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  • RMweb Gold

Very smart?

 

Take your sun glasses off and take a close look. 

 

It's drab ,you wait until it get's dirty as First are not very good at keeping their fleet of units clean.

 

and to use GWR as a TOC branding  is one of the biggest farces ever,

 

trying to re invent the wheel by saying GWR giving the West it's railway back I don't think so, First have been reported for this ad. as miss leading.

 

First seem to think if they re brand their Company people will forget but it's still the same old service.

 

The real GWR directors must be turning in their graves. 

Well, if you really don't like 'em, don't hold back. Don't be shy.

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  • RMweb Gold

The new livery on dmus is quite interesting.  I have now - in the past 10 days or so - seen it in a slightly grubby state, in abysmal weather, and in very poor early evening light and the interesting thing about it is that it looks just as good and recognisable whatever the light/visibility conditions.  It seems to show the dirt far less than the immediate past livery (or Thames Trains livery, or Fairground South East livery) and even looks rather good when seen in poor light or near darkness.  Whoever designed it has - I think - pulled off a rather neat design trick in getting something simple and distinctive for a wide range of ambient viewing conditions.

 

As to the 'building a greater west' ad campaign there is clearly something in it.  Trains are being refitted internally - not necessarily to everybody's taste but at least the workmanship is good and thought has been put into design while effort is also being put into fleet reliability and monitoring (including on the HST fleet).  Money has been and is being spent on stations - although no doubt not on all of them of course - while at the same time NR are involved in massive modernisation work on the GWML (even if it isn't going as originally intended there is at least quite a lot planned and going on.  And in some places train services are being improved - sensible changes which passengers have been asking and GWR is responding.

 

So overall I honestly think they have a  few things to blow their own trumpet about.

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Being far from the action(!), I rely on magazines and web sites to keep up with the goings on with railways in the South West. It was interesting to read Mike's first hand account today of Great Westerns current improvements to the system.

 

Brian.

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  • RMweb Gold

It will all take time to see the improvements come together. Dec 2018 timetable at earliest. I shall judge some time after then.... !

December 2018 will be some way short of final I think.  South Wales main line electrification beyond Cardiff will not be complete by then (will it ever happen I wonder although I'm not sure what might happen to the timetable of it doesn't) and current timing for Thames Valley branches electrification commissioning is that month (and is in any case subject to review which might well impact on the 165/166 reallocation programme).  

 

I doubt - even if bootstraps are pulled up on GWML electrification - that we will see some of the changes until December 2019 and into 2020.  Equally the reopening of the former terminal platforms at Temple Meads appears to have been skidded back into CP6 which will also inevitably have a timetable impact.  And I wouldn't be surprised (based on Roger Ford's past views) that the Class800/801 might not deliver the looked for timetable improvements on diesel power which again means that completion of electrification, or rather delays in completion, might have an impact on timetable structure and possibly even utilisation.  All of that really depends just how far the wires stretch by then and what mileage has to be covered on diesel power AND whether or not diesel power will deliver the timing improvements sought.  

 

We live in interesting, and changing, times.

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Dec 18 is the due date for the improvements down here to be done. Half hourly PZ to Ply using AT300s and 158s with 150/2s on branches, no more semaphores, catering on all mainline stuff, Sleeper refurbishment etc.... .

But It only takes one big wave !

 

It will be a shame to see the semaphores dissappear, they are a fine feature of the railways in Cornwall. Such is progress.....

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The electrification is behind schedule BUT apart from the DMU cascade, this should not affect us down here what with the AT300 delivery times and using diesel power. The Long Rock improvements are starting next month and so should the first internally refurbished Sleeper stock arrive. Unsure about signalling schedule, being Network Rail's doing.

 

With the IEP delays, we already expect the current franchise to be extended.

 

Will post all info I get as and when but due a frost this week...... !

Edited by Chy Mengrowyn Paul
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  • RMweb Gold

It will be a shame to see the semaphores dissappear, they are a fine feature of the railways in Cornwall. Such is progress.....

Unless things have changed (which is quite possibly the case) Cornwall resignalling is receding into the distance as it has run out of funding (or the funding has been diverted elsewhere).  I don't think this need necessarily upset the idea of a half hourly interval in Cornwall as that could be achieved quite cheaply (by modern standards) without going in for a total resignalling simply by breaking the long sections with IB signals.  Whether NR are likely to take up that tiny challenge is however a very different matter.

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Mr Portillo tonight was down west did not have to good weather ts raining seemed the best description interesting interview at Saltash the expert was enthusiastic and knowledgeable presented to camera well he remembered what they tell you ,don't look at the camera! A good series this week and next weeks looks rather interesting.

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Mr Portillo tonight was down west did not have to good weather ts raining seemed the best description interesting interview at Saltash the expert was enthusiastic and knowledgeable presented to camera well he remembered what they tell you ,don't look at the camera! A good series this week and next weeks looks rather interesting.

You are very kind!

 

pb_devon

 

Aka the Saltash 'expert'

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  • RMweb Gold

Indeedy! ;)

 

(Why is it ever since the IE upgrade the other night I can now no longer copy and paste links in posts or quote other posters quotes!! GRRRR bloody Microsoft :banghead:)

Well, hey, like, man, I just type the keys and the words kinda just come out there, man.

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