Failed Unit
Established Member
Today I am taking a trip on the flying Scotsman. Left Waverley on time from both platforms 7 and 11 so that the press could see 91101 in its new purple flying Scotsman livery. The train had a cyclist and piper playing Scotland the brave upon departure.
Still to early to sample the catering as no orders have been taken for breakfast yet. Let's hope that network rail can keep it on time and XC stopping trains out of it's way.
The positive that the earlier arrival has saved me the sleeper this time. Got a nice little pack including a certificate that I was on the train.
My moans, couldn't get a seat in a normal coach so stuck in coach K. The train is fully reserved but loadings about 1/4 at Edinburgh. East coast I feel have the ratio wrong in first class, 1/3 of seats in the quite coach isn't good when people want to work and use phones. At the very least the booking system needs not quite coach as an option not just quite coach and no preference.
Just passed Berwick.
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First part of the new offering, the pasty and juice. Very nice. The orders are taken for breakfast with a little coloured label on the seat. It will be interesting to see what happens as the train hits Newcastle as serving a full mk4 set will be a challenge.
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That is the train into Newcastle, taking 1h18 from Edinburgh, a personal fastest journey time for me.
Very busy at Newcastle, but hard to tell if the train is really fully booked, very high loadings and no shows can be expected but about 85% full in first.
Breakfast for the Edinburgh mob complete, about the same size as the previous offering at seat, although some will miss the beans and black pudding. I noticed even a Newcastle people are trying to avoid the quite coach.
Left Newcastle on time, next stop London. Another minor detail the mugs are all new so no need for lighting reflexes when trains pass.
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Passed through York on platform 5, don't know if that is going to be the booked route. With the loadings on the train today a stop at York would have resulted in overcrowding, but I have the feeling that today is not a typically loaded train!
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Another first for the failed unit, passing through Doncaster without getting signal checked for another a Leeds to London service to cross the line ahead (it was waiting on the Leeds branch)! You see network rail it is possible to make the Leeds stoppers wait so why do you always stop most other Edinburgh - London services not due to stop at Doncaster wait outside the station!
Passed through at 0809, so although 0940 arrival into Kings Cross is still very much on the cards it will need some good signalling.
It will be interesting to see how the new timetable works in terms of timekeeping, I know more padding has being added, but in my experience regulation is the curse of the ECML timetable. I particular in my experience late running XC trains getting let out ahead of the East Coast service at York going north then the East Coast service getting signal checked at Darlington and Durham (even when the East Coast doesn't stop at Durham) and as mentioned Doncaster southbound. No new timetable can stop the network rail all class ones are equal. I think not needing to pass through Haymarket will help timekeeping a lot (although as many will point out the 1030, 1130 and 1230 still do) Most delays on ECML are signal / wire problems anyway.
It is claimed that the flying Scotsman liveried stock will be used on this service where possible, be interesting to see how they diagram that, I guess it will need a trip to Leeds, either that or it will spend most of the day spare at bounds green to return North on either the 1530, 1630, 1830 or 1900.
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Encountered the first "problem" in the lose sense we have caught up with the 0700 ex Hull service at Newark which is stopping at Grantham as well so getting stopped as a result, Grantham is 1 hour away so the 0940 arrival may still be achievable, but unlikely. The service from Hull is about 5 minutes late. I guess this is going to be a regular problem for this service. The couldn't even get it out the way at Newark as an EMT service was stood in platform 3 so the only place we can pass is Peterborough unless it is placed on the slow lines. I bet they are disappointed, but it is their own train, it also shows with virtaully no slack that little things will lose its prize timing!
Not short of staff on hear, Elaine Holt herself along with many other directors. I wonder how well loaded the Lincoln service was today.
Still to early to sample the catering as no orders have been taken for breakfast yet. Let's hope that network rail can keep it on time and XC stopping trains out of it's way.
The positive that the earlier arrival has saved me the sleeper this time. Got a nice little pack including a certificate that I was on the train.
My moans, couldn't get a seat in a normal coach so stuck in coach K. The train is fully reserved but loadings about 1/4 at Edinburgh. East coast I feel have the ratio wrong in first class, 1/3 of seats in the quite coach isn't good when people want to work and use phones. At the very least the booking system needs not quite coach as an option not just quite coach and no preference.
Just passed Berwick.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
First part of the new offering, the pasty and juice. Very nice. The orders are taken for breakfast with a little coloured label on the seat. It will be interesting to see what happens as the train hits Newcastle as serving a full mk4 set will be a challenge.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
That is the train into Newcastle, taking 1h18 from Edinburgh, a personal fastest journey time for me.
Very busy at Newcastle, but hard to tell if the train is really fully booked, very high loadings and no shows can be expected but about 85% full in first.
Breakfast for the Edinburgh mob complete, about the same size as the previous offering at seat, although some will miss the beans and black pudding. I noticed even a Newcastle people are trying to avoid the quite coach.
Left Newcastle on time, next stop London. Another minor detail the mugs are all new so no need for lighting reflexes when trains pass.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Passed through York on platform 5, don't know if that is going to be the booked route. With the loadings on the train today a stop at York would have resulted in overcrowding, but I have the feeling that today is not a typically loaded train!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Another first for the failed unit, passing through Doncaster without getting signal checked for another a Leeds to London service to cross the line ahead (it was waiting on the Leeds branch)! You see network rail it is possible to make the Leeds stoppers wait so why do you always stop most other Edinburgh - London services not due to stop at Doncaster wait outside the station!
Passed through at 0809, so although 0940 arrival into Kings Cross is still very much on the cards it will need some good signalling.
It will be interesting to see how the new timetable works in terms of timekeeping, I know more padding has being added, but in my experience regulation is the curse of the ECML timetable. I particular in my experience late running XC trains getting let out ahead of the East Coast service at York going north then the East Coast service getting signal checked at Darlington and Durham (even when the East Coast doesn't stop at Durham) and as mentioned Doncaster southbound. No new timetable can stop the network rail all class ones are equal. I think not needing to pass through Haymarket will help timekeeping a lot (although as many will point out the 1030, 1130 and 1230 still do) Most delays on ECML are signal / wire problems anyway.
It is claimed that the flying Scotsman liveried stock will be used on this service where possible, be interesting to see how they diagram that, I guess it will need a trip to Leeds, either that or it will spend most of the day spare at bounds green to return North on either the 1530, 1630, 1830 or 1900.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Encountered the first "problem" in the lose sense we have caught up with the 0700 ex Hull service at Newark which is stopping at Grantham as well so getting stopped as a result, Grantham is 1 hour away so the 0940 arrival may still be achievable, but unlikely. The service from Hull is about 5 minutes late. I guess this is going to be a regular problem for this service. The couldn't even get it out the way at Newark as an EMT service was stood in platform 3 so the only place we can pass is Peterborough unless it is placed on the slow lines. I bet they are disappointed, but it is their own train, it also shows with virtaully no slack that little things will lose its prize timing!
Not short of staff on hear, Elaine Holt herself along with many other directors. I wonder how well loaded the Lincoln service was today.
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