TfWs shenanigans continued as my journey progressed. My train, minus the two carriages from Aberystwyth, left MCN at 1910 but picked up time and arrived at SHR 5 mins early at 2020. My worries about a 1 minute connection for Chester has already eased as RTT was showing the 1908 Birmingham International to Chester, due out of SHR at 2026, 18 mins down at Wolverhampton. Presumably Aberystwyth passengers had had to change units at MCN.
But I then found that the 1952 to Crewe, the 1W24 from Milford Haven to Manchester Picc, was 37 mins late at WVH and was just approaching SHR. On hearing that this would run non-stop to Crewe, missing stops at Whitchurch and Nantwich as there was a stopper 153 at 2032, I jumped aboard hoping to catch the 2100 Crewe to Holyhead. It was then announced that the front two coaches would be detached at CRE and only the back two would proceed to MAN. No reason was given. I surmised that either it was because somebody had had a technicolor yawn (which was cleaned up at SHR) or that there was fault with the front two which were dipping and lurching so much that I reported my concerns to the conductor, who blamed the track not the train.
On arrival at Crewe P6 at 2059 a couple of us dashed out of the door and ran like nutters to P10, as advised on RTT, only to find it deserted with no train in sight. The HHD train simply couldn't have gone. So we dashed back to the display screen on P6 to find that the HHD train was actually in P6 and was the front two coaches I had just got off. Why the conductor didn't tell me this when he checked my ticket, I do not know. Maybe he didn't know?
The front portion left CRE, now showing on RTT as 5 coaches when it was only two, at 2111 arriving in CTR P7a at 2131. N. Wales passengers were then told to get off at CTR where it would terminate and cross to P4B. So once again I found myself battling through the many detrainers and their luggage and running like a nutter in the hope of catching the 2130 to Hooton. Luckily the conductor saw people running and held the train for a short while till 2134 so people could make the connection.
It looks like TfW had a bad day with timings and ended up playing musical chairs with their units. Very confusing for passengers, especially those with luggage. But the staff were very apologetic and we were given free and very welcome cans of water at MCN.
In TfW's favour, it could be that, on a fine summer's day, TfW were trying to strengthen their trains to 4-cars on seaside sections like MCN-PWL Trains were busy with almost every request stop generating traffic. Earlier two coaches were added to my morning Manchester Airport to Llandudno train at Chester (0850) and were very much needed.
