Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay - Bubblecar

[Chris116]

Although I live in London I manage to get to spend a day on the Cardiff Valley lines about twice a year. On my last two visits the Bubblecar that Arriva Trains Wales used on the Cardiff Bay service had been replaced by a 142/143 unit.

 

I have just looked at the Arriva Trains Wales site and they no longer list the unit as part of their stock. Does anyone know when they stopped using it and has the unit been preserved, scrapped or just stored out or use?

 

In a similar vein, do Chiltern still use their Bubblecar?

 

Chris

[Steadfast]

The bubble was certainly in use last week as I saw it from our train, here's a photo from the same period http://richard575.fotopic.net/p65675867.html

I presume the pacer was covering it for maintenance on your visit

HTH

 

jo

[br2975]

The 'bubble car' was in use earlier this week, and last week on the Cardiff Bay branch, albeit yesterday evening (Thursday 8th. July) a Cl.142 was operating the shuttle.At other times a Cl.143 or 153 is used as a replacement.

.

The unit is generally serviced on a Sunday, and the two former Severn Tunnel emergency units were purchased by ATW to provide spares, and they languish at Canton TMD alongside the Cardiff (Radyr Jct.)-Ninian Park curve.

.

121032 is also used for things such as driver training and route knowledge on the ATW system in South Wales, and the photo below shows it on a Canton - Abercynon route knowledge working, approaching Fairwater on the 'City Line'

.

Brian R

[Chris116]

The bubble was certainly in use last week as I saw it from our train, here's a photo from the same period http://richard575.fotopic.net/p65675867.html

I presume the pacer was covering it for maintenance on your visit

HTH

 

jo

Many thanks for that information. I had assumed that maintenance requirements were the reason for the Pacer being on duty but when the stock list did not mention the Bubblecar I was worried that they had stopped using it.

 

Chris

[Chris116]

The 'bubble car' was in use earlier this week, and last week on the Cardiff Bay branch, albeit yesterday evening (Thursday 8th. July) a Cl.142 was operating the shuttle.At other times a Cl.143 or 153 is used as a replacement.

.

The unit is generally serviced on a Sunday, and the two former Severn Tunnel emergency units were purchased by ATW to provide spares, and they languish at Canton TMD alongside the Cardiff (Radyr Jct.)-Ninian Park curve.

.

121032 is also used for things such as driver training and route knowledge on the ATW system in South Wales, and the photo below shows it on a Canton - Abercynon route knowledge working, approaching Fairwater on the 'City Line'

.

Brian R

Many thanks for that information. Glad to see that it is still working hard. I just hope that my mid-week visit in August is on a day that it is on the Bay service! If it is not then I have a reason to go again later in the year!

 

Chris

[John_Hughes]

I was at the Bay a month or two ago and it arrived in apparently good order, but then refused to leave! So I had a trip on the bendy-bus instead!

 

I get the impression that it isn't the most reliable unit around - this isn't the only time I've been aware of similar problems, not really surprising in view of its age - so this may have been why the OP didn't see it.

[Chris116]

I was at the Bay a month or two ago and it arrived in apparently good order, but then refused to leave! So I had a trip on the bendy-bus instead!

 

I get the impression that it isn't the most reliable unit around - this isn't the only time I've been aware of similar problems, not really surprising in view of its age - so this may have been why the OP didn't see it.

I have heard lots of similar stories about the reliability of the unit which is why I feared they may have dumped it. Looks like it is still running, when it decides to play ball, so hopefully I will be lucky on my next trip, if not I will have to wait until the Mid Hants unit is on the DMU turn in place of the 117.

 

Chris