HillsideDepot

That's the "timing load" rather than the intended stock. All of GWRs "High Speed" network is still shown as "HST" despite there only being 3 set left in traffic and the grand finale only days away. Whether we'll see IET (or similar) used when the December timetable starts remains to be seen - as indeed is the outcome of the application by GWR to NR to run the new timetable.

802114 was apparently low on fuel and there were doubts as to whether it would make it to Laira, It was rescued from Totnes by 802013 and 802015. Info from RailUK Forums

Having a lazy morning, going from one film to another, I came across this one, in colour, from 1959 http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/rotherham-seaport-town which might have some relevant scenes, albeit of Yorkshire.

If Kernow isn't a big enough draw in itself, those of us with an interest in buses as well as trains, might find this an irresistible combination: More details

Swindon - Oxford was hourly, but Stagecoach West used Government Kick-start funding to increase it to half-hourly with new branded buses and a big marketing campaign. That move grew the market, such that double deck buses were needed and the decision was taken to make it a Stagecoach Gold route, as are a number of routes radiating from Oxford. The frequency was also increased. After about 5 years the initial batch of Gold buses were replaced with the current fleet, and the route was renumbered S6 into the series used by Gold routes from Oxford (even though it is a Swindon operated "West" route). The service is now commercially operated, so the loads must be there (S6 is on my list of routes to re-visit). Sitting here at my local authority keyboard, we've had success with Stagecoach West and Kick-Start to convert Swindon - Chippenham from half hourly with London cast-offs to 20 minute frequency with year old "Gold" rolling stock and plans ready for the next stage of growth. Loadings can be quite surprising, even at 09:30 on a Sunday morning there can be 30+ people on board as the bus leaves Calne for Chippenham. Likewise the Swindon - Trowbridge route has gone from wholly-subsidised 40-seaters to commercial (including commercial Sundays as far as Devizes) double decks with just a few early and late subsidised part-route add-ons, simply through partnership working between Stagecoach and Wiltshire. Again the next stage of up-lift is in the discussion phase. It can be done, but it needs constant effort, and a commitment to public funding in the early stages and commercial investment by the operator. Now I'd best get back to the Post-16 Transport report. Adrian a.k.a. Transport Review Officer, Passenger Transport Unit, Wiltshire Council

The S6; every 20 minutes day-times, every 15 minutes in the peak, running, with leather seated, air-cooled luxury, between Swindon and Oxford. And thereby hangs the mystery, the 54 runs, infrequently, to Royal Wootton Bassett, supplementing the 55. These dressing rooms are, perhaps, more cunning than we thought! Incidentally, I can't find anything in Stagecoach West's Conditions of Carriage about unaccompanied dressing rooms, so I assume they are permitted to travel, probably as long as they don't occupy a seat needed by a fare-paying passenger.

I believe it went live on 7th April - I saw 800002 running with its pan raised that night. I think this Sunday sees the first passenger service running on the juice on that section.

The final delivery for the GWR fleet, 802114, heads from North Pole to Stoke Gifford as 5Z35. It now has to complete its mileage accumulation before entering service. Callow Hill - 19/04/19

Rather than being concerned about the font used, I'm always more interested how easy it is to change the code to something appropriate to the use a loco will get on my layout(s). To me fitting appropriate reporting numbers is part of the commissioning process, as much as running in, fitting the detail parts and coding the chip. Looking back, I never expected that my RTR hydraulic fleet would extend to cover anything beyond the "big three" classes, so the imminent arrival of a D600 is very much a bonus in my eyes.

Just posted on Kernow's Facebook page:

An example Zone number at Chippenham. Some are already looking faded, and on my travels yesterday the announcements and displays were refering to zones for Sprinters and Turbos as well as 800s. HSTs merely get "formed of 8 carriages"

And here they are, parked for the weekend

GWR update: 802111 has just worked 1C26 18:30 Paddington - Weston (cancelled beyond Temple Meads due to a fatality at Weston Milton) 802112 is working 1A31 19:30 Temple Meads - Paddington (first day in service and delayed 10 minutes at Chippenham by a door which refused to properly close) 802113 is working 5Z72 19:30 Didcot West End (actually started at Milton) to Taunton test train And if that wasn't enough activity for 24 minutes at a cold and wet Chippenham, 59102 also put in an appearance with the Appleford - Whatley empties

802111 is now in service; it worked todays 1A70 06:05 Frome - Paddington, which comes off Stoke Gifford via Temple Meads and then seems to head to North Pole on arrival in London.

Reports elsewhere say that 802114 was delivered to North Pole Depot today. Appropriately, as it is the last one for GWR, GBRf provided "Evening Star" for haulage.

It looks like the solution to the random orientation of units has been solved... by adding copious notes to the information system. This is from the Tiger website, but I assume it is replicated at the station; certainly car numbers (or "zones") have been appearing painted on the platform surface recently to make sense of it all.

Thanks for the update. 802110 was out test running for the first time last night as part of its commissioning process. It was running early and right behind 1C25 so stopped in the platform at Chippenham. Although I didn't spot anyone on board other than the driver I did notice various pieces of blue tape on some interior panels - rattles to find and fix, perhaps? There were also a number of the trim strips around the reservation screens which had been removed, and in some places the reservation units were hanging down, suspended by the wiring. All nothing more than little glitches to solve, I'm sure, but interesting to see. I suppose the follow-on question to the news that the fleet is very nearly complete is when will full-length, high speed, HST operation end?

It's certainly had bit of a bump. But looking at the other pictures in that Google search, and going off-topic, what about this one? I don't recall seeing anything other than a shunting loco with a Shunter's truck before.

A Bristol GWR driver often posts a diary of his duty on a facebook group and there was a case recently where he was working an empty set from Stoke Gifford to Hereford. He expected to meet his Guard and catering crew at Newport where the train was booked to reverse. Instead they boarded at Bristol Parkway as he was reversing there, so he asked Control if he could run via the curve at Newport and avoid the reversal. Control agreed, so whatever plan there might have been as the set came off the depot, it was undone before the train entered service. In other news 802112 was delivered this week (just 2 more due) and 802109 has been out on test. Staff at St Philip's Marsh Depot meanwhile are expecting March 28th/29th to be the last night that they service full length HSTs.

I think that aircraft kit builders do share discussions/complaints about their specialism. I know very little about aircraft (other than I love it when the real ones zoom past here as low as 500 foot!), but I have kits of both RAF Hercules and A400M types to complete and in doing a little on-line research regarding interior details/painting it soon became apparent that, while the subject matter changes, the modellers need for accuracy doesn't.

Yes, Newbury is wired and EMUs are operating the local services which terminate there. West of England IETs are also using the "juice" to and from the designated change over point (not sure where that is). Bedwyn services are still Turbos as far as I know, although the reversing siding has been lengthened for 5-car IETs there are problems with the images from their bodyside CCTV cameras which make them unusable for Driver Only Operation at the moment (the 2nd member of staff is there to sell tickets, and is not trained to undertake Guard's duties). The mainline is now electrified from Swindon to Bristol Parkway and on to the depot at Stoke Gifford (although I've seen elsewhere that not all depot roads are live) with trains running on the AC since the very end of 2018. I've seen drivers reporting that they have to ease off on the climb through Chipping Sodbury Tunnel as the IETs in electric mode can exceed the 120mph limit, whereas an HST is still powering to get there. Wootton Bassett to the end of the wires at Cocklebury (between Chippenham and the former level crossing at Langley Burrell) was due to go live a few weeks back, but preparatory work the previous weekend was cancelled due to snow. No new date has been announced. Locally we're wondering where the pans will be rising and lowering and whether it will be in a easily viewable location (although I'm sure the novelty of watching it will soon wear off!) Work seems to be progressing well in South Wales from the snippets I've been able to collate.

More than that, GWR took the decision that, from a passenger point of view, an 802 should look just like an 800, including the catering capability. I've had conversations with the managers concerned who stated that well before the first 802 was delivered. At one time, on this very thread, there was great doubt about the ability to serve Pullman meals on IET's but now GWR is advertising the facility widely on its Twitter feed, even celebrating St David's day with a special Welsh Breakfast. Sure, IETs aren't to everybody's liking, but I remember how much effort we used to put into avoiding HSTs to get a loco-hauled train and find all this "HSTs are great" amusing. Whether the preference be HST over IET; class 50 and air-cons over HST; Western and Mk1s over Hoover and air-cons; steam over diesel, maybe what we all really want is an open wooden wagon with bench seats, as displayed at GWS Didcot! Like them or not, 802107 and 8 were on Acceptance Trials late last week, with 802110 arriving at North Pole earlier in the week. 43002 has had its front smartened up, possibly in preparation for whatever GWR have planned to mark the end of the HSTs high-speed reign. In other words, we're very nearly at the end of the transition.

Does this video help, albeit with a different style of switch?

Kernow have just update their website with the following: K2600 is blue/full yellow ends while K2605 is blue/small yellow panel

And just occasionally, as on 10th January, they get to pretend to be HSTs!