FirstclassHST
Member
Thank you!Quite a few have already been scrapped!
There is a decent list here and I'm sure if you enquired on that thread people would be happy to help
Thank you!Quite a few have already been scrapped!
There is a decent list here and I'm sure if you enquired on that thread people would be happy to help
Runs tomorrow and a timing test run. There must be people travelling with them as they are Class 1 or could be to reflect a train in service.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/V32771/2021-04-08/detailed
www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/V32768/2021-04-08/detailed
As with many STP trains do not take any notice of the Timing Load
Blimey! They didn't hang about.103 vehicles scrapped so far.
Press or just staff?Train full of bigwigs and attracting lots of attention. TFW Twitter said starting in service in May and increasing later in the Summer
Blimey! They didn't hang about.
Press or just staff?
Either way it's good to see things progressing again now.
Nope! If there’s no realistic prospect of them being re-leased then why hang on to them, incurring storage costs.Blimey! They didn't hang about.
What was the cost like?I used the dining service (both ways) about 5 times between December 2019 until March 2020 (just before Covid struck). Southbound you'd get about 50% in dining but the Northbound was pretty much 100% with little space for those turning up at the last minute.
To be honest it was very good high quality food and the staff fantastic. Hopefully, when we get back to normal I can sample it again.
A Chester to Cardiff C Off-peak return was about £79 for Standard and £119 for First but included Breakfast in the morning and 3-course meal in the evening.What was the cost like?
Right, wasn't sure if it was purely rail staff or if they'd invited the mediaNo idea but probably Press and high ranking staff. I didn't see them but not ordinary fare paying passengers
I appreciate that, just surprised how many they'd scrapped as opposed to how many were scrapped and awaiting scrapping.Nope! If there’s no realistic prospect of them being re-leased then why hang on to them, incurring storage costs.
Same applies to the 321s as well - which are also Eversholt owned.
For the first class upgrade?What was the cost like?
What was the cost like?
Yes I forgot the AP + Upgrade option as well.Depended on exactly what ticking combo you went with but potentially very cheap. Last few times I did it it was between Cardiff and Chester and I tended to buy a Standard Class AP and then the Business Zone upgrade (utilising a tame booking office clerk as it can be a pain to procure). I can't recall what the AP was without a railcard but probably £20 odd and then the upgrade can be had for £26 on that bit of the route so for around £50 for travel and a three course (very high quality, seriously it was always proper restaurant quality and good portions) meal I'd call it extremely good value.
Both the AP and the Upgrade are railcard discountable as well. I'm sure I've done it for around £30 in the past.
Agreed. That's what makes some of the more outlandish MK3 proposals seen on here even more ridiculous.Nope! If there’s no realistic prospect of them being re-leased then why hang on to them, incurring storage costs.
Same applies to the 321s as well - which are also Eversholt owned.
TY.A Chester to Cardiff C Off-peak return was about £79 for Standard and £119 for First but included Breakfast in the morning and 3-course meal in the evening.
Re the cost: for the upgrade and the food.Right, wasn't sure if it was purely rail staff or if they'd invited the media
I appreciate that, just surprised how many they'd scrapped as opposed to how many were scrapped and awaiting scrapping.
For the first class upgrade?
Yes I forgot the AP + Upgrade option as well.
Either way - very good value.
Sounds great value done that way, TY.Depended on exactly what ticking combo you went with and if you had railcards but potentially very cheap. Last few times I did it it was between Cardiff and Chester and I tended to buy a Standard Class AP and then the Business Zone upgrade (utilising a tame booking office clerk as it can be a pain to procure). I can't recall what the AP was without a railcard but probably £20 odd and then the upgrade can be had for £26 on that bit of the route so for around £50 for travel and a three course (very high quality, seriously it was always proper restaurant quality and good portions) meal I'd call it extremely good value.
Both the AP and the Upgrade are railcard discountable as well. I'm sure I've done it for around £30 in the past.
£20 iircRe the cost: for the upgrade and the food.
Depends on distance for the supplement.£20 iirc
Didn't it use to be a flat fee? Or has it always worked on a distance basis?Depends on distance for the supplement.
Not sure I'd say the training is that slow - 2 guards and 2 drivers can be trained per depot a per week, and that is often being achieved. It's a 3 day course for each (though in the drivers case that's only the conversation if they previously signed 67s and MKIIIs).I'd guess if a single diagram is got back it'll be just 1 diagram out and back Holyhead to Cardiff as per the original WAG diagram with set swaps at Canton as a handful of drivers at Holyhead/Crewe/Cardiff and enough guards at their respective depots would have passed out by early summer to attempt some sort of turn, given training started again over the winter very slowly. Then amend to 2 diagrams by the end of the summer/September and anything else is still speculation after that. That's all assuming the managers aren't being widly optimistic over the first turn. May could prove to be June/July though of course.
Certainly been a distance basis for many years, predating the change from First class to Business class. You can play around with BR fares and get the prices for each station combination.Didn't it use to be a flat fee? Or has it always worked on a distance basis?
Something like £20 CDF-SHR £25 CDF-CTR £30 CDF-HHDDidn't it use to be a flat fee? Or has it always worked on a distance basis?
I've misunderstood the pricing thenCertainly been a distance basis for many years, predating the change from First class to Business class. You can play around with BR fares and get the prices for each station combination.
That's probably where I'm getting the '£20' figure from - the minimum to make use of the dining facilities?Something like £20 CDF-SHR £25 CDF-CTR £30 CDF-HHD
I've misunderstood the pricing then
That's probably where I'm getting the '£20' figure from - the minimum to make use of the dining facilities?
You can get a full meal for less than £20, there are cheaper station pairings that give time for a full meal if you look hard enough for them.I seem to recall that if travelling a shorter distance its possible to obtain lighter options in the morning, or selected courses in the evening (I have a recollection of a story of someone having a starter and a dessert for instance).
Manual SDO errors are unfortunately much more common than ASDO technical failures. It relies on the guard remembering to be in the right place and activate it.But how is the ORR's prefered auto-SDO (potentially relying on GPS that is not 100% accurate depending on whether a GPS-based or balise-based system is used) safer than a guard pressing a button to unlock only the doors ahead/behind the local panel instead of all doors (as I am led to believe it was done on GWR HSTs - in fact is it still done this way on the GWR Pembroke Dock services?)? I can understand the ORR not allowing unlocking of all doors at a short platform and relying on passengers to check there is a platform; obvious saftey risk there. But with SDO there I cannot see the risk.
As in - you could have the full lot but could request smaller meals if short on time etc?I seem to recall that if travelling a shorter distance its possible to obtain lighter options in the morning, or selected courses in the evening (I have a recollection of a story of someone having a starter and a dessert for instance).
Having just had a look through BR Fares there are no Business class upgrade fares available for shorter journeys. They are only available for travel between stations from Holyhead - Shrewsbury to stations from Abergavenny to Cardiff, or vice versa. In many cases (especially along the North Wales coast) you could use first class tickets to get the same benefit but that would not be a cheap option - would you want to pay for that and feel like you need to rush your meal?
Presumably now that announcements of the next stop are mandatory as part of the PRM regulations the annoucement will remind the guard to be in the right place? Admittedly there is potential for human error there which is not present with a balise-based ASDO system but in my experience of GPS the potential for an error is much greater with GPS than I would expect from a well-trained guard. Of course the rail industry probably doesn't use the sort of GPS I was using on my university project (I was tracking bus services and wrote a software application that tried to provide punctuality statistics for said services); whenever the bus was stationary the GPS trace would wander many metres from the actual location and cause my software to think the bus had departed early, but I've never seen sufficient detail of GPS-based ASDO systems to know whether they are likely to suffer from the same issue.Manual SDO errors are unfortunately much more common than ASDO technical failures. It relies on the guard remembering to be in the right place and activate it.
When I worked with a balise based ASDO system, if it didn't receive a signal it would simply open in "default" condition - defined by the platform length of the shortest platform served by that type of train. In the case of Class 444s for example that was 3 coaches for Beaulieu Road. I don't know if the same applies to GPS based systems.
Isn't GPS only accurate to something like 3 metres unless you have the military spec upgraded system ?? I'm sure it was on a technology program
As in - you could have the full lot but could request smaller meals if short on time etc?