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TPE Nova 3 (Class 68 + Mk5s) updates and withdrawal from service

Fokx

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I may be misremembering or fantasising, but was there not at some stage / is there not some tunnel or similar structure north of Sheffield for which 68s were out of gauge? (This may be utter nonsense as I have no idea from where I recall it!)
Not between Manchester and Sheffield, there’s already TPE loco’s running regular driving training services between the two
 
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Cheshire Scot

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I may be misremembering or fantasising, but was there not at some stage / is there not some tunnel or similar structure north of Sheffield for which 68s were out of gauge? (This may be utter nonsense as I have no idea from where I recall it!)
It was a bridge which I assume must now have been cleared, possibly now with a cl68 specific speed restriction.
 

yorkie

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cross-pennine 68 services are best enjoyed now - as they will be gone very soon with a return to the pre-December diagrams. Information coming from a reliable source
 

43 302

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cross-pennine 68 services are best enjoyed now - as they will be gone very soon with a return to the pre-December diagrams. Information coming from a reliable source
That really does not surprise me. Thanks for the info.
 

D6700

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I may be misremembering or fantasising, but was there not at some stage / is there not some tunnel or similar structure north of Sheffield for which 68s were out of gauge? (This may be utter nonsense as I have no idea from where I recall it!)
There was a gauging restriction that meant Class 68s were prohibited over the Down Main between Nunnery Main Line Jn and Mill Race Jn, on the Sheffield to Doncaster route. This no longer applies, as new paperwork was issued very recently, but NESA is yet to catch up.
 
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cross-pennine 68 services are best enjoyed now - as they will be gone very soon with a return to the pre-December diagrams. Information coming from a reliable source
This week has been terrible and the service to Scarborough has collapsed. York shuttles need reinstating asap.
Today 1634 ex SCA ran With nothing until 2034 and nothing after!
 
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william

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cross-pennine 68 services are best enjoyed now - as they will be gone very soon with a return to the pre-December diagrams. Information coming from a reliable source
What diagrams are they currently working? And just how soon is 'very soon'?

Sampled them on the Scarborough shuttles but the ride quality didn't impress as much as the start up. I'd still favour them over the 185's and I don't even know the new classes - 80 something (?). They're a mark up from the previous offering.

I always liked the 158's on the TPE when they were new. The smooth under floor engines were sweet and the intercity style interiors. Now they just seem rough as hell......ageing is a terrible thing.
 

_toommm_

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Sampled them on the Scarborough shuttles but the ride quality didn't impress as much as the start up. I'd still favour them over the 185's and I don't even know the new classes - 80 something (?). They're a mark up from the previous offering.

I always liked the 158's on the TPE when they were new. The smooth under floor engines were sweet and the intercity style interiors. Now they just seem rough as hell......ageing is a terrible thing.

You’ve got the 802s on Liverpool to Newcastle (and Edinburgh). The ride of the MK5a coaches is pretty much in-line with other CAF products, in that it isn’t great. Sounds like if bottoms out every now and again. But at the same time, it’s nice not to have any underfloor rumble and vibrations from an engine. Try sitting in the middle of the coach and it’s a little better.

Of course though, the best seat in the house is as close as you can get to the loco in First Class, when the hosts/catering decide not to tape it off.
 

Fokx

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Of course though, the best seat in the house is as close as you can get to the loco in First Class, when the hosts/catering decide not to tape it off.
Nothing to do with the catering/on board hosts, it’s the traincrew area for drivers and conductors (and anyone else from TPW) travelling passenger
 

XAM2175

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What diagrams are they currently working? And just how soon is 'very soon'?

I posted them back when they were first noted on the class68.co.uk website, but accidentally in the wrong thread. For convenience I'll post them here now, but without any updates from how they were on the 9th of November:

MK5_DEC2021.PNG
(D1 to D4 being the diagram numbers)

Notes:
- A number of these schedules are currently shown in RTT as SSuX rather than SuX.
- 1T92 is shown as terminating at York rather than Leeds, but the return working 1T51 is shown as commencing at Leeds.
- 5F45 is routed Longsight > Picc > Stalybridge (reversal) > Vic > Liverpool
- 5H84 is routed Airport > Picc (reversal) > Longsight.


The original schedules in RTT show validity from 13/12/2021 to 13/05/2022, but @yorkie may well be describing a shorter timeframe.
 

william

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Many thanks

Wait, I don't understand why Stalybridge is the last stop on some of those?
 

william

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Oh, so it is terminating there! I thought it was just an anomaly of the timetable you posted. How very strange.
 

CAF397

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Pathing issues with freight services beyond Stalybridge is the reason I believe.
The hourly path should be there towards Liverpool as per a planned pre-Covid WTT. The issue is at Manchester Victoria where the service should terminate and then change ends. A Class 68/Mark 5 requires 12 minutes to perform a change ends procedure. The hours where Stalybridge is the terminating point would be where it isn't possible to get 12 minutes at Victoria.
 

yorkie

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The reduction in class 68 diagrams over the Pennines is due to occur from early January.

It will simply be what it was before December, i.e. only 2 cross Pennine services each way:

0654 LIV-SCA
1529 MAN-SCA
1534 SCA-MCV
2034 SCA-MIA

Otherwise just YRK-SCA.
 

FrodshamJnct

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The reduction in class 68 diagrams over the Pennines is due to occur from early January

It will simply be what it was before December, i.e. only 2 cross Pennine services each way,
0654 LIV-SCA,
1529 MAN-SCA,
1534 SCA-MCV and
2034 SCA-MIA.

Otherwise just YRK-SCA.

Phew! Planning on some bashing on 4th Jan on the 1301 from MCV and the 1600 from Leeds.
 

43 302

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Phew! Planning on some bashing on 4th Jan on the 1301 from MCV and the 1600 from Leeds.
I wouldn't hedge your bets on specific workings given the current amount of cancellations. If the workings could be crewed then there would be little reason to return to the Scarbados shuttles.
 

Jamesrob637

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It will simply be what it was before December, i.e. only 2 cross Pennine services each way,
0654 LIV-SCA,
1529 MAN-SCA,
1534 SCA-MCV and
2034 SCA-MIA.

Otherwise just YRK-SCA.

Isn't that as it is now?
 

JonathanH

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Isn't that as it is now?
No, the scheduled timetable since 13 December has included more 68+Mk5 use west of York, however, TPE don't have enough traincrew resource to support that timetable so it is back to the position in force before then with predominately Scarborough to York shuttles. See message 1,060.
 

Jamesrob637

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No, the scheduled timetable since 13 December has included more 68+Mk5 use west of York, however, TPE don't have enough traincrew resource to support that timetable so it is back to the position in force before then with predominately Scarborough to York shuttles. See message 1,060.

So in reality it's currently somewhere between what #1060 states and what it'll be after the changes. Thanks.
 

JonathanH

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Yes, looking at message 1,060 and departures from Scarborough in RTT today - booked 68 departures in black
0534 (ran with 68+Mk5 to Liverpool)
0634 (ran with 68+Mk5 to Manchester Victoria)
0734 (booked and ran with 6-185 to Manchester)
0834 (booked and ran with 6-185 to Manchester)

0934 (cancelled throughout)
1034 (cancelled throughout)
1134 (ran with 68+Mk5 to Stalybridge)
1234 (ran with 3-185 to Manchester)
1334 (booked and ran with 6-185 to Manchester)

1434 (cancelled throughout)
1534 (ran with 3-185 to York)
1634 (cancelled throughout)
1734 (ran with 3-185 to York)
1834 (ran with 6-185 to York)

1934 (cancelled throughout)
2034 (ran with 68+Mk5 to Manchester Airport)
2134 (ran with 6-185 to York)
 

M60lad

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Where were they getting the 185s from to operate these services, surely this would have meant other services being short-formed wouldn't it?
 

Jamesrob637

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Where were they getting the 185s from to operate these services, surely this would have meant other services being short-formed wouldn't it?

I think the odd Cleethorpes could be short-formed as a result.
 

Fokx

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I think the odd Cleethorpes could be short-formed as a result.
No they wouldn’t.

There are 185’s booked to run the Scarborough route as part of the allocation. I’m the event of a 68’ unable to operate usually a Redcar service is split at York meaning the Airport to Redcar service is short-formed not the Cleethropes.

cancellations of the Hull route and off-peak Hull services being 3 carriage are where the extra 185’s appear from
 

Watershed

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No they wouldn’t.

There are 185’s booked to run the Scarborough route as part of the allocation. I’m the event of a 68’ unable to operate usually a Redcar service is split at York meaning the Airport to Redcar service is short-formed not the Cleethropes.

cancellations of the Hull route and off-peak Hull services being 3 carriage are where the extra 185’s appear from
There are also sometimes also spare sets at York depot, depending on what driver training sorties are running that day.
 

Killingworth

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There are several 3 car 185s running on Cleethorpes today on early and late trains. It has long been a practice to take a unit from South Pennine to cover an unexpected shortfall on other routes Currently most trains don't appear to be too heavily loaded to make that a problem!
 

37201xoIM

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There was a gauging restriction that meant Class 68s were prohibited over the Down Main between Nunnery Main Line Jn and Mill Race Jn, on the Sheffield to Doncaster route. This no longer applies, as new paperwork was issued very recently, but NESA is yet to catch up.
Belated thanks for this, @D6700 - yes, pretty sure that's exactly what was in my mind. Not surprised it was a paperwork thing, but on the face of it, that would have been slightly fatal to using them on MAN - CLE, wouldn't it!
 

Pit_buzzer

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Belated thanks for this, @D6700 - yes, pretty sure that's exactly what was in my mind. Not surprised it was a paperwork thing, but on the face of it, that would have been slightly fatal to using them on MAN - CLE, wouldn't it!
Lots of Nova 3 activity around Doncaster recently, today there is a set on a York - Cleethorpes - Doncaster - Cleethorpes - York working and yesterday was Malton - Doncaster - York - Doncaster - Malton
 

Spartacus

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Lots of Nova 3 activity around Doncaster recently, today there is a set on a York - Cleethorpes - Doncaster - Cleethorpes - York working and yesterday was Malton - Doncaster - York - Doncaster - Malton

That's 68034 on it's own.

I'm guessing May 22's the provisional start date for Nova 3s on the southern route still?
 

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