As far as I know, the only 100mph section has Pyle in the middle of it, so it probably can't go full speed, but given the acceleration on the 197s it should still give a good show.
The original plan was for Swanline to go all stops as an hourly service to give 2tph as far as Bridgend.
Oh very good ! Perhaps that will be the case still then.
Sorry I should have been clear, I was more referring to the maximum speed on a particular section of the route rather than the 197's top speed of 100mph. It probably wasnt at the maximum speed even for that section (Swanline stops near Neath/Port Talbot area) , it just felt like it was so much faster between these frequent station stops than when a 153 runs it.
Yes, my XC service passed it outside Gloucester. Quite a nice provision.
Booked 4 car and overnight in Gloucester so unless something happens through the day it should stay on diagram
Now 197118 swap for it to go to Holyhead.
116 is there now but can't guarantee not swapped in the meantime
1723 was pathed as a 150 from Canton all the way up till the moment the service started on Friday, so it is still probably booked 15X as you've stated but can be swapped last moment? as it was a 150 about 10 minutes before it became a 197. Also good to hear full 197 diagrams up for tomorrow, wondering whats heading up to Gloucester tonight as nothing has been pathed as of yet.
Its still a 2x153 diagram the 1723 but it comes off Canton and goes back there after so realistically they can use anything available off Canton if needed.
Now allocated as 197011. Full 197 diagrams tomorrow means the ones that would usually form these services can be used for Treherbert's reopening tomorrow.
It looks like a 150 is on one of the booked 197 Maesteg/CHeltenham diagrams today but the others look to be 197s.
IF it was not for the Mk4 vanity project severing so many direct trains from West Wales to Manchester that train would be an over 4-hour intercity service.
TFW do not want 150’s on that service and all 150’s will eventually leave TFW and you will only see 197’s and MK4’s on Manchester services as that will be all they have.
At present, right now I see 197s on:-
There is even a 3 car on Maesteg
150s keep to time along that section. No need to ban them.
No. As far as I know few if any Cardiff mainline drivers are qualified on them, and in any case they could only take them as far as Crewe. No Crewe or Shrewsbury drivers sign them at all and they're required for the run to Manchester. They're also not route cleared.
197048 was swapped off this morning. 197109 should be able to but it is stuck in Gloucester overnight so thats gonna be stuck. I feel as if they probably should be but TfW seems to be focusing onto new clearances at the moment and getting 150s off Maesteg - Cheltenham for Treherbert. Which has reopened today. But I don't know why so many 150s are on Manchesters today, it shouldn't be happening
And yet if you do that there'll be cancelled trains as at present the 15x are the easiest to sub in.
No, they don't have any mainline crew trained to My knowledge and certainly no crew outside of Cardiff.
Will not when the complete fleet has entered service was no doubt the meaning, if you want them in multiple you can't have them on all their diagrams. They are now to cover all work outside the valleys and cambrian for the most part while some of the fleet is yet to enter service.
No, at current only the 197’s and MK4’s will go north of Newport towards Shrewsbury and there’s no definitively known plan to clear them north of Newport either.
Still a long way off the full fleet being ready and 197’s are covering some of what will become the FLIRTS work I believe (perhaps someone could confirm?).
Yes, the Cheltenham to Maesteg trains will eventually be 231s.
Ah, thank you very much.
These are all booked 197s. There arent many Sprinters used in the North aside the 158s that interact with the Cambrian services so it would be difficult to sub any of these rather than the Manchester to South Wales.
It would be interesting to know how many 197 diagrams there are now that Maesteg has booked workings. And how many they were short by today. Reliability was pretty good over the past few weeks for 197s, even when a MK4 needed cover it was a 197 the majority of the time.
