GWR 3-car 158s - being disbanded?

[Roger B]

There was once around 10 to 12 3-car 158 units with GWR, and the number of 3-car units has been reducing over recent years, such that according to the 2024 P5 'combine', there are now only four left.

Does anyone know whether GWR are intending to retain this small 3-car 158 fleet, or to disband it, and return the units to their original 2-car formation? I was thinking perhaps this may happen prior to the timetable change in early June?

Many thanks

 

[The exile]

Well - whatever happens to the others, one can’t be as it’s a “real” 3 car.

 

[Roger B]

Well - whatever happens to the others, one can’t be as it’s a “real” 3 car.

Good spot - I'd overlooked 158798! So they currently have 5 3-car sets.

P5 lists the other four 3-car sets as being:

158950​	57751	52761	57761
158951​	52751	52764	57764
158958​	57746	52776	57776
158959​	52746	52778	57778

So I was wondering whether / when the original sets might make an appearance:
158746
158751
158761
158764
158776
158778

 

[Snow1964]

They split up some of the 3car to enable fleet to cover more services with shorter trains. A few services that were run as 5car were changed and timetabled to run as 4car. This was to allow some frequency improvements in Bristol metro area.

Hasn't been 100% successful (see the examples yesterday of busy Cardiff-Portsmouth trains as just 2car 158 in separate thread).

Basically GWR doesn't have any 4 or 5car regional units (although it runs lots of services that are busy and 3-4 hours long), so it is bodging a fleet out of mix of old suburban DMUs, castle HSTs, and IETs, with the 158s filling in on a fairly random selection of services (random in sense that don't work exclusively on any particular route).

The 158s are effectively used as fleet top up rather than being used for specific services/routes, and although there are some services scheduled for 3car 158s (from memory 4 diagrams), they struggle to actually dedicate the 3cars to these.

 

[stj]

GWR need a new build of rolling stock or at least a cascade on the Cardiff-Portsmouth route of suitable units.

 

[yorkie]

GWR need a new build of rolling stock or at least a cascade on the Cardiff-Portsmouth route of suitable units.

Just a gentle reminder that this would need to be discussed in the Speculative Discussion forum, please; the Traction & Rolling stock forum (where this thread is located) is to discuss what's actually happening.