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Many thanks for the reply, appreciated. I can well understand your feelings. I know there were a lot of very talented people involved with the Class 68/Mk5A sets during their time at TPE, all of whom went above and beyond. Such a shame they were all let down so badly.

Back in January you said: Are you now more positive about the Mk5A sets being used by another operator? (I’m not picking fault, just curious). I don’t work for any of the companies involved, but thank you for livening up the thread! Beacon Rail lease rolling stock all over Europe, I would be...

The sets at Long Marston will return to Longsight for routine exams every 45 days. Once these are completed the sets will return to Long Marston. As of 23.02.2024 Sets: Long Marston TP04/05/06/07/11/12/13/ Wolverton Works TP01 Crewe South Yard TP08/09 Longsight TP02 68025 TP10 68031 TP03...

Yes, you are absolutely correct about TPE being in a privileged position regarding being able to ‘introduce trains when they see fit.’ Are you claiming that Hull depot have 100% spare cover for all of their turns? That doesn’t seem particularly likely. No wonder the MD seemed very cagey when...

Many thanks for the info, most appreciated. Yes, I agree entirely, much better for TPE to offer what they can be certain of delivering. I’m not in any way questioning the approach, TPE are where they are and there isn’t really an alternative way out of it. It was the assertion that the...

Yes indeed and this was the primary reason given for the reduction in the timetable from December 2023. I’m not questioning if the route learning is taking place or not, because clearly it is. What I am questioning is that two posters now have said that two months into the reduced timetable...

Again, something really doesn’t add up here. TPE claimed that the reductions in the December 2023 timetable were so that they could reduce their training backlog and now they claim that after two months that’s ’largely resolved.’ Were any specifics given at the conference on this topic? I...

Thank you for the time you have taken to put that answer together, it’s most appreciated and very interesting. What I’m still unfortunately failing to grasp is why if the training backlog has, in your words, largely been resolved within two months is it still necessary to continue with the...

You claim “the training backlog is largely on its way to being solved,” (and this is within two months of the reduced timetable being introduced), so can you explain why the reduced timetable is going to be in place for a further 10 months? I would suggest to you that the reduction in the...

More jam tomorrow. I thought that the ‘tweaked’ timetable introduced in December 2023 was so that TPE could reduce their training backlog. The story presented by TPE was that this was to ensure drivers (and conductors) could learn the diversionary routes necessary to provide a service during...

And that’s even with the ‘small reduction in North Route services’, that in reality reduced from 4 to 3 per hour the number of services over the Pennines (with the 4 already being a reduction from the 5 pre-pandemic).

Not upset in the slightest, though point scoring does get a bit tedious. You make an interesting point about the Voyager routes, I’ll be honest and admit that I had only really thought about the Edinburgh-Birmingham route and assumed that there would be a lot of inter working between that axis...

That’s as maybe, but I did say ‘more likely’ rather than ‘I propose they use the Mk5A sets on that route’. Posts like this remind me why I have largely stopped contributing to this forum.

I think most (all?) of the trains on Cross Country that are operated by the Class 220 units are timed at 125 mph. The trains operated by Class 170s, Cardiff to Nottingham and Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport, would be more likely.

The South Route had the added advantage that TPE set up a servicing point at Doncaster Railport, well away from any residential areas, so the noise ‘problem’ would not have applied there.

You are most welcome, I’m glad it helped. 68033/34 were ordered so that if more of the dedicated TPE locos were out of traffic than expected there would be modified locos to cover them. I’m not sure why they were ordered and owned directly by DRS rather than going through Beacon as with the...

I think it’s a huge shame that driver training was abandoned on the Liverpool-Manchester-Cleethorpes route, especially with over two-thirds of the training done and with a driver rest day working agreement in place. I think having four diagrams up and running by December 2023 would have been...

At present the only locomotives that can work with the Mk5A stock and have full functionality are the Class 68s in the number range 68019-68034. There are two elements to the control system. In the picture below, the two thinner wires at the top are for the ‘Wire Train Bus’ system that...

There is not a date shown by when the decision will be made. Regarding the use of Mk5A stock by an open access operator, I don’t think that would come as any great surprise, given the long lead times for new build rolling stock. In the case of the London-Sterling service the website does...

The Chiltern tender closed today, 02.02.2024 at 0900 so I guess we will find out soon, perhaps even by the end of the month.