TheBigD
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- 19 Nov 2008
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GWR times are now showing on www.realtimetrains.co.uk
Interestingly the up IETs are timed as diesel locomotives and the down ones as electric locomotives, presumably because that’s what they start their journey as (although why they’re locomotives rather than multiples units I don’t know, although I guess it doesn’t really matter)
I see on the up they have managed to put the ex Plymouths leaving reading just after the ex oxfords which stop at slough. Yet again the west country being penalised to give a faster service for other destinations. Also leaving Paddington 2 minutes behind the bristol seems foolhardy, I for one will hang back a little as I don't like chasing adverse signals!!!
I see on the up they have managed to put the ex Plymouths leaving reading just after the ex oxfords which stop at slough. Yet again the west country being penalised to give a faster service for other destinations. Also leaving Paddington 2 minutes behind the bristol seems foolhardy, I for one will hang back a little as I don't like chasing adverse signals!!!
Interestingly the up IETs are timed as diesel locomotives and the down ones as electric locomotives, presumably because that’s what they start their journey as (although why they’re locomotives rather than multiples units I don’t know, although I guess it doesn’t really matter)
Probably just that the timing load doesn't correspond to the database correctly - e.g. no explicit description for class 800 / 802 yet - you will notice that they have a trailing load of 802 tonnes.
Still Turbos on two late down trains to Oxford and one late up train.
2315 formed using the units off the Greenford and Bourne End lines
0030 formed of units that work up from Oxford.
2250 IET service from Paddington terminates at Worcestershire Parkway and runs empty to the sidings at Worcester.
I'd imagine that RTT or maybe the feed itself is only shown to set up the first traction type in the timing set up.
Well maybe it will make sense to you when the new timetable doesn't work. I hang back to allow the bristol to get clear. This in turn delays the train behind me and so on and so forth. 2 minute headways on an intercity railway will not work. The idea that we depart Paddington at exactly our departure time is ludicrous, half of the time wheels start turning a minute or so late as it is. This timetable will struggle in my opinion, although I'd love to be proved wrong.Again, this is another of your points which make no logistical sense. I highly doubt that GWR and Network Rail sat at a table picking on the West Country services. Cheltenham’s seem to be the first to cancel for crew issues, and services towards Cornwall seem to still have a timetable improvement.
Well maybe it will make sense to you when the new timetable doesn't work. I hang back to allow the bristol to get clear. This in turn delays the train behind me and so on and so forth. 2 minute headways on an intercity railway will not work. The idea that we depart Paddington at exactly our departure time is ludicrous, half of the time wheels start turning a minute or so late as it is. This timetable will struggle in my opinion, although I'd love to be proved wrong.
Well maybe it will make sense to you when the new timetable doesn't work. I hang back to allow the bristol to get clear. This in turn delays the train behind me and so on and so forth. 2 minute headways on an intercity railway will not work. The idea that we depart Paddington at exactly our departure time is ludicrous, half of the time wheels start turning a minute or so late as it is. This timetable will struggle in my opinion, although I'd love to be proved wrong.
Exactly. Something like the xx02 leaving padd on 25mph platform 10 and having to weave over to the fast lines , will see it very quickly delay the xx04 Plymouth.(my emphasis in bold) I had that exact same thought when I saw the proposals back in 2017. Two minutes all the way from Pad - Reading, I just couldn't see how it would work (even with improved traction and rollingstock).
Timetables are perfect on paper - but how often does the timetable run perfectly?
There just seems too little room for manouver.
And departing ontime is more than just tight dispatch procedures - the inbound conflicting moves are quite capable of preventing a starting signal going off in good time.
I've not had the time yet to look at the platforming to see what sort of impact could be occuring, in normal running.
You need to base some Turbos overnight at Oxford to work the DID/OXF/BAN shuttles. The late evening fast Oxfords are Turbo worked to facilitate cycling the units from Reading+Branches to Oxford-based.
Exactly. Something like the xx02 leaving padd on 25mph platform 10 and having to weave over to the fast lines , will see it very quickly delay the xx04 Plymouth.
Do 2 minute headways get used on any of the other intercity routes???
Yes, I have no problem with running Turbos out of Paddington - quite the opposite in fact.
These positioning moves are fascinating.
I see on the up they have managed to put the ex Plymouths leaving reading just after the ex oxfords which stop at slough. Yet again the west country being penalised to give a faster service for other destinations. Also leaving Paddington 2 minutes behind the bristol seems foolhardy, I for one will hang back a little as I don't like chasing adverse signals!!!
In the latest 'Modern Railways' magazine, there's a section which lists information regarding the GWR December 2019 timetable.
I understand that a 12-coach Class 387, 17:46 from London Paddington to Didcot Parkway (calling only at Reading before Didcot I think), will be introduced.
Great for people like myself who with an Off-Peak ticket can go from Didcot or Reading (me from Didcot) to London say mid to late morning and come back on a fast 387* which all these from Paddington GWR told me (and are listed at Paddington) as Off-Peak services!
*As much as I love the IET's, I'd rather not have the hassle of seat reservations (or listening to people onboard whinging about it) onboard after a day out.
Does it make sense though? Or is it just needlessly making the west country journey times longer. It seems every other route the emphasis is on speed, but for the South West we have to make do with long stops at Plymouth to couple and uncouple plus the poor path from reading with added dwell time. Seems like an opportunity to knock up to ten minutes off the Penzance to London timing isn't being taken up , partly due to the use of 5 car sets in Cornwall and partly due to poor pathing in order to speed up other services heading into London.Looks like the West Countries are timetabled for this with an extended stop at Reading (rather than taking pathing times after Slough).
Makes sense - gives a bit of performance recovery after a long run before entering the busiest part of the Main Lines, and also helps dwell times at Reading during busy periods (e.g. summer weekends)
Does it make sense though? Or is it just needlessly making the west country journey times longer. It seems every other route the emphasis is on speed, but for the South West we have to make do with long stops at Plymouth to couple and uncouple plus the poor path from reading with added dwell time. Seems like an opportunity to knock up to ten minutes off the Penzance to London timing isn't being taken up , partly due to the use of 5 car sets in Cornwall and partly due to poor pathing in order to speed up other services heading into London.
It doesnt take that much effort. You should see all the timing loads and SRTs that were set up for the 2 track railway for HSTs and one engine only HSTs. 222s used to have split SRTs for different lengths. 390s have a pretty pointless 110mph timing load in there too. It wasnt that long ago that some Class 4 schedules were knocking about with class 47 timing loads still. Dont get me started on some of the other freight stuff.The Timing Loads are bit strange though - usually NR establishes SRTS in both directions for the individual timing loads.
Here it appears they have created TWO separate timing loads - one for UP and one for DOWN services. With the down being categorised as 'Electric loco + 802 tonnes' and the up being categorised as 'Diesel loco + 802 tonnes'.
That takes a bit more effort to create.
Would need someone with BPlan access to say if the corresponding Up / Down links in each timing load are present or not.
Weather it's loco + 802 tones or Multiple Unit doesn't really matter in all honesty - it's how it shows up in Trust (for the signaller looking at the traction type) which is especially useful when one uses multiple traction types to run same headcode group services.
Needs someone with inside knowledge to say why there is the difference.
There are three services like that in the timetable on RTT, all calling at Reading and Didcot only:
1643: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y94235/2020/01/15/advanced
1742: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y94236/2020/01/15/advanced
1842: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y94237/2020/01/15/advanced
They're all timed as 387 but it gives no information as to how long they'll all be.