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SWR Metro fleet permanent withdrawals

JonathanH

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There will be a diversion from the Alton line in place for a number of hours (fast from Ash Vale to Ascot, then Virginia Water, Staines and Putney) with bustitution between Farnborough and Aldershot for mainline passengers. These services will run as 1Nxx.

That all sounds very over complicated, plus I'm sure the commuters on that line won’t be impressed at the extended journey or the drunken race goers. Surprised they haven’t ran the weybridges down to ascot and put a shuttle service on Virginia water - Weybridge, I think they might’ve done this for some event at Windsor recently.
Only on Saturday.

It looks like, on the Saturday
* Reading runs as normal
* Alton diverted via Ascot
* Windsor diverted to Reading
* Weybridge diverted to Windsor
* Virginia Water to Weybridge by bus

Weekday trains involve a handful of Windsor trains being diverted to Bracknell and some Weybridge trains being diverted to Windsor. There are also a number of other empty stock arrivals at Ascot in the evening to form relief trains.
 
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warwickshire

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Only on Saturday.

It looks like, on the Saturday
* Reading runs as normal
* Alton diverted via Ascot
* Windsor diverted to Reading
* Weybridge diverted to Windsor
* Virginia Water to Weybridge by bus

Weekday trains involve a handful of Windsor trains being diverted to Bracknell and some Weybridge trains being diverted to Windsor. There are also a number of other empty stock arrivals at Ascot in the evening to form relief trains.
However though should produce into Reading in the evenings Monday to Friday a pair of 455s . Two workings.
Most likely on the empties from Strawberry Hill and later on from the 455 peak only service which goes to Shepperton first then ecs additional to Ascot with the former and later going additional to Reading. Then to Waterloo. Then both sets ecs back to where should be either Strawberry Hill or Wimbledon park Depot.
 

warwickshire

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However though should produce into Reading in the evenings Monday to Friday a pair of 455s . Two workings.
Most likely on the empties from Strawberry Hill and later on from the 455 peak only service which goes to Shepperton first then ecs additional to Ascot with the former and later going additional to Reading. Then to Waterloo. Then both sets ecs back to where should be either Strawberry Hill or Wimbledon park Depot.
Correction Tuesday to Friday days of the Royal Ascot.
 
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455701 03/04/22

455701 has returned to passenger service today (2O13).

A few other 455s have now been out of passenger use for over a month, or will be within the next couple of days.

455703 22/05/22
457722 18/05/22
455856 21/05/22
455918 18/05/22

Last week, the following were worked by a pair of 458s

1A77 2323 Waterloo - Alton
stable Farnham
1N90 0619 Farnham - Waterloo (via Camberley)

It has been a while since Alton or Camberley regularly saw passenger services worked by 458s. Last week, I assumed that the change related to the alterations for Royal Ascot but 1N90 was 458515+458521 today.

This diagram has been using the pair of 458s that had been working the Shepperton peaks diagram(2H92/2H93) prior to this, which seems to have reverted to a pair of 707s. It would appear that 707s have returned to having 10 diagrams (5 pairs).
 

Nicholas Lewis

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455701 has returned to passenger service today (2O13).

A few other 455s have now been out of passenger use for over a month, or will be within the next couple of days.

455703 22/05/22
457722 18/05/22
455856 21/05/22
455918 18/05/22

Last week, the following were worked by a pair of 458s

1A77 2323 Waterloo - Alton
stable Farnham
1N90 0619 Farnham - Waterloo (via Camberley)

It has been a while since Alton or Camberley regularly saw passenger services worked by 458s. Last week, I assumed that the change related to the alterations for Royal Ascot but 1N90 was 458515+458521 today.

This diagram has been using the pair of 458s that had been working the Shepperton peaks diagram(2H92/2H93) prior to this, which seems to have reverted to a pair of 707s. It would appear that 707s have returned to having 10 diagrams (5 pairs).
Good to see a demic 455 can be got back into traffic far easier than a 701 can be commissioned.
 

444045

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Interesting fact for today - there are no 455 units running on SWR, 1st time I can remember for years !!
..
Yesterday 5B39 10+01 WD/BM ran with 5862/5903.
5Y51 14+32 BM/WD ran with 5903.
..
 

swr444

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Interesting fact for today - there are no 455 units running on SWR, 1st time I can remember for years !!
..
Yesterday 5B39 10+01 WD/BM ran with 5862/5903.
5Y51 14+32 BM/WD ran with 5903.
..
theres actually one on the windsor services today (actually seems to have been swapped for a 458 now)

 
Last edited:

Bigfoot

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Interesting fact for today - there are no 455 units running on SWR, 1st time I can remember for years !!
..
Yesterday 5B39 10+01 WD/BM ran with 5862/5903.
5Y51 14+32 BM/WD ran with 5903.
..
Probably because they are more likely to have a Siemens fitter available over an SWR. Plus a busy train is better when air-conditioned over hot sun and a crush loaded baked bean can.
 

Snow1964

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Interesting fact for today - there are no 455 units running on SWR, 1st time I can remember for years !!
..
Yesterday 5B39 10+01 WD/BM ran with 5862/5903.
5Y51 14+32 BM/WD ran with 5903.
..

I don’t think any were running on Christmas Day either, which is less than half a year ago
 
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UK
Can someone clarify which units have been scrapped?
AFAIK only 455740, 455855, 456001 and 456005 have been scrapped.

As of 10/06 (see post #984), six 455s were either stored off-lease at Long Marston or scrapped (including 740 and 855), and as of this morning there were still at least four 455s at Long Marston (Nigel Harris posted a video of the LM 455s and 456s on Twitter earlier: https://mobile.twitter.com/RAIL/status/1539181310476013573)

Yay I get post #1000
#1001's cool too :D
 

Roger B

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AFAIK only 455740, 455855, 456001 and 456005 have been scrapped.

As of 10/06 (see post #984), six 455s were either stored off-lease at Long Marston or scrapped (including 740 and 855), and as of this morning there were still at least four 455s at Long Marston (Nigel Harris posted a video of the LM 455s and 456s on Twitter earlier: https://mobile.twitter.com/RAIL/status/1539181310476013573)


#1001's cool too :D
That tallies with my records. There's a question over 456017 - post #960 of the class 365 scrap movements preservation discussion thread - suggested that 456017 was following on the heals of 456001 and 456005 to Newport. Did this actually happen - and if so when?
 

TT-ONR-NRN

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A pleasant and very friendly driver was telling me at Guildford today how a 455 involved in a minor tree strike at Weybridge several weeks back was coincidentally scheduled to go off lease the day after the accident occurred! This means one more has gone. I don’t know which, sorry, but according to him there’s several more 455s which will now need to be withdrawn in the Summer due to recent discoveries with the units. The plan is to short form more mainline 450s to cover on the Guildford New Line, Kingston Loop and Chessington South branch.
 

43096

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A pleasant and very friendly driver was telling me at Guildford today how a 455 involved in a minor tree strike at Weybridge several weeks back was coincidentally scheduled to go off lease the day after the accident occurred! This means one more has gone. I don’t know which, sorry, but according to him there’s several more 455s which will now need to be withdrawn in the Summer due to recent discoveries with the units. The plan is to short form more mainline 450s to cover on the Guildford New Line, Kingston Loop and Chessington South branch.
Why would a driver know when trains are due to go off lease?
 
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5907 (the tree unit) isn't off lease. It is close to C4 mileage so was being used sparingly. It certainly hasn't gone but it is not currently in the C4 plan.
5918 is also almost out of C4 miles. It is still on lease but unlikely to return.

6017 has been scrapped.
 

Juniper Driver

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5907 (the tree unit) isn't off lease. It is close to C4 mileage so was being used sparingly. It certainly hasn't gone but it is not currently in the C4 plan.
5918 is also almost out of C4 miles. It is still on lease but unlikely to return.

6017 has been scrapped.
Thanks for the info Warren.
 

Nicholas Lewis

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5907 (the tree unit) isn't off lease. It is close to C4 mileage so was being used sparingly. It certainly hasn't gone but it is not currently in the C4 plan.
5918 is also almost out of C4 miles. It is still on lease but unlikely to return.

6017 has been scrapped.
How many are in the C4 plan currently?
 

Bessie

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Is there any reason why the withdrawn Southern Class 455s seem to head quite quickly to Sims at Newport whilst the much longer withdrawn SWR Class 456s are still mainly in storage?
 

TT-ONR-NRN

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Is there any reason why the withdrawn Southern Class 455s seem to head quite quickly to Sims at Newport whilst the much longer withdrawn SWR Class 456s are still mainly in storage?
Yes, that would be the difference in ROSCO practices. Eversholt clearly seem in more of a hurry than Porterbrook.
 

Bigfoot

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Indeed! Slightly off topic (though not irrelevant) I’ve noticed a few more 701s lurking in the depot at South Wimbledon recently: is that a sign of any material progress, does anyone know?
There have been a few in the sheds for a good few months now.
 

Roger B

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5907 (the tree unit) isn't off lease. It is close to C4 mileage so was being used sparingly. It certainly hasn't gone but it is not currently in the C4 plan.
5918 is also almost out of C4 miles. It is still on lease but unlikely to return.

6017 has been scrapped.
Thanks Warren. Do you know where n when 6017 met its demise? Many thanks
 

DelW

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Is there any reason why the withdrawn Southern Class 455s seem to head quite quickly to Sims at Newport whilst the much longer withdrawn SWR Class 456s are still mainly in storage?

Yes, that would be the difference in ROSCO practices. Eversholt clearly seem in more of a hurry than Porterbrook.
Since ROSCOs are commercial organisations, I think it will depend on their assessment of whether there is any potential future value in the units, over and above their current scrap value. That future value might come from use by another TOC, recovery of spares, seats, etc. or even just the possibility of scrap prices increasing. Against that, they have to consider the continuing cost of storage, and deterioration of the units while out of use. I would imagine they re-assess this equation regularly.
 

TT-ONR-NRN

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Since ROSCOs are commercial organisations, I think it will depend on their assessment of whether there is any potential future value in the units, over and above their current scrap value. That future value might come from use by another TOC, recovery of spares, seats, etc. or even just the possibility of scrap prices increasing. Against that, they have to consider the continuing cost of storage, and deterioration of the units while out of use. I would imagine they re-assess this equation regularly.
450s use the same seats as the SW 455/456s so it might be worth hanging on to a few for spares purposes.
 

Bigfoot

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450s use the same seats as the SW 455/456s so it might be worth hanging on to a few for spares purposes.
Completely different owners. A seat frame is easily sourced from new without the associated costs of storage. And if spares were desired by Angel they'd be removed as the units were scrapped.
 

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