XC Newquay Trains

[yorksrob]

Does anyone know when XC's Newquay HST's will be running this year ?

Tried to find out but their website doesn't seem to have a search function !

 

[sonic2009]

Saturday's until the 7th September.

0635 Plymouth - Newquay 0818 2N00

0935 Newquay - Dundee 2142 1S49

0632 Dundee - Newquay 1838 1V54

2000 Newquay - Plymouth 2147 2P86

Sunday's until the 8th September.

0901 Plymouth - Newquay 1100 2C64

1132 Newquay - Edinburgh 2212 1S53

 

[CC 72100]

Although be aware, 2N00 and 1S49 on the Saturday morning are voyagers, with the rear voyager locked out upon departure from Newquay. The later HST from Dundee overnights at Laira.

 

[yorksrob]

Ah, thanks for that.

I'm actually travelling later on in September so it might have to be HST as far as Plymouth (if they do any decent fares that is).

 

[CC 72100]

Be aware, there's no way of getting to it without overnight stops, even for me in Exeter If I wanted to do the XC HST in/out of Newquay, it's an overnight on Plymouth station. The last service to Exeter leaves Plymouth at 21:16 on the Saturday evening, and the first one down on the Sunday morning doesn't get in until 10:14.

As the prospect of Plymouth overnight doesn't particularly appeal to me, I have to settle with an early FGW one in on a Saturday morn (the 08:55 PLY - NQY which goes back as the 11:30 NQY - PAD).

 

[TEW]

Although be aware, 2N00 and 1S49 on the Saturday morning are voyagers, with the rear voyager locked out upon departure from Newquay. The later HST from Dundee overnights at Laira.

The rear voyager should be unlocked at Bodmin Parkway I believe.

 

[Goatboy]

The rear voyager should be unlocked at Bodmin Parkway I believe.

Is there a reason why they do this? No crew until Bodmin?

 

[louis97]

Is there a reason why they do this? No crew until Bodmin?

Short platform at Par, and also Lostwithiel on the way down, because of this crew are specially sent down to Bodmin to unlock the rear set and bring it into passenger services, from there it fits on all platforms.

 

[Martin_1981]

Shame the Manchester-Newquay return service is not a HST anymore. It became Voyagerised in 2010, although I've caught it twice in July between Exeter and Plymouth and both times it was busy but not packed.

 

[TEW]

The Manchester service never seems to be particularly busy any more, a 221 seems about right for it. Even the evening HST to Newquay is pretty quiet by the time it gets to Newquay.

 

[Martin_1981]

The Manchester service never seems to be particularly busy any more, a 221 seems about right for it. Even the evening HST to Newquay is pretty quiet by the time it gets to Newquay.

Possibly a combination of crap summers and XC's high fares might have something to do with it! Besides that, Newquay isn't everyone's cup of tea- certainly not mine!

 

[yorksrob]

Perhaps they could run some 125's to Penzance instead !

 

[paul1609]

Perhaps they could run some 125's to Penzance instead !

I may just have been unlucky but it appears to me that all the through services to Newquay have been lightly loaded for at least the last 10 years! I think its one of those services that railway staff like running as its different or possibly because of the overtime.

 

[yorksrob]

I may just have been unlucky but it appears to me that all the through services to Newquay have been lightly loaded for at least the last 10 years! I think its one of those services that railway staff like running as its different or possibly because of the overtime.

Well, I have to say, Newquay's not somewhere I tend to go on holiday. Perhaps XC have priced themselves out of the surfer party goer market !

 

[CC 72100]

Well, I have to say, Newquay's not somewhere I tend to go on holiday. Perhaps XC have priced themselves out of the surfer party goer market !

XC don't even take surfboards!

 

[yorksrob]

XC don't even take surfboards!

That explains it then. Nothing like catering for your market

 

[455driver]

XC don't even take surfboards!

I thought that was only on the vomiters, it would be rather silly not to on then HSTs as they have the luggage area in the TGS plus the backs of both power cars.

 

[CJ]

Perhaps they could run some 125's to Penzance instead !

They did last year as i managed to get a XC HST service from Birmingham New Street to Penzance (i think it started from York at about...7AM-ish, can't remember the actual time).

 

[Eagle]

I thought that was only on the vomiters, it would be rather silly not to on then HSTs as they have the luggage area in the TGS plus the backs of both power cars.

I think it has to be a blanket ban, in case a Voyager ends up subbing for a HST, or there's a diagram swap.

 

[323235]

XC don't even take surfboards!

And their lies the problem.

The primary market which Newquay attracts cannot use them.

 

[CC 72100]

They did last year as i managed to get a XC HST service from Birmingham New Street to Penzance (i think it started from York at about...7AM-ish, can't remember the actual time).

Yep.... 07:45 York - Penzance it operates as this year. Think it was slightly earlier last year.

 

[Martin_1981]

They did last year as i managed to get a XC HST service from Birmingham New Street to Penzance (i think it started from York at about...7AM-ish, can't remember the actual time).

This HST diagram is running again this year. It's the 0744 York-Penzance and return 16.25 Penzance-Leeds. I would imagine the outward run is fairly busy, but I caught the return working from Plymouth to Newton Abbot in July 2011 and the coach I was in was about a third full, although it is pretty late in the day and doesn't arrive at its Leeds destination until nearly midnight (assuming a good run up obviously).

 

[yorksrob]

This HST diagram is running again this year. It's the 0744 York-Penzance and return 16.25 Penzance-Leeds. I would imagine the outward run is fairly busy, but I caught the return working from Plymouth to Newton Abbot in July 2011 and the coach I was in was about a third full, although it is pretty late in the day and doesn't arrive at its Leeds destination until nearly midnight (assuming a good run up obviously).

That's useful to know. Is this diagram all year round ?

Typical - I've just noticed the return diagram doesn't stop at Wakefield. Thankyou Nitwit Rail.

 

[CC 72100]

That's useful to know. Is this diagram all year round ?

Typical - I've just noticed the return diagram doesn't stop at Wakefield. Thankyou Nitwit Rail.

No just summer Saturdays.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

This HST diagram is running again this year. It's the 0744 York-Penzance and return 16.25 Penzance-Leeds. I would imagine the outward run is fairly busy, but I caught the return working from Plymouth to Newton Abbot in July 2011 and the coach I was in was about a third full, although it is pretty late in the day and doesn't arrive at its Leeds destination until nearly midnight (assuming a good run up obviously).

Was certainly busier than Exeter - Plymouth runs that I've done on XC HSTs before... a fair few got off at Liskeard though, and by the time we arrived in Penzance there were maybe 10 - 15 in our coach.

 

[louis97]

Typical - I've just noticed the return diagram doesn't stop at Wakefield. Thankyou Nitwit Rail.

To allow for the train to diverted between Sheffield and Leeds. Worth noting that the service would normally terminate at Birmingham New Street, so is very much an extra service between Birmingham and Leeds purely because its an HST, few years ago it was a voyager and terminated at New Street.

 

[yorksrob]

To allow for the train to diverted between Sheffield and Leeds. Worth noting that the service would normally terminate at Birmingham New Street, so is very much an extra service between Birmingham and Leeds purely because its an HST, few years ago it was a voyager and terminated at New Street.

I have this problem with the late night London trains as well (although presumably as this service is coming from Sheffield it could stop at Wakefield Kirkgate instead ?)

Anyhow. May as well go back via old London Town again this year.

 

[louis97]

I have this problem with the late night London trains as well (although presumably as this service is coming from Sheffield it could stop at Wakefield Kirkgate instead ?)

It could, but the whole point of running non-stop between Sheffield and Leeds is so that it can go any way around and then XC do not have to provide any buses.

 

[Eagle]

(although presumably as this service is coming from Sheffield it could stop at Wakefield Kirkgate instead ?)

Unless it goes via Doncaster and Micklefield.

In fact I don't think that XC drivers/guards are able to stop at Kirkgate anymore (lack of knowledge); used to be that they'd stop trains there when diverted that way, but I haven't seen them do so for a couple of years at least. Compared to say Reading West where the crew do have the appropriate knowledge to stop there and do so regularly.

 

[yorksrob]

Unless it goes via Doncaster and Micklefield.

In fact I don't think that XC drivers/guards are able to stop at Kirkgate anymore (lack of knowledge); used to be that they'd stop trains there when diverted that way, but I haven't seen them do so for a couple of years at least. Compared to say Reading West where the crew do have the appropriate knowledge to stop there and do so regularly.

It's a shame really. The train obviously runs regularly so you'd have thought it would be worth obtaining that knowledge (unless it does go via Doncaster - in which case, it's a bit of a wasted opportunity not to be stopping there !)

 

[Eagle]

It's a shame really. The train obviously runs regularly so you'd have thought it would be worth obtaining that knowledge (unless it does go via Doncaster - in which case, it's a bit of a wasted opportunity not to be stopping there !)

Well the booked route is via Westgate as normal. The lack of a stop means no one can complain when it takes a different route.