Exeter to Okehampton services (to commence before the end of 2021)

[TB]

Thanks, that's interesting, because i note trains are due to take 27 mins from Crediton to Okehampton and 26 from Okehampton to Crediton.

Looking on railtables.co.uk, in the May 2018 timetable, the Summer Sunday trains did Crediton to Okehampton in 31 minutes.

Presuming the 40mph limit was in force 3 years ago, you'd have thought nearly doubling the speed trains could run at would save more than 4 minutes?

 

[pdeaves]

Presuming the 40mph limit was in force 3 years ago, you'd have thought nearly doubling the speed trains could run at would save more than 4 minutes?

75mph is the maximum; it's not continuous for the full length. Also allow for accelerating/decelerating.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Thanks, that's interesting, because i note trains are due to take 27 mins from Crediton to Okehampton and 26 from Okehampton to Crediton.

Looking on railtables.co.uk, in the May 2018 timetable, the Summer Sunday trains did Crediton to Okehampton in 31 minutes.

Presuming the 40mph limit was in force 3 years ago, you'd have thought nearly doubling the speed trains could run at would save more than 4 minutes?

The December timetable will be accelerated further in May 2022 by a couple of minutes. A conservative approach has been taken in case the full suite of linespeed improvement work wasn’t completed in time (it has been.)

 

[REVUpminster]

Like Marsh Barton there is probably passive provision for Okehampton Parkway. Needs the developers to get their fingers out and build the station. I expect they are waiting to see what demand is for the housing and employment land.

 

[pdeaves]

Like Marsh Barton there is probably passive provision for Okehampton Parkway. Needs the developers to get their fingers out and build the station. I expect they are waiting to see what demand is for the housing and employment land.

"We won't seek planning permission until we know there will be a suitable station"
"We won't provide a station until you commit to the housing"

It has the potential to be catch-22!

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

There is certainly long term provision in the planned turnarounds at Okehampton to enable an additional station call to be accommodated, but whether that is ever utilised is a different question. It would have been foolish not to allow for this in the linespeed improvement plans.

 

[REVUpminster]

In case anybody is interested regarding clearance there was a 158 on the route trainer today

Snipped this from another site with an acknowledgement to the photographer. It was a gauging run.

 

[REVUpminster]

166211 at Okehampton yesterday? So all three (150, 158, 166) have been there.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Excellent - thanks for posting this @REVUpminster, this has to be the very first time ever then for a Turbo?

 

[REVUpminster]

Another thread here says Priv and staff passes not valid first weekend. I wonder if a Turbo might make the first run if it's that busy.
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ning-day-no-staff-passes.224706/#post-5398612

 

[fgwrich]

I'm surprised the track wasn't lowered (though I suppose it would have pushed the cost up) as the step up to that Turbo looks higher than the 158.

 

[Ash Bridge]

It appears something rather more meatier than a sprinter or turbo is planned to reach Okehampton on Saturday 26th March….

Springtime Hoovering in Devon – UK Railtours

www.ukrailtours.com

 

[geoffk]

It appears something rather more meatier than a sprinter or turbo is planned to reach Okehampton on Saturday 26th March….

Springtime Hoovering in Devon – UK Railtours

www.ukrailtours.com

That will be good. However photographic spots along the line west of Yeoford seem non-existent because of tree growth, except at Okehampton itself.

 

[Class800]

That will be good. However photographic spots along the line west of Yeoford seem non-existent because of tree growth, except at Okehampton itself.

Correct - but Crediton station would be a good place to see it (although it is not west of Yeoford)

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

That will be good. However photographic spots along the line west of Yeoford seem non-existent because of tree growth, except at Okehampton itself.

What about the clearing where Sampford Courtenay’s disused platform is?

 

[Ash Bridge]

That will be good. However photographic spots along the line west of Yeoford seem non-existent because of tree growth, except at Okehampton itself.

Indeed; and other forum members that have travelled on the reinstated services have commented on this too, I’m just hoping that the more extensive foliage removal work that was started last year at the Okehampton end of the line heading back to roughly where the old A30 overbridge crossed will resume at some point and eventually encompass the whole route back to the former Coleford Junction. Being honest though I can’t say I’m at all confident that this will be the case? At least that class 50 should be able to really open up on the long straight section through Bow, North Tawton etc. now the linespeed has been increased to something similar to what was back in its former Southern mainline days!

 

[geoffk]

Is the plan to increase the service to hourly dependent on GWR's stock situation? We already have regular short-formed trains on the Exmouth line (2 cars instead of 4) and GWR has lost a 158 in the Salisbury accident. Can the hourly service be accommodated without track alterations between Crediton and Yeoford? The line is closed for a week in February (half term) for works of some kind.

 

[REVUpminster]

Is the plan to increase the service to hourly dependent on GWR's stock situation? We already have regular short-formed trains on the Exmouth line (2 cars instead of 4) and GWR has lost a 158 in the Salisbury accident. Can the hourly service be accommodated without track alterations between Crediton and Yeoford? The line is closed for a week in February (half term) for works of some kind.

Depends on 165s being released from Reading as 769s come on stream.

Last week there was a short form on one train last Tuesday and the the school train on Wednesday and Thursday the previous week (which is very rare).
158950 operated Paignton-Exmouth last Monday and 150216 was one of the three trains to Barnstaple.. There seems to be only two 166s down here at the moment instead of three. 165132 operated Okehampton on the 11 and 13th. I don't know where it was on the 12th.

 

[RPI]

Is the plan to increase the service to hourly dependent on GWR's stock situation? We already have regular short-formed trains on the Exmouth line (2 cars instead of 4) and GWR has lost a 158 in the Salisbury accident. Can the hourly service be accommodated without track alterations between Crediton and Yeoford? The line is closed for a week in February (half term) for works of some kind.

The engineering work coming up in February is i believe for relaying to raise the linespeed between Crediton and Coleford, without that its extremely tight to be able to run hourly

 

[30907]

The engineering work coming up in February is i believe for relaying to raise the linespeed between Crediton and Coleford, without that its extremely tight to be able to run hourly

...though it was done for part of opening day at least.

 

[507020]

...though it was done for part of opening day at least.

Yes and the layover of the 2nd diagram at Okehampton was measured in seconds rather than minutes.

 

[REVUpminster]

The tour train on the 26 March must have a reasonable layover, for photos, even if only for 15 minutes..

 

[Charlie Smythe]

Would there ever be a case for moving the junction to Colford and redoubling all the way back to Cowley Bridge Junction? It seems like if one of the 3 Barnstaple or 2 Okehampton Diagrams was to run late even by a few minutes it would totally destroy the timetable as there is literally no slack.

The tour train on the 26 March must have a reasonable layover, for photos, even if only for 15 minutes..

Bit sad that, unless some major upgrades are done, this will be the first and last tour to Okehampton in this new reopened era.

 

[REVUpminster]

Would there ever be a case for moving the junction to Colford and redoubling all the way back to Cowley Bridge Junction? It seems like if one of the 3 Barnstaple or 2 Okehampton Diagrams was to run late even by a few minutes it would totally destroy the timetable as there is literally no slack.

I think there is a good case if the housing planned at Newton St Cyres happens and Yeoford has potential for a lot more housing.

 

[Charlie Smythe]

I think there is a good case if the housing planned at Newton St Cyres happens and Yeoford has potential for a lot more housing.

Housing pretty much drives everything these days. Not sure how much is planned at Crediton but anything that happens there will be key to the route.