1990s Loco Hauled Services from Paddington to South Wales

[richscylla]

Hi All, 

 

I was wondering if Great Western (and then First Great Western) ever used their Class 47s for loco hauled services to Wales or was it just down to Devon and Cornwall. I've looked around but can't find any pictures or video of such services, other than 47815 in First Great Western livery stabled at Newport in 2003. 
 

In information would be great. 

 

Thanks,

Rich

[richscylla]

Just bumping this. Anyone working at Great Western back in the day know this?

[johnofwessex]

There was certainly a 47+MK2 relief set avalible but I believe that the usual train to be this blessed with it was the rush hour service to Weston as there was a gap behind it that meant that it didnt hold up the following trains

[bigP]

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Edited February 1, 2021 by bigP
Deleted

[47449xeCD]

There were some hauled turns in the early 90s. I don’t have my moves or diagrams anywhere near close to hand, but I think the decade may have started with at least a Sundays Swansea-Pad, and then there was an 0645 Pad-Cardiff, 0935 Cardiff-Pad for a couple of years using the seated stock off the up midnight. Both of these utilizing parcels sector 47s. 

Edited December 20, 2019 by 47449xeCD

[fiftyfour fiftyfour]

From the summer 1992 timetable all those services were fully HST, the only loco hauled left in/out of Paddington after that were the odd Cross-Country to Birmingham/beyond and the Night Riviera Sleeper. There was a morning Padd to Cardiff and back (and the times above certainly fit) but that ended in May '92 - the arrival of ex ECML HSTs in the fleet provided enough HSTs to operate all daytime services on the GWML. However.... when HST shortages occured some Padd-West of England were "loco hauled vice HST" - they could do this as only certain depots (not Bristol or Swansea both ends or Cardiff Senior Conductors) retained knowledge of such things because of the sleeper. There was a brief loco-hauled revival from 2000-2003 when some Mk2's showed up (and for the life of me I cannot remember where the stock for those came from!) and some Padd-West Country daytime trains were turned over to them, this released HSTs to operate franchise commitment extra services which were intended for late delivered Class 180's. If someone turns up evidence of a loco hauled Inter-City train into South Wales after 1992 I'd be very surprised.