Relief Line Speed Increases - starting 4th August

[whole diary]

[johoare]

 It's common talk that the 18.06 (Frome) will also call at Maidenhead in the December timetable.

Ooh, I do hope so... I've been asking for the 18.06 fast to Maidenhead to be re-instated ever since they took it away (it being in the list of top ten overcrowded train in the country Times at the time!!)

Reinstating the 17:06 fast to Maidenhead would a good step the 17:18 which replaced the first evening fast to Maidenhead is over crowded

In fact both would be good!.. please FGW^▸ (First Great Western)? 

[eightf48544]

Are FGW^▸ (First Great Western) going to do any passenger awareness campaigns on the raised speed limit especially at Burnham and Taplow which have most non stop trains throughout the day?

Burnham is an island platform and fairly narrow by the building. Platform 3 (Down Relief) at Taplow is on a curve and particularly narrow at one point. Tplow and Burnham both have numbers of school children joining services in the morning peak.

Presumably this speed increase is why there is a 100mm cant through Taplow to allow 90 mph.

[IndustryInsider]

Are FGW^▸ (First Great Western) going to do any passenger awareness campaigns on the raised speed limit especially at Burnham and Taplow which have most non stop trains throughout the day?

Hopefully there'll be some posters up at the stations at least - Langley poses the same potential problems.

[Boppy]

Hi,

Thanks for posting about this speed increase  .  As a member of the public I'm always interested to here about any progress - I hope FGW^▸ (First Great Western) put up some posters to let people know about the upgrade as I'm sure a lot of people would be interested.

I've no idea about the decision making progress involved in such projects but after the upgrade to 90mph it sounds like 4-aspect signals would be a higher priority and may still happen - is that the case?  Especially, if as IndustryInsider says below, this would allow for further speed increases on some stretches?

Also, I'm sure there's a good site to find out the specs of various train units but out of interest can someone tell me what is the actual maximum speed of the Turbos (assuming on the flat and without an enforced speed restriction)?  Is it actually around 90mph?

Thanks,

Boppy.

[Btline]

Yes, the max speed of Thames Turbos is 90 mph.

[IndustryInsider]

Yes, the max speed of Thames Turbos is 90 mph.

They have a maximum service speed of 90 mph, and an overspeed sensor will kick in and cut power to the engines at around about 92-93mph depending on the set. If there was no overspeed sensor then I reckon engines in good condition could reach 100-105mph. There was a brief trial (in the mid 90's I think) to see if 100mph would be a more beneficial top speed, but I believe it was dropped due to the additional wear-and-tear on the engines. Any more than 100mph and you start to run into safety restrictions regarding passengers travelling in the front of carriages. Chiltern Railways very similar Class 168 (Clubmans) are 100mph capable, as well as the latest designs of Turbostars.

[Boppy]

Thanks for the info.

Interesting how there is a preventative overspeed sensor to protect against excessive wear and tear.

Cheers!

Boppy.

[John R]

The overspeed sensor is there to stop drivers exceeding the maximum permitted speed, and I believe is on most if not all passenger stock. (No more 140mph dashes in HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) that we got in the 1970s.) The wear and tear relates to the decision not to raise the maximum speed of the units. 

[IndustryInsider]

Well, we're over a day into the new linespeeds, though I haven't heard any reports of trains arriving half an hour early into Paddington yet.... 

[devon_metro]

Read somewhere that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) management did not consider turbos safe enough to run at higher speeds and will stick to the non DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) permissive speed signs.

[BBM]

Read somewhere that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) management did not consider turbos safe enough to run at higher speeds and will stick to the non DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) permissive speed signs.

My experience so far after two days is that the Turbos I've used on the reliefs between Twyford and Maidenhead have been definitely faster. No longer does the driver "take his foot off the gas" at White Waltham! Yesterday's 17:36 from Paddington was half a minute late leaving Maidenhead but it was half a minute early at Twyford. I didn't exactly time today's train but it was definitely early arriving at Twyford. Up until last week an on-time departure from Maidenhead simply meant an on-time arrival at Twyford.

[IndustryInsider]

Read somewhere that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) management did not consider turbos safe enough to run at higher speeds and will stick to the non DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) permissive speed signs.

That's not the case, devon_metro, Turbos are being permitted to travel at the new 'MU^▸ (Multiple Unit)' speeds, as BBM suggested.