services you'd like to see

[swt_passenger]

I belive this is very close to the truth. As I understand it, the ventilation at Victoria P15-19 was positioned for thumpers, and that it would have been very silly to waste a large amount of money moving them for a train fleet that was put on a pretty experimental (successful, as it turns out) service pattern to begin with anyway. London Bridge has a much higher roof than the other termini in the area...

The Victoria extraction system position being wrong was definitely the reason given for the move.

I think an advantage they have at London Bridge is that a fair number of the DMU services are diagrammed to use the open air platform ouside the shed? Is it P8? - I don't think there's a P7...

 

[OxtedL]

You're right, there is no P7. They do use P8, but have always used the higher platforms as well, and recently I have found they're almost always indoors. The ceiling is very high in that part of the station though, so there should be no more concern than diesels at Paddington, or perhaps Waterloo (as a more realistic comparison ).

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I would like to see direct trains from Manchester to:-

Holyhead (for the ferries to Eire)

Portsmouth (for the Isle of Wight connections)

 

[Chew Chew]

I'd like to see a service that on a Sunday can get people from Aberdeen into Glasgow and Edinburgh before 1200.

I'd also like my local station, Portlethen, to have more trains, especially northbound where there is almost a 9 hour gap doing the day when no northbound service stops at the station during the week and on Saturdays.

 

[ianbriggs]

Bring back the rio or at least Leics - Manchester. !

 

[HST Power]

Leics - Manchester. !

To get to Piccadily (from Leicester) is easy and quite fast if you go via Sheffield.

 

[NightatLaira]

What is the longest distance service that has ever run from Penzance? Aberdeen? Inverness or further north?!


Sorry off thread, but interested!

The BR Sleepers? Penzance used to go to a lot of places historically, and in the heyday of Motorail back in the 1970s especially.

I believe there once was a Truro to Inverness daytime train, but no idea when, could be a long time back....

 

[SWTCommuter]

How about a shuttle service between Yeovil Junction and Pen Mill. Maybe this would be a suitable job for a Parry People Mover?

 

[HST Power]

How about a shuttle service between Yeovil Junction and Pen Mill. Maybe this would be a suitable job for a Parry People Mover?

I quite like that idea. A People Mover would be perfect for such duties.

 

[Sceptre]

I'd personally go for more flexibility around Brighouse:

1tph Selby-Dewsbury-Blackpool
1tph Leeds-Dewsbury-Vic
1tph Leeds-Halifax-Vic
1tph York-Blackpool

If they build another platform at Huddersfield (or reinstate the crossing between 1 and 4), bring back the Leeds-Huddersfield-Vic stopper that was split not so long back but still exists as a timed connection.

 

[tbtc]

I'd personally go for more flexibility around Brighouse:

1tph Selby-Dewsbury-Blackpool
1tph Leeds-Dewsbury-Vic
1tph Leeds-Halifax-Vic
1tph York-Blackpool

If they build another platform at Huddersfield (or reinstate the crossing between 1 and 4), bring back the Leeds-Huddersfield-Vic stopper that was split not so long back but still exists as a timed connection.

You mean Wakefield - Huddersfield - Manchester Victoria?

Or did the Morley/ Batley stoppers once run through to Manchester?

 

[Sceptre]

You mean Wakefield - Huddersfield - Manchester Victoria?

Or did the Morley/ Batley stoppers once run through to Manchester?

You're probably right; there had to be some reason for the Wakefield branch to appear in the timetable pre-Brighouse.

 

[Buttsy]

Manchester Victoria - Stalybridge - Stockport - Wimslow - Styal - Manchester Airport.

Only additional track required would be crossovers from up (London) main > down main > up styal > down styal so that trains could reverse at the Styal line platform of the island at Wilmslow.

Gives north Manchester improved connections to the Airport.

 

[thehstman]

Plymouth - Totnes - Newton abbot - Torquay - PAIGNTON (FGW DMU or HST)
Gloucester - Bristol Pkwy - Bristol TM - Bath Spa - Swindon - Reading - Padd (HST)
Gloucester - Bristol Pkwy - Bristol TM - Taunton - Exeter St D - Dawlish Warren - Dawlish - Teignmouth - Newton abbot - Torquay - PAIGNTON (FGW HST)
Birmingham - plymouth and Paignton to call at Gloucester (xc voyager)
Swindon - Bristol TM - Taunton - Exeter St D - Newton abbot - torquay - Paignton (fgw 150)

 

[The Planner]

Plymouth - Totnes - Newton abbot - Torquay - PAIGNTON (FGW DMU or HST)
Gloucester - Bristol Pkwy - Bristol TM - Bath Spa - Swindon - Reading - Padd (HST)
Gloucester - Bristol Pkwy - Bristol TM - Taunton - Exeter St D - Dawlish Warren - Dawlish - Teignmouth - Newton abbot - Torquay - PAIGNTON (FGW HST)
Birmingham - plymouth and Paignton to call at Gloucester (xc voyager)
Swindon - Bristol TM - Taunton - Exeter St D - Newton abbot - torquay - Paignton (fgw 150)

150 between Swindon and TM ?? Blimey....

 

[MidnightFlyer]

If a 150 left Swindon for TM three mins behind a HST, at what pount would the HST 27mins behind it catch up, or would it be caught up by a South Wales HST by Wootton Bassett Jn?

 

[ushawk]

A third train an hour from Eastbourne to London, but this one should be a bit faster possibly send it in to London Bridge, calling at Lewes, Haywards Heath, East Croydon and London Bridge only - unsure on how long it would take, but there has been a lot of campigning for a faster service to London.

Only problem is the congestion on the BML. Could make it half-hourly between HHE and London by adding an extra West Coastway one as well, calling at Worthing, Hove, HHE then as above.

 

[LE Greys]

If a 150 left Swindon for TM three mins behind a HST, at what pount would the HST 27mins behind it catch up, or would it be caught up by a South Wales HST by Wootton Bassett Jn?

Strangely, not that close. The speed restrictions through Bath and the surprisingly fast acceleration of a 150 count very much in its favour. If you look at the times for a 166 vs an HST on the Oxford-Bristol service (albeit with 15 mph extra top speed) the 166 could keep up between Bristol and Bath (probably a bit quicker), lost less than a minute on to Chippenham, then only two minutes to Swindon and another two to Didcot.

 

[Eagle]

I'm going to propose a service over a line that's never existed, although it was proposed several times in the 19th century and if it was built would probably survive to this day.

Dorchester–Axminster via Bridport

I originally considered branching this off the HoWL north of Dorchester West and making Dorchester Junction triangular, but looking at the arrangement of the lines that's a nonstarter so instead it branches off the SWML south of Dorchester Junction. It meets the WoEL either along the old Lyme branch alignment, or north of Axminster station to avoid having to reverse or terminate there.

Initial service: two-hourly Weymouth–Exeter provided by SWT, two-car 158 should do for now
WEYMOUTH
UPWEY
Reverse at either DORCHESTER (West will be less busy, but South provides much better interchange with Bournemouth/Southampton services)
WINTERBOURNE ABBAS
BRIDPORT
CHARMOUTH (with connecting shuttlebus to Lyme)
AXMINSTER
then all stations to
EXETER CENTRAL (possibly extend to St Davids if it's not too busy)

If that's a success then there'll be an alternate hours service Exeter–Bournemouth via Dorchester South (redoubling east of Dorchester would probably be needed).

 

[158_Sprinter]

Unlikely:
A re-introduction of the Manchester Piccadilly - Penzance service via Crewe, Shrewsbury, Hereford, Bristol Temple Meads, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, Tiverton, Exeter, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot (perhaps if run by 158's like it used to be, the train could partition to go onto Torquay and Paignton), Totnes, Plymouth and so on to Penzance.

As Shrewsbury is again the only county town to be without a rail link to London, an Aberystwyth to London Euston service would be an option, Aberystwyth, Shrewsbury, Telford, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and down the WCML to London.

Even less likely:
Electrification of Crewe - Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury - Wolves, Cardiff - Shrews and Chester - Shrews.

Reinstatement of Shrewsbury - Nottingham, hell lets even go for the old Shrewsbury - Norwich.

 

[anthony263]

How about this:

Hereford - Worcester - Gloucester - Swindon every 2 hour's provides a half hourly link between Swindon & Gloucester.

This would have to wait til kemble is re-doubled.

I have come up with a timetable for this which i will email, if anyone wants a copy.

On arrival at Swindon could then work a Swindon - Salisbury service.

Another option I wouldnt mind would be a hourly service from Cardiff to Carmarthen using the Swansea district Line with 1 train every 2 hours continuing to Fishguard

 

[MCR247]

A third train an hour from Eastbourne to London, but this one should be a bit faster possibly send it in to London Bridge, calling at Lewes, Haywards Heath, East Croydon and London Bridge only - unsure on how long it would take, but there has been a lot of campigning for a faster service to London.

Only problem is the congestion on the BML. Could make it half-hourly between HHE and London by adding an extra West Coastway one as well, calling at Worthing, Hove, HHE then as above.

You suggest squeezing another train on the BML, realise there is capacity problems, and then suggest squeezing yet another in

Or you could just make one of the current ones faster between HHD-VIC...?

 

[thefab444]

You suggest squeezing another train on the BML, realise there is capacity problems, and then suggest squeezing yet another in

The timetabling on the BML is most half hourly, so if there is a path on one side of the hour, there's likely to be one on the other.

 

[MCR247]

Ok, but my point was the fact that 'there is not lots of capacity on the BML' was followed by suggesting another service, although I understand what you are saying

 

[Eagle]

As Shrewsbury is again the only county town to be without a rail link to London...

Matlock? Beverley?

Or, if we're using traditional counties, Appleby?

Not counting Newport (Wight) for two obvious reasons, and I'm assuming you meant English counties only.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I always base that on traditional counties and towns that survived the 1974 reforms.

 

[burty76]

If paths over the WCML permitted it (which they don't) I'd like to see something like Nottingham - Leicester - Nuneaton - Coventry - Leamington - Oxford - Swindon - Bristol, as a cross country route which avoids both Birmingham and London and would hopefully ease some of the pressures into/out of those cities.

No chance of it happening, I know

Isnt this possible? A bit of a pain doing it, but the train could arrive at Nuneatons "new platforms" to drop off passengers, proceed up the line to the point where the old route into Nuneaton joins, the driver swaps ends, then proceeds down into Nuneatons platform 1 on the freight/slow line, and departs for coventry from there?

I dont know the infrastucture/signals etc. but its one way of getting from Leicester to Coventry without crossing the WCML fast lines.

 

[thefab444]

Ok, but my point was the fact that 'there is not lots of capacity on the BML' was followed by suggesting another service, although I understand what you are saying

Exactly, finding a path on any one side of the hour is going to be the tricky bit!

 

[Masbroughlad]

Unlikely:
A re-introduction of the Manchester Piccadilly - Penzance service via Crewe, Shrewsbury, Hereford, Bristol Temple Meads, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, Tiverton, Exeter, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot (perhaps if run by 158's like it used to be, the train could partition to go onto Torquay and Paignton), Totnes, Plymouth and so on to Penzance.

As Shrewsbury is again the only county town to be without a rail link to London, an Aberystwyth to London Euston service would be an option, Aberystwyth, Shrewsbury, Telford, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and down the WCML to London.

Even less likely:
Electrification of Crewe - Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury - Wolves, Cardiff - Shrews and Chester - Shrews.

Reinstatement of Shrewsbury - Nottingham, hell lets even go for the old Shrewsbury - Norwich.

Like all of the above. The early days of privatisation had some innovative services.....which have been squashed! Progress - not! :roll:

 

[158_Sprinter]

Matlock? Beverley?

Or, if we're using traditional counties, Appleby?

Not counting Newport (Wight) for two obvious reasons, and I'm assuming you meant English counties only.

What I should have said was that Shropshire is the only county without a rail link to London (according to wiki and the Shropshire Star).

You were correct to assume I meant English counties.