Salisbury to Exeter

[Kite159]

It isn't impressive, even allowing for covid, that it has taken a full year to restore through services across Salisbury (wef 17 May).

They got restored in the September uplift of services, but cut back weekdays at the start of the year due to lockdown 3.

 

[pompeyfan]

They got restored in the September uplift of services, but cut back weekdays at the start of the year due to lockdown 3.

And several Saturdays have seen a heavily amended train service due to lack of drivers which kind of goes to show the weekday plan is at least reliable.

 

[Snow1964]

if the engineering work originally planned for last weekend was the same as this weekend, the line was closed Salisbury to Gillingham (and Warminster), with an isolated SWR service running between Gillingham and Exeter. So the implication is the allocated units were stuck at that end of the route for all day Sat and Sun, ie it’s nothing like the normal weekday situation...

Isn’t normal practice when a line closure blocks access to fuel, that extra fully fuelled units are sent, even if they are attached to last service train (as longer train) to avoid special moves.

If there were other units with fuel sitting in sidings all weekend, sounds like incompetence especially as it is not isolated line, but they could have got someone to take some units (even one train of 3 units) via Basingstoke, Newbury and Yeovil (or via Weymouth) to access from other end.

I don’t think the excuse of couldn’t get any units with fuel to Gillingham-Exeter section is watertight.

 

[pompeyfan]

Maybe under BR you might have been able to go via Weymouth, but you’ve got no hope now. Salisbury don’t sign west of Redbridge in general and only a very small number of Bournemouth drivers sign diesel stock. Add to that Yeovil can only hold 4 3 car units.

 

[v199629]

159 only gets 1500 miles of fuel these days and Salisbury is currently the only the SWR depot that can fuel.

The fueling arrangement at Exeter TMD should be ready for the new timetable.

 

[Snow1964]

Maybe under BR you might have been able to go via Weymouth, but you’ve got no hope now. Salisbury don’t sign west of Redbridge in general and only a very small number of Bournemouth drivers sign diesel stock. Add to that Yeovil can only hold 4 3 car units.

Why would you have to hold spare units that are fuelled up at Yeovil?

Gillingham-Exeter was open and last time I went through Gillingham (admittedly not recent) there was a decent length siding there (and it faces the platforms and Salisbury)

 

[pompeyfan]

Why would you have to hold spare units that are fuelled up at Yeovil?

Gillingham-Exeter was open and last time I went through Gillingham (admittedly not recent) there was a decent length siding there (and it faces the platforms and Salisbury)

but Gillingham - Exeter wasn’t open?!

it was only Gillingham to Axminster.

just because there is track that occasionally sees a tamper does not mean that SWR can use it to berth stock. To protect its members, ASLEF insists that any agreed berthing point must have an authorised walking to a high standard, including walkways and lighting.

 

[vikingdriver]

159 only gets 1500 miles of fuel these days and Salisbury is currently the only the SWR depot that can fuel.

The fueling arrangement at Exeter TMD should be ready for the new timetable.

So what is the purpose of fueling at Exeter? Are we talking for an ad hoc basis kind of thing or for example the overnight units visiting etc?

 

[v199629]

So what is the purpose of fueling at Exeter? Are we talking for an ad hoc basis kind of thing or for example the overnight units visiting etc?

There is one unit going in and out for fueling (afternoon) in the weekday timetable from 17/05. The arrangement is only fueling during daytime.

It can be used as an option when Salisbury is completely blocked and for engineering work like these few weeks (Warminster/Gillingham-Salisbury blocked).

 

[Snow1964]

but Gillingham - Exeter wasn’t open?!

it was only Gillingham to Axminster.

just because there is track that occasionally sees a tamper does not mean that SWR can use it to berth stock. To protect its members, ASLEF insists that any agreed berthing point must have an authorised walking to a high standard, including walkways and lighting.

That argument means a tamper could never be berthed there by an Aslef driver either, and not sure if you would need lighting if it was limited to a daylight move.

 

[pompeyfan]

That argument means a tamper could never be berthed there by an Aslef driver either, and not sure if you would need lighting if it was limited to a daylight move.

you're not really getting it...

SWR has an agreement in place with ASLEF that all berthing points must be to a suitable specification, otherwise it won’t be used to berth rolling stock, you only need to look at the amount of work going into new passenger rolling stock sidings to understand.

What conditions Balfour Beaty or Colas have negotiated with their drivers and the reps is up to them.

 

[Carlisle]

you're not really getting it...

SWR has an agreement in place with ASLEF that all berthing points must be to a suitable specification, otherwise it won’t be used to berth rolling stock

There’s likely to be some scope for local amendments to those general TOC policies, as units were stabled in sidings at Appleby overnight during the recent year when the Settle Line was closed north of Armathwaite.

 

[pompeyfan]

There’s likely to be some scope for local amendments to those general TOC policies, as units were stabled in sidings at Appleby overnight during the recent year when the Settle Line was closed north of Armathwaite.

but even then there is likely to be arrangements with temporary lighting and suitable, risk assessed, walking routes, for whatever reason those processes weren’t identified and enacted at Gillingham, cost benefit obviously didn’t make it worth while.

to be honest it’s all pointless anyway, as it was identified there was last minute or unpublished engineering works between Axminster and Exeter which made it a moot point.

 

[Snow1964]

you're not really getting it...

SWR has an agreement in place with ASLEF that all berthing points must be to a suitable specification, otherwise it won’t be used to berth rolling stock, you only need to look at the amount of work going into new passenger rolling stock sidings to understand.

What conditions Balfour Beaty or Colas have negotiated with their drivers and the reps is up to them.

ok I understand now, Aslef decided that they would not like an exceptional exemption for one weekend, and would prefer bus substituton, instead of some potential overtime for their drivers.

 

[pompeyfan]

ok I understand now, Aslef decided that they would not like an exceptional exemption for one weekend, and would prefer bus substituton, instead of some potential overtime for their drivers.

If that is how you want to interpret it then that is your choice. The bus would have been running regardless of whether the stock was berthed at Gillingham or Yeovil junction as there was engineering works between Axminster and Exeter, as there is again this weekend

 

[v199629]

If that is how you want to interpret it then that is your choice. The bus would have been running regardless of whether the stock was berthed at Gillingham or Yeovil junction as there was engineering works between Axminster and Exeter, as there is again this weekend

There is no engineering work between Axminster and Exeter today or tomorrow. But a bus is running as the stock cannot do Gillingham to Exeter for the whole weekend without fueling.

 

[pompeyfan]

There is no engineering work between Axminster and Exeter today or tomorrow. But a bus is running as the stock cannot do Gillingham to Exeter for the whole weekend without fueling.

it does appear there is no possession showing between Ax and Exeter on OTT but the change to services was only published on Wednesday. The units at Yeovil were fresh off the depot last night so I’m surprised that they can’t do Exeter - Gillingham for a weekend on a full tank. As said earlier they’re good for 1500-1600 miles. Strange