5O52 "let's clear off to Wokingham for half an hour"

[whole diary]

[bigdaz]

Can anyone explain the reason for 5O52 and whereabouts it actually does in Wokingham... does it diverge onto the line towards Crowthrone after Wokingham  junction and then come back into the station.... or does it go onto the Southern lines and return as I notice that there doesn't appear to be a crossover until just before Early station.

[Ollie]

I "think" it pops into the sidings by Wokingham signal box - it's just to keep the set out the way for a bit I believe.

[dmacw]

I 'thought' it didn't go into the sidings, but stayed on the line towards Crowthorne then just after the signalbox stopped and then headed back via a crossover.

[Ollie]

Perhaps - it's possible, in honesty I don't think it really matters lol

[bobm]

If this the one which happens around 7.30pm - it runs past the Waterloo line junction and then driver changes ends and crosses back over to the Reading bound line before coming back through the station still out of service and goes back to Reading.  It keeps clear of the siding.

[laird]

Has the service always operated in that way or was it cut back from a longer service at some point, at 730pm I would have thought the evening rush had cleared at least passenger wise?

[bobm]

I think the problem is SWT^▸ (South West Trains) have a number of trains which come in from Waterloo and then run out of service back to Staines for stabling.  As a result platforms 4A and 4B become a bit crowded so it is easier just to send the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) unit on a little jaunt to get it out of the way for a while.