60163 Westbury to Canterbury, 26/06/2012

I was told they will be hiring the SRPS rake again soon so hopefully things will improve.

 

They need to @ £100 per seat. This tatty rake does not present the correct face of the movement to the passenger.

 

Through Tilehurst 21.43, talk about full regulator! I think it must of been latched to the cab roof, you could hear it half way to Pangbourne. Hardest I've heard an engine work for a long while.
As an aside it seems FGW were totally in chaos tonight in the Thames Valley with local trains either cancelled or heavily delayed. Seems it was due to another "person hit", unfortunately an all too common occurrence these days.

Edit.
Seems this was the problem on FGW tonight, although Tornado was not really affected.

http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/n...0579-trains-delays-after-person-hit-by-train/

 

16 down at Challow water stop

 

Tornado was reported 21 mins late leaving Swindon en route to Westbury. <BJ>

 

Yes, I was on it, and my last train to Weston-super-Mare overtook us during the pathing stop at Challow annoyingly. Departed Reading on time pretty much but suffered slow running after that due to adverse signals which made us late.

 

[video=youtube;KF2DW5xeF7s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF2DW5xeF7s[/video]

My footage of her at Swindon on the outward and return legs. On time for the outward and 18 late for the return. Still though, the noise she made departing Swindon into the night was glorious!

 

Apart from the whistling & the fact it was already moving, that is an a par of what it was like at Tilehurst I mentioned earlier. The driver seemed very enthusiastic.

 

Well not quite true Buseng, surely you're aware that the Green Train belongs to West Coast who don't operate The Cathedrals Express anymore and have been replaced by DBS who, unfortunately have a "rainbow" of carriages at times on certain tours but least SD are getting their own stock next year so hopefully it will be back to something more respectable.

 

I think SD are more concerned with the internal rather than external condition of the carriages they use which is probably the right way around given it's their passengers riding on the train, and probably quite oblivious to it's colour they need to please rather than onlookers. The internal condition of the stock used yesterday appeared to be better than average to my eyes and the standard class seat I was sat in, which I think had been resprung, felt comfortable and supportive rather than an instrument of torture as is often the case with "tired" mark 1s elsewhere.

 

Couldn't agree more eco082007, but I was pointing out to Buseng that SD have changed operators so therefore the stock has changed as well. Glad it was a comfortable ride too.

 

The green train had that infamous buffet with 8 square wheels...you could hear the buffet coming before the loco..
And a network rail replacement train fitting the track back in place behind it !