New Street Hot Spare

[AlexS]

Don't believe one has ever been that way.

They only ever tend to stop at Leicester heading in that direction on diverted services going north during disruption - don't think they can turn right at Syston

Otherwise they just seem to appear very occasionally as an emergency kick out on the stoppers, although I imagine this is a pain in the arse to resource from a crewing perspective.

And yes, XC HSTs are cleared via Leicester and run that way on Sundays quite regularly during engineering works. One has even called in passenger service.

 

[Qwerty133]

Don't believe one has ever been that way.

They only ever tend to stop at Leicester heading in that direction on diverted services going north during disruption - don't think they can turn right at Syston

Otherwise they just seem to appear very occasionally as an emergency kick out on the stoppers, although I imagine this is a pain in the arse to resource from a crewing perspective.

And yes, XC HSTs are cleared via Leicester and run that way on Sundays quite regularly during engineering works. One has even called in passenger service.

Shame I've never seen it as I would like a photo of a voyager stopped at my local station!!!

 

[Eagle]

I wonder what the difference in clearance requirements is between 220/221s and 222s (which are obviously cleared east of Leicester at least as far as Manton Junction).

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I was at New Street today and rather interestingly the hot spare was VT's 221 104 rather than an XC unit.

The spare 170 was 170 523 up until around 14.00; thereafter it was switched and 170 631 ( or was it 639??? ) became the spare - berthed in exactly the same place that 523 had been in.

 

[Qwerty133]

I was at New Street today and rather interestingly the hot spare was VT's 221 104 rather than an XC unit.

The spare 170 was 170 523 up until around 14.00; thereafter it was switched and 170 631 ( or was it 639??? ) became the spare - berthed in exactly the same place that 523 had been in.

thought that XC and VT voyagers were completely separate now and that they cant drive each others due to tilt and as for the 170 if its a xc unit its 170639 as 170631 is either a LM unit or doesnt exsist

 

[Peter Mugridge]

thought that XC and VT voyagers were completely separate now and that they cant drive each others due to tilt and as for the 170 if its a xc unit its 170639 as 170631 is either a LM unit or doesnt exsist

631 is an LM unit, yes - just looked. It was definitely an XC unit so it was 639. Was going off memory as I didn't actually note them down at the time!

Regarding the Voyagers - that was my thought exactly which is why it struck me as unusual that 104 was the hot spare today; I was at New Street for 2½ hours ( from 12.30 to 15.00 ) and it was there all that time in the usual place for the spare.

 

[O L Leigh]

A couple of observations.

There isn't much point sending a Voyager east of Syston if it's only cleared as far as Manton Junction. Where is it meant to go if it can't go any further east? Melton...? Oakham...? In that case, why send it any further east than Leicester? The regular service is hourly anyway.

As for New Street spares, there are three through sidings. Generally they hold a Virgin Voyager, an XC Voyager and an XC Cl170. Depending on what is stabled and what has been used, you may see all, some or none of these units on the through sidings. The presence of one or other of the Voyager spares is not indicative of cross-working of units between Virgin and XC. In fact, I am not aware of any cross-working whatsoever. Tilt (or the lack of it) has nothing to do with it.

O L Leigh

 

[Tomnick]

I wonder what the difference in clearance requirements is between 220/221s and 222s (which are obviously cleared east of Leicester at least as far as Manton Junction).

222s are cleared for the whole route between Syston South Jn and Helpston Jn, whereas 220/221 are shown as cleared only for Syston South Jn to Manton Jn (though that's not the same as being prohibited east of Manton!). I understand that they'd struggle at Stansted anyway (too long for the bay?), and, as above, it's unlikely there'd be a need to send one only as far as Oakham (where you could only turn it back at Manton via a shunt that I don't think XC sign for?) or Melton. Either way, it's one thing to lose a 4-car set for a couple of hours whilst it pootles to Leicester and back, but quite another to lose it for a good chunk of the rest of the afternoon!

 

[Martin_1981]

I presume that A lot of drivers/ guards will also have knowledge to leicester as it is often used as a diversion on voyager routes. On that note are HSTs cleared between leicester and Birmingham?

HST's have been using the Leicester-Birmingham line for diversions for as long as I can remember, when the Derby-Birmingham route via Burton is closed for engineering works. Back in the 80's and early 90's, Intercity used to run a summer Saturday Nottingham-Paignton train which used this route and it was mainly worked by a HST, although Class 47+MK2's used to appear on it as well. Used to call at Leicester, Hinckley and Nuneaton I think.