Loco hauled

[whole diary]

[devon_metro]

And slow down already slow Torbay trains!

[grahame]

for once i was messing around... was anyone else being serious?

There's many a true word spoken in jest.   There *is* a TransWilts traffic / case from Yeovil and Frome up to Chippenham and Swindon (the Yeovil / Frome being arguable against Salisbury and Warminster origins, and depending on excellent connections from those palces at Westbury). 

Whether it's as part of a through service and a longer train, or more local, isn't wildly going to effect the revenue flow from the TransWilts segment.  I can tell you that there's a remarkably high proportion of through traffic (or has been historically) on certain trains, whereas others had a very high proportion locally - so there are two markets ... with some of the longer distant ones not being too route specific.  I can tell you that give a couple of years of reliable service and a timetable like the '08 draft, the 153 might be getting rather busy 

To add another iron into the fire.  From Swindon, carry on to Oxford - sort out another market / traffic that has been seriously degraded in recent years.  But - please - many of these options would be longer term and the crying need is to deal with the Trowbridge to Swindon, the Chippenham to Salisbury, and the Melksham to anywhere traffic

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

yeovil could be better utilized, if the link between junction and pen mill was more subsantial and if there was a down cord from junction to weymouth...

with the improvements at axminster and increased frequency im sure you will see traffic increasing on this route... infact when i go to yeovil the only off putting thing for me reguarding getting the train is that it isnt anywhere near town !! grr is pen mill closer?

[thetrout]

To add another iron into the fire.  From Swindon, carry on to Oxford - sort out another market / traffic that has been seriously degraded in recent years.  But - please - many of these options would be longer term and the crying need is to deal with the Trowbridge to Swindon, the Chippenham to Salisbury, and the Melksham to anywhere traffic

I agree with you. Although the current service is inadequete. I would see more demand from Frome. When I went to college, I lived in Frome. The course I wanted to do was only available at Chippenham at a 9:00 start. Guess What, The first bus for chippenham from Frome didn't get me there anywhere near on time.

However. If you had a service that ran from Frome direct to Chippenham. College students wanting to get to the Chippenham Campus can actually get there for the start of their course. Although some people may say do the course at Trowbridge, That's not always an option because some courses especially IT & Media/Music are only available at Chippenham.

If you had a route from say Taunton - Swindon. The demand for such a service would exist. also if you could offer cheaper season tickets than First Buses or FGW^▸ (First Great Western), then you would see those trains quickly fill up. A LHCS^▸ (Locomotive Hauled Coaching Stock) of 4 Carriages maybe hauled by a Class 37/47/57 or even a 67 would be most appropriate.

[anthony215]

Just had word from a freind who works for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and have also read the same thing on the WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes) forum that FGW are to withdraw the paignton loco hauled set at the end of this week.

At the moment i have been told  by my freind that the other loco hauled diagram could continue to at least   2011

[Chris from Nailsea]

This story has also been mentioned before, on another board: see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=7531.msg75744#msg75744 

[vacman]

we were also meant to get some of the 150/1's this week from London Overground but I believe this has been put back by a few days so the LHCS^▸ (Locomotive Hauled Coaching Stock) may stay for another week or two.

[devon_metro]

Glad I travelled on it last week before I moved out of the area 

[IndustryInsider]

we were also meant to get some of the 150/1's this week from London Overground but I believe this has been put back by a few days so the LHCS^▸ (Locomotive Hauled Coaching Stock) may stay for another week or two.

I spent some of yesterday afternoon travelling on the Gospel Oak to Barking route and there wasn't a 172 to be seen, just 3 of the 150's plying the route.  That may have changed when the 15-minute frequencies started in the peak, but I couldn't wait that long.  It does show that the 150's are still very much needed though!

[ChrisB]

That route is the last to get 172s - sometime soon....

[IndustryInsider]

Not sure what you mean?  It's the first to get the 172's isn't it?  Followed by Chiltern and London Midland's orders.  Class 172's have in fact been working that route for several months, but design problems have led to them not replacing the 150's as quickly as hoped.  With none of them working off-peak yesterday it reinforced what 'vacman' said about further delays in the 150's transfer to FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

[vacman]

Not sure what you mean?  It's the first to get the 172's isn't it?  Followed by Chiltern and London Midland's orders.  Class 172's have in fact been working that route for several months, but design problems have led to them not replacing the 150's as quickly as hoped.  With none of them working off-peak yesterday it reinforced what 'vacman' said about further delays in the 150's transfer to FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

We should have all the LO units by early next year but two or three are due to come asap.

[paul7575]

Not sure what you mean?  It's the first to get the 172's isn't it?  Followed by Chiltern and London Midland's orders.  Class 172's have in fact been working that route for several months, but design problems have led to them not replacing the 150's as quickly as hoped.  With none of them working off-peak yesterday it reinforced what 'vacman' said about further delays in the 150's transfer to FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

Definitely the first (and only LO) route to get 172s, but there have been reports elsewhere that 3 of LO's units have gone back to Derby a week or so ago. Pure speculation on my part, but after the recent rail mag articles saying that they don't need their exhausts completely rerouting, but only some minor mods are needed, perhaps LO are having theirs done while they still have the 150s to avoid hassle later?

Paul

[anthony215]

Had an email from one of my freinds who is working for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and have also read this on WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes) that the  FGW Loco hauled trains are set to continue for at least a few more weeks/months til London Overground release  their class 150's.

[qwerty]

Had an email from one of my freinds who is working for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and have also read this on WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes) that the  FGW Loco hauled trains are set to continue for at least a few more weeks/months til London Overground release  their class 150's.

Staff have been told that DBS^» (Deutsch Bahn Schenker - UK^▸ (United Kingdom) website) are on a rolling 1 week contract now for provision of one of the loco hauled sets. So it could stop quite abruptly.