First Great Western to go up performance leagues?

[whole diary]

[Steve44]

What services are the 180s diagrammed for? Also, how many 180s in total are there?

I saw three 180s yesterday morning in FGW^▸ (First Great Western) land, one on the Cotswold line, one south of Oxford and a third near Reading. 

Am I right in thinking that FGW have only got three? If so all in service.

Thanks for that, but i was referring to what services the ones now owned by Northern will be diagrammed for

[willc]

There are two daily 180 diagrams, for three sets, 180103, 106 and 108:

1. 6.53 Blackpool North-Hazel Grove, via Manchester Piccadilly, 9.33 Hazel Grove-Preston, 14.23 Preston-Hazel Grove; 16.33 Hazel Grove-Blackpool.

2. Works 9.22 Manchester Victoria-Blackpool and 11.20 return, then 13.22 from Manchester and 15.20 return, 17.19 and return and 21.22 Manchester to Blackpool. This set overnights at Blackpool to do diagram one the next day, so I guess the 23.13 from Blackpool returns the other set to the depot at Newton Heath, just east of Victoria.

These jobs are probably even more stop-start than the Cotswold Line, so not sure how the 180s will like them. Modern Railways has new fleet performance figures for all types of train and Hull Trains are getting far better figures than FGW^▸ (First Great Western) ever has for the 180s, probably because of sustained high-speed running without the stress and strain of stop-start.

[IndustryInsider]

However you look at it - what a waste of a 125mph train!

[northwesterntrains]

These jobs are probably even more stop-start than the Cotswold Line, so not sure how the 180s will like them. Modern Railways has new fleet performance figures for all types of train and Hull Trains are getting far better figures than FGW^▸ (First Great Western) ever has for the 180s, probably because of sustained high-speed running without the stress and strain of stop-start.

Just checked the timetable for those services (http://www.northernrail.org/pdfs/timetables/20081117/20.pdf page 20 onwards)

It seems the Hazel Grove to Preston service calls at Heaton Chapel and Levenshulme, which are two stations which most services go through on the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) between Stockport and Manchester.  However, between Manchester and Preston it calls mostly at the same stations as the Manchester Airport to Blackpool North service run by Transpennine Express using 100mph 185s.

On the other hand the Manchester Victoria to Blackpool service calls at most stations except a couple of very small ones.

The reason Northern are using 180s on those routes is because they needed extra capacity and they couldn't get hold of any Sprinter units in time.  I have heard is suggested that the 180s should have gone to Arriva Trains Wales with 4-5 158s or 175s going to Northern.