Class 158 diagrams/maintainence

[Gareth Marston]

Article in this months Todays Railways on ATW rolling stock utilization, they diagram 83% of their Class 158 on a daily basis (20 out of 24). Is this a normal percentage for Class 158 fleets in FGW, SWT, EMT, Northern and ScotRail? ATW diagram 90% of their Class 175 fleet on a daily basis.

It also struck me that only 40% of the fleet overnight at their home base (Machynlleth 6 plus its assumed the 4 non diagrammed). The rest are scattered all over Holyhead (2) Chester (3) Crewe (2) Shrewsbury (4) Cardiff (1) Carmathen (1) Pwllheli (1). ATW 158's have always had a poor miles per casualty figure in the annual tables in modern Railways magazine.

Am I right in thinking that the low-ish daily utilization and poor mpc figures are a product of this scattered all over the shop diagramming?

The 2 south wales overnighters plus an early morning turn from Chester spend the day in S Wales/Gloucestershire and can be seen on every line except the Valley Lines through Queen St and Clarbeston Rd- Milford Haven.
1 spends all day on the Llandudno/Manchester circuit, 1 does a peak turn into Manchester from Chester and spends the rest of the day on the Holyhead/International/Cambrian circuit along with the others.

 

[starrymarkb]

I believe SWT use 27 of 30 159s per day. But they have a lot more slack in the 158 fleet (they arrived just before the economy went tits up). Most units spend the night at Salisbury depot (2 159s (possible 2 pairs) overnight at Exeter and a 158 is based at Bournemouth for Lymington shuttles)

Might be why the 159s have won the Golden Spanner for many years in a row

 

[455driver]

Most units spend the night at Salisbury depot (2 159s (possible 2 pairs) overnight at Exeter and a 158 is based at Bournemouth for Lymington shuttles)

Plus 4 159s overnight at Fratton, plus (I think) 2 159s at Waterloo.

 

[TDK]

Article in this months Todays Railways on ATW rolling stock utilization, they diagram 83% of their Class 158 on a daily basis (20 out of 24). Is this a normal percentage for Class 158 fleets in FGW, SWT, EMT, Northern and ScotRail? ATW diagram 90% of their Class 175 fleet on a daily basis.

It also struck me that only 40% of the fleet overnight at their home base (Machynlleth 6 plus its assumed the 4 non diagrammed). The rest are scattered all over Holyhead (2) Chester (3) Crewe (2) Shrewsbury (4) Cardiff (1) Carmathen (1) Pwllheli (1). ATW 158's have always had a poor miles per casualty figure in the annual tables in modern Railways magazine.

Am I right in thinking that the low-ish daily utilization and poor mpc figures are a product of this scattered all over the shop diagramming?

The 2 south wales overnighters plus an early morning turn from Chester spend the day in S Wales/Gloucestershire and can be seen on every line except the Valley Lines through Queen St and Clarbeston Rd- Milford Haven.
1 spends all day on the Llandudno/Manchester circuit, 1 does a peak turn into Manchester from Chester and spends the rest of the day on the Holyhead/International/Cambrian circuit along with the others.

Thats an interesting post! Have you details of all the TOC's 158 reliability to compare?

 

[John55]

Thats an interesting post! Have you details of all the TOC's 158 reliability to compare?

Look in the January 2013 Modern Railways when all will no doubt be revealed, as it has for the last 10 years or so.

 

[headshot119]

Gareth do you have a copy of the ATW 158 diagrams? If so would you be able to post them or PM them to me?

It's curious that so few at stabled at Macc, but then again as the 158s are so widely used across the network it no doubt saves on a lot of ECS mileage.

 

[Gareth Marston]

Thats an interesting post! Have you details of all the TOC's 158 reliability to compare?

Alas I have no space for back copy's of MR beyond about six moths though as another poster says it wont be long before we get fresh set of figures.

I expected the SWT answer as they seem to get a high % of them back to Salisbury each night but its the other TOC's that will be the real comparator.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Gareth do you have a copy of the ATW 158 diagrams? If so would you be able to post them or PM them to me?

It's curious that so few at stabled at Macc, but then again as the 158s are so widely used across the network it no doubt saves on a lot of ECS mileage.

I've not got a copy just went on article in TR though its shouldn't be too hard to get the Cambrian/Shrewsbury/INTL/Chester/Holyhead circuit ones pinned down by comparing the overnight points and public tt. We also know that the 0850 arrival into Manc Pic is worked by a pair of 158's and the return working splits at Chester into a fast to Holyhead and a stopper to Chester.

i.e 0430 MCH to ABR arr 0507
0514 ABR-BHM INTL arr 0850
0909 INTL-Holyhead arr 13xx (with unit detaching at Shrewsbury)
13xx Holyhead-INTL arr 1750 (unit joins at Shrewsbury)
1809 INTL -ABR arr 2125
2130 ABR-MCH

 

[PHILIPE]

Gareth do you have a copy of the ATW 158 diagrams? If so would you be able to post them or PM them to me?

It's curious that so few at stabled at Macc, but then again as the 158s are so widely used across the network it no doubt saves on a lot of ECS mileage.

The number stabled overnight at Machynlleth, or anywhere else for that matter, is governed by the number required at the location for start of play on each day

 

[Gareth Marston]

The number stabled overnight at Machynlleth, or anywhere else for that matter, is governed by the number required at the location for start of play on each day

Six as follows:

0435 MCH to ABR needs 2 sets as this forms 0514 ABR to BHM INTL
0513 MCH to PWL
0530 MCH to Barmouth (this use to run attached to the 0513 and split) comes back as 0646 Barmouth to INTL.
0633 MCH to ABR which then becomes 0730 ABR to INTL
0807 MCH to ABR

 

[PHILIPE]

Six as follows:

0435 MCH to ABR needs 2 sets as this forms 0514 ABR to BHM INTL
0513 MCH to PWL
0530 MCH to Barmouth (this use to run attached to the 0513 and split) comes back as 0646 Barmouth to INTL.
0633 MCH to ABR which then becomes 0730 ABR to INTL
0807 MCH to ABR

Actually 7 at MCH. Also 06 47 MCH to PWL

 

[43074]

19 out of East Midlands Trains' 22 158s are used on Norwich to Liverpool services, and then the remaining 3 are used on Nottingham to Skegness, Leicester to Lincoln and Derby to Crewe diagrams.

AFAIK most of these spend their nights at Nottingham but some (4, IIRC) spend the night at Norwich. A set might spend the night at Crewe prior to or after Derby to Crewe diagrams.
The 06:47 and 07:42 Liverpool to Norwich services start at Nottingham on an ECS working, the 08:52 departure being worked by the 05:20 from Nottingham.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I've not got a copy just went on article in TR though its shouldn't be too hard to get the Cambrian/Shrewsbury/INTL/Chester/Holyhead circuit ones pinned down by comparing the overnight points and public tt. We also know that the 0850 arrival into Manc Pic is worked by a pair of 158's and the return working splits at Chester into a fast to Holyhead and a stopper to Chester.

i.e 0430 MCH to ABR arr 0507
0514 ABR-BHM INTL arr 0850
0909 INTL-Holyhead arr 13xx (with unit detaching at Shrewsbury)
13xx Holyhead-INTL arr 1750 (unit joins at Shrewsbury)
1809 INTL -ABR arr 2125
2130 ABR-MCH

Open Train Times might also help working out diagrams, as it shows ECS workings and an idea of the the train used on the diagram, in detailed mode.

 

[kaiwhara]

Fratton used to have 2 159's an 2 158's from SWT, and I believe 3 158's from FGW as well.

 

[Tracky]

Shrewsbury would have been a better location for a 158 depot with a nice straight flat yard north of the station ripe for development. Some 60 miles down a (currently part flooded) branch was not sensible for many reasons.

 

[Gareth Marston]

Shrewsbury would have been a better location for a 158 depot with a nice straight flat yard north of the station ripe for development. Some 60 miles down a (currently part flooded) branch was not sensible for many reasons.

A Maintenance facility at Machynlleth is sensible in that the largest concentration of ATW's 24 158's overnight there (7) however its not ideal to try and look after all 24. January's Modern Railways confirmed that ATW Class 158 is the poorest performing ex BR DMU fleet (Pacer's excluded) and the scattering of the units away from their maintenance facility does not help.

Electrification to Swansea will mean a DMU island beyond. Logically Carmathen needs a depot for when that comes. Several units overnight there as is. Cardiff Area Re signalling will allow more trains to terminate at Cardiff Central amongst other things, the 175's will probably come no further and can be concentrated on running past the depot at Chester more rather than using 158's on N Wales coast. Perhaps the Wales and Border franchise 158's could be split between Carmarthen and Machynlleth as maintenance facility's as a long term solution.