Did other operators HSTs run on the WR mainline west of Paddington in 2015/6

[Tallpaul70]

Hi All,
Trying to decide whether there is a base of fact to allow me to keep my fleet of HSTs from operators other than First Great Western/GWR to run on my WR Main line layout in its 2015/6 version?

I know in the early 2000s Midland Mainline and GNER sets or power cars were used in times of poor fleet availability or peak demand, so I wondered if this practice still happened in 2015 or 2016?

Details of observations/links to other relevant posts or magazine articles would be appreciated.

Many thanks
Paul

[Walkingthedog]

Can’t recall seeing anything.

[LC&DR]

It really depends upon where on the GWML you are looking at. Cross Country have services into and out of Reading so the few HST sets they still operated could conceivably travel over the stretch between Didcot and Reading, en-route to the South Coast, although this service was normally operated by 220/221 units.

Then there is the section from Westerleigh to Bristol and onwards to the West Country and South Wales, where Cross Country sets certainly would appear cheek by jowl with GWR sets.

By 2015 the GNER livery had all but gone, with sets including power cars being progressively painted in East Coast Main Line livery, although a few trains still appeared in 'stealth' blue and orange with ECML branding, and then becoming Virgin East Coast that year.

How much borrowing of power cars took place but I suspect,' not a lot'.

[Tallpaul70]

Hi All,
Just to clarify, I am interested in the section between Paddington and Reading.

This was partly prompted by the news of LNER sets on WR during the recent cancellation of normal LNER trains!

Cheers
Paul

[LC&DR]

Like most things to do with model railways, it is your layout, to do with as you see fit, so if you want to have an EMT HST service from Nottingham to Paddington for example, just do it.

[Tallpaul70]

Like most things to do with model railways, it is your layout, to do with as you see fit, so if you want to have an EMT HST service from Nottingham to Paddington for example, just do it.

Agreed LC&DR,

But my first preference is to run replicas of what did or reasonably might have happened before declaring "Its my railway so I will run what I like!"

Cheers
Paul