwyn were equally unpopular. And a service needing more trains didn't sit too well with the people who have to sanction and pay for the hire of trains. People at Pewsey are less than enamoured by the current service with just a handful of stops being replaced by something that takes quite a bit longer and provides largely unwanted journey opportunities like Pewsey to Midgham, and people at Westbury have similar concern together with a worry that they'll loose service heading to The West as a result. Anyone who can solve all that lot is - in my view - a genius! |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
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Electric train
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« Reply #277 on: June 10, 2016, 22:25:08 » |
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Yes indeed. It's only really the historical reasons of the old Network SouthEast border being at Bedwyn, and DOO▸ / CSR▸ equipment not being fitted beyond Bedwyn that stopped the Turbo trains ever getting there. It was mooted a few times over the years but never happened. You might need to find two extra units to work the service, but with that you would get much better service resilience. At the moment there is just seven minutes between arriving at Bedwyn from Paddington, doing the shunt to the other platform and then departing for London, so if a train from London arrives late, it departs late back to London! Connections west from Newbury and Hungerford would be massively improved, as would the service at Westbury and especially Pewsey. One for the timetable planners hopefully... There have been various ideas mooted over the years. A suggestion to extend to Westbury on existing stock levels, halving frequency west of Newbury, went down like a lead balloon. Ideas of skipping stops alternately at Kintbury and Bedwyn were equally unpopular. And a service needing more trains didn't sit too well with the people who have to sanction and pay for the hire of trains. People at Pewsey are less than enamoured by the current service with just a handful of stops being replaced by something that takes quite a bit longer and provides largely unwanted journey opportunities like Pewsey to Midgham, and people at Westbury have similar concern together with a worry that they'll loose service heading to The West as a result. Anyone who can solve all that lot is - in my view - a genius! Future electrification to places like Westbury will have to be in part if not wholly locally sourced, some of it may come from central Government but the new funding model for NR» means if a Local Authority wants an enhanced railway service in their area they can no longer demand its done. |
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Starship just experienced what we call a rapid unscheduled disassembly, or a RUD, during ascent,”
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LiskeardRich
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« Reply #279 on: June 12, 2016, 20:50:48 » |
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It has been mooted that the 387s will start running from 5th September. I notice on the train feeds they are down as running from the 1st August (Although of course these may not have been updated yet) http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C44181/2016/08/01/advancedWTT▸ schedule UID C44181, identity 2S07
Runs SSuX between 01/08/2016 to 09/12/2016 That one says 165/6 DMU▸ Pathed as Class 165/1 or 166 (Turbo) DMU |
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All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
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Adelante_CCT
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« Reply #280 on: June 12, 2016, 21:19:41 » |
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Pathed as Class 165/1 or 166 (Turbo) DMU▸ They all do, same as the ones that were due to start in May, they are all pathed as 165/166 as the timings/speed will be the same. If you follow the diagrams from the beginning to the end of the day they start/finish at North Pole, which is where the 387s will initially be based |
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #281 on: June 13, 2016, 11:28:05 » |
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Yes, the pathing type can be completely different from the actual planned traction. For example many of Chiltern's services are pathed as Class 158s (when they haven't got any!), and many of the Northern Electric services operated by Class 319s are still pathed for the old DMU▸ 's that used to operate them.
I should imagine the initial services are driver training runs, though there's still no deal in place for the training programme I hear that outstanding issues are pretty much resolved now.
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« Last Edit: June 13, 2016, 13:25:29 by IndustryInsider »
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To view my GWML▸ Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/ |
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paul7575
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« Reply #282 on: July 08, 2016, 00:47:39 » |
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The first GW▸ unit, 387130, has been reported tonight as being delivered to Bletchley depot for its period of main line test running.
A successful couple of weeks at the temporary base should then see it arrive with GWR▸ .
Paul
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #283 on: July 08, 2016, 11:14:03 » |
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A training deal with the unions and GWR▸ is still not signed off, but 'close', so hopefully trains will be in place and drivers able to learn them (Paddington LTV▸ depot first), so that the September date for the shuttle service can be achieved.
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To view my GWML▸ Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/ |
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