Where would they have been maintained? They wouldn't be able to reach St Phillips Marsh without assistance, leaving Reading which has its own space issues.
No.
The 769s aren't entering service anytime soon, if ever
Agreed, which is why I think 175s will move to Northern, releasing 150s via internal cascade to GWR to take over the Castle sets. We can hope for 158s, but I can't see it. I am sure the 3 car 165s will be at Reading for many years to come.
That's rather random and speculative for this thread isn't it? Besides, as decrepit as the Castles are, rattly and even more decrepit 150s with over half the capacity per set aren't really a viable solution.
I personally disbelieve that they'll be mothballed before entering service, (Anyone mention the Cl. 442 shebang like people do for why a hundred different other classes might not ever enter service and I might just explode) but you can read all about their latest updates on https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/gwr-class-769-information-discussion.174866/ if you like
I’d argue they probably need more Turbos on the Devon metro - especially the Exmouth - Paignton services. A number of 158s have been creeping in but they struggle to keep to time on the route due to the slower acceleration and the longer dwell time at stations due to the door layout. I think 3 car 16x are the limit though, due to platform lengths at some stations on the Exmouth branch.
Perhaps, but having majority Turbo action with some Sprinters in Bristol/Central routes and majority Sprinter with some Turbos in West routes is surely more complicated than a consistent allocation of just Turbos on the former and Sprinters on the latter?
The best units on the Devon metro are either the booked 4 car 150 formation or a 3 car 16x.
As a direct replacement, no. There are plenty of services in the Bristol area for which (refurbished) 150s would be perfectly ok - indeed in terms of station dwell times better than 158s.
Is this actually proposed for these lines or is it just wishful thinking?
That’ll be why I can usually always guarantee on the 1330/1430 from Cardiff to be a 158 (usually double) on a weekday.
The ASDO or 4 car 16x? I don't know the answer to either, but the 16x fleet is I belive going to be fitted with ASDO, a trial was conducted recently in the Westbury area, whether this will be route specific will probably be answered by someone in the know! Obviously having the ability to run a 4 car 16x on the Devon metro would increase the flexibility.
My bold above, 3 car 16x are rubbish for ticket checking if you're a guard because the doors can only be closed from the rear cab or the very front/rear passenger door, dispatching from the front isn't desirable in a lot of places and as the gaps between stops on the Exmouth are 2/3 minutes revenue duties are almost impossible.
There seems to be a shortage at the moment. I worked on a 166 to pompey the other day with an engine isolated, there was a turbo short from hitting a deer the other day down west too that did some damage
The 13:30 is very solidly four car. The 14:30 is booked as such also but is the first to be short formed if there’s a lack of 158s. They definitely seem to prioritise the 13:30
I don’t think there’s a need to bring nationality into it. It really isn’t likely to have anything to do with whether the staff are English or Welsh.
The 13:30 would be in Salisbury around school finish time and leaving Pompey in rush hour
I'm not even sure where the shortage is at the moment, it was poorly Turbo's, the Devon metro is getting daft with the amount of short formations lately.
