Turning Pendolinos around

[sburnley]

Yesterday I travelled on the 16:23 from Euston to Wolverhampton. As soon as the platform was announced on the main departure screens in the main concourse area I darted off to the front of the train to make sure that I got a decent seat in Coach A - the quiet zone.

As I reached the front coaches I realised that they were First Class - the train was in reverse formation! - and I now had to head back to the rear.

Apart from feeling a bit daft for not checking that the train had its First Class at the Southern end I wondered how the Pendolino had become reversed and where it could be turned round.

Do they use the underpass near Wolverhampton station to execute a reverse? ( I don't think its electrified so they'd have to use a 57 or a shunter - so most unlikely.)

Surely there are no routes on which Pendos reverse in the normal course of events.

 

[Dreadnought]

The most obvious one I know is leaving New St northbound and then travelling via Soho, Aston and Stechford to get to Euston, which would result in a set being turned.

 

[Mr Spock]

They can turn at Birmingham, leave north bound, round Soho, Perry Barr, Aston and out at Stechford (or the other way).

 

[thewolf]

May have been a problem between Wolves and Birmingham somewhere meaning it either went via Bescot and Aston or Soho to Perry Barr and Aston resulting in it arriving from the south at New Street.

 

[western Champion]

When a set ends up in reverse they try to get it onto a diagram that finishes at Wolves / New St or at Glasgow so it can be turned again. Diagrams that finish at Euston / Manchester / Liverpool or Preston have no realistic way of turning the sets.

 

[rail-britain]

Glasgow so it can be turned again

I am not aware of anywhere in Glasgow that is approved for a Class 390 to be turned (although it is possible to run a unit from Polmadie via Hamilton and Motherwell back to Polmadie)
The only other location is Carstairs

 

[Liam]

I am not aware of anywhere in Glasgow that is approved for a Class 390 to be turned (although it is possible to run a unit from Polmadie via Hamilton and Motherwell back to Polmadie)
The only other location is Carstairs

Can it not be taken round the Cathcart Circle?

 

[MadCommuter]

Can it not be taken round the Cathcart Circle?

Or at Rutherglen Triangle?

 

[Ferret]

When a set ends up in reverse they try to get it onto a diagram that finishes at Wolves / New St or at Glasgow so it can be turned again. Diagrams that finish at Euston / Manchester / Liverpool or Preston have no realistic way of turning the sets.

Yeah - the usual move is for the Wolves-Oxley ECS to run down through Bescot and Perry Barr, round to Soho and back to Wolves. They've probably still got the Pretendolino in reverse formation after the DVT failed last month!

 

[Liam]

Or at Rutherglen Triangle?

Or down to Shields Road depot, and back towards Polmadie.

 

[rail-britain]

Can it not be taken round the Cathcart Circle?

Not permitted via Maxwell Park
Using route via Queens Park makes no difference

Or at Rutherglen Triangle?

Not permitted on the Glasgow Central LL section

Or down to Shields Road depot, and back towards Polmadie.

Not permitted via Shields Road any more either

 

[Flying Snail]

May have been a problem between Wolves and Birmingham somewhere meaning it either went via Bescot and Aston or Soho to Perry Barr and Aston resulting in it arriving from the south at New Street.

The first Up from Wolverhampton (05.00 M-F) doesn't have a stop at Sandwell & Dudley and is given extra running time so it can take one of the alternative routes if required.

I presume this is primarily so diversionary route knowledge can be retained, no idea how frequently they are routed away from the main these days.

When it was loco-hauled under FNW the early morning Holyhead - BHM service would normally go via Bescot and Aston so the loco did not need to run around at New Street. This was followed by the first Wolverhampton - Euston service which was always a coin toss as to it arriving from the north or south in BHM.

 

[The_Stig]

I am not aware of anywhere in Glasgow that is approved for a Class 390 to be turned (although it is possible to run a unit from Polmadie via Hamilton and Motherwell back to Polmadie)
The only other location is Carstairs

They can (and have) go to Shields to be turned around. I think they use Shields head shunt.
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Not permitted via Shields Road any more either

When did this come about?

 

[sburnley]

Would it be true to suggest that the ticket reservation system is not smart enough to be updated for a particular service, on which the set is facing the wrong way, so that "facing" seats would actually be backwards and vice-versa?

In coach A the vast majority of seats face along the train towards the shop so they would normally be facing backwards on the down journey.