GwR HSTs to be stood down

[REVUpminster]

The 17.15 was reported for months as being the final service. How come the Newquay - Plymouth suddenly appeared?

Because the Newquay 150 failed and there was nothing else. There was something on opentrains up Par Chape; siding but gone now.

 

[Cletus]

I see there's 2x150 on a Exeter-Penzance service [previous weeks were HST's) about to pass through Dawlish, Nice

 

[VP185]

To be fair they did have a choice - keep them going til enough 175's were ready and not have other services short formed as a result, different if a failure however!

Keeping them going until enough 175’s were ready would have involved taking maintenance staff off 175’s and, as the Castle sets are now out of engine hours, would have required significant work in terms of time and money to extend their life further.

They‘re in this position because of the poor state of the 175 fleet

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

To be fair they did have a choice - keep them going til enough 175's were ready and not have other services short formed as a result, different if a failure however!

Do you have a source to suggest Angel (or whoever else, including the maintenance requirements of the 43s themselves) gave them that choice?

 

[liamf656]

To be fair they did have a choice - keep them going til enough 175's were ready and not have other services short formed as a result, different if a failure however!

Are you suggesting they consciously chose to shortform their services!? Erm...

 

[John R]

Are you suggesting they consciously chose to shortform their services!? Erm...

I wonder how much this was a DfT decision. “You WILL remove these expensive trains at the timetable change.”

 

[Class172]

Young fella or old guy?

If the latter, Doctor Death is surely getting far too old for this sort of thing as that *is* one of his stomping grounds

On this occasion it was a younger person, under 30 most certainly. I have no idea who Doctor Death is, but I’ll take the name as implicit for what they get up to around stations on other occasions.

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

Are you suggesting they consciously chose to shortform their services!? Erm...

I can't see any other explanation - but as said, if maintenance staff would have been taken away from the 175's then that would make a huge amount of sense, sorry!

Keeping them going until enough 175’s were ready would have involved taking maintenance staff off 175’s and, as the Castle sets are now out of engine hours, would have required significant work in terms of time and money to extend their life further.

They‘re in this position because of the poor state of the 175 fleet

That makes sense, sorry. Something new I've learnt so thank you for clearing that up!

 

[Phil R]

Oh absolutely. There was a complete clown at Plymouth yesterday who thought it was a smart idea to try climbing the base of the platform-end signal gantry in order to get a view over other people at the end of the platform. Quite justifiably they were shouted at.

Young fella or old guy?

If the latter, Doctor Death is surely getting far too old for this sort of thing as that *is* one of his stomping grounds

I did see Death about, albeit without stepladder ?

On this occasion it was a younger person, under 30 most certainly. I have no idea who Doctor Death is, but I’ll take the name as implicit for what they get up to around stations on other occasions.

For Class172's benefit, Dr Death is the rather unfair nickname given by 1980s cranks to a quite well respected photographer from the area, who for reasons we can't really go into here didn't exactly curry favour with them back in the day. He's often seen with his stepladder better to get photos over fences etc., but climbing signal gantries is certainly not his style, I would suggest, particularly at his now advanced years.

 

[43303_43058]

BBC spotlight was reporting at 540pm as it the last HST on GWR had run.

Sorry for the delay but I don’t suppose anyone recorded this? I was one of the people who did a piece to camera and wondered if I’d made it in (the episode is no longer available on iPlayer)

 

[XFeed]

The training isn’t the issue. The condition of the 175s was, and still is, the issue.

I appreciate that there may not be a large number of the 175 fleet at Laira just yet, would this be a decision that GWR made that they did not want the increased numbers at the depot initially or is it indeed the case that Wolverton can't deliver the required numbers at the moment ?

Also is there any evidence to corroborate the number of suggestions that "the condition of the 175's was, and still is, the issue" that there are not more 175's at GWR ?

 

[co-tr-paul]

All I'm going to say , because it's all I'm allowed to say , is if you say " 175 " at Laira , it's considered an offence....... .

 

[Pete_uk]

I saw the little punch up on the HST.
Anyone know what that was about?

 

[VP185]

I appreciate that there may not be a large number of the 175 fleet at Laira just yet, would this be a decision that GWR made that they did not want the increased numbers at the depot initially or is it indeed the case that Wolverton can't deliver the required numbers at the moment ?

Also is there any evidence to corroborate the number of suggestions that "the condition of the 175's was, and still is, the issue" that there are not more 175's at GWR ?

Laira took what 175's were in the best condition, robbing good parts off the ones at Laira to make a good unit.

There was no point taking anymore when the amount of work required could not be undertaken at Laira. They pretty much need rebuilding. These units have been sat outside at Ely for the best part of 2 years. If I remember correctly, the Castle sets were planned to be withdrawn before the Summer timetable.

All I'm going to say , because it's all I'm allowed to say , is if you say " 175 " at Laira , it's considered an offence....... .

 

[HOOVER29]

I saw the little punch up on the HST.
Anyone know what that was about?

Glad I was working now & not able to venture down to the South West.

Kind of what I expected though

 

[Kite159]

I bet Saturday was the busiest the Newquay line had been on a December Saturday for years. For back in the day it would have been a single 153 would have been more than comfortable for the typical loadings.

 

[trainmania100]

Something about wcrc purchasing a hst set on Facebook, not sure if it's true.
43155 and 154 apparently.

 

[EYFanatic]

Something about wcrc purchasing a hst set on Facebook, not sure if it's true.
43155 and 154 apparently.

Are WCRC used to CDL stock...?

 

[37069]

Something about wcrc purchasing a hst set on Facebook, not sure if it's true.
43155 and 154 apparently.

Very much true - they've been at Carnforth since July.

Two power cars and 12 trailers.

 

[Tetragon213]

Young fella or old guy?

If the latter, Doctor Death is surely getting far too old for this sort of thing as that *is* one of his stomping grounds

I did see Death about, albeit without stepladder ?

The good doctor is still alive? Quelle surprise.

I had the good fortune on missing most of the worst of the idiocy, and enjoyed a relatively quiet day listening to a combination of tones, engine thrash, and my favourite music on the final day in service. It was a bittersweet farewell, as I'll miss these things a lot, but I'll count my blessings in having been there for the last farewell, especially as I got one last journey in front of 43198 on the return. 43198 is my favourite not because of any noise or smoke, or any other reasons like that, but purely because of the meaning behind her nameplates. And it's a pleasing bit of symmetry that 43198 was the last out of Paddington, and the last out of Penzance.

See you all in a few years when ScotRail retires theirs!

 

[DelW]

Something about wcrc purchasing a hst set on Facebook, not sure if it's true.
43155 and 154 apparently.

I believe that West Coast acquired the Castle set that had been stored (and occasionally used) on the West Somerset until this summer (not sure whether that was part of the stock mentioned in #1189 or not).

 

[WelshBluebird]

Because the Newquay 150 failed and there was nothing else. There was something on opentrains up Par Chape; siding but gone now.

So if that had happened today, would the Newquay service just have bene cancelled? Which kind of proves the not enough stock point of view right.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

So if that had happened today, would the Newquay service just have bene cancelled? Which kind of proves the not enough stock point of view right.

It might have been that a 150 substitution could have been available but would have required a short form on Exmouth Paignton, or something like that, and using the Castle negated the need for that.

 

[cactustwirly]

It might have been that a 150 substitution could have been available but would have required a short form on Exmouth Paignton, or something like that, and using the Castle negated the need for that.

It's a long way to get a 150 from Paignton to Newquay even if it was available

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

It's a long way to get a 150 from Paignton to Newquay even if it was available

Quite, though I imagine one would have been detached or cancelled at Newton Abbot.

 

[gabrielhj07]

So if that had happened today, would the Newquay service just have bene cancelled? Which kind of proves the not enough stock point of view right.

Sprint down to Laira and warm up 43156!

 

[Taunton]

It does seem a combination of all the standard aspects of the modern railway:

- Decide to replace the fleet with something new.
- New doesn't necessarily mean better
- But it does mean something with less capacity than what went before
- And is less reliable
- And has harder seats
- And is disliked more by the passengers - but who cares about them
- And which NEVER works out of the box
- And where we ALWAYS scrap the old before the new works properly

 

[gabrielhj07]

In fairness to the 175s the seats are much better than the refurbished HSTs.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

It does seem a combination of all the standard aspects of the modern railway:

- Decide to replace the fleet with something new.
- New doesn't necessarily mean better
- But it does mean something with less capacity than what went before
- And is less reliable
- And has harder seats
- And is disliked more by the passengers - but who cares about them
- And which NEVER works out of the box
- And where we ALWAYS scrap the old before the new works properly

So in the case of the GW HSTs we are replacing them with something with better seats, and once there are more in traffic more capacity?

 

[dk1]

So in the case of the GW HSTs we are replacing them with something with better seats, and once there are more in traffic more capacity?

That’s about it. Not all doom and gloom. That seems to stem from those that just can’t let the HSTs go.