Northern Rail Speed

[150222]

Which northern trains get the highest consistant speed (in relation to the top speed of the unit). I know the 180's and 333's don't reach top speed on their routes. Would it be the 321's on the wakefield line?

 

[tbtc]

Maybe 158s on Nottingham - Leeds, that's relatively fast in places. Or 323s on the line to Stoke? Most Northern services are "all stops", so there's little chance for a unit to really stretch its legs...

 

[323235]

323s do 90 between:

Slade Lane and Heaton Norris/Stockport (2 Minutes of 90mph on the fast lines)
Macclesfield and Congleton (6-7 Mins)
Congleton and Kidsgrove (5 mins)
Kidsgrove and Stoke (6 mins)
Congleton and Stoke (1710 Deansgate - Stoke) (10 mins approx although Kidsgrove station area 85mph)
They also do 90mph on the Crewe semi-fasts between Alderley Edge and Holmes Chapel. (8 Mins approx)

 

[WillPS]

Maybe 158s on Nottingham - Leeds, that's relatively fast in places. Or 323s on the line to Stoke? Most Northern services are "all stops", so there's little chance for a unit to really stretch its legs...

150s can do it without running late so they cant be running that fast...

 

[142094]

142s on the Middlesbrough - Newcastle via Darlo section almost certainly will be at top speed for most of the journey on the ECML.

 

[The 158 Man]

I passed one of these the other night. Was bouncing around all over the place!

 

[northwichcat]

142s, 150s and 156s reach 75 in a couple of places on Manchester-Altrincham-Chester.

 

[tbtc]

150s can do it without running late so they cant be running that fast...

True, and we are seeing 150s on this "fast" service rather too often of late...

 

[Lampshade]

142s easily hit 75 between Manchester Airport and Slade Lane Jn.

 

[Yew]

I thought northern 142s where limited to 60. I'm sure I saw it in one of the cabs sometime.

 

[northwichcat]

I thought northern 142s where limited to 60. I'm sure I saw it in one of the cabs sometime.

142s with a certain type of carden shaft are limited to 60mph due to accidents where the carden shaft has dropped off mid-journey. Others are 75mph.

 

[driver9000]

There aren't many of the 16 142/144 sets that were restricted to 60mph left. Most have completed the required mileage accumulation and are back to 75mph.

 

[notadriver]

Off topic but on my rail rover the Sprinter we were on consistently ran at top speed as it was booked non stop from Cardiff to LLanelli and with stops being quite far apart this high speed running continued beyond Llanelli towards Fishguard. Poor Sprinter

http://leytr.blogspot.com/2011/07/pictorial-railrover-day-3.html

 

[northwichcat]

Off topic but on my rail rover the Sprinter we were on consistently ran at top speed as it was booked non stop from Cardiff to LLanelli and with stops being quite far apart this high speed running continued beyond Llanelli towards Fishguard. Poor Sprinter

Crewe-Chester is like that - no intermediate stations and a high line speed. Usually a 150 or 158 on that service.

 

[Lampshade]

Crewe-Chester is like that - no intermediate stations and a high line speed. Usually a 150 or 158 on that service.

I've only done it once and it was a 175, quite a waste of a unit methinks.

 

[northwichcat]

I've only done it once and it was a 175, quite a waste of a unit methinks.

Some 175s are used on the shuttle as a way of getting 175 stock to and from their Altsom depot which is just west of Chester station.

 

[tbtc]

I've only done it once and it was a 175, quite a waste of a unit methinks.

I guess it'll all be EMU run in a few years, so even more capacity...

 

[strange6]

There aren't many of the 16 142/144 sets that were restricted to 60mph left. Most have completed the required mileage accumulation and are back to 75mph.

In theory; providing there's a good wind behind it and a 1 in1 decline

 

[northwichcat]

I guess it'll all be EMU run in a few years, so even more capacity...

I can't see it becoming EMU if just Crewe-Chester is electrified. ATW probably won't want a single EMU and if Northern or LM run it instead it'll mean ATW will be sending diesels down the line for ECS movements while Northern or LM would have to do an ECS to get to Crewe.

 

[tbtc]

I can't see it becoming EMU if just Crewe-Chester is electrified. ATW probably won't want a single EMU and if Northern or LM run it instead it'll mean ATW will be sending diesels down the line for ECS movements while Northern or LM would have to do an ECS to get to Crewe.

LM or Northern would make more sense to operate it (wholly within England, though so is the Shrewsbury - Crewe route).

ATW would still run to Chester via Wrexham (and Warrington).

Regardless, there are much longer ECS movements elsewhere

 

[northwichcat]

LM or Northern would make more sense to operate it (wholly within England, though so is the Shrewsbury - Crewe route).

ATW would still run to Chester via Wrexham (and Warrington).

Regardless, there are much longer ECS movements elsewhere

The franchise is the 'Wales & Borders' franchise and missing off the '& Borders' bit from the operator name was Arriva's decision.

It would probably be more sensible for Northern to have Chester-Crewe than LM, as while neither have crews based at Chester or Crewe, Northern could interwork crew diagrams with Manchester-Altrincham-Chester and their Crewe-Manchester services (and possibly in the future Crewe-Northwich.)

Going a bit off-topic if Manchester-Llandudno was electrified as well there could be a fleet of EMUs based at Chester. If that was done then it would make sense for Stockport-Chester and Sandbach-Northwich to be electrified as then it would allow alternative electrified routes in the case of disruption/engineering works.

 

[Pumbaa]

Max speed Liv to Manc via Earlestown is 75 for most of it I think - any unit doing the Man Airport turns to Lime St will hit max speed along there.

 

[tbtc]

if Manchester-Llandudno was electrified as well there could be a fleet of EMUs based at Chester. If that was done then it would make sense for Stockport-Chester and Sandbach-Northwich to be electrified as then it would allow alternative electrified routes in the case of disruption/engineering works.

Sadly plenty electrified routes have no electrified alternative in times of disruption (e.g. the entire ECML north of Stevenage)

 

[northwichcat]

Sadly plenty electrified routes have no electrified alternative in times of disruption (e.g. the entire ECML north of Stevenage)

I did start that sentence with "It would make sense if.." I'm sure you'll agree that they're a lot of things connected with the way the railways operate in Britain don't make sense.

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Re Chester - Crewe - Why cant LM do it if the line gets knitting as a extension of the Crewe - Euston service, using the bay at Chester?

 

[150222]

I don't see why that could not work. It could remove the current situation where the LM trains wait 57 mins at crewe.

 

[bluenoxid]

Nothing stopping Northern supplying the units and someone else supplying the staff.

 

[Lampshade]

Nothing stopping Northern supplying the units and someone else supplying the staff.

There are around 29,500,000 reasons stopping Northern supplying anything to anyone, for anything.

 

[150222]

I take it your are talking about the 323's which northern do not have enough of already. The hazel grove line which is all wired only has 1 electric diagram per day!

 

[Jonny]

The Newcastle-Carlisle line, west of Hexham, reportedly has 75mph sections.