350/2 routes

[northwichcat]

The 350/2s were ordered with 3+2 seating to have the same capacity as the Silverlink 321s that they were replacing and the number of 350/2s ordered corresponded with the number of 321s that Silverlink had.

However, which ex-CT routes see 350/2s and which ex-Silverlink 321 routes see 350/1s?

350/2s appeared on Liverpool-Birmingham a couple of years ago but this was supposed to be because some 350/1s had been subleased to Southern?

 

[Fincra5]

Quite regularly a 350/1 and 350/2 are paired from Euston to Northampton. (Where they then divide).

 

[Edvid]

Last year, 5 (out of 30) /1s were sub-leased to Southern during the 377/5 troubles; however that's only part of the reason why the LM fleet was so mixed up. Hell, it still is to a certain extent - /2s on BHM-LIV etc and /1s on Euston-Tring etc are not all that uncommon these days.

Nominally, I think the /1s are used for:
Euston - Crewe / Birmingham
Birmingham - Liverpool

And the /2s:
Euston - Tring / Milton Keynes / Northampton
Birmingham - Coventry / Northampton

Digressing slightly, I find it curious that even if you stick to LM, direct journeys from [Euston / Watford / ... / Lichfield / Rugeley] to Crewe are slower than those with a change at Stafford.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Last Thursday several /2s were working Birmingham to Liverpool diagrams and several /1s were on the Euston - Tring / Milton K stoppers, so there is still a lot of mixing going on.

 

[MCR247]

when I went down from Birmingham in New Year I had a /2 both ways and on the way back we was coupled to a /2 going to Crewe. I also saw /1s on Tring & MKC stoppers

 

[Pumbaa]

The /1s still have, and have had since their introduction, a number of diagrams on ex-Silverlink services. They primarily tootle around on MKs and Northampton services, although Tring isn't uncommon, until the Peaks where they go to Northampton to please the lot-of-money-paid season ticket holders.

In theory then;

/1s work (should work) Liv - Brum, Euston - Crewe and some select Euston - Brum/MK/Tring/Northampton.
/2s work everything else, including two peak evening diagrams from Brum to Liv and back to provide greater capacity.

It most notably goes tits up when the Crewe/Brum joiners arrive in the wrong order. If the Brum is /2 and arrives late into Northampton, it means the /2 gets sent out to Crewe on the return working.

It is a lot better since Feb time; /1s have been mostly appearing where they should be, although there is still some disparity.

 

[Geezertronic]

Have they been laying on extra carriages recently? I surmised while waiting at Euston last week that the Birmingham service that divides at Northampton (around 1800hrs, sorry not very specific) must have been made up of 3 x 350s as the automated announcement was that pax had to use the first 8 carriages for stations north of Northampton

 

[Pumbaa]

Virtually all trains out of London during peaks are 12 cars. I think there are only 2 services that aren't, and they both go to Tring.

The Peak out of Euston is vastly improved - extra stops made at Kings Langley, Apsley and Hemel; extra services and 12 car trains. Much better!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Am I the only one here who, when a train is formed of both a /1 and a /2, always sits in the /2?

 

[A60K]

Digressing slightly, I find it curious that even if you stick to LM, direct journeys from [Euston / Watford / ... / Lichfield / Rugeley] to Crewe are slower than those with a change at Stafford.

Is that because LM services take the Stone/Stoke route, rather than running direct?

 

[Pumbaa]

Is that because LM services take the Stone/Stoke route, rather than running direct?

Yes it is. Only exception is one peak PM Eus - Crewe, which runs from Colwich to Stoke, missing out Stafford altogether.

 

[northwichcat]

Yes it is. Only exception is one peak PM Eus - Crewe, which runs from Colwich to Stoke, missing out Stafford altogether.

Also LM don't have to provide a direct service between London and Crewe. Providing a service to stations like Stone is something that they now have to do that previously Central didn't. However, they could run it as separate services or route one of the Liverpool-Birmingham services via Stone and be providing what they are required to.

 

[bnsf734]

The London Midland class 350 diagrams are in one common series currently (NN401 -NN464) and are not split into /1 and /2 . I seem to remember reading that this was going to happen, but has not happened yet.


Calv

 

[LouJ]

Seems allocation of 1s and 2s is random. I use Liverpool Brum services south from Stafford and if anything there are more 2s than 1s. The Crewe Euston service is likewise. There has been a lot of criticism for providing 2s on what are class 1 services with trolley catering. The 2s do not have tables and are not very comfortable for the longer journeys 2 hours Euston to Stafford and 1 hour 40 Brum to Liverpool. The funniest comment I have heard oin a 2 is a woman asking where the seats for "grown ups" could be found.

 

[Dreadnought]

Am I the only one here who, when a train is formed of both a /1 and a /2, always sits in the /2?

I actually prefer /1s as you get armrests and tables unlike the /2s.

 

[northwichcat]

There has been a lot of criticism for providing 2s on what are class 1 services with trolley catering.

The issue here seems to be the people selling from trolleys won't sell you anything hot unless you have at least a flip down table in front of you.

The 2s do not have tables and are not very comfortable for the longer journeys 2 hours Euston to Stafford and 1 hour 40 Brum to Liverpool.

Birmingham-Liverpool is closer to 1 hr 50 on all services now due to increases in the number of services doing stops at Liverpool South Parkway and some of the West Midland stations.

Most people doing Euston-Stafford or Crewe would use Virgin. Even if you're starting at a station like Stone it's quicker to change to Virgin at Stafford than to remain on the train until it reaches London.

The 3+2 seating issues are not new. Central did occasionally use 323s on Liverpool-Birmingham services prior to 350s coming in to operation. Although all Liverpool-Birmingham-Stansted Airport services were 2+2 seating in the form of a 158 and 170. 150s with 3+2 seating were commonplace on Buxton-Blackpool services of around 2.5hour journey time. 150s (with 3+2 seating) were used as a stop-gap measure on Scarborough-Holyhead at one point!

The funniest comment I have heard oin a 2 is a woman asking where the seats for "grown ups" could be found.

When you think in some areas such as Cheshire yellow school buses have been created by refurbishing an old bus/coach with 3+2 seating it doesn't sound that strange for someone to think that 3+2 seating is children's seating.

 

[Pumbaa]

I actually prefer /1s as you get armrests and tables unlike the /2s.

You're in the majority there!