ECS 153 up and down the North Wales coast - why?

I saw a single car new liveried TfW 153 heading towards Chester at lunchtime today.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/V26430/2019/10/11/advanced

I couldn't find it at first on RTT but then found it after a bit of looking. It seems it started at Llandudno Junction went to Bangor did a quick turn around and headed to Chester.

Anyone know why? Driver training? If so why only as far as Bangor and not as far as Holyhead?

I know TfW are short of units but surely not planning using single car 153 s up amd down the coast? That would be shocking. They are fine for the winter on the Conwy valley but the coast is too busy to be using them on Birmingham or Cardiff routes surely.

It ran last week as well. I'm not sure of the reason but driver training is a good guess.

I forget where I read it but I think TfW want to move the Class 150's from the North Wales coast services to Cardiff to provide extra seats in the winter.

I think therefore that the ECS 1-coach Class 153 you spotted was in preparation for TfW running these instead of 150's. I think the loadings are ok to justify 153's.

Off topic this next bit but look at what Chiltern Railways did til May 2017 - they were able to replace a Class 165 with the 121 bubble car so the 165 could be used to increase capacity.

If I'm honest, the routes to and from Oxford and Banbury (when terminating there) would have been absolutely fine for a 153, even Saturdays - when I used these Saturday services, there wasn't even half a 2-coach Class 165 load.

Thinking about it (as of the second I started this paragraph) if TfW end up desperately needing more than 1-coach trains, they could either use their Pacers or ones that will soon be gone from GWR.

Sorry, I know that the TfW Pacers will soon be gone but will be a realistic option to couple to 153's if, after 150's move over to Cardiff local services, TfW then temporarily need 2-car trains compatible with 153's. Then again, there's crew knowledge too I'm guessing.

For training Holyhead and Llandudno Jn and possibly some more Chester crews on 153s prior to their use on the Conwy Valley and anything else North Wales when they have work there. There was a trip on the Conwy Valley last Sunday to tidy up some gauging.

Seen it at Bangor on Wednesday around 1345, was in the “middle track” to let the Holyhead to Manchester service engine and coaches through through and left 10 minutes after it departed.
Interestingly enough it said Blaenau Ffestiniog on the destination blind.

153s are due to take over the Blaneau branch and Wrexham - Bidston in December. However, none of the crews who worked the branch (Holyhead and Llandudno Junction based drivers and guards) signed 153s, and neither did all the Chester drivers who work to Bidston (all Chester and Shrewsbury guards who work Bidston already sign 153s), so a 153 has been going up and down the coast to train these crews.

They may also be being used on Crewe - Chester shuttles but other then those depots mentioned above everyone else who works those services already signs 153s.

craigybagel said:

153s are due to take over the Blaneau branch and Wrexham - Bidston in December. However, none of the crews who worked the branch (Holyhead and Llandudno Junction based drivers and guards) signed 153s, and neither did all the Chester drivers who work to Bidston (all Chester and Shrewsbury guards who work Bidston already sign 153s), so a 153 has been going up and down the coast to train these crews.

They may also be being used on Crewe - Chester shuttles but other then those depots mentioned above everyone else who works those services already signs 153s.

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This is good news, I had visions of 153's on the coast doing long distance journeys when short of rolling stock. Your explanation makes sense though, they need training up the coast to get the unit back to Chester / Crewe at the end of the day from the Conwy Valley

It doesn't explain why they have being going as far as Bangor in it though, they only need to learn from Llandudno Junction to Chester/Crewe if they will only be working the Conwy valley and back to depot.

Y Ddraig Coch said:

This is good news, I had visions of 153's on the coast doing long distance journeys when short of rolling stock. Your explanation makes sense though, they need training up the coast to get the unit back to Chester / Crewe at the end of the day from the Conwy Valley

It doesn't explain why they have being going as far as Bangor in it though, they only need to learn from Llandudno Junction to Chester/Crewe if they will only be working the Conwy valley and back to depot.

Click to expand...

It doesn't really matter where the training takes place, so long as the person doing the training signs the route and there's enough spare capacity to path a training train. The sole purpose of this is to train up crews who don't currently sign 153s - the routes are pretty much irrelevant. There is spare capacity as far as Bangor, the Chester based trainers who are doing the training sign the route, it makes the timings work out nicely to suit the needs of the training programme, so all the boxes are ticked nicely.