Trivia: Strike-Induced Timetable Trivia

[JonathanH]

This then begs the question how did the clash occur when this is meant to be a Sunday timetable?

Southern is a Sunday timetable. GWR is a weekday derived contingency timetable. Hence the clash.

 

[infobleep]

Southern is a Sunday timetable. GWR is a weekday derived contingency timetable. Hence the clash.

How interesting. Surely it would have made sense for everyone to run a Subday timetable to avoid stuff like this.

 

[Some guy]

It’s not gone that way it’s gone via chat moss. They’re running a 2 hourly service with only 2 managers sourced to run them

 

[Watershed]

It’s not gone that way it’s gone via chat moss. They’re running a 2 hourly service with 2 managers only being needed for it

I must be imagining all these services that have run via Bolton today:

 

[507020]

I must be imagining all these services that have run via Bolton today:

View attachment 116623

Can Bolton be switched out in such a way as to allow only one train to pass through Bolton at a time?

 

[Some guy]

I must be imagining all these services that have run via Bolton today:

View attachment 116623

That’s very strange I thought it’s all controlled in a centre in Manchester and that they couldn’t bring anyone in to signal the line

 

[_toommm_]

TPE were operating a reduced mix of services on Wednesday 22nd June, including:
Leeds - Selby - Brough - Hull
York - Leeds - Dewsbury - Manchester Piccadilly
and one pattern I don't recall seeing before,:
York - Leeds - all stations to Stalybridge - Manchester Piccadilly

The last one also operated in lockdown one. I’m not sure of the headcode in lockdown, but it pretty much always runs as a 2Zxx these days when the stoppers are combined.

 

[krus_aragon]

I believe Southport actually has trains gestating in all platforms (1-6) or if not all except P5, as well as several sidings. Are there any through stations on main lines which are ‘pregnant’?

Maybe the ones with balloon loops?

 

[43055]

How interesting. Surely it would have made sense for everyone to run a Subday timetable to avoid stuff like this.

If they did that then some operators will be running less trains than they are today!

 

[JN114]

The 0710 Heathrow Express from Paddington called additionally at West Ealing which I've never seen before.

Crew purposes only (driver for another HEx ECS off West Ealing sidings and I believe the Greenford driver as well)

 

[Fokx]

The last one also operated in lockdown one. I’m not sure of the headcode in lockdown, but it pretty much always runs as a 2Zxx these days when the stoppers are combined.

It was also 2Zulu.

Liverpool to Airport engineering trains with 185’s run as 9Zulu’s

 

[_toommm_]

It was also 2Zulu.

Liverpool to Airport engineering trains with 185’s run as 9Zulu’s

I can understand the 9Zxx as I believe they went via CLC as opposed to the usual route via Chat Moss. Not sure why the stoppers are a 2Zxx though? The only thing I can think is so it gets routed into the platform at Mirfield as opposed to ‘platform two’.

 

[drb61]

How about stations which have a better service on strike days than during a normal weekday?

One of my local stations - Cambuslang - has arguably a better service than on non-strike days, at least if you travel to Glasgow Central or Edinburgh. Five fast trains per hour to GLC, as opposed to 2 fast and 4 stoppers and one direct train per hour to EDB (normally you have to change at Uddingston or Bellshill, with a long wait for a connection or travel via GLC & GLQ). Furthermore the GLC-EDB services are about 10 minutes faster on strike days due to lack of pathing constraints! Wish they'd make the Cambuslang stop on the Edinburgh services permanent - there's little reason operationally not to.

 

[Watershed]

I can understand the 9Zxx as I believe they went via CLC as opposed to the usual route via Chat Moss. Not sure why the stoppers are a 2Zxx though? The only thing I can think is so it gets routed into the platform at Mirfield as opposed to ‘platform two’.

It's just the headcode that is used, to distinguish it from anything else, as it's formed of a mixture of calling patterns and paths. As Zulu headcodes can only be used for STP or other exceptional traffic, it stands out.

 

[_toommm_]

It's just the headcode that is used, to distinguish it from anything else, as it's formed of a mixture of calling patterns and paths. As Zulu headcodes can only be used for STP or other exceptional traffic, it stands out.

Fair enough. The only other time I ever see Zulu headcodes is where a journey is restarted halfway through e.g. a Crosscountry service from Plymouth to Edinburgh us delayed. Its original headcode might be 1E63, but it's restarted at Birmingham as 1Z63 as a VSTP.

Note: The headcode 1E63 I believe does exist currently on the XC network (outside of strike days), although I'm not sure whether it actually runs Plymouth to Edinburgh - I just used it as an illustrative example.

 

[zwk500]

Fair enough. The only other time I ever see Zulu headcodes is where a journey is restarted halfway through e.g. a Crosscountry service from Plymouth to Edinburgh us delayed. Its original headcode might be 1E63, but it's restarted at Birmingham as 1Z63 as a VSTP.

Note: The headcode 1E63 I believe does exist currently on the XC network (outside of strike days), although I'm not sure whether it actually runs Plymouth to Edinburgh - I just used it as an illustrative example.

Trains to Edinburgh from England would run as 1Sxx, 1Exx would be used for trains to the Eastern Region (e.g. Newcastle). Z headcodes can be used for any special traffic, including railtours, diversions, unusual or short-notice moves etc. It's also used for trains responding to incidents.

 

[GordonT]

Note: The headcode 1E63 I believe does exist currently on the XC network (outside of strike days), although I'm not sure whether it actually runs Plymouth to Edinburgh - I just used it as an illustrative example.

XC journeys to Scotland would surely be 1Sxx rather than 1Exx (or 1Zxx in the case of an exceptional journey.

 

[infobleep]

If they did that then some operators will be running less trains than they are today!

But if some operators, who are running a modified Sunday timetable, ran a modified weekday timetable, could they be operating more trains today than they current are?

 

[_toommm_]

Trains to Edinburgh from England would run as 1Sxx, 1Exx would be used for trains to the Eastern Region (e.g. Newcastle). Z headcodes can be used for any special traffic, including railtours, diversions, unusual or short-notice moves etc. It's also used for trains responding to incidents.

1E63 in this case is a HST that terminates at Leeds, so that fits; but like I say, that headcode was purely illustrative as it was the first XC headcode that came to my head.

 

[infobleep]

On the non-strike days in between the strike days, Guildford has a regular direct service to all the stopping stations between Woking and Surbiton. Whilst that does happen during the week, it is very much the exception each day than the rule.

Direct Guildford to Ascot services resume. Thru usually only run on Sundays, following a timetable change a number of years ago.

 

[Magdalia]

I'm hoping this remains a trivial question, but it struck me that there are various lines that were once considered sufficiently important to be electrified at 25kv, yet this week have not been considered sufficiently important to get a strike day train service. Just thinking in my local area I came up with this list:

Wickford-Southminster
Witham-Braintree
Colchester-Clacton/Walton
Manningtree-Harwich
Stratford-Tottenham
Broxbourne-Hertford East
Ely-Kings Lynn

What is the position with 25kv electrified lines elsewhere?

 

[Watershed]

I'm hoping this remains a trivial question, but it struck me that there are various lines that were once considered sufficiently important to be electrified at 25kv, yet this week have not been considered sufficiently important to get a strike day train service. Just thinking in my local area I came up with this list:

Wickford-Southminster
Witham-Braintree
Colchester-Clacton/Walton
Manningtree-Harwich
Stratford-Tottenham
Broxbourne-Hertford East
Ely-Kings Lynn

What is the position with 25kv electrified lines elsewhere?

Sufficiently important is perhaps not the right term, as all of these schemes were done to eliminate the need for traction changes or having several classes of unit in use. And most were able to be done without any need for additional feeder stations.

 

[apinnard]

I'm hoping this remains a trivial question, but it struck me that there are various lines that were once considered sufficiently important to be electrified at 25kv, yet this week have not been considered sufficiently important to get a strike day train service. Just thinking in my local area I came up with this list:

Wickford-Southminster
Witham-Braintree
Colchester-Clacton/Walton
Manningtree-Harwich
Stratford-Tottenham
Broxbourne-Hertford East
Ely-Kings Lynn

What is the position with 25kv electrified lines elsewhere?

Colchester to Clacton & Walton requires two panels at Colchester ASC (East Gates and Thorpe.) Getting cover for those in strike conditions sounds impossible. Hence the closure.

 

[infobleep]

There is a public right of access across Guildford railway station via the concourse, platform 1 and the footbridge between 4:30 am and 1:30 am the following day. Outside those times the official diversion is via the road bridge at the end of the road.

The footbridge route is not a public right of way as such so maybe it comes from the planning consent in the c1987 rebuild. I'm not sure. On the strike days, this was closed as the station was closed. No notices telling people how to get across whilst closed. I wonder if technically they would be obliged to?

In contrast, I'm not aware of their being a right of access across London Road (Guildford) but you can get from one side to the other. On the strike days, this was open.

As an aside, I went through it today to photograph it whilst it was empty, save a couple of pigeons. I tried to imagine myself being at a station on a line that had just closed for good and what it must have felt like.

 

[alex_trains]

In a lighter mood, I was wondering if there were any strike-induced trivia that might be created over the next few days, in terms of unusual routings or service patterns, unusual accolades etc?

I reckon that St Pancras has 283 servcies, which must make it comfortably the busiest station in the country tomorrow (21st June, including late finishers from the 20th). I had wondered where the IoW stations would rank: Ryde St Johns has 53 services which compares to 100 at York, so they're substantially higher up the list but still not at the same level as the busiest stations.

Any other trivia or tidbits coming from the strike timetables?

The first few morning Blackfriars to Sevenoaks Thameslink services were running to and from Victoria instead of Blackfriars during the strike week

 

[ashkeba]

Sufficiently important is perhaps not the right term, as all of these schemes were done to eliminate the need for traction changes or having several classes of unit in use. And most were able to be done without any need for additional feeder stations.

Needing to staff signal boxes instead of an operations centre may also have been a factor in some.

 

[Roger B]

I took a trip from Manchester to Scotland and back on Monday Tuesday. Many TPE trains from the south were being turned back ay Carlisle or Lancaster, the reason given being 'Staff shortages'. I was talking with an Avanti chap at Carlisle (during a looong wait for a train north), who told me that the reason given wan't true - said there were TPE drivers and crew sat around in messrooms with no trains to work.
Wondering whether the cuts to TPE services are at DfT behest, along with the misleading reasons given - an attempt to discredit TPE staff?

 

[The exile]

I took a trip from Manchester to Scotland and back on Monday Tuesday. Many TPE trains from the south were being turned back ay Carlisle or Lancaster, the reason given being 'Staff shortages'. I was talking with an Avanti chap at Carlisle (during a looong wait for a train north), who told me that the reason given wan't true - said there were TPE drivers and crew sat around in messrooms with no trains to work.
Wondering whether the cuts to TPE services are at DfT behest, along with the misleading reasons given - an attempt to discredit TPE staff?

Perfectly possible, I suppose for a crew who sign (say) Carlisle northwards to be sitting in a mess room there because their train can’t leave Manchester because there’s no one to crew it over the southern section….

 

[Watershed]

I took a trip from Manchester to Scotland and back on Monday Tuesday. Many TPE trains from the south were being turned back ay Carlisle or Lancaster, the reason given being 'Staff shortages'. I was talking with an Avanti chap at Carlisle (during a looong wait for a train north), who told me that the reason given wan't true - said there were TPE drivers and crew sat around in messrooms with no trains to work.
Wondering whether the cuts to TPE services are at DfT behest, along with the misleading reasons given - an attempt to discredit TPE staff?

The two aren't mutually exclusive! The services are generally crewed in three parts - Manchester to Preston, Preston to Carlisle and Carlisle to Glasgow/Edinburgh. If any one of those three parts are uncovered then the service has to be cancelled. Result - traincrew sitting around in the messroom...

 

[Some guy]

The two aren't mutually exclusive! The services are generally crewed in three parts - Manchester to Preston, Preston to Carlisle and Carlisle to Glasgow/Edinburgh. If any one of those three parts are uncovered then the service has to be cancelled. Result - traincrew sitting around in the messroom...

That’s way too many crew changes for a 3 and a half hour journey. I remember when Glasgow depot was able to go all the way to Manchester airport and then they took it off their cards which is stupid considering it would rarely get cancelled throughout