northwichcat
Veteran Member
I get the impression there's 3 constraints Northern have:
1. Platform lengths
2. Where overhead electrics are available
3. They have some long services, which certain train types aren't ideal for and some frequent stop services that other train types aren't ideal for.
For a while it's seemed commonplace for most Hope Valley services to be new 3 car 195s, while some Mid Cheshire services get operated by 4 car Sprinter sets with a carriage locked out of use. While stoppers on the Warrington Central line seem to be a mix of 3 car 195s and 4 car Sprinters. I don't know what the logic is but why not use a mix of 3 car 195s and 2 car Sprinters on the Mid Cheshire, to allow more seats on the Warrington Central services, without reducing usable capacity on the Mid Cheshire?
Yesterday 150102+156408 were a pair on the Mid Cheshire line. The formation was in a way that the toilet carriage was locked out-of-use on the 156 in the Chester direction. The 150 carriage locked out of use in the Manchester direction was not the one with the toilet in. However, the 150 had a fault which seemed to mean it only had two emergency lights on and the speaker system was not working in that carriage and there was no engine noise from that carriage, while the exhaust on the 156 was pumping out so much leaving stations that suggested it was doing double the work. Possibly if the fault had happened later in the day it could have resulted in both toilet carriages being locked out-of-use in the Chester direction? Otherwise passengers would be in a carriage that didn't have proper lighting at night.
Ignoring lengths of trains Northern do seem to ensure some longer services never get 3+2 seating, while they happily allocate sets with 3+2 to other longer services.
Is there a better way they could allocate their existing rolling stock for their current service provision?
1. Platform lengths
2. Where overhead electrics are available
3. They have some long services, which certain train types aren't ideal for and some frequent stop services that other train types aren't ideal for.
For a while it's seemed commonplace for most Hope Valley services to be new 3 car 195s, while some Mid Cheshire services get operated by 4 car Sprinter sets with a carriage locked out of use. While stoppers on the Warrington Central line seem to be a mix of 3 car 195s and 4 car Sprinters. I don't know what the logic is but why not use a mix of 3 car 195s and 2 car Sprinters on the Mid Cheshire, to allow more seats on the Warrington Central services, without reducing usable capacity on the Mid Cheshire?
Yesterday 150102+156408 were a pair on the Mid Cheshire line. The formation was in a way that the toilet carriage was locked out-of-use on the 156 in the Chester direction. The 150 carriage locked out of use in the Manchester direction was not the one with the toilet in. However, the 150 had a fault which seemed to mean it only had two emergency lights on and the speaker system was not working in that carriage and there was no engine noise from that carriage, while the exhaust on the 156 was pumping out so much leaving stations that suggested it was doing double the work. Possibly if the fault had happened later in the day it could have resulted in both toilet carriages being locked out-of-use in the Chester direction? Otherwise passengers would be in a carriage that didn't have proper lighting at night.
Ignoring lengths of trains Northern do seem to ensure some longer services never get 3+2 seating, while they happily allocate sets with 3+2 to other longer services.
Is there a better way they could allocate their existing rolling stock for their current service provision?
