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GWR Intercity Express Train (IEP) initial diagrams & allocations

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JN114

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I like the way some people still describe Class 165/166's as "Thames Turbos" when Thames Trains ceased to exist years ago.

Excuse the digression but they were known as Thames Turbos before Thames Trains existed as well...
 
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jimm

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I thought the 9 cars were being introduced on the Cheltenham services first?

I'd understood for a while that they were expected to appear on both routes at the same time - not least because one of the diagrams that should start on Monday includes runs to both Cheltenham and Hereford over the course of the day.

I like the way some people still describe Class 165/166's as "Thames Turbos" when Thames Trains ceased to exist years ago.

Which makes it even more odd that the term is still used. :D

swt_passenger explained the origins of the name. At the time the 165s and 166s were introduced on Paddington services there was plenty of marketing using the branding and it was also on the sides of the trains when they were in Network South East livery, so it became well known and widely used.

The Thames Turbo wording and emblem were normally located between the windows of the first class compartments and in many cases survived long into the Thames Trains period, as they were very slow to give the trains a new livery.

The bodyside branding can be seen in this picture from 2001 by Martin Loader, taken nine years after the 165s were introduced

http://hondawanderer.com/165004_Basingstoke_2001.htm
 

JN114

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From tomorrow (13/06/18), the following North Cotswold services are planned to be 9 car IETs:

1W12 0547 London Paddington - Worcester FS 0815
1P22 0825 Worcester FS - London Paddington 1057

1W14 0652 London Paddington - Great Malvern 0937
1P25 0954 Great Malvern - London Paddington 1228

1W29 1421 London Paddington - Worcester FS 1644
1P42 1725 Worcester FS - London Paddington 1959

1W33 1622 London Paddington - Great Malvern 1924
1P47 1942 Great Malvern - London Paddington 2236

Of course they're subject to last minute change, but hopefully no teething issues will arise...

Jinxed it.

Not happening today due to TMS issues on the 9 cars. Diagram will be covered with a 5 car today; with resultant shortforms elsewhere to provide said 5 car. No HSTs spare either so shortforms preferred option to cancellations.
 

Melancholia

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Jinxed it.

Not happening today due to TMS issues on the 9 cars. Diagram will be covered with a 5 car today; with resultant shortforms elsewhere to provide said 5 car. No HSTs spare either so shortforms preferred option to cancellations.

Murphy's law strikes yet again with the whole programme...
 

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FGW_DID

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800304 confirmed running as this.

800304 has duly turned up at Reading!

A 9 car has certainly spread the passenger load. I’m in Coach C and there is probably only 10-15 people in here.

Departure delayed slightly by ‘a technical issue’
 

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Crossover

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I saw an 800/3 at Newport at around 1115 heading to Cardiff, from the train I was on. Took me somewhat by surprise as I didn’t expect them out!
 

FGW_DID

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800304 has duly turned up at Reading!

A 9 car has certainly spread the passenger load. I’m in Coach C and there is probably only 10-15 people in here.

Departure delayed slightly by ‘a technical issue’

1W29 14:21 London Paddington - Worcester Foregate Street worked by a 9 car Class 800 800304 (travelled Reading - Hanborough)
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C42013/2018/06/13/advanced

Departure from Reading was 4 late, the doors were a bit slow to open on arrival so presume the ‘technical issue’ I mentioned above (#907) was door related.
During the journey the PIS wasn’t operating so manual announcements were being made. Apart from the fact there were an extra 4 coaches on the back, the trip was no different to yesterday’s on the 5 car unit 800014.

After Oxford an announcement was made about the short platforms at the intermediate stops between Oxford & Worcester, at all of which either the front 3 or 4 coaches would be platformed, straight away this resulted in (or so it seemed o_O) a sizeable number of folk decamp into the first three coaches!!

On arrival at Hanborough, there was a lengthy stop, it would appear another (or the same) issue with the doors, more a case of doors not opening when they should and NOT doors opening when they shouldn’t. This must have been expected as there was a phalanx of extra managers travelling onboard to assist the train crew and those trying to alight and finding their door didn’t open.
 

jimm

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Probably depends on what the general rolling stock situation is for the next few mornings, so probably best to check then, as decisions about allocations will be made overnight.

Otherwise the 07.36 from Paddington on Monday should be the first passenger service at Cheltenham.
 

D1009

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Will Cheltenham see units before Monday then?
No, see Clarence Yard's post #896 on the previous page. Accepted 9 car sets are being used this week on the Hereford route due to a shortfall in availability of 5 car sets, which was causing short formation on other routes. Yesterday the 1730, 1800 and 1830 from Paddington on the Bristol route were all 5 car sets. The plan is that the 9 car sets will do what they are supposed to from next Monday, unless the plan changes again of course.
 

jimm

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Just had a message saying that nine-car 800305 is working the 06.52 Paddington to Great Malvern and 09.54 return today.
 

Melancholia

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Just had a message saying that nine-car 800305 is working the 06.52 Paddington to Great Malvern and 09.54 return today.

Confirmed for sight (and dispatch). Hopefully the 1421 to Worcester & 1622 to Great Malvern will be 800/3 as well :smile:
 

D1009

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Is there any reason that currently the 9 car sets are unable to work the 10 car diagrams on the Bristol and South Wales routes that do not involve joining/splitting?
 

JN114

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Is there any reason that currently the 9 car sets are unable to work the 10 car diagrams on the Bristol and South Wales routes that do not involve joining/splitting?

They’ve not been cleared for passenger service on Bristol / S Wales routes. I understand it’s essentially a paperwork exercise, but one that for whatever reason hasn’t been done yet. At present they are only cleared to work North and South Cotswold routes.
 

jimm

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There is also the practical issue of long trains serving short platforms that have not yet been extended.

Work at Stonehouse is not complete yet and work has not even begun at any station between Oxford and Worcester. Using 2x5s would mean just one coach of each set in a 2x5 being on a platform at a number of places and there would no access to bike storage areas and issues over wheelchair access. Hence 9-cars are starting on these routes.
 
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Crossover

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Hasn't Oxford to Worcester (and to Hereford) already seen IEP operation in passenger service? I presume 5 car only if so
 

jimm

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It has seen five-car sets since December 31 last year and nine-cars started to operate yesterday when 800304 worked the 14.21 to Worcester and 17.25 return.

Today 800305 worked the 06.52 Paddington to Great Malvern and 09.54 return and is currently doing another round trip on the 16.22 Paddington to Great Malvern and 19.42 back to London
 

D1009

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There is also the practical issue of long trains serving short platforms that have not yet been extended.

Work at Stonehouse is not complete yet and work has not even begun at any station between Oxford and Worcester. Using 2x5s would mean just one coach of each set in a 2x5 being on a platform at a number of places and there would no access to bike storage areas and issues over wheelchair access. Hence 9-cars are starting on these routes.
Not sure whether you were replying to me, but I got the impression that 9 car sets are being used on off peak Cotswold routes where additional capacity is not required, leaving Bristol and South Wales services short formed
 

83G/84D

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It has seen five-car sets since December 31 last year and nine-cars started to operate yesterday when 800304 worked the 14.21 to Worcester and 17.25 return.

Today 800305 worked the 06.52 Paddington to Great Malvern and 09.54 return and is currently doing another round trip on the 16.22 Paddington to Great Malvern and 19.42 back to London

I was at Didcot Parkway just after 5pm boarding a Swansea bound HST and think I saw it on thje Didcot east curve.
 

Clarence Yard

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Not sure whether you were replying to me, but I got the impression that 9 car sets are being used on off peak Cotswold routes where additional capacity is not required, leaving Bristol and South Wales services short formed

It is to shake the units down ready for Monday, releasing 5 cars to bolster the 10 car formation workings, which Hitachi have been really struggling to provide. The 9 cars predominately cycle around North Pole (the 5 cars cycle round Stoke Gifford) so it makes sense to gently out and home from there.

There are some contractual issues (around maintenance downtime and where it is done) that affect how the 9 and 10 car sets are used and when you consider you can’t really go load 10 on the North or South Cots and trying to couple or uncouple these units in traffic can be problematic, long train working where possible is therefore currently preferred and the 10 cars stick to the Bristol/South Wales runs.

All this means there isn’t the versatility of diagramming that GWR has enjoyed with it’s HST fleet. And the fuel range is also less than an HST.
 

jimm

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Looks like it was the turn of the 05.47 from Paddington to Worcester for a nine-car this morning - the return 08.25 is showing on live departure screens down the Cotswold Line as a nine-car formation.

First class is at the rear, suggesting it is probably 800305, as 800304's first class coaches were at the London end of the formation when it was used on Wednesday.

The 06.52 Paddington-Great Malvern is a five-car today, according to the departure screens.
 

FGW_DID

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Looks like it was the turn of the 05.47 from Paddington to Worcester for a nine-car this morning - the return 08.25 is showing on live departure screens down the Cotswold Line as a nine-car formation.

First class is at the rear, suggesting it is probably 800305, as 800304's first class coaches were at the London end of the formation when it was used on Wednesday.

The 06.52 Paddington-Great Malvern is a five-car today, according to the departure screens.

Yep 800305 out today, working the diagram that has 1P22, 1W29 etc on it.
I’ve just boarded at Oxford.
 
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