Recent content by Ingleborough

What has this to do with railways? Well the Tolpuddle Martyr Tree is currently just in second place in the Tree of the Year competition. Being historically significant and a place of pilgramage for trade unions it deserves to win, If it makes it to number 1 by the evening of October 12th, it...

The IEP design was imposed on FGW / GWR as it has been with VTEC. There will be no walk up buffet on IEP as the DfT decreed it does not want one for standard class, it wants a food prep area in the 'crush zone' at one end and it does not want standard passengers walking through 1st class...

Barnstaple 4 car 158 in the peaks, two car outside. Obviously there will be 150s at time to time, but the plan is 158s on the longer distance runs. The only 3 car 158 will be 798.

Then why do the train crew regularly send complaints about overcrowding? Several of us went West in November and spent 4 days looking at loadings in Cornwall and Devon across a range of services at various times of day. Our report mirrored what we were being told by Operations staff. More stock...

Yes, even in winter places like Falmouth see full and standing with two sets of 2 car units shuttling back and forth. I went to Looe a few weeks ago and the 153 was rammed solid, as for Gunnislake.....I'd love to see 3 car minimum per service.

The fleet at SPM will be either 108 or 110 vehicles. That came from a senior source in Fleet Engineering when we were briefed on Friday. It is open to change as the plans for the Bristol Metro were not allowed to be part of the discussion and the DfT has become more receptive to new build. It...

SPM is getting 108 Class 16x vehicles. I don't know the 165/166 split. The remainder stay at Reading. The Bristol 'Metro' services formed no part of the calculation for this franchise. Could end up being a mix of DMU/EMU combined with South Wales orders / cascade. The 16x fleet do not have the...

You need to get the EC sets ATP equipped for that to happen. Abellio are getting some Angel sets, 4 and 5 coaches with sufficient spares to strengthen in future to 2+6. If electrification or IEP is delayed Abellio has to sub lease back to FGW until it's all sorted. Abellio has bigger worries...

Rukin, lives in Suffolk when last checked. Gaines in Dorset, but did have a property a mile from the planned route. Farage in Kent, but he changed Ukips policy from building three HS lines to being anti HS2 when he thought it would win him votes against Bercow in 2010. Holden wanted...

Want some good sport? Walk into a local country pub in the Chilterns just before Sunday lunchtime, and ask what all those red 'Stop HS2' signs are all about. The reaction is usually wide eyed astonishment, then you get asked where you are from. I usually say Leeds. As the conversation...

350 hp engine trying to power the coach, the aux systems and the air con. BR was very economical on the power allowed for air con. The air con system is actually working the majority of the time and back during last summer the complaints about it not working were in fact mainly groundless. If...

FGW has made a commitment to fit all it's DMU fleet with CET toilets. Work has already started, three 166s have them and the first 150/2 is due back from Wolverton very soon. CET facilities are being put in at Exeter Depot, on D road at SPM and by the new DMU servicing shed adjacent to Victoria...

22x have more engines and traction motors to service, the engines are all below the floor which means access is more difficult. HSTs are far easier and quicker to service. In terms of man hours a simple service check on a 22x or 180 takes more than twice as many as a 2+8 HST. You also have...

The fleet decision is being made now. 2019 will be too late. March 2015 is when what is decided is likely to be made public.

The local councils in the SW are very much involved with FGW, RDG and DfT over this, and I can assure you that 222s and the like are bottom of the preference list. The DfT has already been stung by IEP, and the option held on 19 more for the South West, according to the DfT will not happen...