Windermere branch timetable

[Bovverboy]

And that 1532 is formed of a 156 that runs ECS from Lancaster having just worked from Carlisle. Presumably no conductor is rostered for that section?

I would imagine one would be, but en route ECS Lancaster to Preston the set is scheduled to sit in Oxheys Up Passenger Loop for half an hour or so, presumably to avoid monopolising valuable platform space at Preston.

 

[The Bear]

Do you think this may be partly related to the temporary closure of the line post the May 2018 t/t ?
Would obviously cause a drop in branch passengers, but also an increase for Oxenholme with locals driving there instead.

I would say that is a factor and also in the month or so leading up the two-week suspension of services NT were doing a cracking job of killing passenger numbers with the massive number of cancellations.
Then came the "fun fortnight" of WCRC running six round trips per day with top&tailed LHCS.
After which NT returned with half a service supported by busses running the early & late services before a full timetable was reintroduced.

That and Northern's utter lack of reliability?

With regard to the branch, do you think it'd be better as an hourly clockface shuttle? Are the through services well used in your understanding, or do more people just change at Oxenholme for London (who are maybe now driving there)? That is, does the through service have value?

I'm my opinion; Yes, without a doubt a clockface all stops shuttle would be the way go. With a journeytime of 20mins with 10min turnarounds it would be ideal, giving a bit more latitude for the branch to be held for an inbound connection without jeopardising the outward upon it's return.
Although the user groups & the CRP will say different as they want through services.
The through services do seem to be fairly well used with through traffic with those probably wanting to avoid a change, or on NT only tickets etc, having to change at Preston for Euston as on most hours the direct trains run the Glasgow-Euston skips Oxenholme.
Also from Oxenholme the Windermere-Manchester's depart a few mins behind TPE's Scotland-Manchester's which generally have shorter journey times.

According to ontimetrains.co.uk, Windermere is a ‘Top 500’ station for reliability - 408th out of 2621 over the last six months. And even better more recently - 277th over last 12 weeks and 222nd over the last four.
Of course, this may have been a different story for much of 2018-19, but the Lakes line now seems to compare well with most other places.

Unlike other parts of NT's network the Lakes Line has fared quite well these last 18months or so but I do get the general impression that due to the local MP having been banging the "anti-NT drum" for a long time plus having WCRC almost on the branch's doorstep with them having stepping in for those two weeks in the summer of 2018 and for two days in the Easter weekend of 2019 it has become a bit of a face saving exercise for NT.

Oxenholme was for a time a good railhead for buses to Sedbergh, a very attractive tourist town, but the current bus service is all but useless for a day in Sedbergh. On the other hand the former 564 bus from Kendal to Kirkby Stephen via Sedbergh and Ravenstonedale was empty beyond Sedbergh on the 3 or 4 occasions when I caught it at Oxenholme to travel that way. It seemed to cater mainly for shoppers/students going to Kendal.

Yes there use to be a good connecting bus service to the likes of Sedbergh, Kirkby Stephen, Dent & Kirkby Lonsdale from Oxenholme but since most of the County Council funding has been withdrawn the only bus services that remain are run maninly for the benerfit of getting students to Kendal College.
Breaking off on a tangent; it is interesting to note that since the County Council funding was pulled Cumbria Classic Coaches who are based near Kirkby Stephen at Ravensondale took it upon them selves to start running a Kirkby Stephen-Kendal service once a week and Ravensondale via Kirkby Stephen-Bowes service once a week for the benefit of locals to get their shopping etc.