Class 800 - Updates

[talisman56]

2 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

I'm assuming that a 5 car unit is more than sufficient for the footfall currently on offer.  Can't say that I've seen any of the short HSTs since the lockdown,  I take it that they are cancelled or only working as far west as Taunton and connecting with the Pads.

 

 

 

The 2+4 HSTs are used on the Taunton-Cardiff (and return) services up in my neck of the woods. There will be a few a bit further southwest which will do the extended local services down there. IDKO any services rostered for HSTs that in normal times would bridge the Taunton-Exeter gap, there are plenty of Padd-Plymouth, etc. and Cross-Country services which one can change into at Taunton to go further on.

[Siberian Snooper]

1 hour ago, talisman56 said:

 

The 2+4 HSTs are used on the Taunton-Cardiff (and return) services up in my neck of the woods. There will be a few a bit further southwest which will do the extended local services down there. IDKO any services rostered for HSTs that in normal times would bridge the Taunton-Exeter gap, there are plenty of Padd-Plymouth, etc. and Cross-Country services which one can change into at Taunton to go further on.

 

We used to get quite a few 2+ 4HSTs west of Plymouth, they pretty much alternated with 800s. I have only seen 800s since lockdown and the odd unit, probably going to Gunnislake.

 

I am assuming that at least for the time being your reply is what is occurring, thinking about it, I've not seen any Xcountry trains west of Plymouth either. I live in the St Levan valley and I take my daily exercise so that I can see the coming and goings over the viaduct.

 

 

[talisman56]

47 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

 

We used to get quite a few 2+ 4HSTs west of Plymouth, they pretty much alternated with 800s. I have only seen 800s since lockdown and the odd unit, probably going to Gunnislake.

 

I am assuming that at least for the time being your reply is what is occurring, thinking about it, I've not seen any Xcountry trains west of Plymouth either. I live in the St Levan valley and I take my daily exercise so that I can see the coming and goings over the viaduct.

 

 

 

I outlined the 'normal times' situation. My occasional observations from passing over the railway at Yatton station taking supplies to my father is that there are the usual 800s on the London services and 150s and 165/166s on the locals. I've only seen one HST and one XC since the lockdown started.

[Siberian Snooper]

Ah, my mistake.

 

 

[GWRPhil]

1c72 paddington to Plymouth near the top of hemerdon bank

 

Taken whilst out on family daily walk

 

Edited April 10, 2020 by GWRPhil

[GWRPhil]

1v72 further down hemerdon bank

 

Filmed whilst on family daily walk

Edited April 10, 2020 by GWRPhil

[GWRPhil]

1A84 Plymouth to Paddington. 
 

Filmed whilst on family daily walk

Edited April 10, 2020 by GWRPhil

[Gwiwer]

Just saying ..... GWR official commment.  The Fun Police are watching you.  

 

 

[iands]

21 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Just saying ..... GWR official commment.  The Fun Police are watching you.  

 

 

Interesting, except they aren't Great Western Railway's lines, they are Network Rail's! 

[Market65]

If you are social,distancing, photography is not against the law. They have got it wrong.

[Gwiwer]

10 minutes ago, Market65 said:

If you are social,distancing, photography is not against the law. They have got it wrong.

 

Whilst that is also my opinion and there is no limit set in the temporary law about how many times we may go out for exercise (the Government advise once a day but that is not legally enforceable - except in Wales) then if one abides by other conditions and is out for exercise I see no problem.  

 

But it appears some of their drivers have reported enthusiasts filming and GWR has taken the stance of this being "not essential".  

 

As I said - just saying.  Because it bears relevance to several posts here and it is an official GWR post.  

[Market65]

I just hope those drivers don’t end up taking things too far. It’s full of sinister overtones which should not be happening. Just as long as everybody is social distancing themselves as they should be doing. Indeed the drivers should be concentrating on the line ahead, not paths to the side etc, unless they feel someone is likely to commit suicide which is a different matter altogether.

 

Rob.

[caradoc]

GWR's post is IMHO somewhat over the top, considering that firstly, they have no idea whether the filming took place during the permitted 'one exercise per day', and secondly it is not GWR's duty, or indeed right, to police what happens outside the railway boundary.

(And are their Guards now questioning every passenger as to why they are making their journey ?)

 

 

 

[125_driver]

Jesus, I apologise on behalf of GWR drivers for the actions of 1 percent who seem to think nobody should be outside but them. 

I have seen countless people lineside these past few days (admittedly families and not enthusiasts) and I have tooted at each and everyone who waved at me. I can't believe this mentality of a tiny minority that a bloke standing alone in a field with a camera is some kind of a threat. I think I speak for most train drivers when I say most of us have absolutely no issue with this PROVIDED you are acting safely and it is a part of your daily exercise. 

Edited April 9, 2020 by 125_driver

[rodent279]

Agree, it seems over-zealous. Photographing and filming trains may not be essential, but if it's done as part of a person's once a day exercise, and is done by that person on their own, taking strict social distancing precautions should other persons approach, then I can't see the harm. Is it really any different to stopping to take in the view, watch wildlife, watch the stars etc?

I guess they want to be seen not to be condoning it, or encouraging such activities.

[GWRPhil]

14 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

 

Whilst that is also my opinion and there is no limit set in the temporary law about how many times we may go out for exercise (the Government advise once a day but that is not legally enforceable - except in Wales) then if one abides by other conditions and is out for exercise I see no problem.  

 

But it appears some of their drivers have reported enthusiasts filming and GWR has taken the stance of this being "not essential".  

 

As I said - just saying.  Because it bears relevance to several posts here and it is an official GWR post.  

 

8 hours ago, 125_driver said:

Jesus, I apologise on behalf of GWR drivers for the actions of 1 percent who seem to think nobody should be outside but them. 

I have seen countless people lineside these past few days (admittedly families and not enthusiasts) and I have tooted at each and everyone who waved at me. I can't believe this mentality of a tiny minority that a bloke standing alone in a field with a camera is some kind of a threat. I think I speak for most train drivers when I say most of us have absolutely no issue with this PROVIDED you are acting safely and it is a part of your daily exercise. 

As I’m sure my posts are partly what’s causing the conversation.

 

All videos/photos at this time are taken whilst on a family Walk which is our one daily exercise. All videos are shot on the normal walking route we take through the local woods to our home. All government guidelines regarding social distancing are observed.
 

at this difficult time I thought a small bit of our daily walk being shown would lift spirits. 

[Zomboid]

The issue isn't so much what people do on their daily exercise walk, as people taking liberties with it. Right now the NHS needs protecting from everything else as well as the virus. Things like driving a considerable distance and then walking across fields to take photographs of trains put you at risk of being in a car crash or suffering some injury falling off a stile, and creating some additional load on the healthcare system at a time when it really doesn't need to be dealing with that. (Plus who wants to be going within a mile of a hospital at the moment?)

 

That's why the Scottish chief medical officer had to resign, because unnecessary journeys such as her trips to her second home create additional risk that the NHS can't tolerate at the moment.

 

I'm not accusing anyone here of not following the current rules, I've no idea of anyone's circumstances to make such an accusation.

 

It'll be great when all this is over...

Edited April 10, 2020 by Zomboid

[jamie92208]

Whilst not directly concerning class 800's may I make a comment.  I live in rural France about 20 miles from my nearest railway line. I would love to be able to go, on my own and sit by thecline watching trains. However  it doesn't fall within the spirit of the law over here. However it is certainly true that hobbies are a major factor in helping folk to cope in the current situation. I for one like to see such videos and if they are filmed in the circumstances outlined above can see nothing wrong with it. As I can't actually go and watch real trains, video's, webcams and my own model trains all help me stay in a good frame of mind.  Please keep them coming.  

 

My usual trainspotting mate lives overlooking the Paris Bordeaux  line, that we normally visit. He sends me emails of what he's seen and heard. There is one minor problem.  As the trees are coming into leaf he desperately  wants to go and cut down some of his neighbours trees so that he can continue to see the trains. If you hear of a chainsaw murder in south western France you'll know what has happenned (remove tongue from cheek.)

 

Jamie

Edited April 10, 2020 by jamie92208

[billbedford]

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

The issue isn't so much what people do on their daily exercise walk, as people taking liberties with it. Right now the NHS needs protecting from everything else as well as the virus. Things like driving a considerable distance and then walking across fields to take photographs of trains put you at risk of being in a car crash or suffering some injury falling off a stile, and creating some additional load on the healthcare system at a time when it really doesn't need to be dealing with that. (Plus who wants to be going within a mile of a hospital at the moment?)

 

 

Perhaps the government should admit that most of the corvid -19 infections have happened in institutions like nursing homes and hospitals?

[s182ggu]

13 minutes ago, Richard Croft said:

A few LNER 800's in Yorkshire

Hi Richard

 

Thanks for posting these terrific photos. I appreciate that it may be a pain in the a__e, but could you identify the location of the pics as you post them?

 

As a 'tyke' living elsewhere, I for one would like to try to associate the picture with where it is.

 

Many thanks again.

Edited April 10, 2020 by s182ggu

[Gwiwer]

18 hours ago, caradoc said:

GWR's post is IMHO somewhat over the top, considering that firstly, they have no idea whether the filming took place during the permitted 'one exercise per day', and secondly it is not GWR's duty, or indeed right, to police what happens outside the railway boundary.

(And are their Guards now questioning every passenger as to why they are making their journey ?)

 

 

 

 

I can understand that there may be concerns over the appearance of anyone lineside under the present circumstances because a Person in a Precarious Position must always be reported.  That typically means someone sighted on a bridge parapet, trespassing along the Permanent Way or otherwise in a position where they are in danger of coming to (possibly self-inflicted and intentional) harm.  

 

There remains no restriction on photography as such.  To that extent I believe GWR's comment is out of order.  Their drivers should be focussed on the line ahead rather than outside the fence beside it.  

 

There is a nasty undercurrent emerging in some areas and surfacing across social media.  Local people are turning into self-appointed vigilantes and reporting anyone and any vehicle they don't recognise to the police.  Only this morning a holiday park near St. Ives has had to issue a statement confirming that the vehicles on site belong to resident security staff and permanent home-owners.  They also questioned whether the person who took photos of number plates and persons on site was actually making a "necessary journey".  

 

Lockdown is one thing.  Surveillance is another.  They exist for different reasons and one should not be used to enforce the other.  

 

I thank GWRPhil for his clarification.  

[The Stationmaster]

19 hours ago, caradoc said:

GWR's post is IMHO somewhat over the top, considering that firstly, they have no idea whether the filming took place during the permitted 'one exercise per day', and secondly it is not GWR's duty, or indeed right, to police what happens outside the railway boundary.

(And are their Guards now questioning every passenger as to why they are making their journey ?)

 

 

 

I'm not at all sure how GWR, or one/some of their Drivers, know where people live and know how far they have or haven't walked to get alongside a railway line?   And basically it's none of their business.  if somebody has driven to a lineside location then it ceases to be 'essential' and driving is clearly not part of an hour's exercise.  But if you live near a railway and walk then what is wrong with taking pictures of trains from outside the boundary fence?  (sorry the last is a rhetorical question of course).

 

Were I not 'staying at home' I could easily get down the hill to our local branch lineand back up the hill within an hour - trouble is I wouldn't get any decent views of the 16X unit because of the grossly overgrown lineside - should I complain to GWR(sic) about that - well it is 'their' railway.

[Gilbert]

I'm fortunate in that  my daily dog walk takes in a  remote  footbrige over the GWR  mainline - I can normally catch 2 or 3 trains by using Realtime Trains and Traksy and I rarely see anyone else. In fact I've posted some photos on the "silver lining" thread  because the quite railway has produced some empty stock moves and wrong line running.

Chris

[phil-b259]

19 hours ago, Market65 said:

If you are social,distancing, photography is not against the law. They have got it wrong.

 

That rather misses the point.

 

The official Government advice is NOT TO LEAVE YOUR HOME UNLESS IT IS ESSENTIAL TO DO SO.

 

That is NOT the same as merely just telling people to keep 2m apart or practice social distancing!

 

The list of ESSENTIAL reasons for leaving your home is:-

 

1hrs exercise  (that means continuously moving - e.g. running, cycling etc, NOT standing around taking photos / video) local to your home

Shopping for ESSENTIAL items (i.e. food, medicines etc)

Going to care for others (e.g. you are the registered carer for someone with a disability)

Going out to work if you a 'key worker' or if you are unable to work from home AND you can respect the social distancing rules while at work.

 

If none of the above apply then you MUST STAY IN HOUR HOME!

 

If you leave your home for anything than the above then the LAW* SAYS YOU SHOULD BE FINED!

 

*Emergency Coronavirus legislation passes by Parliament 3 weeks ago.

 

No ifs, no buts, photographing trains IS NOT AN ESSENTIAL ACTIVITY by an sane definition of the phrase and should not be happening regardless of whether you are able to stay 2m away from anyone else.

 

 

[number6]

Wow! That GWR note is definitely overzealous. And the filming definitely not causing any infection or stress on the NHS.

 

My question would be why are there so many ‘silly’ cars and bikes roaring noisily around the empty-ish streets and roads near me. Those people are more likely to cause an accident, run someone over and cause greater stress on our emergency services than someone tripping over in a field on a country walk.