Ticket Prices SVR?

Assuming from your posts that you're (thankfully) not one of the 'thrash, clag and tonezzz' type of enthusiast, I am genuinely interested what made the trip ro Bridgnorth 'lacklustre' and what you would have liked to be different about it to make the lustre not lacking?

[/QUOTE]

Although we were 20 odd minutes down, there seemed to be no effort to make up time, the fastest speed recorded (on my GPS) was 21 MPH.

Coupled to the fact that I had just parted with £40, £12 of that for something I did not want and as said earlier, no steam heat, it was bloody freezing.

 

You should have tried the Nene Valley last weekend, 1st train 15mins late then as the day went on later and later, seemed to be a common theme amongst a few 'regulars' I spoke too.

 

It was a gala and galas on many lines often suffer from timetable creep. Sunday trains ran closer to time.

 

I appreciate that but when your first train is late it dosn't bode well for the rest of the day.

 

Personally I find the WSR Excellent value - usually I have three children in tow £49 for a family rover compared with £55 at Swanage or £28 on the East Somerset - although the latter's annual ticket is quite well priced

 

I don't speak for the SVR but AFAIAA all trains are heated, either by steam or in the DMU. The DMU had an electrical fault and was dragged on February 20th (no heat) but all other trains should be. If it was a later train I would have expected it to have done a return trip and so be warmed. Curious.

Patrick

 

Although we were 20 odd minutes down, there seemed to be no effort to make up time, the fastest speed recorded (on my GPS) was 21 MPH.

Coupled to the fact that I had just parted with £40, £12 of that for something I did not want and as said earlier, no steam heat, it was bloody freezing.[/QUOTE]

Can I ask which coaching set you were on for your trip? If you recall the individual coach even better. The steam heat would most certainly have been in use on your visit, so it is possible we have a fault somewhere.

 

Given the timings quoted above, it must have been diagram xN1 on its first return. So yes, unless there was a set swap at Kidderminster you'd expect it to be warm.

 

From the OP's description it was Tuesday February 21st, the 12.45 p.m. Bewdley to Kidderminster on Timetable A (12.30 ex-Kidderminster, so AN1 on M(8) ).

There were loco swaps that week but I think it ended up with 7812. The first departure from Bridgnorth was at 10.50 a.m. so a minimum two hours heating before this point.

Ordinarily the loco would have coupled to the train in good time to warm it before the first departure. The traffic notice says there was a shunt to add M(2) to M(6) that morning, though the Bridgnorth crew sometimes do the shunt the night before.

Patrick

EDIT: OP below has clarified it was the C set.

 

Can I ask which coaching set you were on for your trip? If you recall the individual coach even better. The steam heat would most certainly have been in use on your visit, so it is possible we have a fault somewhere.[/QUOTE]
It was a full mk1 set and we travelled in the lead coach Bridgnorth end. Blood and Custard livery. Cheers Steve

 

No I think you were right first time Patrick. M is still the north end set at the moment but it has two blood and custard (CK and a TSO I think) in the rake.

 

The problem is that most railways are single track with limited passing places and quite often one section will be a 'pinch point' which is pretty much occupied all day on a gala timetable, so once one train is late the next one has to wait for it, and the next one, and so on. It's very difficult to claw back time especially if perhaps one engine is not working at its best, or if station stops are extended due to volume of people, or whatever.
Clearly what y'all need is double track. Although even that still doesn't stop the first train being late, if its engine is late off shed for some reason! But it does make recovery easier. (And since this is in the SVR thread - double track is not exactly a possibility there, is it?) (And yes I know the point was originally concerning the NVR, I guess they could put double track in but they'd have to lose the continental stock presumably. And spend a fortune.)

 

Thanks both @Daddsie71b and @Andy2857. The unheated coach was the lead vehicle, but would have been the rear vehicle on the first journey from BH.

One might speculate that a morning shunt may have delayed the attachment of the train loco to the set for pre-warming, the rearmost vehicle was the least warmed on the first leg from Bridgnorth, and so the vehicle wasn't fully heated for the return journey. As the vehicle next to the loco it should have warmed more quickly on the hour back to BH, so a fault is possible on those vehicles, or elsewhere in the set?

Patrick

 

I agree with your points, but how is it possible to run late when using 2 loco's, 1 rake of stock and 2 brakevans? As I say the 1st train was 15 mins late and by the time I left things were about 25/30 mins late. I appreciate things can go wrong. But as I say when your 1st train is late, things tend to go downhill.

 

Playing devils advocate, there can be any number of valid reasons for the first train to be late and it can even happen when using one loco and one set of stock. Signalling problems aren't generally related to the number of trains operating. When you've been involved in operations, you'll understand the myriad of possibilities. The NYMR even had to cancel a first train last year because someone couldn't pee when he needed to! The Railway's doctor had arrived to do random D & A testing (as required to operate on N.R.) and one unfortunate person had visited the toilet minutes beforehand. As he couldn't provide a sample, he wasn't allowed to undertake his turn of duty and another qualified person wasn't immediately available to step in to fill the gap. By the time the problem was solved (by drinking copious amounts of water) it was too late to run the train in its allotted path.