14:42 from Filton Abbey Wood to Taunton 13th Nov 2009

[whole diary]

[Phil]

Anyone know what was going on with the 14:42 from Filton Abbey Wood to Taunton today (13th Nov 2009)?

My son commutes from Filton Abbey Wood to Melksham (or at least he would; he actually drives to and from Trowbridge each day due to the lack of trains at Melksham  ) and came home with an interesting story today. He's not a train enthusiast so please excuse lack of detail!

Apparently on arrival at FAW the 14:42, which he got as far as Temple Meads,  turned out to be two "big old diesels, one at either end, with flat fronts" pulling a train of "really old coaches from the 1970s. They were blue, with Intercity written on the side, grey seats with cream tables and lots of room (and lots of tables!), and the lighting seemed really yellow by today's standards"

[devon_metro]

Its the daily loco hauled set that is covering for a lack of units. Service was 1400 Cardiff - Taunton

[DevonTrains2008]

Nice to see some old BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) stock back!

P.S are there any intercity 125s in origanal BR state eg blue and white livery, orange interiors that do 'railtours' e.g that you can buy tickets for? If so, can someone let me know - I did see a picture of one like this on wikipedia it was 'up north' and I think it was a couple of years ago.

Thanks in advance

[eightf48544]

Nice to see some old BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) stock back!

P.S are there any intercity 125s in origanal BR state eg blue and white livery, orange interiors that do 'railtours' e.g that you can buy tickets for? If so, can someone let me know - I did see a picture of one like this on wikipedia it was 'up north' and I think it was a couple of years ago.

Thanks in advance

Pretty sure theere aren't any STs in Br livery left. Not sure if there aren't some with unrebuilt standard coaches, i.e lots of tables and few high backed airline seats, not sure who runs them.

[thetrout]

MKII Anyone...??!

[Timmer]

Yes please. Would love to see loco hauled back on the Cardiff-Portsmouth route. With 3 car 158s pretty much full now at times an alternative will soon have to be thought of now we aren't getting 4 car DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit).

[Phil]

Thanks, Trout! That's exactly the one. My son now thinks I'm pretty impressive* for not only knowing the right people to ask but to find photos of the actual train he was on 




_{*and perhaps a little sad} 

[grahame]

Apparently on arrival at FAW the 14:42, which he got as far as Temple Meads,  turned out to be two "big old diesels, one at either end, with flat fronts" pulling a train of "really old coaches from the 1970s. They were blue, with Intercity written on the side, grey seats with cream tables and lots of room (and lots of tables!), and the lighting seemed really yellow by today's standards"

Phil - that's an excellent factual report.   We see / hear about the "loco hauled trains" from the "conniseurs" who love them for the most part, yet they are old by comparison.  Was he positive or negative in attitude - did the "lots of room and tables" outweigh the "old and yellow lighting"?  I would be really interested to learn what people who chance upon that train for the first time think.

[Phil]

Good point, Graham. I've just asked him and he loved the fact that there was leg room, baggage racks, and TABLES. Said he wished he could have the same every day.

When I prompted him about the seat backs, he said that he hadn't thought about it at the time but looking back, yes he did prefer the fact that he could see all around him, and was able to see out of the windows.

The lighting didn't bother him, it just struck him as old fashioned.

It's maybe also worth mentioning that in common with a large percentage of the male population, he's partially colour blind - hence why the seats appeared grey!

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

mk 2's anyone?

[Timmer]

Mk2s^▸ (Mark 2 coach) are good carriages and would gladly travel in one anyday over an DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit).

[Lee]

Yes please. Would love to see loco hauled back on the Cardiff-Portsmouth route. With 3 car 158s pretty much full now at times an alternative will soon have to be thought of now we aren't getting 4 car DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit).

I'd be interested to know how viable an alternative this would be. For example, I remember (before the first loco-hauled set was introduced) proposing such a solution to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) as an interim measure, only to be told that it would be too expensive. Fast forward, and it would appear that FGW will have 2 such sets on the Cross-Bristol network from December.

Questions:

1) How much does it currently cost to hire the loco-hauled sets?

2) How feasible would it be, availability-wise, to bring more loco-hauled sets onto the FGW network?

3) Would I be right in assuming that a 4-coach loco-hauled set wouldnt have that many more seats than a 3-coach Class 158 unit?

[devon_metro]

It is worth noting that both sets are funded by the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about), so FGW^▸ (First Great Western) has small costs.

[Lee]

Cheers for that. I knew that DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) requested and funded the first set, but I wasnt sure what the situation was with the set being introduced in December.

Another reason I am asking the 3 questions is in the context of the RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy), which I am currently (and belatedly) studying.

Any answers most appreciated.

[thetrout]

I think as Timmer says... Loco Hauled for the Cardiff - Portsmouth especially on the busier Bath and Bristol Diagrams would be a suitable option. For Example, if you had 6 Loco Hauled Carriages, maybe refurbed similar to the CrossCountry HST^▸ (High Speed Train) design that featured: Disabled Toilet, Galley/Buffet and maybe First Class seating... A formation such as BSOD+TSO^▸ (The Stationary Office (now OPSI))+TSO+TSO+TSO+TMBF

It would certainly make much more sense to have a Buffet on a Loco Hauled set on this route as the trolley can't always get up and down the train... plus it takes up the space of about 4 people when the train is full and standing...

Also having First Class seating on Cardiff - Portsmouth would make it a much more attractive route for business travellers who want to work on the move... Also I personally think that sitting on an overcrowded 2+2 Layout 158 from Portsmouth > Bath Spa isn't overly comfortable... The tickets for FC^‡(resolve) are available between Bristol & Salisbury, but only 4 Trains in each direction run with First Class (SWT^▸ (South West Trains))

The disabled loo's are not exactly up to standards to use with a modern day wheelchair... let alone usable at all on occasions...!

So to summerise, Yes it would be good to see Loco Hauled on this route... And considering the amount of unused MKII stock out there... it might as well be put to good use whilst it's still usable... As in all honesty, I'd rather sit on a 1970's style MKII than a noisy 158 any day