South Wales local services - Pembroke, Fishguard, Swanline, etc.

[whole diary]

[phile]

The 1530 Manchester to Pembroke Dock has been amended to be worked by a 175/1 instead of a 175/0.     The Diagram starts and finishes at Carmarthen so I deduce that it terminates at Carmarthen otherwise it would have insufficient fuel to complete 3 days without re-fuelling if it continued to Pembroke Dock and back to Carmarthen.   When it was a 175/0 and with the transpositions it was possible to have a freshly fuelled unit down from Cardiff the night before.

[Rhydgaled]

The new ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) timetable 3 now online is a bit odd. It says SUMMER at the top but, unlike in previous years (2011 and 2012 at least) the dates given on the cover are May to December, rather than May to September. That's not helpful for me since I'm trying to work out when the current trial arrangment for the Fishguard services expires (yes, I know it's September but when exactly, I assumed the September timetable change, but when is that?). Also, does the fact it's a single timetable through to December mean the Fishguard service is now guaranteed through to December at least?

[paul7575]

The next National timetable runs from May to December, as it has for a number of years.  Within that timescale there are a number of standard slots for dated changes, so the ability to have a dated summer only service is still there.   

In my experience it's quite a while since most TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) stopped issuing May to September timetables, they'll normally just use dated columns, unless that makes the booklet too complicated.  I'd suggest confirming any date change info in the appropriate table in the online NRTT.  A quick glance through table 128 shows some trains are altered from 6 Sept, but there are others that run differently after 20 Oct.

Paul

[grahame]

... and looking in particular at services to Firshguard, they appear in the National Rail timetable until December / at a quick glance at a huge .pdf I saw noting dated nor any cautions.   I would anticipate that the instigators of the trial, and also the providers of the service, would have something in place for each eventuality of the outcome of the trial and that would/will be decided in good time before any changes of provision.

[grahame]

... and looking in particular at services to Fishguard, they appear in the National Rail timetable until December

Survey / consultation - "what now at end of trial" ...

http://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/content.asp?nav=101,988&parent_directory_id=646&id=29872&Language=

[Rhydgaled]

With three months to go on the Fishguard trial service (according to my estimate of when it will end) I've produced a new video, which is episode 4 of my "Trains For Fishguard" series.

[Rhydgaled]

I was out and about (at Whitland and Carmarthen) yesterday (Saturday 4th July) collecting footage which may be useful in future videos.

RealTime Trains shows the 08:35 Pembroke Dock - Whitland runs into platform 3 at Whitland and sure enough the Pacer ran into the seldom-used bay platform. However, RealTime Trains doesn't show anything leaving from platform 3 and I didn't have time to hang arround and see how it gets out. Does it have to wait until the 09:40 Carmarthen - Tenby has reached the latter and surrended the token for the Whitland-Tenby section? If that is the case, what forms the 10:05 Whitland - Swansea? I saw the Pacer later sitting at Carmarthen at 14:00ish. I assume it got there on the 12:35 from Swansea, does it do anything else later in the day or does it just sit there until Monday morning?

I was rather supprised that the 09:40 Carmarthen - Tenby (which I had expected to be the other Pembroke Pacer) was a 158. How did that happen? 158 vice Pacer is a big supprise given it is normally 158s that appear to be in short supply with 150s turning up in lieu. The booked 158 on the Fishguard boat train also turned up for once, and the more-reliable 06:30 MAN-Milford Haven was a 158 as normal for a Saturday, so I saw a lot more 158s in the west than normal. The third (and final?) Pembroke diagram (which I think is the one that starts with the 09:56 Fishguard) was a 150 as expected.

[Hafren]

I'm fairly certain the 8.35SO terminates in the bay (connecting with the Manchester) and then shunts to the up platform to form the Whitland-Swansea that on non-Summer-Saturdays would have come from PMD. The signalling appears to allow this to be done without entering the token section. It can shunt out to the branch advanced starter, which is the start of token section and clearing point for the outer home coming from the branch, and then reverse towards the inner home. Incidentally the branch signals have recently become colour lights (must have been in the last year or two) so the outer is now a 3 aspect (but the distant is still a fixed board).

I haven't seen a Pacer that way for some time - all 3 diagrams appear to be 150s now. 158s do substitute on occasion - can be a pleasant surprise!

Realtimetrains suggests the 12.35 SWA^» (Swansea - next trains)-CMN runs ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) back to SWA  to form the 17.50, i.e. to get back onto the diagram that it cwould have followed on a weekday had it done the PMD cycle that is covered by HST^▸ (High Speed Train) on Saturdays. With a few hours' dead time it would be nice if resources could be found to put it on an extra run to Fishguard or Llandovery!

[Rhydgaled]

Thanks Hafren for the information.

With a few hours' dead time it would be nice if resources could be found to put it on an extra run to Fishguard or Llandovery!

The unit is only idle on summer Saturdays though, isn't it? Probably not of huge benifit to Fishguard or Llandovery if it can't run at other times of the week/year as well. However, Tenby seems to get really busy on summer Saturdays and has a special summer SAT timetable anyway, which makes me wonder whether a little tweaking to the adjacent Pembroke services perhaps would allow the idle unit to make a Carmarthen - Tenby run followed by a Tenby - Swansea service. Not possible without shifting other trains about though, so it might not work out.

[phile]

I was out and about (at Whitland and Carmarthen) yesterday (Saturday 4th July) collecting footage which may be useful in future videos.

RealTime Trains shows the 08:35 Pembroke Dock - Whitland runs into platform 3 at Whitland and sure enough the Pacer ran into the seldom-used bay platform. However, RealTime Trains doesn't show anything leaving from platform 3 and I didn't have time to hang arround and see how it gets out. Does it have to wait until the 09:40 Carmarthen - Tenby has reached the latter and surrended the token for the Whitland-Tenby section? If that is the case, what forms the 10:05 Whitland - Swansea? I saw the Pacer later sitting at Carmarthen at 14:00ish. I assume it got there on the 12:35 from Swansea, does it do anything else later in the day or does it just sit there until Monday morning?

I was rather supprised that the 09:40 Carmarthen - Tenby (which I had expected to be the other Pembroke Pacer) was a 158. How did that happen? 158 vice Pacer is a big supprise given it is normally 158s that appear to be in short supply with 150s turning up in lieu. The booked 158 on the Fishguard boat train also turned up for once, and the more-reliable 06:30 MAN-Milford Haven was a 158 as normal for a Saturday, so I saw a lot more 158s in the west than normal. The third (and final?) Pembroke diagram (which I think is the one that starts with the 09:56 Fishguard) was a 150 as expected.

Just picked up on this as I have been in hospital.  Whitland shunt answered and Pacer runs 17+xx to Swansea as confirmed also.    09 40 Carmarthen to Tenby booked neither Pacer nor 158, but a 150 so an unscheduled more  comfortable ride.   This Saturday Pacer diagram is the only one now on the Pembroke Docks.   Everything else on the all day diagrams are and have been for a considerable time, booked for 150s.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Just picked up on this as I have been in hospital.

Welcome back to the Coffee Shop forum, then, phile.  Hope it all went well. 

[phile]

Just picked up on this as I have been in hospital.

Welcome back to the Coffee Shop forum, then, phile.  Hope it all went well. 

Thanks. Hip replacement which was OK but problem now with sore on heel which needs daily dressing by nurse.     This is holding everything else back.

[Rhydgaled]

RealTime Trains shows the 08:35 Pembroke Dock - Whitland runs into platform 3 at Whitland and sure enough the Pacer ran into the seldom-used bay platform.

This Saturday Pacer diagram is the only one now on the Pembroke Docks. Everything else on the all day diagrams are and have been for a considerable time, booked for 150s.

Thanks for the additional information.

I was out again on Saturday 11th (I'm aiming to get out most Saturdays for the remainder of this summer) to find a train had struck a herd of cows, temporarily blocking the line between Whitland and Carmarthen. Does anyone know if it was the 07:07 Milford - Manchester which hit the cows, as I think I saw this unit when it arrived at Carmarthen at about 10:25? If it did hit the cows, it seems to have sustained supprisingly little damage.

[Rhydgaled]

the 12.35 SWA^» (Swansea - next trains)-CMN runs ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) back to SWA  to form the 17.50

RealTime trains says that Pacer uses platform 2 at Carmarthen. However, this week (11th July) it was parked in the un-numbered platform face behind platform 2 (when I saw it at about 16:30). There didn't seem to be a signal at the end of that platform road (unlike platforms one and two which have the new three-in-one-aspect colour lights) so I wonder whether it is signaled for passenger arrivals but only ECS departures are permitted?

[phile]

the 12.35 SWA^» (Swansea - next trains)-CMN runs ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) back to SWA  to form the 17.50

RealTime trains says that Pacer uses platform 2 at Carmarthen. However, this week (11th July) it was parked in the un-numbered platform face behind platform 2 (when I saw it at about 16:30). There didn't seem to be a signal at the end of that platform road (unlike platforms one and two which have the new three-in-one-aspect colour lights) so I wonder whether it is signaled for passenger arrivals but only ECS departures are permitted?

What's the matter with shunting to and from that face.  Probably clear Platform 2 for a Summer Saturday HST^▸ (High Speed Train).    It could run ECS to Swansea from there as it could run as an empty movement.   What you see in RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) doesn't always happen.