Plenty of refurbs running on the Highland Main Line today.
The classics have been withdrawn now from regular service. Due to the reduced timetable in place they only need 9 HSTs daily, so plenty of spare refurb sets if required.
Plenty of refurbs running on the Highland Main Line today.
Plenty of refurbs running on the Highland Main Line today.
Oh dear, I completely missed that! Apologies.
Spot of brain fog on my part there, thanks for clarifying
Only 3 classics??? Progress seems to be quickening I think!
I was making the point about the refurbs on the HML more to say that there are as many HSTs running as normal, and that they've not reduced use of them versus 170s and 158s.
You can't really see into an HST because of the reflective windows they have, but the one 170 I saw appeared to have no passengers at all on board.
That is good news. It shows people are following the rules and we will hopefully get over this all the quicker.The 11:29 Aberdeen to Glasgow HST ran without a single passenger as far as Perth, where one person boarded.
They could perhaps have done that instead, Kilmarnock given all the work for stripping the trailers and Doncaster the fitting-out.
That might have been quicker overall bar the delivery by road as each would've been concentrating on a specific part of the refurbishment rather than the whole thing
That would have slowed the production down. Once a vehicle has been stripped, it goes straight to the weld shop, and from the weld to the next station. That is usually the team who work on the underframe. Also in between stations there is sometimes arising work from previous stations.
I mentioned in a previous post about extra work being needed that slowed down the rebild, such as asbestos found on the body panels that needed removing, before any build up could be started. Vehicles going to wabtec that had been stood for ages had got mouldy, so that was setting back work on the carriages. In all honesty i think the work that needed doing was underestimated, its certainly got better these past 6 months.
The previously used Slateford depot is currently being cleared for re use as an HST stabling point. Not sure if the HA31 - 33 will move here too to be stripped, but it will reduce pressure on Haymarket depot which has had to close to any more trains on a few occasions recently due to being full. This has caused some congestion in Waverley as trains cannot move to the depot. I wonder how the local NIMBYS will react, given the relentless moaning they did last time Slateford was in use.
In the early days there was quite a bit of umming and ahhing around stabling and servicing at Perth but nothing came of it.What was the original plan to stable HSTs before this? Surely they must've known beforehand whether they had enough space in Haymarket or not, or is it just because most HSTs aren't in use at the moment?
I think it's the latter - in normal operations some sets would be overnighting in Aberdeen, Inverness and Glasgow.Surely they must've known beforehand whether they had enough space in Haymarket or not, or is it just because most HSTs aren't in use at the moment?
The rather large blocks of flats on Appin Lane & Street beside the Midcalder lines are the issue.What residents? The main Carstairs line is between the vacant area and the nearest houses and on the other side is the link to the Sub and then some playing fields. Unless it's the road access from Shandon Place. If the access was easier it would have been sold for housing.
Unless the sidings don't have shore power and so the trains are left with engines idling.But surely they are more affected by the increased number of trains on the midcalder/Carstairs lines than by a few trains being parked overnight in the sidings
It's not ideal so only temporary. The reversals were always a faff. It might only be the classic coaches that are being kept for spares. Not sure yet.Unless the sidings don't have shore power and so the trains are left with engines idling.
Edit: Looking at it on Google Earth, it appears that Slateford is an operational nightmare as a stabling point though. How do you get to/from Haymarket or Waverely without needing at least a couple of reversals?
Unless the sidings don't have shore power and so the trains are left with engines idling.
Edit: Looking at it on Google Earth, it appears that Slateford is an operational nightmare as a stabling point though. How do you get to/from Haymarket or Waverely without needing at least a couple of reversals?
I understand that it will be used for short term storage, not stabling. So they will be shut down and infrequent movementsGood point. The fumes are pretty unpleasant and anyone with a family would be concerned about the increased pollution.
Similarly the Caley Sleeper!There's a bit of an irony that just when ScotRail are starting to have roughly enough refurbs to reliably maintain the timetable as planned, that there's a pandemic going on;