Zoe Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Hi, until 1994 I often travelled between Paddington and Redruth on the Cornish Riviera when visiting grandparents in Cornwall. Almost always we got the Cornish Riviera but one year around 1990 it was fully booked and so we booked on another train which departed around 12:30. After arriving at Paddington, we discovered that the train was not going to be the usual HST but instead a train where all the coaches were marked as First Class (in intercity livery I believe) but we were then told that they had been declassified, these also turned out to be corridor coaches. I believe it was 47 hauled since I seem to remember intercity livery on the loco which no 50s were ever in. The train also had a fairly usual stopping pattern since it didn't stop at Reading (which even the Cornish Riviera was doing at that time I believe) but did stop at Taunton and then Exeter, Plymouth and main stations in Cornwall. Would this have been a regular working or just something special for that day due to a lack of other stock? The stopping pattern did seem a bit odd for it to be something too regular but we did have booked seats on it. I also remember the return journey that year well when despite asking for non-smoking accommodation we ended up with seats in coach B on the HST (which also wasn't the Cornish Riviera since again it was fully booked). Luckily we were offered seats in First Class and got a written apology from Intercity. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Hi, until 1994 I often travelled between Paddington and Redruth on the Cornish Riviera when visiting grandparents in Cornwall. Almost always we got the Cornish Riviera but one year around 1990 it was fully booked and so we booked on another train which departed around 12:30. After arriving at Paddington, we discovered that the train was not going to be the usual HST but instead a train where all the coaches were marked as First Class (in intercity livery I believe) but we were then told that they had been declassified, these also turned out to be corridor coaches. I believe it was 47 hauled since I seem to remember intercity livery on the loco which no 50s were ever in. The train also had a fairly usual stopping pattern since it didn't stop at Reading (which even the Cornish Riviera was doing at that time I believe) but did stop at Taunton and then Exeter, Plymouth and main stations in Cornwall. Would this have been a regular working or just something special for that day due to a lack of other stock? The stopping pattern did seem a bit odd for it to be something too regular but we did have booked seats on it. I also remember the return journey that year well when despite asking for non-smoking accommodation we ended up with seats in coach B on the HST (which also wasn't the Cornish Riviera since again it was fully booked). Luckily we were offered seats in First Class and got a written apology from Intercity. Sounds like a planned Relief train- the stock would be the sort of stock kept for things like Grand National and Cheltenham specials. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizontal Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 Hi, until 1994 I often travelled between Paddington and Redruth on the Cornish Riviera when visiting grandparents in Cornwall. Almost always we got the Cornish Riviera but one year around 1990 it was fully booked and so we booked on another train which departed around 12:30. After arriving at Paddington, we discovered that the train was not going to be the usual HST but instead a train where all the coaches were marked as First Class (in intercity livery I believe) but we were then told that they had been declassified, these also turned out to be corridor coaches. I believe it was 47 hauled since I seem to remember intercity livery on the loco which no 50s were ever in. The train also had a fairly usual stopping pattern since it didn't stop at Reading (which even the Cornish Riviera was doing at that time I believe) but did stop at Taunton and then Exeter, Plymouth and main stations in Cornwall. Would this have been a regular working or just something special for that day due to a lack of other stock? The stopping pattern did seem a bit odd for it to be something too regular but we did have booked seats on it. I also remember the return journey that year well when despite asking for non-smoking accommodation we ended up with seats in coach B on the HST (which also wasn't the Cornish Riviera since again it was fully booked). Luckily we were offered seats in First Class and got a written apology from Intercity. A 'Relief' Train which was put on at short notice, and not advertised to the public - A common thing in times gone by! :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clearwater Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 A 'Relief' Train which was put on at short notice, and not advertised to the public - A common thing in times gone by! :-)Given there has been a very large increase in passenger numbers, I'd assume that train paths that were previously kept for relief trains at peak, are now used in the ordinary course of service. With paths filling up, I'd guess the ability to run, even if they had the stock, relief trains may be more limited David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizontal Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 Given there has been a very large increase in passenger numbers, I'd assume that train paths that were previously kept for relief trains at peak, are now used in the ordinary course of service. With paths filling up, I'd guess the ability to run, even if they had the stock, relief trains may be more limited David Some would say so... yes! :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted February 26, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 26, 2017 Hi, until 1994 I often travelled between Paddington and Redruth on the Cornish Riviera when visiting grandparents in Cornwall. Almost always we got the Cornish Riviera but one year around 1990 it was fully booked and so we booked on another train which departed around 12:30. After arriving at Paddington, we discovered that the train was not going to be the usual HST but instead a train where all the coaches were marked as First Class (in intercity livery I believe) but we were then told that they had been declassified, these also turned out to be corridor coaches. I believe it was 47 hauled since I seem to remember intercity livery on the loco which no 50s were ever in. The train also had a fairly usual stopping pattern since it didn't stop at Reading (which even the Cornish Riviera was doing at that time I believe) but did stop at Taunton and then Exeter, Plymouth and main stations in Cornwall. Would this have been a regular working or just something special for that day due to a lack of other stock? The stopping pattern did seem a bit odd for it to be something too regular but we did have booked seats on it. I also remember the return journey that year well when despite asking for non-smoking accommodation we ended up with seats in coach B on the HST (which also wasn't the Cornish Riviera since again it was fully booked). Luckily we were offered seats in First Class and got a written apology from Intercity. It used to run regularly on Fridays at one time and, I think, Saturdays in the 'high summer' using the one of the excursion sets (in fact by 1994 the set would have been controlled by Inter City Special Services and I would have thought it would be in 'raspberry ripple' livery by then as at least two of their sets were in that livery by the late 1980s). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoe Posted February 26, 2017 Author Share Posted February 26, 2017 It used to run regularly on Fridays at one time and, I think, Saturdays in the 'high summer' using the one of the excursion sets (in fact by 1994 the set would have been controlled by Inter City Special Services and I would have thought it would be in 'raspberry ripple' livery by then as at least two of their sets were in that livery by the late 1980s). The journey in question if I remember correctly was in the summer of 1990. Would it have still been WR allocated stock at that time or was stock specifically allocated to the sectors (and to a specific division within the sector by that time)? I'm not too sure how things worked for stock allocations prior to OfQ in 1992. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted February 27, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 27, 2017 The journey in question if I remember correctly was in the summer of 1990. Would it have still been WR allocated stock at that time or was stock specifically allocated to the sectors (and to a specific division within the sector by that time)? I'm not too sure how things worked for stock allocations prior to OfQ in 1992. All the loco hauled charter sets were under the control of the BRB by then. Even as early (!!) as 1985 the only loco hauled set on the Western which wasn't under their control was the set painted in chocolate & cream for GW150 special workings and at one stage taht was under my personal control for operational purposes with me deciding what it could be used on (not that I had much choice of course as all the specials which needed it were arranged months earlier). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Pilotman Posted March 4, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 4, 2017 All the loco hauled charter sets were under the control of the BRB by then. Even as early (!!) as 1985 the only loco hauled set on the Western which wasn't under their control was the set painted in chocolate & cream for GW150 special workings and at one stage taht was under my personal control for operational purposes with me deciding what it could be used on (not that I had much choice of course as all the specials which needed it were arranged months earlier). What did you stick it on, Mike? I don't remember ever seeing that rake in the 80s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted March 5, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 5, 2017 What did you stick it on, Mike? I don't remember ever seeing that rake in the 80s. The main reason for it was the Swindon - Gloucester steam hauled GW150 services but it also did various other jobs in connection with GW150 to avoid having to get one of the InterCity Charter sets from Bounds Green (and in consequence forever being beholden to , and 'influenced by', the Charter Train Unit who happened to be very strongly not in favour of various GW150 workings. I don't think it lasted much beyond early 1986 and I think most - if not all - the vehicles in the set were sold into preservation use and by then I had moved to a Rules & Regs job then freight ops. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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