On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:29:24 +0000, Tom Anderson
wrote:

Do these trains use the same tracks? If so, isn't that pattern of
departures necessary so the fasts have a clear run ahead of them behind
the preceding slow?

No. The fasts leave Euston on the fast lines and don't cross to the
slows until Ledburn (I think) while the slows leave on the slow lines
and remain there throughout. I think the timings are purely to fit in
between the VTs, which might be the reason for the forthcoming changes
given the total recast of VT's timetable.

You could make 12-car trains, and lock the rear 4 cars OOU on the
southbound leg. You could even unlock them once you were past Bletchley
and into 12-car land (if that's possible, and if it is indeed all
12-car-clear south of there).

Is there a feasible way of locking 4 cars out of use on 321
formations, without having to open the above-door panels and lock each
door out manually? The reason I ask is that there is an element of
that takes place on the 0735ish which starts from Bletchley (with the
rear 4 off the platform but unlocked, such that you can't get to
them), and it seems surprising that they wouldn't think of it. That
said, you don't see 12 cars on any of the Tring slows, and they
probably load the heaviest - is there another short platform, e.g.
Apsley/Kings Langley?

I will be interested to find out if the new Desiros have SDO, as SWT's
ones certainly appear to have some form of it to allow calling at
short platforms on the Waterloo-Reading run. This might allow a
recast fitting with the likely demand (i.e. removing the Leighton
Buzzard stop from the fasts and inserting it into the slows[1] (then
making both 12-car) which is where it was before the last recast when
12-car operation started).

[1] The 1824 does not stop at Leighton Buzzard or Berkhamsted, which I
always suspected to be a crowd control measure given that the xx24 and
xx54 of other hours does.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.