Northampton to Crewe services in 2005

[pt_mad]

Quoting from wikipedia when looking up Central Trains:

During 2004 Central’s Trent Valley local services that ran generally from Stafford or Nuneaton (some from Coventry) were discontinued due to a Driver shortage and not restored until over year later, when they were replaced by an electric service from Northampton to Crewe.


Does anyone know which class of rolling stock was used for this electric service and how often / at what frequency did the service run?

Also was it a particularly well used or quiet service in terms of passenger numbers?

 

[heart-of-wessex]

That was when the 350's came in no? They were shared with Silverlink IIRC with undercoat grey, I think there were two varieties with different door colours, one blue, the other something else.

Went to LTV once for a train on an ALR, was surprised at a permanent bus!

 

[pt_mad]

Would I be right in thinking there was an occasional time prior to this when the odd 323 was used through the Trent?

 

[sonic2009]

A 153 was used as well on Trent Valley stoppers around 03/04

 

[bILLOO]

That was when the 350's came in no? They were shared with Silverlink IIRC with undercoat grey, I think there were two varieties with different door colours, one blue, the other something else.

Went to LTV once for a train on an ALR, was surprised at a permanent bus!

I believe the 350's came later - around 2007ish?

 

[pt_mad]

I believe the 350's came later - around 2007ish?

That's what I was thinking?

Makes me think the electric service was 323s before that but I am guessing.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

I believe the 350's came later - around 2007ish?

Nope, seems like it though, quote from Wiki:

"The first Class 350s entered service in June 2005 with Central Trains"

I can confirm this as the reference to this quote is from the Railway Herald June 2005 e-magazine, and the PDF file is referenced, just checked it myself and it was indeed 2005. I suspect these would be used in favour of 323's so that they could keep them to pair some of the sets, I doubt otherwise there was many free never mind drivers who signed 323's and the Trent Valley, though I don't know much about what driver's cover.

It's probably why there was a bus until then, waiting for the 350s to be built and arrive

 

[sd0733]

I was working 350101 earlier and all the parts on that are for UK WCML 1 with the date 11/03 on them all so must date from around then.

 

[Eagle]

That'll be when Siemens started building them in Germany.