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Transport for Wales Class 231 / 756 Stadler FLIRTs

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Peter Sarf

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No. There are some on the curve to the back of the yard which are visible (though partially obscured by vegetation) from trains to the Island but that's as far round as they go
Ah thanks. I saw those, must be half a dozen round there behind the vegetation.

If it helps others - We walked Barry Station to Barry Island Station and eventually got one 756 from the road bridge over the line to Bridgend - quite good views of the roofs of the 756s !. We then took a train back and through to Cardiff.
 

Lurcheroo

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Today concerns were raised by ‘on the ground’ staff at Barry island about concerns of over crowding on later services due to the amount of passengers that had arrived there in the day and still hadn’t left again at 15:30.
With this information and 231003 sitting available, they were able to get 4 VSTP (very short term plan) services approved by Network rail.
2 ECS moves from Cardiff to Barry island and then 2 services from Barry island running back to Cardiff Central express making no other stops.
 

Anonymous10

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Today concerns were raised by ‘on the ground’ staff at Barry island about concerns of over crowding on later services due to the amount of passengers that had arrived there in the day and still hadn’t left again at 15:30.
With this information and 231003 sitting available, they were able to get 4 VSTP (very short term plan) services approved by Network rail.
2 ECS moves from Cardiff to Barry island and then 2 services from Barry island running back to Cardiff Central express making no other stops.
Thanks for this, certainly nice to see the use of any spares in this instance, do these type of workings not come up on rtt.
 

MrJeeves

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do these type of workings not come up on rtt.
They do, and did.

1722378596012.png

 

Tester

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They do, and did.

View attachment 162691

33mph max?
 

SouthWalesSam

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Ynys Y Bari | Barry Island
That’s a balls move on the part of the signaller P7 is tight for what is a 10 car set.
I was the one that had to stop the set coming in first and then confirm to the signaller that there is enough space! We learnt very quickly where to stop them! Luckily we have the axel counter in the middle of the platform, there is just enough space! If you ever see us at Cardiff Central, that's what we're doing with the red bats!
 

Bikeman78

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Today concerns were raised by ‘on the ground’ staff at Barry island about concerns of over crowding on later services due to the amount of passengers that had arrived there in the day and still hadn’t left again at 15:30.
With this information and 231003 sitting available, they were able to get 4 VSTP (very short term plan) services approved by Network rail.
2 ECS moves from Cardiff to Barry island and then 2 services from Barry island running back to Cardiff Central express making no other stops.
The Ebbw Vale units often used to do additional trips to Barry Island during the hour layover at Cardiff. It worked perfectly as they went both ways just ahead of the Bridgend train and thus fitted in to the hourly gap at Barry Island. 150/153/158 all good for Barry as well. And it meant people to and from Ebbw Vale got a through service.
 

Signal_Box

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I was the one that had to stop the set coming in first and then confirm to the signaller that there is enough space! We learnt very quickly where to stop them! Luckily we have the axel counter in the middle of the platform, there is just enough space! If you ever see us at Cardiff Central, that's what we're doing with the red bats!

I’ve a very good operational knowledge of Central, hence my comment….still a ballsy move. Essentially 10 cars onto the platform.
 

43096

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I’ve a very good operational knowledge of Central, hence my comment….still a ballsy move. Essentially 10 cars onto the platform.
A 231 is around 81m in length, or slightly more than a pair of 150s. So around 8-car of 20m vehicles.
 

craigybagel

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The Ebbw Vale units often used to do additional trips to Barry Island during the hour layover at Cardiff. It worked perfectly as they went both ways just ahead of the Bridgend train and thus fitted in to the hourly gap at Barry Island. 150/153/158 all good for Barry as well. And it meant people to and from Ebbw Vale got a through service.
I don't think there's ever been a time that both Ebbw Vale was open and there were crews who signed both 158s and Barry Island? Definitely not an option now anyway.
I’ve a very good operational knowledge of Central, hence my comment….still a ballsy move. Essentially 10 cars onto the platform.
They're not long cars - a 231 is the same length as 2 x 150. You're talking about 160m of train on a 230m platform, if Wikipedia and the Sectional Appendix are to be believed.
 

craigybagel

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Crew change at Central?
Only Valleys crews sign between Barry and Barry Island. They haven't signed 158s in years, possibly not since before the Ebbw branch opened? There was an attempt a few years ago to get them to sign 158s and 175s to assist with shunts around Cardiff Central and movers to Canton, and a few did get trained, but it died a death pretty quickly and I don't think they were ever meant to be used for service trains.
 

LowLevel

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The former. Like I say I’ve a knowledge of Cardiff I personally wouldn’t do it. Fair play to the chap on the panel.
If it fits in theory and the platform staff confirm there's space that's on them surely, thinking back to my happy days years ago of calling on units at a crawl to get the wheels within an inch of the insulated block joints for tight stabling moves :lol:
 

Bikeman78

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I don't think there's ever been a time that both Ebbw Vale was open and there were crews who signed both 158s and Barry Island? Definitely not an option now anyway.
Good point about 158s, though valleys crews did sign them in the mid 2000s. I remember them going to Rhymney and Coryton. Ebbw Vale was nearly always 150s or Pacers until the 170s arrived, which stopped the Barry plan.
 

BillStampy

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756 testing out in the daylight today

Caught 756105 on Cardiff to Radyr via Ninian Park testing today, yet it's now August and it's still out testing, yikes.
 

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Envoy

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756 testing out in the daylight today

Caught 756105 on Cardiff to Radyr via Ninian Park testing today, yet it's now August and it's still out testing, yikes.
Yes, now August and still not in service despite the central valley lines wired & live for some time and these trains sitting in sidings since last summer. Meanwhile, everybody is going around in the old trains in a heatwave with no air conditioning.
 

Lurcheroo

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756 testing out in the daylight today

Caught 756105 on Cardiff to Radyr via Ninian Park testing today, yet it's now August and it's still out testing, yikes.

Yes, now August and still not in service despite the central valley lines wired & live for some time and these trains sitting in sidings since last summer. Meanwhile, everybody is going around in the old trains in a heatwave with no air conditioning.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Sounds like they’re not hugely far away, they should make a big difference to the state of the services across the network once they’re in so fingers crossed.
 

BillStampy

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Testing or Driver training? Be nice if it was the latter
Potentially both, driver learning and testing for a smooth switchover to different powers, it did seem to stop and start where the electrical cables were around Ninian, slowed a 150 behind it down for sure! Driver learning does seem to be happening overnight I believe, with two due tonight, one to Merthyr and the other to Pontypridd I believe..

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

It seems transport for Wales have decided to put a lot of 231s on Merthyr to Aberdare today, and interesting choice!
 
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Envoy

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Saturday 3rd August:> Looks like they have switched a lot of 231’s to the central valleys lines plus 4 car 150’s - presumably because of the Eisteddfod at Pontypridd? Mostly 2 coach sprinters now on the Rhymney valley to Barry services. Good job the weather is not so good as Barry Island will get fewer customers than in the heatwave. However, if the weather was good, would demand to the Eisteddfod at Pontypridd really be greater than that to Barry Island?

Had the 756’s been in service, both routes would have been able to cope with demand.
 

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