Royal Welsh Show - Specials to Builth Rd

[PHILIPE]

Formation changed today to:-

153312+153303+142075

 

[PeterY]

I'd of loved to have ridden in 142075 along all that jointed track .

 

[70014IronDuke]

I'm out in Cardiff today and on mobile data so not checked but it was certainly a decent load. From memory, 14 years on, the mix was more norm passengers than enthusiasts, understandably there were a lot of enthusiasts too but the majority alighted at Builth Road.

When you were there the train was advertised as terminating at Llandrindod, I assume from the video?

These days it runs to/from Llandod ECS. I wonder why? Does it mean they can save on crew costs in any way?

EDIT - It's just dawned on me that the crews don't sign north of Llandod, so not so easily done. The could do a run to Swansea and back, perhaps? But if the traffic isn't there, I suppose there's no point. Still, it is high summer.

And what do they do all day anyway? Get a taxi back to Cardiff or idle away in Llandod? Either way, seems an expensive non-utilisation of crew. You have to wonder if it would be more efficient just running the train to Shrewsbury and back in normal service?

 

[PHILIPE]

When you were there the train was advertised as terminating at Llandrindod, I assume from the video?

These days it runs to/from Llandod ECS. I wonder why? Does it mean they can save on crew costs in any way?

EDIT - It's just dawned on me that the crews don't sign north of Llandod, so not so easily done. The could do a run to Swansea and back, perhaps? But if the traffic isn't there, I suppose there's no point. Still, it is high summer.

And what do they do all day anyway? Get a taxi back to Cardiff or idle away in Llandod? Either way, seems an expensive non-utilisation of crew. You have to wonder if it would be more efficient just running the train to Shrewsbury and back in normal service?

It would take 2 crews to cover the whole day who would travel back in the morning and out for the evening run by service trains and would be Carmarthen crews.

 

[Techniquest]

When you were there the train was advertised as terminating at Llandrindod, I assume from the video?

I am 99.9% certain it was advertised throughout the run as being to Llandrindod, although this was 14 years ago so whether it was an unofficial continuation (I seriously doubt it) or not will always be a possibility. However, I'm as certain as I can be the service was advertised as to Llandrindod.

These days it runs to/from Llandod ECS. I wonder why? Does it mean they can save on crew costs in any way?

EDIT - It's just dawned on me that the crews don't sign north of Llandod, so not so easily done. The could do a run to Swansea and back, perhaps? But if the traffic isn't there, I suppose there's no point. Still, it is high summer.

And what do they do all day anyway? Get a taxi back to Cardiff or idle away in Llandod? Either way, seems an expensive non-utilisation of crew. You have to wonder if it would be more efficient just running the train to Shrewsbury and back in normal service?

These days I suppose you *could* run the train in service quite easily further on, pending crew positioning etc, back in the early to mid 2000s this was obviously not an option with loco-hauled stock.

The crewing side of things I can't help with, not a clue.

 

[70014IronDuke]

It would take 2 crews to cover the whole day who would travel back in the morning and out for the evening run by service trains and would be Carmarthen crews.

Yes, understood. But what happens now, as it is? Does the crew simply lie about Llandod from roughly 11.00 to 18.00 doing nothing before jumping back into the units for the return? That doesn't seem possible either, so as it is, presumably they use two crews, who either go one way on the cushions or (more likely I should think) by taxi?

 

[PHILIPE]

Yes, understood. But what happens now, as it is? Does the crew simply lie about Llandod from roughly 11.00 to 18.00 doing nothing before jumping back into the units for the return? That doesn't seem possible either, so as it is, presumably they use two crews, who either go one way on the cushions or (more likely I should think) by taxi?

No. The crew who work it in in the morning shunt it into the siding at Llandrindod Wells and lock it up and travel home to Carmarthen.. Then another Carmarthen crew travel up in the afternoon to Llandrindod Wells for the return working. No crew could stay there all day as they would be over their permitted hours on duty.

 

[70014IronDuke]

No. The crew who work it in in the morning shunt it into the siding at Llandrindod Wells and lock it up and travel home to Carmarthen.. Then another Carmarthen crew travel up in the afternoon to Llandrindod Wells for the return working. No crew could stay there all day as they would be over their permitted hours on duty.

Sure. That's what I'd have thought. So would it not be worthwhile running an addtional service return service to Swansea and back during the day, rather than just pay them the crews for travelling? Or are there no suitable paths?

 

[PHILIPE]

Sure. That's what I'd have thought. So would it not be worthwhile running an addtional service return service to Swansea and back during the day, rather than just pay them the crews for travelling? Or are there no suitable paths?

Why would they. People would have come to the show by then. Track access charges to be paid and as you say would be difficult to path.

 

[adrock1976]

Sure. That's what I'd have thought. So would it not be worthwhile running an addtional service return service to Swansea and back during the day, rather than just pay them the crews for travelling? Or are there no suitable paths?

Why would they. People would have come to the show by then. Track access charges to be paid and as you say would be difficult to path.

Also the line between Craven Arms and Llanelli is single track with the passing points being Knighton, Llandrindod Wells, Llanwrtyd Wells, and Llandovery.

Although more of an infrastructure comment, I think it is now possible for trains to also pass each other at Craven Arms, as I believe the southbound crossover from Shrewsbury has been relocated from the signal box at the Shrewsbury end of the platform to the Hereford end of the platform. I am also unsure if there is still a manual token exchange at Craven Arms signal box or not, which may or may not affect timetabling trains to pass each other at the station platforms.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

No. The crew who work it in in the morning shunt it into the siding at Llandrindod Wells and lock it up and travel home to Carmarthen.. Then another Carmarthen crew travel up in the afternoon to Llandrindod Wells for the return working. No crew could stay there all day as they would be over their permitted hours on duty.

The road journey by taxi to Carmarthen is about 1hr 30 mins on uncongested (scenic) roads - so no big deal really. Probably fits nicely into an additional turn - I recall that a % of the Carmarthen train crew (or were) are ex Pantyffynon - and probably live on the line of route anyway. Nice additional job in sociable daylight hours.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Also the line between Craven Arms and Llanelli is single track with the passing points being Knighton, Llandrindod Wells, Llanwrtyd Wells, and Llandovery.

Although more of an infrastructure comment, I think it is now possible for trains to also pass each other at Craven Arms, as I believe the southbound crossover from Shrewsbury has been relocated from the signal box at the Shrewsbury end of the platform to the Hereford end of the platform. I am also unsure if there is still a manual token exchange at Craven Arms signal box or not, which may or may not affect timetabling trains to pass each other at the station platforms.

Llandeilo loop was reinstated ? - after NR cannibalised it for spare parts .....(and on it being reinstated , described it as a local "investment") - few years back.

 

[PHILIPE]

The road journey by taxi to Carmarthen is about 1hr 30 mins on uncongested (scenic) roads - so no big deal really. Probably fits nicely into an additional turn - I recall that a % of the Carmarthen train crew (or were) are ex Pantyffynon - and probably live on the line of route anyway. Nice additional job in sociable daylight hours.

I had driven over to Llandrindod Wells about 5 years ago to see, as much as anything, what was working the regular trains in regard to strengthening when the train due mid afternoon from Swansea arrived and a driver and conductor alighted in order to work the Special back.

 

[Parallel]

When I was on one of the specials for part of the route last year it was a 175!