FGW Class 180's

[GNERman]

Morning all,

Despite knowing about the 180's currently, I only have basic info of in use by FGW...

I know they were orignally ordered by FNW but transfered down, and were used on Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central services before being deployed on Worcester, Exeter, Hereford and Gloucester services.

Anything i've missed???

 

[anthony263]

All left FGW by the end of 2007, I am not sure they were ever used on services to Gloucester. They have also been used on some services to/from Swansea.

However some shoul;d be back by the beggining of 2012, although they will need a good clean etc after being use dby Northern.

1 could be used on a evening hour service to Henley on thames.

 

[fairysdad]

My first sight of a 180 was in Teignmouth, so I think they were also used on Plymouth trains. The only time I've been on one I remember being surprised that First Class was in the middle of the train; good for us as our reserved ticket was for the back of the train and everybody getting on seemed to stop looking for empty seats when they reached the first class section. That was, however, until we seemed to have to cover a failed Reading stopper and the whole train packed out with all the commuters from there...

 

[Temple Meads]

Well there's the fact they broke down on nearly every journey when they were first introduced, I always liked them though, and would like to see them back again.

 

[Zoe]

My first sight of a 180 was in Teignmouth, so I think they were also used on Plymouth trains.

180s were used on the early weekday service from Plymouth to Paddington introduced in December 2004. From this time a Saturday morning service from Plymouth to London was also worked by a 180 as was a Sunday evening service from Paddington to Plymouth.

 

[TEW]

They were put on a daytime Paddington to Plymouth and return service at first to enable the crew to be trained on them. They were used on the Cardiff, Bristol and Cheltenham trains mainly originally. Exeter and the Cotswold line gained them when FGW and FGW Link introduced there sort of combined timetable in December 2004.

 

[TheWalrus]

Are they definitely coming back to FGW then?

 

[Schnellzug]

they went to plymouth at one time? Oi never knew that.
They would be very useful on Portsmouth-Cardiff (although of course, there might be clearance considerations), but with, is it 9 of them, already spoken for, sadly there wouldn't be enough for that. Still, they'd still be useful for, say Padd-Exeter semi-fasts, which I think would be useful.

 

[bnm]

Regularly used on Paddington - Taunton and Paddington - Exeter semi-fast diagrams as well.

 

[IanPooleTrains]

Speaking of the 180s, has Northern Rail's three 180s gone back?

Was supposed to be on one from Preston to Blackpool North @ 10:18 but it turned up as a pair of 150s

 

[driver9000]

Speaking of the 180s, has Northern Rail's three 180s gone back?

Was supposed to be on one from Preston to Blackpool North @ 10:18 but it turned up as a pair of 150s

Not yet. Northern have only had one working set for the last few weeks (180106) which has been working on the Hazel Grove diagram. 180108 hasn't been off Newton Heath for some time and 180103 was brought out last Thursday for the 17:19 ex Manchester Victoria but only made the one trip before being dumped on Blackpool sidings as a failure. The Blackpool-Victoria diagram has usually been 2x150s while the problems with the 180s has been going on.

 

[IanPooleTrains]

Not yet. Northern have only had one working set for the last few weeks (180106) which has been working on the Hazel Grove diagram. 180108 hasn't been off Newton Heath for some time and 180103 was brought out last Thursday for the 17:19 ex Manchester Victoria but only made the one trip before being dumped on Blackpool sidings as a failure. The Blackpool-Victoria diagram has usually been 2x150s while the problems with the 180s has been going on.

Oh okay, I know that the Hazel Grove diagram gets priority so that clears that up