The 16.43 Southport - Hunts Cross and 17.51 return was short-formed this evening and conditions looked decidedly uncomfortable on board as a result. I think they need to look into revising the way the PM peak 6 cars are formed at Southport, because the current set up isn't doing them any favours. Allowing just 6-7 minutes to form two units together is asking for trouble when they are as busy as they are currently when the weather is nice.
A three car that is spare should be at Southport for an inward three car should connect to , thereby you keep the full turnround time at Southport that you would have when the three cars are working .
It can not be to hard as there is three working platforms and numerous places to stable there .
Running the six car off two successive three car workings as you say 507009 leaves the service with next to no time to connect and some units do not seem to like being partnered up , just like a man and wife sometimes (LOL).
noticed all but 1 train was 6 car on Chester's today 1 unit was 3 car i presume the 6 cars was due to E Port line being down?
With the work going on at the moment there is definitely 3 six cars out normally at the moment and 3 Three cars .
Today there was also a need to replace a set on the Ellesmere Port shuttle as well.
(26/07/2013 21:05)wirralbus Wrote: [ -> ]With the work going on at the moment there is definitely 3 six cars out normally at the moment and 3 Three cars .
This is what I've been seeing as well, alternating between 3 and 6. Although yesterday evening, they ended up with one of the 6 cars on the Ellesmere Port line once they started running to Liverpool.
I agree with your suggestion re: Southport, Wirralbus. There should be at least one spare unit on the Northern Line following AM peak as they use three 6 cars in the morning on the Ormskirk line but only two in the evening. Ideally this unit should be sent ECS to Southport after AM peak and kept for the 16.43 formation. This might potentially allow the following service, the 16.58, to also be formed as a 6 car if trains run to time as the loadings clearly justify it.
The stock interchange line was used last night and I saw 4 units transfer from Kirkdale to Birkenhead.507007, 508120 508126 (heavilly grafitti damaged) and 508128
Three 6 cars and three 3 cars on the Chester line again today, but strangely these weren't arranged in an alternating pattern. The circuit ended up being 3, 3, 6, 6, 3, 6 which doesn't seem sensible, especially as two of the three 6 cars weren't timed to conveniently connect with today's Ellesmere Port shuttle (507007). Neither did the single Ormskirk 6 car operate that the last few Saturdays have seen. However, as always for the summer, all Southport trains formed of pairs.
507032 and 508126 were both in use on the Wirral Line, still with graffiti.
I think that the 6 six cars may have been timed to coincide with the finish of a pre-season friendly at Chester , thats because im sure the six cars arent on the same diagrams today as yesterday.
If true, that's funny given the lack of 6 cars at Sandhills on match day
But with the Ellesmere Port line off , they are still operating the same amount of sets , just doubling some sets up in the 15 min schedule .