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There are a handful of set diagrams each week where the train doors are closed using Conductor dispatch, allowing them to retain their competency. Drivers still open the doors on these services. It is the Conductors responsibility to maintain their competency, but I'm not sure how often they are...

There just isn't enough staff there to dispatch from P4 as well as 2&3 with the current service frequency, without causing delays to trains. During the day, passenger assistance is currently outsourced to agencies, as the staff there are too busy to do that as well. Ideally, given the...

Newport only has dispatch staff on platforms 2 & 3. Units can be self dispatched by a guard on platforms 1 & 4. But GWR IETs, HSTs and TfW Mk4s must be dispatched by platform staff, so they are generally booked to used 2 & 3 to save dispatch staff constantly having to go over the footbridge...

Shrewsbury P4 is used throughout the day for various reverses, splits and divides, it being the only platform accessible to all routes. The 0730 to Birmingham is formed of 4 cars. A 2 car service from Aberystwyth, arrives first from the South end. A 2 car from Crewe then arrives at the north...

The data is there, but it can't 100% prove all journeys at the moment. For instance if your ticket wasn't clipped on board for whatever reason, or if your journey started or ended at a non barrier station there would be missing data. However the data can be used to find people who make...

Craven Arms to Llandrindod is only signed by Shrewsbury drivers, and new starters don't sign the route straight away.

The Poirot books were set over a large time period. The TV series moved most of the storylines, so they were all set in the 1930s pre war period. This allowed for consistency when filming the series, rather than having to keep using different time periods. So the Southern railway is rightly...

There used to be an 0948 from Birmingham International to Aber/Pwllheli on Sundays, that also called at Bilbrook, Codsall, Albrighton, Shifnal and Oakengates. Bringing the total to 42. These stations were removed this year though.

It will never happen in real life, as they have different types of couplers. This usually shows up when a 175 is allocated to a 15x diagram or vice versa. The train is allocated automatically to the diagram, which may throw up some anomalies like this. They are updated manually by the control...

During covid, Mach and Pwhelli crews swapped trains at Tywyn on one service. This was a diagrammed swap, due to break issues because of the reduced timetable. It may still happen on a Sunday, but I'm not certain.

The old business upgrades are still available to buy onboard for the time being. Meals are only served in 1st class for the time being. So you'd pay £26.50 for the upgrade and £17/£20 for the meal. Because of the extra services, there are now Cardiff guards working a lot of the services. They...

Birmingham City play West Brom today as well. A bit stupid having two local derbies in one weekend. I imagine it's stretched police resources to the max.

Wales are playing rugby at the millennium stadium today, so it's being used for extra capacity. The old mk3 sets were regularly used on rugby days, but think this may be the first time the mk4s have been out in service on a Saturday.

Planned to be units all this week, due to a shortage of drivers who are mk4 trained.

Not sure about the specifics at Chester, but all of the north TfW conductor depots are similiar: Shift pattern is a 4 day week: Begins on a Wednesday with 6 or 7 lates*, Wed/Thu off, 6 or 7 earlies*, Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon/Tue off, and then repeat every 3 weeks. *6 or 7 depends whether you have a...

The Sunday night 175 serves all stops between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton both ways: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G74945/2021-09-19/detailed#allox_id=0 https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G74989/2021-09-19/detailed#allox_id=0 Pre covid, there also used to be a...

The Whitby school trains in the 1990s were 2x142s, then swapped to a 3 car 144. This freed up a unit, and the class 144 was left to run on the line all day. The 3+2 seating was ample, but when they were refurbished to 2+2, a number of seats were lost. North Yorks County Council insisted there...

Part of the problem is the temporary franchises prior to 2016. A lot of the smaller and rural stations were simply repainted in existing colours, or all over grey during this time. As the franchises were only temporary, this was the best thing to do as any re branding may have been obsolete if...

The 40/80 lineside signs are in km/h, not mph, and are for degraded running only. The normal permissible speed limits are given to the driver electronically via the screen in the cab. Not sure of the maximum speed limit on the coast section, but you certainly won't get 128km/h (80mph) along there!

There will have to be extra training of some kind. Whilst drivers duties can be covered by existing depots, guards can not. Crewe-Manchester is only signed by Crewe guards, who currently are not planned to sign Mk4 stock. Shrewsbury/Cardiff guards sign Mk4 stock (in training currently), but do...