Tonight, and what looks to be the last few nights, the 2129 GWR service from Gatwick to Reading, 2V76, couples to another unit before leaving Redhill (at 2147). It looked like saloon lighting was out on the rear unit, is this a common occurance now and does anyone know why this is done?
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2V76 Gatwick Airport - Reading running as 6 carriages
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swt_passenger
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It’s shown in RTT gaining carriages at Redhill throughout the current timetable period up until December
Looks like the other driver sits with the one to be towed, or at least seemed it earlier. If you check the running times it looks like it loses a fair bit of time which I'm assuming is as a result of it!
Yep, standard occurrence and that's how its booked to run - rear unit locked out. Presumably its due to some of the platform lengths at the stops between Redhill & Reading being too short to accommodate the 6 so the rear 3 will be locked out.
Been going on for a long time. The Gomshall fatal level crossing accident report in 2004 commented obliquely how the foot crossing view of the opposite line was concealed by the three locked rear carriages of this last train of the day that the accident passengers had alighted from.
The driver travels as passenger back to Reading on the train, so will be a case of no additional path being available or being needed.
swt_passenger
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The second unit won’t be “towed” - it will simply be out of public use, but otherwise working normally.
Deepgreen
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I don't believe it would be "towed" as there is no reason for the units not to work in multiple. A unit won't be planned/diagrammed to haul another 'dead' one in service. The running times, at least to Guildford, look the same as other workings.
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Yes. This freak accident (because 6 car trains are rare on the line) has resulted in the hideous and ludicrously OTT bridge at Gomshall, when a foot crossing gate locking mechanism and mandatory horn sounding would surely have been a simple and hugely cheaper solution to the very small risk.
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Yes sorry, bad wording from me, who still had the idea in my head of that unit being 'rescued' rather than it being an easy way to return a unit to Reading without needing an additional service!
Perhaps the last few days I'd looked had been bad days, but I saw a lot of late running on RTT. Plenty of factors which can affect that though.
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