GWR Turbo cascade progress to Bristol region services

[PHILIPE]

Are you able to post the diagrams?

Give me until sometime tomorrow please, just to check and write out. They are in my head at the moment and I'll be pleased to do it.

 

[D1009]

Give me until sometime tomorrow please, just to check and write out. They are in my head at the moment and I'll be pleased to do it.

Absolutely no rush, I sometimes use the Parkway starters at busy times to get to Temple Meads, but obviously not if City are playing!

 

[BestWestern]

Afraid it didn't complete it's day. Whilst working 2Y22 1522 Bristol TM to Weston-super-Mare failed at Parson St.

Do we know why?

 

[PHILIPE]

Do we know why?

Loss of Power according to a Group

 

[PHILIPE]

Diagrams comm 23/20/17 on WSM to BPW shuttles:-

Diag A
2C61 0524 BRI TAU 0617 (To PNZ terminate)
2D02 0633 TAU BPW 0803 (0600 EXD restarting)
2C65 0812 BPW TAU 0932
2D08 0938 TAU BPW 1104
2Y14 1112 BPW WSM 1159
Shuttle until
2D28 1816 WSM BRI 1844
2001 BRI TAU 2106 (1900 ex CDF changing trains)
Stable Pl 6 overnight

Diag B
2C04 0602 TAU BRI 0709 (To CDF changing trains)
2C63 0721 BRI TAU 0821 (0615 ex GCR changing trains)
2D36 0836 TAU BPW 1004
2Y12 1012 BPW WSM 1059
Shuttle until
2C25 2011 BPW BRI 2027

Other Diagram changes:- (15x)
2C02 0539 EXD TAU 0611 (0600 to BPW retimed and changing trains)
2C42 0622 TAU PNZ 1016 (0524 ex BPW restarting)

2T63 0615 GCR BRI 0703 (To TAU changing trains)
2P04 0720 BRI CDF 0828 (0602 ex TAU restarting)

All train alterations for this week dealt with under STP arrangements. Any further details re train working can be found on RTT
Diagrams worked out from RTT

 

[trolleyman]

Loss of Power according to a Group

This was 158763.
166214 only worked the 1225 & 1725 from Temple Meads to help with loadings from the Bristol City Vs Leeds game

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Hi; as some Turbos have been cascaded I wondered are any 150/0s back on the Reading to Basingstoke Line or are they still on the Bristol/Exeter area. Thanks.

 

[PHILIPE]

Hi; as some Turbos have been cascaded I wondered are any 150/0s back on the Reading to Basingstoke Line or are they still on the Bristol/Exeter area. Thanks.

They won't go back. Remember the cascade of Turbos will allow 150/1s to go to Northern

 

[MatthewRead]

They won't go back. Remember the cascade of Turbos will allow 150/1s to go to Northern

Correct me if I'm wrong the 150/0's will eventually head to Exeter to work the Devon Metro.

 

[Kite159]

I noticed on my last couple 166s some of the tables in the centre coach had been removed to give bays of 4 of narrow 2+2 seating

Great if you want to do actual work when they turn up on more longer distance routes in the Bristol area...

 

[FGW_DID]

Hi; as some Turbos have been cascaded I wondered are any 150/0s back on the Reading to Basingstoke Line or are they still on the Bristol/Exeter area. Thanks.

They won't go back. Remember the cascade of Turbos will allow 150/1s to go to Northern

Thankfully they won’t be back, this week is the first week that the two Reading 150/0 diagrams have ceased to exist. On paper one has become a 165 diagram, the other a 166 diagram.

At the moment the Basingstokes is the only LTV route we are authorised to use the Ride Height Modded (RHM) units on. (RHM units are also cleared for Reading - Shalford but we haven’t had the nod to start allocating on that route yet). As it stands at the moment we don’t have too much worry as out of the RHM sets, only 166204 is at Reading so that will be utilised in the Basingstokes.

166219 has gone West as of this morning.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Yes - I’ve done a Basingstoke on 166204

 

[Suraggu]

I noticed on my last couple 166s some of the tables in the centre coach had been removed to give bays of 4 of narrow 2+2 seating

Great if you want to do actual work when they turn up on more longer distance routes in the Bristol area...

No they have not been removed. They have been fitted like that for years. At least since Thames Trains times.

 

[Kite159]

No they have not been removed. They have been fitted like that for years. At least since Thames Trains times.

The tables were missing from 166215 on Saturday evening

 

[Suraggu]

The tables were missing from 166215 on Saturday evening

My apologies I read your post wrong. Please disregard my comment.

 

[Nammer]

Hi; as some Turbos have been cascaded I wondered are any 150/0s back on the Reading to Basingstoke Line or are they still on the Bristol/Exeter area. Thanks.

150002 was doing the Cardiff - Portsmouth runs today

 

[superkev]

Does all the above mean the 150's for Northern are heading north soon?
K

 

[jimm]

Does all the above mean the 150's for Northern are heading north soon?
K

The big rolling stock shuffle happens at the turn of the year, with the start of 387 operations to Didcot and IETs beginning to appear on the Cotswold Line freeing up a good few Turbos from the Thames Valley - I think something like half the GWR Turbo fleet will be based in Bristol from that point, with 150s leaving for Northern as a result.

 

[pompeyfan]

Has anyone any firm answers on what will operate the Portsmouth - Cardiff’s?

I’ve heard that 158s will run around in 5 cars, with some 158/9s reformed back to 2 car so they’ll effectively run 158/9+158/7. I’ve also heard they’ll run as 166+165, but the most obscure rumour I’ve heard is that some 166’s will be reformed to run as a 5 car units, with 3 centre coaches and 2 DMS’s.

Personally I think think the middle option is more likely although it’s my least preferred. 5 car 158s with SWR style SDO fitted to them would be brilliant.

 

[jimm]

It has been the plan since 2015 for the route to be worked by Turbos:

Following statements featured in GWR stakeholder presentations in 2015 when the direct award franchise started

Capacity on the Cardiff-Portsmouth route will be transformed by the cascade of the Class 16x Turbos onto the route. Trains will be predominantly worked by 5-car trains, equipped with free Wi-Fi

Services to and from Brighton will be operated by 3-car Class 16x units

The five-car formations being a 166 with a 165.

I believe the intention is to refurbish the 166s to have 2+2 seats throughout (except for one bench of three in each coach which has an engine coolant header tank underneath it and will have to stay put) and put longer-distance passengers with reservations on to these, with the 165s retaining 3+2 seats and intended for the shorter-distance and walk-up traffic.

 

[Clarence Yard]

Has anyone any firm answers on what will operate the Portsmouth - Cardiff’s?

I’ve heard that 158s will run around in 5 cars, with some 158/9s reformed back to 2 car so they’ll effectively run 158/9+158/7. I’ve also heard they’ll run as 166+165, but the most obscure rumour I’ve heard is that some 166’s will be reformed to run as a 5 car units, with 3 centre coaches and 2 DMS’s.

Personally I think think the middle option is more likely although it’s my least preferred. 5 car 158s with SWR style SDO fitted to them would be brilliant.

The firm answer is that from May some diagrams will be still be 158/9 3 car, or 5 car with a 150 or 158 attached (4 circuits only - 2 of each class involved). From sometime in the summer, when the Turbo mods programme starts to run down, some 165/165 or 165/166 combinations will appear (up to 2 circuits only - the SPM out and back diagrams). In December 2018 (or when Newbury is finally electrified) all the diagram circuits cut over to 165/166 5 car or 166 3 car (one circuit only) operation.

The 158 fleet then will consist of 11 x 2 cars and 7 x 3 cars.

 

[pompeyfan]

Thanks for the answers. Disappointed with the lack of walk through options, I know it’s not a deal breaker but it is a personal preference.

 

[PHILIPE]

Thanks for the answers. Disappointed with the lack of walk through options, I know it’s not a deal breaker but it is a personal preference.

Would affect the ability of catering trolley to serve the whole train without unloading and reloading in the other portion where time and conditions allow at stations.

 

[pompeyfan]

Would affect the ability of catering trolley to serve the whole train without unloading and reloading in the other portion where time and conditions allow at stations.

That was one of my concerns also.

 

[turbodeas]

Thanks for all the information on this - but if the plan is to run 165+166 on CDF-PMH, phased in gradually, when will the refurbishment to 2+2 intercity style seating be carried out? Whilst it's a nice idea that the commuter passengers will jump in the 165, and the intercity passengers will be reserved in the 166, is this likely to work as intended in practice?

Excepting the fact that the trains will be longer/have more capacity, having travelled on a 166 in the Bristol area, I'd say the passenger experience is a fairly severe downgrade compared to a GWR 158... But maybe if they can be refurbished with 2+2 seats, a few proper tables with laptop points, and the air conditioning fixed then I can see it could be an improvement.

 

[Clarence Yard]

The latest I've heard is that the DfT have canned the 166 reseating (on grounds of loss of seats) and that they will remain as is. But discussions are on going as the whole Turbo fleet is overdue for an interior refurb.

 

[50031]

Surely if re-seating the 166s is part of the franchise agreement, then GWR can insist on it going ahead? And it seems utterly ridiculous that Exeter bound 150/2s have a 2+2 seating with some tables, whilst "flagship" Portsmouth and other services have unaltered 3+2 seating with no tables at all! If the dft refuse, then, apart from lack of aircon, I would rather travel on a 153!

 

[Sprinter153]

... apart from lack of aircon, I would rather travel on a 153!

After working the wretched things for years (the 'can you open the window?' discussions aged me a decade) I would rather a 153 anyway. There may as well not be air conditioning.

 

[PHILIPE]

Surely if re-seating the 166s is part of the franchise agreement, then GWR can insist on it going ahead? And it seems utterly ridiculous that Exeter bound 150/2s have a 2+2 seating with some tables, whilst "flagship" Portsmouth and other services have unaltered 3+2 seating with no tables at all! If the dft refuse, then, apart from lack of aircon, I would rather travel on a 153!

If the 2+2 seating doesn't go ahead they'll be just as unwelcoming internally as the 150/1s and /9s which work on the route far too often now.

 

[50031]

If the 2+2 seating doesn't go ahead they'll be just as unwelcoming internally as the 150/1s and /9s which work on the route far too often now.

I couldn't agree more. After those at the top of GWR saying in the recent past that every service in the franchise will see improved rolling stock, it would be scandalous if the Sir Humphreys decisions resulted in Bristol area stock actually seeing a decrease in internal ambience.