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ATW/Keolis Amey Wales stock shortages

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PHILIPE

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*sigh* Being a new member in this forum is hard work.

Kindly assume I would like you to elaborate when correcting me in order that I should ascertain what their true purpose is.

Welcome to the Forum. Let me see if I can explain the Mark 4s to you. Currently there are 2 Mark 3 sets with one working the Premier Service from Holyhead to Cardiff in the morning and returning at 1716 and the other working between Manchester Picc along the North Wales Coast. When the two Mark 4 sets come, they will work other services between Holyhead and Cardiff each one doing 3 trips. The 175 displaced as a result will then cover the Manchester services. So, in effect, they will be replacements for the Mark 3s rather than additionals.
 

krus_aragon

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A small addendum to PHILLIPE's post to note: it is expected that there will be three MkIV rakes: two in service, and one under maintenance or spare at Cardiff.
 

PHILIPE

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Isn't that overkill on that service? 3 carriages maybe but not 5!
I got that service in April in its entirety and 2 carriages all the way seemed sufficient.


It would be an undiagrammed means of moving a unit from one location to another for utilisation purposes and not uncommon
 

craigybagel

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Isn't that overkill on that service? 3 carriages maybe but not 5!
I got that service in April in its entirety and 2 carriages all the way seemed sufficient.

A 153 could work that service and have room to spare, it's normally very quiet.

The whole fleet has ended up a bit dispersed after several failures for various reasons over the last few days, so between units ending up in the wrong place in service or needing to get to and from Canton or Chester for repairs you can expect a fair few strange moves today.
 

tomos dafis

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There is only one 153 on the City Line and although the ex GWR ones cannot go far from home until some mods have been completed, they are restricted to going to Swansea, Maesteg, Ebbw Vale and Cardiff Bay. One a day does seem to stray as far as Cheltenham. There is discussion about this up thread here:-

www.railforums.co.uk/threads/atw-keolis-amey-wales-stock-shortages.166304/page-46

This is the Class 37 thread
Yesterday at around 5:20 am TFW liveried ex GWR 153 arrived at Central coupled to a 150 but then detached and formed service to Coryton, city line. Later, a FGW blue TFW branded 153 arrived at central attached to a 142. The 153 left on the next service to Coryton city line service and the 142 went the opposite way onto the Ninian park branch on a city line service to Radyr. So 2 ex GWR 153's and one 142 on the city line first thing yesterday morning. Pictures below (sorry the one of the 2nd 153 leaving to Coryton is far away). After this , a 3rd ex-GWR 153 in blue with TFW branding ariived to work a Swanline Cardiff to Swansea service stopping all stations from Bridgend onwards. So 3 ex GWR 153 's in service early yesterday. They are staying close to Cardiff at present.Photo3368.jpg Photo3369.jpg Photo3371.jpg
 

anamyd

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Yesterday at around 5:20 am TFW liveried ex GWR 153 arrived at Central coupled to a 150 but then detached and formed service to Coryton, city line. Later, a FGW blue TFW branded 153 arrived at central attached to a 142. The 153 left on the next service to Coryton city line service and the 142 went the opposite way onto the Ninian park branch on a city line service to Radyr. So 2 ex GWR 153's and one 142 on the city line first thing yesterday morning. Pictures below (sorry the one of the 2nd 153 leaving to Coryton is far away). After this , a 3rd ex-GWR 153 in blue with TFW branding ariived to work a Swanline Cardiff to Swansea service stopping all stations from Bridgend onwards. So 3 ex GWR 153 's in service early yesterday. They are staying close to Cardiff at present.View attachment 63503 View attachment 63504 View attachment 63505
Thanks for sharing these photos :) 333 looks good in TfW livery in my opinion, and it looks like FGW/GWR never bothered repainting the seat handles from London Midland green! 325 will look the same as 333 when it's done (325 and 333 were the ones delivered in the tatty London Midland livery that was underneath the Great Western "Visit South Devon by Train" etc wraps they carried before removal for delivery to TfW). 329/361/369 are the "Transport for First Wales Great Western" ones going around. So 4 out of the 5 have been in service so far. I keep meaning to upload my photos!
 
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PHILIPE

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Yesterday at around 5:20 am TFW liveried ex GWR 153 arrived at Central coupled to a 150 but then detached and formed service to Coryton, city line. Later, a FGW blue TFW branded 153 arrived at central attached to a 142. The 153 left on the next service to Coryton city line service and the 142 went the opposite way onto the Ninian park branch on a city line service to Radyr. So 2 ex GWR 153's and one 142 on the city line first thing yesterday morning. Pictures below (sorry the one of the 2nd 153 leaving to Coryton is far away). After this , a 3rd ex-GWR 153 in blue with TFW branding ariived to work a Swanline Cardiff to Swansea service stopping all stations from Bridgend onwards. So 3 ex GWR 153 's in service early yesterday. They are staying close to Cardiff at present.View attachment 63503 View attachment 63504 View attachment 63505

The first one which went to Coryton then works from Coryton to the Bay to start the shuttle off.
 

Parallel

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Do we know why they are only to work services reasonably close to Cardiff in the mean time? Something electrical?

RE: LM 153 twins - One eventually got the seat covers replaced with FGW dynamic lines moquette and FGW carpet, but the other one retained LM green seat coverings. Maybe this has changed now but at the time I was uncertain as to why one was done and not the other.
 

PHILIPE

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Do we know why they are only to work services reasonably close to Cardiff in the mean time? Something electrical?

RE: LM 153 twins - One eventually got the seat covers replaced with FGW dynamic lines moquette and FGW carpet, but the other one retained LM green seat coverings. Maybe this has changed now but at the time I was uncertain as to why one was done and not the other.


See Post #1290. I have seen somewhere that it is connected with Mods to the small cab and require to be handy for Canton than be up at Crewe or somewhere else miles away
 
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anamyd

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The 150 PRM mods are slowly but surely starting to pick up. So far I have confirmed units 242, 253, 254, 257, 284 and 285 so at least 6 of them (out of 36, but still!) Have 217/236 been done yet...? Any others...?
 

6Gtraincrew

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Didn't know 242 had been done.

217 has been done and is back in service. 236 has gone in but nit come out yet.
 

anamyd

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Didn't know 242 had been done.

217 has been done and is back in service. 236 has gone in but nit come out yet.
it has now :) thanks for the update on 217 and 236! and just seen how they managed to fit toilet retention tanks on 150s (253 specifically) that weren't designed for them (unlike 158s/159s) - they have a short horizontal depth but full height bit on the drain side, but then a long horizontal depth but short height section (lower half) that continues under the exhaust pipe all the way (or at least almost) to the other side, which also explains why there is only one tank rather than the twin tanks per toilet on 158s... so there you go :p:lol:
 
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Cardiff123

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The 150 PRM mods are slowly but surely starting to pick up. So far I have confirmed units 242, 253, 254, 257, 284 and 285 so at least 6 of them (out of 36, but still!) Have 217/236 been done yet...? Any others...?
Only 6 months to go until the entire Sprinter fleet must be PRM compliant and all Pacers and the Rhymney Mk2's are withdrawn, nothing to panic about........30 x 150s in 6 months is perfectly achievable when they're regularly covering long distance diagrams for dud 175s, providing new services to Liverpool, as well as their regular duties in the South and on the Valleys in the absence of phantom 769s.

Crisis? What crisis?
 
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Cambrian359

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Only 6 months to go until the entire Sprinter fleet must be PRM compliant and all Pacers and the Rhymney Mk2's are withdrawn, nothing to panic about........30 x 150s in 6 months is perfectly achievable when they're regularly covering long distance diagrams for dud 175s, providing new services to Liverpool, as well as their regular duties in the South and on the Valleys in the absence of phantom 769s.

Crisis? What crisis?
Coach and bus hire companies will be rubbing their hands together
 

Cambrian359

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Only 6 months to go until the entire Sprinter fleet must be PRM compliant and all Pacers and the Rhymney Mk2's are withdrawn, nothing to panic about........30 x 150s in 6 months is perfectly achievable when they're regularly covering long distance diagrams for dud 175s, providing new services to Liverpool, as well as their regular duties in the South and on the Valleys in the absence of phantom 769s.

Crisis? What crisis?
Sorry double post,You also forgot to mention150s covering for phantom 230s :p
 

Philip

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Didn't take long - a 175 worked a passenger service to Liverpool on Thursday and subsequently covered the route for the rest of the day. Surely if one is knocking about spare then it'd be put to better use in replacing the Sprinter that is currently used for Crewe-Chester shuttles?

How long before Northern borrows one to work a Chester-Leeds service?
 

craigybagel

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Didn't take long - a 175 worked a passenger service to Liverpool on Thursday and subsequently covered the route for the rest of the day. Surely if one is knocking about spare then it'd be put to better use in replacing the Sprinter that is currently used for Crewe-Chester shuttles?

How long before Northern borrows one to work a Chester-Leeds service?

It won't have been "knocking about spare". Normally when that happens, it's a set that failed earlier that had subsequently been fixed during the day.

I'm not sure why you think the Crewe - Chester shuttle is more deserving then Liverpool?

I know your comment was being facetious, but Northern will never borrow one for Chester - Leeds work, not unless it's a long term borrow anyway.
 

Philip

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It won't have been "knocking about spare". Normally when that happens, it's a set that failed earlier that had subsequently been fixed during the day.

I'm not sure why you think the Crewe - Chester shuttle is more deserving then Liverpool?

I know your comment was being facetious, but Northern will never borrow one for Chester - Leeds work, not unless it's a long term borrow anyway.


It isn't just Crewe to Chester though, it is the second quickest route from London and the West Midlands to Chester (and even to North Wales), after the direct Virgin. Fast and good quality stock seems appropriate as a result. Also the 84 Crewe to Chester bus now only runs hourly, making the rail service even more essential.
Is the new Liverpool service any quicker than taking the Merseyrail?

It may have been facetious, but what is to stop Northern using one occasionally for the Chester-Manchester leg where route clearance isn't a problem?
 

craigybagel

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It isn't just Crewe to Chester though, it is the second quickest route from London and the West Midlands to Chester (and even to North Wales), after the direct Virgin. Fast and good quality stock seems appropriate as a result. Also the 84 Crewe to Chester bus now only runs hourly, making the rail service even more essential.
I do agree with you there, and I look forward to the new CAF units going on there in the future. But it's also only a 23 minute journey. Better to subject people to a 150 when every single passenger will be getting off after a short period then a longer one.

Also, other then for older people wth bus passes who don't want to pay for their journey, I'm not sure the bus really provides any alternative regardless of whether it runs half hourly or hourly - the journey time is still triple that of the train!

Is the new Liverpool service any quicker than taking the Merseyrail?

No, it's actually marginally slower for end to end journeys, though if you're traveling to the Lime Street area you could argue the time it takes to get up/down the escalators to the Merseyrail platforms cancels that out

It may have been facetious, but what is to stop Northern using one occasionally for the Chester-Manchester leg where route clearance isn't a problem?

The fact that no drivers or guards at Northern are qualified to work 175s
 

Parallel

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Makes sense for 175s to cover in North Wales or Liverpool seeing as their depot is at Chester. Shame there are no extra pacers available so they can run more of the Valley lines/services in South Wales services, displacing the Sprinters. There again, I guess there’s only so many units that can receive modifications at any one time.

Will the MKIIs be able to stop at Gilfach Fargoed and any other stations that have short platforms?
 

craigybagel

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Makes sense for 175s to cover in North Wales or Liverpool seeing as their depot is at Chester. Shame there are no extra pacers available so they can run more of the Valley lines/services in South Wales services, displacing the Sprinters. There again, I guess there’s only so many units that can receive modifications at any one time.

Will the MKIIs be able to stop at Gilfach Fargoed and any other stations that have short platforms?

I would assume that if they stop there they would use the same system Greater Anglia use for their MKIIs at Brundall Gardens - guards door in the brake van only.
 

PHILIPE

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Makes sense for 175s to cover in North Wales or Liverpool seeing as their depot is at Chester. Shame there are no extra pacers available so they can run more of the Valley lines/services in South Wales services, displacing the Sprinters. There again, I guess there’s only so many units that can receive modifications at any one time.

Will the MKIIs be able to stop at Gilfach Fargoed and any other stations that have short platforms?


They stopped before
 

anamyd

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I’d say the gold star was for me just being correct all along.

Well it works for me, kid. Suggest you get a better system if it doesn’t work for you.
As it turns out, I just needed to refresh the page using the browser's refresh button. Someone else told me that, and it must have been a better option than me getting a better "system" (phone) :p Also, I'm not a "kid" (child) :)
 
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