It lays over while GWR services fill the two hour gaps in TfW services in each direction between Cardiff and Carmarthen with services from and to Paddington.
I believe the two services between Carmarthen and Cardiff that were withdrawn a few timetables ago (roughly 9am and 11am departures from Carmarthen) just sit in Carmarthen until later. On Saturdays they run through to Cardiff as before and I believe if the plan to start the Bristol service goes ahead they will be reinstated for that reason on a weekday too.
Posts 10754 and 10759 said that the latest plan is a mid October start for phase 1 of the changeover.
It's now harder to see which 197s are on the Cambrian, as the Cambrian Coast Line runs have now changed to be Pwllheli-Machynlleth-Pwllheli, rather than Machynlleth-Pwllheli-Machynlleth as they were before.
Mid-to-late October is as much as was said and as much as I'm allowed to say.
The previous date (before it was postponed to between the 12th and 26th of October) was the 14th of September.
029 and 039 have both worked test runs today.Thanks for confirming the others.
Thanks
I've been informed that 197039 was on the Machynlleth-Shrewsbury-Machynlleth crew training runs today (Wed 9/9/26).Thanks
Today (Mon 7/9/26), 197029 was working the Pwllheli-Machynlleth-Pwllheli crew training runs, and it turns out that 197030 was being used for static crew training at Pwllheli.
The morning Machynlleth-Aberystwyth-Machynlleth crew training runs and the Machynlleth-Shrewsbury-Machynlleth ones (but not the afternoon Machynlleth-Aberystwyth-Machynlleth ones) also ran today - I'm guessing they were what 197039 was doing?
I wonder if 197035 is actually on, and if so, what it's been doing (if anything).
Unfortunately it didn't run, however it turns out that 3C50+3C51 were also bought for the early hours of Tue 22/9/26 and Wed 23/9/26 (in addition to Tue 15/9/26). They were all put on the system on Thu 27/8/26:
Today it (197039) seems to be doing Machynlleth Sidings - 3C02 - Aberystwith - 3C03 - Machynlleth - 3C11 - Shrewesbury - 3C12 - Machynlleth Sidings - 3C00 - Aberystwith - 3C01 - Machynlleth Sidings.
3C02/3/11/12 actually were 197039 on the Machynlleth-based [morning Aberystwyth] and Shrewsbury crew training runs, whereas 3C00/3C01 (intended for an [afternoon Aberystwyth 197]) were used by 158822 for a maintenance test run. 3C04/3C05 (Pwllheli-Machynlleth-Pwllheli) were cancelled (they aren't usually) due to a 158 service being given priority.
Porthmon means "someone who drives animals over a long distance to sell them".
Thanks for the update. It's never as clear as it appears (when it appears !).
That's a very convoluted way of saying that 'Y Porthmon' simply means 'The Drover'! Seems like quite a subtle joke to me.
I'm not familiar with either the Welsh or the English term and when I looked it up I wasn't offered a direct translation.
Calling the train 'The Drover', was a subtle joke, I meant. Not what you said, sorry!
(3C50 0005 Cardiff Canton Sidings to Bristol Temple Meads
