Current Cardiff to Holyhead train.

[CKPR]

I don't normally pay any attention to the post-privatisation railways, except to have pay exorbitant fares to get to work, but I was very taken with a train I saw yesterday at Cardiff Central, the 5.15pm (IIRC) to Holyhead, the   'One Wales Express' / 'Y Gerallt Gymro'. Loco-hauled (well, propelled) by a class 67, four MkIII coaches, including a 1st class dining car ,and a Driving Van Trailer and looking for all the world like a real-life model train ! (I expect that someone will now tell me that Hornby do it as train pack...).

Edited February 25, 2016 by CKPR

[roundhouse]

Dapol have done it in N scale.

[CKPR]

Dapol have done it in N scale.

 

Phew, just as well I don't model in N or I would have to buy it !

[big jim]

Hornby do indeed do the coaches/loco etc, the buffet is a bit like rocking horse doings though so I model the Manchester to Llandudno service instead

 

[ruggedpeak]

Hornby have the 3 standard Arriva mk3's in their Last Chance pages. The Arriva 67's and DVG can be found elsewhere, but as big Jim says the buffet is rare. But might be worth trying Chester Model Centre, they had some at the end of last year, because that's where I got mine after Hornby sold out. I have the full Arriva set

 

Goes with my WSMR set and looking forward to Hornby's Arriva 153.

[big jim]

After hunting high and low for a 'rare' buffet I called into my local model shop in dagfields and Richard had a solitary arriva mk3 on the shelf, guess which one it was....

 

 

I must have looked at it loads of times over the last few months and never twigged it was the one I've been after!

[John_Miles]

On last Tuesday, the 09.20 Cardiff to Holyhead was a 2 car class 150. How naff is that? A 5 hour journey in a 150. It was followed by the FGW Cardiff to Portsmouth Harbour which was also a 2 car class 150. The AM's (Assembly Members) special, as it is called, is something completely different, a luxury train by modern standards.

[Coryton]

On last Tuesday, the 09.20 Cardiff to Holyhead was a 2 car class 150. How naff is that? A 5 hour journey in a 150. It was followed by the FGW Cardiff to Portsmouth Harbour which was also a 2 car class 150. The AM's (Assembly Members) special, as it is called, is something completely different, a luxury train by modern standards.

 

I am fairly sure that all the Cardiff for Portsmouth Harbour services are diagrammed for a 158.

 

The only time I've seen a 150 on the service in recent times was when there has been major disruption. A 150 is (probably) better than cancelling the service.

 

Though I would be unimpressed to have one turn up if I was travelling...

[Glorious NSE]

I am fairly sure that all the Cardiff for Portsmouth Harbour services are diagrammed for a 158.

 

The only time I've seen a 150 on the service in recent times was when there has been major disruption. A 150 is (probably) better than cancelling the sevice.

 

Though I would be unimpressed to have one turn up if I was travelling...

 

They are diagrammed for a 3 car 158, a 150 is better than an hours wait though if they are having problems...

[Hesperus]

Theres been some stange stock on the Marches line over the last couple of months.  Having never seen one south of Craven Arms junction before, the line now seems full of 153's.  I've seen them coupled up with 158s and 150s as well as travelling in little gangs of 2 or 3 together making quite a colourful sight as they are all different colours.  Has something happened to the 175's or are they more expensive to run so are being rested?

 

Just before lockdown I had a treat,  I bought a ticket to South Coulsdon near Croyden and was delighted to find the first part was on the WAG (or as staff called it,"the Flyer").  Unfortunately running slowly all the way to Newport due to a very late running service was in front (2 car 150/2 in place of a 3 car 175 which could do with being 5 car on that service) but thank god I wasn't on that one.

[big jim]

The problem with coupling all these 153s to 158s and using 150s instead of 175 is the top speed is lowered from 90mph to 75mph which causes a lot of quite substantial delays over the the whole distance the train runs particularly between Newport and shrewsbury and crewe and Manchester, not just to the train itself but anything following it that could be doing 100mph where possible (crewe to Stockport for example) 

 

hopefully it won’t be long before the new WAG comes out with its Mk4 coaches and 67 

[John-Miles]

Last time I looked, before lockdown, the Portsmouth trains were 5 coach (3 plus 2) Thames Turbos.

[wombatofludham]

Watching "trainspotting live" (Railcam's Crewe camera via YouTube and a smart telly...) I've noticed a few Manchester to South Wales (Carmarthen, Cardiff) services at Crewe worked by "double bubble" twin 153s, in amongst the more usual 175s, during the reduced timetable period.  TfW Rail seem to have inherited the old Arriva random unit generator including a two car 150 yesterday on a South Wales to Manchester service.  Bet that was fun, I like 150s and once went on one from Birmingham to Norwich when new but I think I would be a little upset if a 150 turned up instead of a 158 or 175.

[big jim]

Funnily enough in Hereford earlier a pair of 153s came in on a cardiff service, luckily I had a 175 back to crewe! 
 

 

[Hesperus]

158+153+153 on the service that stopped me at the level crossing today.  Are most of the 175s in a yard somewhere?

[Northmoor]

Is this issue something to do with having toilets that meet disabled access regulations?  You have to couple a 153 to something for the formation to include such a toilet.  175s can't couple with anything else - now there's a genius piece of procurement - so 153s have to couple with other units. 

 

In theory it should slow them down, but many years ago I was in a pair of 150s cruising at 85mph and a 4-car 158 set that did well over 90 North of Shrewsbury (20+ minutes late leaving Cardiff, right time at Crewe!).  A bigger issue is that the braking characteristics of a 153 coupled to a 158 isn't like either of them, apparently, which causes particular issues during the autumn leaf-fall period.

[Hesperus]

I wondered about that but most of the services I've seen around Ludlow with 153's have been 2 or 3 153's rather than a mixture of units.  I've not seen one lately though, we seem to be back to mostly 175s with the occasional 150 or 158.

 

It's a shame that the post privatisation stock couldn't multi with Sprinters (or anything else).