The Bristol Railway Archive

Was the Flying Banana out and about today? Something very yellow shot past in the opposite direction while I was on my way back from London - Taunton via Westbury, and it definitely didn't look like a track machine.

Saw Abertawe Landore at Old Oak Common (has she pulled her last train for FGW now?), and all four 31s at Westbury, all from the window of the first long-distance ride I've had on an Adelante. Dammit. I hate their tiny seats and stiff springs and extra noise and vibration, although they have an impressive rate of acceleration..it feels like a plane at take-off! They look like planes inside too...lots of molded plastic.

Is there any way to find out which trains will be HSTs and which will be Adelantes? I'm trying to avoid the latter for as long as possible

I might treat myself to a first class HST trip one of these days, before it's too late!

James wrote:Was the Flying Banana out and about today? Something very yellow shot past in the opposite direction while I was on my way back from London - Taunton via Westbury, and it definitely didn't look like

It was definitely about yesterday. It shot through Filton Abbey Wood at about 20 past six. (I didn't see it mind, just read about it on one of the gen groups)

Ah! Something I'd forgotten about:

At Bath Spa, on my way up to London on the previous day I saw something very weird!

A 3 car 158 unit!

"So what?" I hear you cry, "It's called a 159"

But not this one! This one was a 158 unit with half another 158 stuck on the back

[C____][C____][____C]

C = cab

I've never seen that before, is it common practice? I've seen a lot of 158 units connected to 153s to make a 3 coach train, but never this

I think it's planned that a few of the regions 158s are going to be split and formed into these three car versions. I guess it's an admission (at last!) that a two car bug isn't much of a substitute for a five or seven coach loco hauled train.

I would have thought that it would have been better to have built a proper centre coach (no set-up costs involved, just use the 159 centre coach design) and to have used the units that are being split to finally rid the region of the awful 142s.

David Burrel has kindly sent me a pic of a three car 158 at Doncaster:

http://www.bugpics.co.uk/158976-1.php

(it's not just the SW that is seeing this change!)

I've been seeing these for the past few weeks! Anyone who joins the 1701 Wessex service from Worcester Shrub Hill - Frome at Cheltenham Spa will have got on a 3 carriage 158. I take this service from Cheltenham Spa - Oldfield Park every evening and it's really useful to have a direct Cheltenham - Bath service.

This is actually one of Wessex' new year resolutions (that I posted in another thread) to have 3 carriage trains instead of 2 carriages on its Portsmouth Hbr > Cardiff Ctl trains at peak times, and a few others like the WSH-Frome one. I feel it's really paying off as that service in question is pretty crowded as it is

I saw the Flying Banana today! (18/2/05) While waiting for the 16:51 Wessex service to Weston-super-Mare to depart on Plat 2 at Bristol Parkway, the Flying Banana came to a halt on Plat 1! First time I've ever seen it in real life

It had messages over the doors like "Do not enter" and "Door is normally locked", and had "Network Rail Measurement train" or something similar on the side...