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(05/10/2018 17:57)childwallblues Wrote: [ -> ]37884 hauled 319450 this afternoon from Wolverton to Loughborough for 769 conversion.

Isn't 319450 allocated to Allerton, I thought the 769s were to be converted from the redundant 319/4s.

(13/10/2018 17:23)507022 Wrote: [ -> ]Isn't 319450 allocated to Allerton, I thought the 769s were to be converted from the redundant 319/4s.

It is - however Northern's Class 769s are being converted from their allocation of Class 319/4s

GWR's Class 769s will be converted from 319/4s which are in storage at the moment. I believe the five 769s for Wales are going to be converted from another subclass

Nothing has been diverted away from Slade Lane, the Ordsall Chord was always intended to *increase* the number of trains between Ardwick and Slade Lane by adding a service from the Calder Valley to the Airport, the paths for which were taken by ATW

(12/10/2018 15:49)knutstransport Wrote: [ -> ]Contained in TfN's notes from last Tuesday's meeting that Network Rail have said there's a lack of paths between Stockport and Manchester, despite having just built the Ordsall Chord and diverted a number of services away from Slade Lane Junction to free up capacity for extra services between Stockport and Manchester. Something needs to be done otherwise millions has been spent on the Ordsall Chord and the only benefit will be Buxton gets an additional hourly service to Manchester, something it wasn't even promised!

https://transportforthenorth.com/calenda...ober-2018/

And yet in the table at the end they talk about diverting trains via Stockport and an absolutely ludicrous idea of extending the Liverpool-MIA-Crewe service over the single line to Stoke - does nobody learn anything from previous farces?

The whole Manchester problem is when you get to Slade Lane Junction is the pair by speed and pair by direction changes , meaning if something fails here your in serious trouble .

It was not much of a problem when there wasn't a station at Manchester International Airport , but this junction now takes one hell of a pounding every day for 363 days a year .

(13/10/2018 19:12)mikestone Wrote: [ -> ]Nothing has been diverted away from Slade Lane, the Ordsall Chord was always intended to *increase* the number of trains between Ardwick and Slade Lane by adding a service from the Calder Valley to the Airport, the paths for which were taken by ATW

Changes so far to free up paths:
- North TPE Airport services approach Piccadilly from the west
- Liverpool to Scarborough diverted via Victoria
- Piccadilly to Airport stopper scrapped with additional calls on other Airport services.
- Southport to Airport service scrapped - remaining Southport/Wigan to Manchester services now extension of existing Alderley Edge to Manchester service.

Changes so far requiring additional paths:
- Additional Buxton service
- Peak time Piccadilly to Huddersfield stopper

Changes still set to happen requiring additional paths:
- All day Chester to Manchester Airport service, rather than at off-peak times only.

Changes 'under review':
- Hourly Manchester Airport to Cumbria via Wigan service - shouldn't require additional path as service previously ran.
- Hourly Manchester Airport to Bradford/Leeds service.
(Northern Connect is supposed to be under review but TfN haven't confirmed exactly which routes.)

Changes which seem to have been cancelled:
- Extra hourly Greenbank to Manchester
- Extra hourly Macc to Manchester
- Extra hourly Hazel Grove to Manchester

Network Rail claimed North TPE changes would create 5 extra paths (due to Liverpool to Scarborough crossing all the lines at Piccadilly.) Northern changes should have created an additional 2 so there should be enough for all the enhancements but now it seems Network Rail are backtracking on the 5 from the North TPE changes.

When ATW applied for Airport services one of the objections was that they might have to be withdrawn to accomodate the extension of Calder Valley services, so clearly even then there was concern that Piccadilly-Slade Lane couldn't cope.

(14/10/2018 11:46)mikestone Wrote: [ -> ]When ATW applied for Airport services one of the objections was that they might have to be withdrawn to accomodate the extension of Calder Valley services, so clearly even then there was concern that Piccadilly-Slade Lane couldn't cope.

Whenever an operator applies for a path for a new service to start ahead of a full recast there are objections about the operator taking paths which might be needed for something else long term - Virgin objected to TPE operating via Wigan.

DfT instructed Northern bidders to leave a path so that the W&B franchise could either:
1. Run an hourly Airport-Piccadilly-Chester service
2. Run an hourly Stalybridge/Victoria-Chester service

Arriva opted for the first option which explains why they got rid of the all-stops Airport shuttle, despite it not being a requirement to do.

4 videos of class 331 being tested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ51e687keU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fBf0zptuGo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f934SuJ0hGc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHluVxgsYQw

331102 was out on test today. Noted at Crewe Platform 1 at 0915.