So here it is, the biggest day at Paddington since the end of the Westerns, or maybe the class 50's or the arrival of a class 87 ?

The last day of HST operated services on the GWML is Saturday May 18th 2019.

4 Diagrams operating, Ive summarized all movements here.

Sorted by time to/from Paddington (Inverted Colour indicates an Exit from Paddington.

Pictures below, Ive attached the Spreadsheet here incase anyone wants to work with it, includes links to Realtimetrains for each working.

Of note (and looks like my emerging plan).. if you go..

1C16 to Bristol, Return on 1A23 as far as Reading, and change to 1P61 and hence take 1C76... you get to ride on all 4 final diagrams that day.

Note the Platform 1-4 departures.

There is a 1Z26 from Paddington to Taunton, from Platform 5, this is an IEP that follows 2 minutes behind the scheduled 1C76 from Paddington, but overtakes 1C76 at Reading to run in the normal 1C76 path... don't be confused if your watching enroute ! -

Alternatively you could take 1Z76 after 1C26 departs, quickly jump a picture at Reading and choose another viewing station, and still board 1C76 to Taunton and so get 4 photo shoots & a ride enroute… though of course on the day, 1Z26 and 1C76 could always end up swapping departure slots from Paddington and so avoid that overtaking at Reading... afterall 1c76 is a scheduled service effectively operating as a railtour in this instance it's the 1Z26 that's the operating the usual service schedule.

Edit: one to consider, the 1122 to Great Malvern, departs Oxford 1223, the provisional timings for Vintage Trains will see 7029 Clun Castle arrive at 1227, giving one last occasion where a HST and a Castle will pass on the GWML... how many times in the last 40 years have you had a HST get in the way of a steam railtour on the ex-GWR....

After that is 7999 That's Hall.

HSTLastDay.xlsx

Eey folks,

I came accross a really useful website with a full dimensional track database. Quite useful if you want to know the dimensions or the track radius of a point or double slip. 

Check it out >> https://www.enigon.com/raily/modules/de/index.html

Grts

Dennis & Co.