Classes 444 & 450

[TRAX]

Hi there

Hanging around the SWT/SWR network and watching YouTube videos of the SWT/SWR Dessies got me wondering to what extent 444s and 450s are diagrammed differently ?
I may be wrong but it seems the 444s and 450s serve the same lines and operate both stopping and express services most of the time ? This question in my head isn't eased by the 444+450 multiple workings which really makes me wonder if the two classes really are considered that different anymore ?
Could anyone power my third rail on that one please ?

Thanks !

 

[swt_passenger]

444&450 in multiple are not actually usual at all. If you see them it is usually a short term fix, or sometimes during engineering works.

You won’t normally see a 444 in passenger service on the Windsor side, on Guildford to Ascot, or on Portsmouth to Southampton locals. The Portsmouth direct and Portsmouth via Eastleigh is about half and half. Weymouth is almost all 444 with one or two exceptions. Alton is almost all 450 with some exceptions. The Waterloo - Poole stopper is about half and half.

Over the last few years, apart from the Weymouths, the two train types seem to be allocated as capacity requires, in descending order from maximum seats: Hence 12.450, 10.444, 8.450, 5.444, 4.450. So under SWT you’d have seen a single 444 on a service replaced by an 8.450 announced officially as a capacity improvement, and criticised in online forums as the end of the world as we know it...

 

[Wychwood93]

444&450 in multiple are not actually usual at all. If you see them it is usually a short term fix, or sometimes during engineering works.

You won’t normally see a 444 in passenger service on the Windsor side, on Guildford to Ascot, or on Portsmouth to Southampton locals. The Portsmouth direct and Portsmouth via Eastleigh is about half and half. Weymouth is almost all 444 with one or two exceptions. Alton is almost all 450 with some exceptions. The Waterloo - Poole stopper is about half and half.

Over the last few years, apart from the Weymouths, the two train types seem to be allocated as capacity requires, in descending order from maximum seats: Hence 12.450, 10.444, 8.450, 5.444, 4.450. So under SWT you’d have seen a single 444 on a service replaced by an 8.450 announced officially as a capacity improvement, and criticised in online forums as the end of the world as we know it...

A recent programme with Prof. Brian Cox mentioned that the sun will turn into a red giant in approx. 5 billion years time - our current railways and forums are, quite probably, safe.

 

[TRAX]

444&450 in multiple are not actually usual at all. If you see them it is usually a short term fix, or sometimes during engineering works.

You won’t normally see a 444 in passenger service on the Windsor side, on Guildford to Ascot, or on Portsmouth to Southampton locals. The Portsmouth direct and Portsmouth via Eastleigh is about half and half. Weymouth is almost all 444 with one or two exceptions. Alton is almost all 450 with some exceptions. The Waterloo - Poole stopper is about half and half.

Over the last few years, apart from the Weymouths, the two train types seem to be allocated as capacity requires, in descending order from maximum seats: Hence 12.450, 10.444, 8.450, 5.444, 4.450. So under SWT you’d have seen a single 444 on a service replaced by an 8.450 announced officially as a capacity improvement, and criticised in online forums as the end of the world as we know it...

Thank you for the very complete answer !