Class 180 Adelantes - discussions, including their return to FGW

[whole diary]

[paul7575]

If the stories in Modern Railways and Rail about the 172s can be considered reasonably accurate, it makes sense for the LO 172s to go back to Derby for their 'minor modifications' now, while they still have 150s. 

Seems as though the completely re-routed exhaust is no longer required - I guess there'll be further detail in the rail mags in due course.

(I've no idea if they have or have not gone to Derby though, IYSWIM)

Paul

[eightf48544]

Also in October Modern Railways someone seems fairly convinced that some Adelantes are coming to FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

Which brings us back to the original topic.

[inspector_blakey]

I have put up links sometimes when i have them. As for where i have got the information from,  I either have been told by freinds who are working for some of the rail operators or  I have read the information on other rail forums.

OK, that's fine, thanks for doing that. All I'm asking is a few things: not expecting links to be posted justifying everything. Just the following:

1. If you've got the information from somewhere on the web then provide a link (you're pretty good at doing this)
2. If you read it in a magazine, tell us which one and what edition
3. If you read it on a forum somewhere, tell us which one (certain forums have a reputation for spectacularly inaccurate speculation and "gen"!)
4. If someone told you something and you're reporting hearsay, then tell us where you got it from - was it a member of staff (of course I'm not asking you to name anyone), a friend of a member of staff, a friend of a friend of a friend of a conductor's cat, etc etc. These stories tend to get more and more garbled the higher the number of removes from the "horse's mouth".

Bottom line is that the sort of post that starts "I heard that...", "I read that...", "I think that..." aren't very helpful to people unless you indicate where you saw/heard/read etc!

_{Edited to remove bizarre hanging sentence that I somehow didn't spot when I made the original post.}

[ChrisB]

And bear in mind that the Railway magazines read forums and newsgroups to get their stories too....so, read them with a pinch of salt too, unless they reveal their sources in their articles (which they're pretty crap at too!)

[IndustryInsider]

Could be more information in the next RAIL as there's an feature on Mark Hopwood - perhaps he gave them a few titbits to work on which will be fleshed out in the full article?  Magazines sometimes do that too.

[northwesterntrains]

One of the two off-lease East Coast 180s has reportedly been spotted at Edinburgh this afternoon (on railforums.co.uk), which seems to suggest that either Scotrail or TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) have asked to have a look at them.

[JayMac]

Or one of the First Hull Trains Adelantes heading up to Kilmarnock for refresh.

[IndustryInsider]

Could be more information in the next RAIL as there's an feature on Mark Hopwood - perhaps he gave them a few titbits to work on which will be fleshed out in the full article?  Magazines sometimes do that too.

Well, he didn't do that - no mention about 180's at all.  Talk of adding TS's to HST^▸ (High Speed Train) 2+7 rakes, and lengthening of more Turbo's to 6-car length though.

[ChrisB]

Wonder where the extra turbos are coming from....

[IndustryInsider]

It does beg that question, yes.  The only possibilities I can see are by 'something else' working the services on the Cotswold Line that currently remove three units per day that could be used to strengthen other peak services (two in the morning and one in the evening).  And there will be an extra one or two sets available after the Turbo refresh is completed in 2012.  Also, the 2-car set which works the Bicester Town service will be released when the line is closed and Chiltern take over.  That's not enough to make much of a difference though!

[ChrisB]

THe one or two away being refreshed are due back on current services that have been de-strengthened currently, so those don't count.

Someone else could, I guess, operate services along the cotswold Line, but where do *they* get the stock requitred from if they don't inherit those trains currently running the services?

Yes, the Bicester Town turbo(s) will be released in May 2011 when Chiltern take over that branch (if they don't inherit that turbo of course - which they might do until EG3 is complete)

[IndustryInsider]

Someone else could, I guess, operate services along the cotswold Line, but where do *they* get the stock requitred from if they don't inherit those trains currently running the services?

Yes, the Bicester Town turbo(s) will be released in May 2011 when Chiltern take over that branch (if they don't inherit that turbo of course - which they might do until EG3 is complete)

Something else, not someone else - i.e. a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) or 180.  Chiltern will almost certainly 'hire' the FGW Turbo (and our drivers) from May 2011 from what I've heard, but it won't be long after that before the line shuts for its rebuild.

[ChrisB]

Well, the turbos on the Cotswold Line are only used off-peak, which is not really when the other turbo services need strengthening....so it's unlikely that they'll come from there.

[willc]

Well, the turbos on the Cotswold Line are only used off-peak

Not sure how you could describe the 05.48 and 06.48 from London to Great Malvern as off-peak trains. Were something else to operate either or both of those services, then the Turbos would of course be available to strengthen morning peak services in the Thames Valley - and in the case of the 05.48's forerunners, something else did operate the service from the autumn of 2004 until February last year, in the shape of a 180 most of that period, then an HST^▸ (High Speed Train).

[JayMac]

Well, the turbos on the Cotswold Line are only used off-peak

Not sure how you could describe the 05.48 and 06.48 from London to Great Malvern as off-peak trains.

Well, Off-Peak fares (SVR) are available on them!