Trivia: GB lines served by single car trains

[Mcr Warrior]

Don't tend to see so many of these in the Greater Manchester area, but which lines in England / Scotland / Wales are currently served wholly or partly by single car trains such as Class 153 diesel units?

 

[swt class 450]

Don't tend to see so many of these in the Greater Manchester area, but which lines in England / Scotland / Wales are currently served wholly or partly by single car trains such as Class 153 diesel units?

Shrewsbury to Swansea (Heart Of Wales Line) is usually served by single coach 153s. Although 150s are sometimes used (and even 175s very occasionally).

 

[causton]

Shrewsbury to Swansea (Heart Of Wales Line) is usually served by single coach 153s. Although 150s are sometimes used (and even 175s very occasionally).

Last time I went I got a 142 up to Llandrindod, that was fun

Also around that area is the Cardiff Bay shuttle which is normally a 153.

...For now, the Coventry-Nuneaton shuttle, and half of the services on the Bedford-Bletchley line!

 

[Dr Hoo]

Stourbridge Town to Stourbridge Junction with single Parry People Movers.

Aylesbury-Princes Risborough shuttles with Chiltern's 'heritage' bubble car sometimes although other units are used as well.

 

[ac6000cw]

The Ipswich - Felixstowe branch (and sometimes other East Anglian branches at quiet periods/during stock shortages).

The Peterborough - Spalding shuttles certainly used to be single EMT 153's - not sure what the current situation is.

 

[Kite159]

Barton-on-Humber towards Cleethorpes is a single Northern 153

Peterborough -> Lincoln -> Grimsby is normally a single EMT 153, so is Doncaster to Lincoln (although not all the time as 156s & 158s can pop up)

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Single 153s are rare around West Yorkshire, but not unheard of. Huddersfield to Wakefield sometimes gets a dogbox on one of the two diagrams particularly if there's an event on elsewhere in the area which needs one of the Pacers for strengthening.

Also Preston to Ormskirk is often a single 153.

 

[Gathursty]

Ormskirk to Preston sometimes is a single unit.

 

[tbtc]

Barton-on-Humber towards Cleethorpes is a single Northern 153

...and therefore the nine o'clock from Doncaster to Sheffield in the morning ends up being a single 153 (as this is the unit that did the previous day's Barton line diagram - working light to Scunthorpe where it starts service - http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y18294/2016/08/15/advanced).

You can therefore get single 153s on the Sheffield - Lincoln line (I thought that this was a through working from Scunthorpe to Lincoln in the morning, but doesn't show as one).

Does that make Sheffield the biggest place/ busiest station with single coach trains working?

 

[ac6000cw]

Is Cardiff bigger/busier than Sheffield ? (the Cardiff Bay shuttle is a 153, as noted above)

 

[DarloRich]

Marston Vale line

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Once in a blue moon, you can get a 153 on the Hull - York service - this hasn't happened yet under the new Northern, but has happened all the way back to RRNE!

 

[ac6000cw]

The Looe branch in Cornwall ?

 

[swt class 450]

Last time I went I got a 142 up to Llandrindod, that was fun

Also around that area is the Cardiff Bay shuttle which is normally a 153.

...For now, the Coventry-Nuneaton shuttle, and half of the services on the Bedford-Bletchley line!

I never realised that 142s had been on the Heart Of Wales line! Does this happen often?

Another line that sometimes gets single coach 153s are the First Great Western trains that terminate and start from Southampton Central.

 

[co-tr-paul]

Only in the summer can you find 153s used in Cornwall. Normally to increase capacity for 150s but can be formed as a complete train but not singly. Will not see them after 2018.

 

[PHILIPE]

Shrewsbury to Swansea (Heart Of Wales Line) is usually served by single coach 153s. Although 150s are sometimes used (and even 175s very occasionally).

150s are used every day. They have diagrammed working. No 175 for some years now and only happened due line closure elsewhere to get them up and back for fuelling/maintence..

 

[telstarbox]

EMT generally use 153s on Derby - Matlock and Derby - Crewe.

 

[PHILIPE]

I never realised that 142s had been on the Heart Of Wales line! Does this happen often?

Another line that sometimes gets single coach 153s are the First Great Western trains that terminate and start from Southampton Central.

Pacers on HOW only on rare occasions if nothing else. Only from the Swansea end and change over at traincrew crossing point to return south. Barred at Northern end.

 

[swt class 450]

150s are used every day. They have diagrammed working. No 175 for some years now and only happened due line closure elsewhere to get them up and back for fuelling/maintence..

Thanks for the info. It would be good if all Heart Of Wales Line trains were 150s. Do you know which journeys are single coach 153s and which journeys are 150s?

Pacers on HOW only on rare occasions if nothing else. Only from the Swansea end and change over at traincrew crossing point to return south. Barred at Northern end.

Interesting. How far north on the Heart Of Wales Line are the Pacers allowed to run? So do Drivers and Guards not cover the whole route?

 

[185143]

Thanks for the info. It would be good if all Heart Of Wales Line trains were 150s. Do you know which journeys are single coach 153s and which journeys are 150s?



Interesting. How far north on the Heart Of Wales Line are the Pacers allowed to run? So do Drivers and Guards not cover the whole route?

Depends wether they are banned as nobody up north signs them or for another reason. If the former, then one could work to Llandrindod

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[PHILIPE]

They are not authorised to run north of Craven Arms as well as traincrews having no traction knowledge. It is such a long journey and trains with such b a sparse service that train train crews cannot work through. Carmarthen traincrews work from the southern end to a crossing point and change over with Shrewsbury Drivers and Shrewsbury/Crewe guards. If a 142/143 has to be pressed into service and is working on the HOW then the crews have to stick with the same unit and the same with the traincrews from the northern so means passengers have to change trains. The change over points are, according to timings, Llanwrtyd Wells or Llandrindod Wells.

 

[martin2345uk]

Does the Sudbury to Marks Tey line still use single car trains?

 

[D6975]

Does that make Sheffield the biggest place/ busiest station with single coach trains working?

We get single 153s on some services in/out of Bristol TM.

 

[PHILIPE]

ATW & GWR single 153s summarised:-

Heart of Wales Line (some 150s)
Some Shrewsbury to Crewe locals (shared with 150/2)
Shrewsbury/Wolverhamton shuttles on a Sunday.
A Pembroke Dock and a Swansea to Haverfordwest on a Sunday

Looe and Newquay Branches in Winter
Odd Gunnislake
Daily working between Exeter and Plymouth and return
1915 Westbury and 2127 return to Bristol on Saturdays
TransWilts service Westbury to Swindon
Only Bristol area actually booked is 0905 (SX) Bristol TM to Westbury.

Could have missed an odd one.

 

[bramling]

Only in the summer can you find 153s used in Cornwall. Normally to increase capacity for 150s but can be formed as a complete train but not singly. Will not see them after 2018.

I've certainly had 1x153 on the Looe branch during June, on a weekday. The weekend I was there it was 1x150.

Falmouth branch was 1x150 or 2x153 when I was there.

I did also see 1x153 on a westbound service going through Bodmin Parkway during early evening, not sure if this is/was booked or not.

 

[PHILIPE]

I've certainly had 1x153 on the Looe branch during June, on a weekday. The weekend I was there it was 1x150.

Falmouth branch was 1x150 or 2x153 when I was there.

I did also see 1x153 on a westbound service going through Bodmin Parkway during early evening, not sure if this is/was booked or not.

The 153 continues on the Looe Branch until High Summer, this year 04/07 to 02/09, when replaced by a 150. The Newquay one is replaced between May and September (whole summer period). The Falmouth Branch is operated by 2 trains, 150 AND 2x153. The 153 you saw at Bodmin seems to be the 1735 Plymouth to Exeter St.Davids which I mentioned in my post.
This a a 153 diagram.

 

[richw]

The Looe branch in Cornwall ?

150 July and August, although on a Sunday a couple of weeks ago in late July it became a single 153. The attached 153 was on 31/7/16

Today I became a coombe junction statistic again

 

[DasLunatic]

Does the Sudbury to Marks Tey line still use single car trains?

The Gainsborough line still sees dogboxes on the weekend, if memory serves.

 

[EssexGonzo]

Does the Sudbury to Marks Tey line still use single car trains?

Yes, off peak.

 

[onlinespotting]

EMT generally use 153s on Derby - Matlock and Derby - Crewe.

Derby - Crewe probably has the most varied of fleets with 153, 156, 158, 156/158 hybrid, 222 and on at least one occasion an HST.