TfW 175 shortages

[william.martin]

158s can't couple to 175s, and 175s can't go on the Cambrian.

I thought a 7 car was a bit odd!
Any TFW 15x or 17x can do the Cambrian as far as Machynlleth then they have to branch off to Aberystwyth. They only use ETCS from Dovey Jn to Pwllheli.

 

[Jez]

I thought a 7 car was a bit odd!
Any TFW 15x or 17x can do the Cambrian as far as Machynlleth then they have to branch off to Aberystwyth. They only use ETCS from Dovey Jn to Pwllheli.

Cambrian is 158s throughout. So if a 150 or 175 turns up on a Birmingham to Cambrian service it will be swapped for a 158 at Shrewsbury.

 

[Krokodil]

I thought a 7 car was a bit odd!
Any TFW 15x or 17x can do the Cambrian as far as Machynlleth then they have to branch off to Aberystwyth. They only use ETCS from Dovey Jn to Pwllheli.

No they can't. ETCS is in operation from Sutton Bridge Junction (excl) all the way to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The drivers on the Cambrian don't sign anything but 158s.

 

[Jez]

Same set is on 1W60 1201 Carmarthen to Manchester today. We do see the class west of Swansea most days, but normally just 1 or 2 of them.

Yes I do occasionally see one West of Cardiff covering on a Manchester-Milford/Carmarthen but i dont believe they have any booked work West of Cardiff apart from on Sundays now. Even the Saturday diagram that ran for years starting with the 0630 Manchester to Milford has now been split at Cardiff with a 175 now working it West of Cardiff to Milford (unless of course its subbed for a Sprinter)

I have also seen them turn up on Pembroke Dock but again i don't think its actually booked. I believe Pembroke Dock is booked for pairs of 153s.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I thought a 7 car was a bit odd!
Any TFW 15x or 17x can do the Cambrian as far as Machynlleth then they have to branch off to Aberystwyth. They only use ETCS from Dovey Jn to Pwllheli.

It's not "a bit odd", it's impossible. The couplers are of different designs and the 175s don't have the ETCS equipment.

I mistakenly used the name "Cambrian" to refer to the entire mid-Wales lines West of Sutton Bridge Junction.

 

[william.martin]

Cambrian is 158s throughout. So if a 150 or 175 turns up on a Birmingham to Cambrian service it will be swapped for a 158 at Shrewsbury.

Yet I had a picture on my old camera of a 153 at Aberystwyth.
It's very, very rare that a 175 does the Aberystwyth portion (of course it can't go up the Pwhelli branch) .
However on the also very rare occasion I have definitely seen 150's and 153's particularly when waiting to cross over a level crossing near welshpool as a train passes.

 

[Caaardiff]

175002 has been withdrawn from service. Parked up at Holyhead before returning to the leasing company

 

[Philip]

175002 has been withdrawn from service. Parked up at Holyhead before returning to the leasing company

Apparently the last TFW service it worked was the 21:36 Crewe-Holyhead last night, coupled to 175009...although 011 and 108 had supposedly been withdrawn last month but are now back in service!

 

[Llanigraham]

I thought a 7 car was a bit odd!
Any TFW 15x or 17x can do the Cambrian as far as Machynlleth then they have to branch off to Aberystwyth. They only use ETCS from Dovey Jn to Pwllheli.

I can assure you that ETCS/ERTMS is used all the way from Sutton Bridge Junction!

 

[Llanigraham]

Yet I had a picture on my old camera of a 153 at Aberystwyth.
It's very, very rare that a 175 does the Aberystwyth portion (of course it can't go up the Pwhelli branch) .
However on the also very rare occasion I have definitely seen 150's and 153's particularly when waiting to cross over a level crossing near welshpool as a train passes.

You will not have seen that since ERTMS was introduced on the Cambrian.
It has always been 158's only; that has been confirmed to me by one of the signallers at Machy just now.

 

[Jez]

Yet I had a picture on my old camera of a 153 at Aberystwyth.
It's very, very rare that a 175 does the Aberystwyth portion (of course it can't go up the Pwhelli branch) .
However on the also very rare occasion I have definitely seen 150's and 153's particularly when waiting to cross over a level crossing near welshpool as a train passes.

This must have been before the ERTMS was introduced. I think when Central Trains ran the service there was different rolling stock involved. Also when ATW first took over before ERTMS there may have been 150s involved.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Feb 2023 ==

175002 has been withdrawn from service. Parked up at Holyhead before returning to the leasing company

Is this the first 175 officially withdrawn? And is it because they now have 15 197s in passenger service?

 

[43096]

Yet I had a picture on my old camera of a 153 at Aberystwyth.

That would be before the line was ETCS fitted.

It's very, very rare that a 175 does the Aberystwyth portion (of course it can't go up the Pwhelli branch) .

Like never.

However on the also very rare occasion I have definitely seen 150's and 153's particularly when waiting to cross over a level crossing near welshpool as a train passes.

Not since the line was ETCS fitted you haven’t.

 

[Caaardiff]

Apparently the last TFW service it worked was the 21:36 Crewe-Holyhead last night, coupled to 175009...although 011 and 108 had supposedly been withdrawn last month but are now back in service!

They were stored awaiting parts that weren't readily available. 175002 has been withdrawn.

 

[Bevan Price]

Yet I had a picture on my old camera of a 153 at Aberystwyth.
It's very, very rare that a 175 does the Aberystwyth portion (of course it can't go up the Pwhelli branch) .
However on the also very rare occasion I have definitely seen 150's and 153's particularly when waiting to cross over a level crossing near welshpool as a train passes.

Class 150s used to work the Cambrian lines many years ago, when 1st generation dmus were being withdrawn.

 

[RichardTBC]

Only 2 three car 175s at Chester today. 175101 and 175103

 

[SuperLuke2334]

Yet I had a picture on my old camera of a 153 at Aberystwyth.
It's very, very rare that a 175 does the Aberystwyth portion (of course it can't go up the Pwhelli branch) .
However on the also very rare occasion I have definitely seen 150's and 153's particularly when waiting to cross over a level crossing near welshpool as a train passes.

175s will never do any work west of Sutton Bridge junction, and never have been able to. 150s 153s 156s and 158s all have because of the original RETB system, but now only the TfW 158s are permitted to pass SBJ due to the ERTMS requirement. Aberystwyth is also fitted with the ERTMS. Also the fact that 175s cannot couple to 158s as mentioned many times...

 

[507 001]

Yet I had a picture on my old camera of a 153 at Aberystwyth.
It's very, very rare that a 175 does the Aberystwyth portion (of course it can't go up the Pwhelli branch) .
However on the also very rare occasion I have definitely seen 150's and 153's particularly when waiting to cross over a level crossing near welshpool as a train passes.

A photo showing the platform ends at Aberystwyth, with the ETCS block marker very much visible…

 

[Andrew*Debbie]

175002 has been withdrawn from service. Parked up at Holyhead before returning to the leasing company

Time to decide if I care enough to make a trip just to log a number. Ahh nope. Sorry, I'll never be a real trainspotter.

 

[amwells]

175002 has been withdrawn from service. Parked up at Holyhead before returning to the leasing company

Any idea when it might move and to where? Holyhead is a very long way for me!!

 

[william.martin]

SIT.REP:
Today we lost another 175 to fire but this time at Wilmslow, reportedly the unit involved was 175101.

Class 175 on fire at Wilmslow (22/02)

https://twitter.com/mattthornton36/status/1628511616433094658?s=46&t=-lfONZ8Egzs88tr1gU8eGw Attached is the picture which is provided on the tweet, not much information par the picture. Appears to be a Class 175 from TfW on fire. edit: 1W64 1606 Carmarthen - Wilmslow cancelled to Piccadilly...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Bob Price]

175101 went up in flames at Wilmslow last night on the 1W64 heading into Manchester.

Emergency services scrambled as train catches on fire at Wilmslow station

Passengers were reportedly evacuated from the station

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

[RichardTBC]

Any idea when it might move and to where? Holyhead is a very long way for me!!

I guess it depends who the leasing company is. I was up at Holyhead yesterday and couldn't see where it was hiding! 197006 was in the carriage shed

 

[43096]

I guess it depends who the leasing company is. I was up at Holyhead yesterday and couldn't see where it was hiding! 197006 was in the carriage shed

The 175 fleet is Angel owned, so Ely is likely the destination of choice.

 

[56xx]

175101 went up in flames at Wilmslow last night on the 1W64 heading into Manchester.

Emergency services scrambled as train catches on fire at Wilmslow station

Passengers were reportedly evacuated from the station

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

At this rate TfW will have to keep more 170s (I hope).

Something being missed during maintenance?

 

[Jacob Porrett]

At this rate TfW will have to keeps more 170s (I hope).

Something being missed during maintenance?

Maybe Chester depot are prioritising the 197s now CAF have taken over hence the 175 issues now?

 

[Geeves]

There's definitely a lot more fires since they were moved away from Chester depot so you can only presume Longsight is out of the loop on something.

 

[Topological]

I assume this is why there was a 175 in the loop on the way into Manchester this morning. Seemed to be two of them though so maybe one had been there to assist?

 

[SuperLuke2334]

I guess it depends who the leasing company is. I was up at Holyhead yesterday and couldn't see where it was hiding! 197006 was in the carriage shed

It's in the newly re-laid sidings by the station.

I assume this is why there was a 175 in the loop on the way into Manchester this morning. Seemed to be two of them though so maybe one had been there to assist?

Probably had to drag it to it's current place.

 

[rich.davies]

It's like the 175's know they are being replaced and have just given up working properly.

 

[Tom125]

I hope the 175s have a future life somewhere: they are very comfortable to ride on as a passenger.