TPE new trains

[hexagon789]

9 minutes ago, Reorte said:

Not sure what the current situation is but before I got fed up of travelling by train I sometimes used TPE between Manchester and Penrith, that was usually doubled up 185s that split at Preston, and were usually very crowded in the early evening (before that it was very crowded Voyagers and before that it was loco hauled with I can't remember how many, although IIRC that one had come all the way from down south somewhere).

 

There are only four TPE services formed of double 185s at present. On the WCML, one Edinburgh-Manchester is a double 350/4, all others are booked as single units.

[hexagon789]

It appears I've got it a bit wrong actually. The Anglo-Scottish TPE services are:

 

Mon-Thu & Sat: all 4-car 350/4

Fri & Sun: Two Glasgow diagrams become double 185s, which allows two Edinburgh diagrams to become 8-car 350/4s.

 

This arrangement will end once the 397s are in traffic. Twelve 397s will replace ten 350/4s. There are presently eight diagrams (4 Glasgow/4 Edinburgh), the new Glasgow-Liverpool services will require an extra diagram.

 

Therefore there will be 12 units for 9 diagrams, the 3 'spare' units will be one on heavy maintenance, one on light maintenance that can be pressed into service if necessary and one 'hot' spare.

 

So no double 397s it seems. However, I see that there is an option for up to 22 additional 5-car 397s in the contract. Maybe, just maybe...

[hexagon789]

Just to add, the new Glasgow-Liverpool services are now planned to commenice from the 8th September. By this point the two 185s hired-out to Northern will return to TPE and the plan is for a double (six-car) 185 to cover the new Glasgow-Liverpool diagram.

[woodenhead]

1 hour ago, hexagon789 said:

Just to add, the new Glasgow-Liverpool services are now planned to commenice from the 8th September. By this point the two 185s hired-out to Northern will return to TPE and the plan is for a double (six-car) 185 to cover the new Glasgow-Liverpool diagram.

I thought the 185s were going off lease - hence the possible sale to Ireland

[hexagon789]

18 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

I thought the 185s were going off lease - hence the possible sale to Ireland

 

Not until 2020 I believe.

 

About 22 185s are set to be returned to the leasing company, the remainder staying with TPE and being formed into six-car sets.

 

Most of the new stock won't be in service 'til then. At least not sufficient to maintain current services, hence the delay of the new Glasgow-Liverpool services and extensions of the Liverpool-Newcastle on to Edinburgh.

[eastwestdivide]

4 hours ago, woodenhead said:

I thought the 185s were going off lease - hence the possible sale to Ireland

They need a fleet for South Transpennine Cleethorpes-Manchester Airport services, which don't see any of the new trains and are meant to go to 6-car 185. I thought I had read 6-car only for the westernmost part of the journey, detaching/attaching at Sheffield or Doncaster, but can't find a reference now.

[4630]

After several months absence, test running over the route for which the class 68 and CAF Mark 5A sets, Nova 3s in TransPennine Express 'marketingspeak', are intended has recommenced.

 

Over the last few weeks there have been a couple of test runs from Liverpool Lime Street to Scarborough, with the return directly to the depot at Longsight.

 

68025 'Superb', plus friendly driver and an unidentified Nova 3 set at Colne Bridge, Huddersfield on 31st July 2019, with 5M68, 09.32 Scarborough to Longsight Car M.D.

 

 

Rumours on another forum, so far unconfirmed, are suggesting a limited public launch into service early in August.

Edited July 31, 2019 by 4630

[newbryford]

No matter what angle you photograph them at, the driving trailers are still fugly.

 

Cheers,

Mick

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

8 hours ago, newbryford said:

No matter what angle you photograph them at, the driving trailers are still fugly.

 

Cheers,

Mick

 

 

From the headlights up they look OK, but that latest pic looks like it's run into an immovable object at low speed and crushed the rest of the pointy nose.

[Owd Bob]

Looks like the love-child of a class 70 and a HST power car. Thanks for the great pics' and info' 4630.  

[Zomboid]

It looks like they designed something quite modern and pointy and then realised afterwards that it needed the buffers etc, so just stuck those on without changing anything else.

 

It is possible to design a driving trailer with buffers which isn't hideous. The MK4 DVT for example. Or this https://www.flickr.com/photos/nikmorris/9100068360/

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

Do you think adding a touch of yellow end seems to distract from the lower ugliness?

(Hope you don't mind 4630/RussW)

[4630]

In this instance only, I don’t mind that you’ve altered my photo, provided that it doesn’t get reproduced anywhere away from this forum!  Thanks for taking the time to illustrate how it could look.

 

In my view yellow would make it a whole lot worse, but as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

 

[4630]

21 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

It looks like they designed something quite modern and pointy and then realised afterwards that it needed the buffers etc, so just stuck those on without changing anything else.

 

It is possible to design a driving trailer with buffers which isn't hideous. The MK4 DVT for example. Or this https://www.flickr.com/photos/nikmorris/9100068360/

 

 

 

I agree entirely.

 

DB over the years, through its designers and suppliers, does have a history of introducing functional but attractive rolling stock IMHO.

 

Added to which their choice of livery colours across their various fleets reinforces the effect.

[RP82]

5 hours ago, eastwestdivide said:

Do you think adding a touch of yellow end seems to distract from the lower ugliness?

(Hope you don't mind 4630/RussW)

Looks like predator when it takes it helmet off

[newbryford]

10 hours ago, Zomboid said:

It looks like they designed something quite modern and pointy and then realised afterwards that it needed the buffers etc, so just stuck those on without changing anything else.

 

It is possible to design a driving trailer with buffers which isn't hideous. The MK4 DVT for example. Or this https://www.flickr.com/photos/nikmorris/9100068360/

 

 

 

 

The Mk5 DT has to include the override protection above the buffers,

Quite visible on a Class 70

 

Although the overriders don't appear to be on a 68.......

 

[Hobby]

I hope they turn out to be more reliable than their existing stock, I seem to have spent every trip up to the NE accepting TPE tickets for cancelled trains over the last few weeks!

[31A]

I wonder whether their introduction will be affected by yesterday's Caledonian Sleeper incident?

 

[Reorte]

16 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

The Mk5 DT has to include the override protection above the buffers,

Quite visible on a Class 70

 

Although the overriders don't appear to be on a 68.......

 

Are those the bits just above the buffers giving it hamster cheeks?

[newbryford]

Reported on a local gen list that the first passenger service with 68s/Mk5s will be tomorrow.

0556 from Liverpool-Scarborough

 

Cheers,

Mick

[wombatofludham]

Going slightly off tangent, you'd have thought the marketing twonks at Fist would have had second thoughts about christening their new trains "Novas", especially given two of the types are being made in Spain.  It's fairly common knowledge that the Vauxhall-Opel supermini of the 1980s, which in the UK was a "Nova" was dubbed the "Corsa" in Europe because "Nova" in Spanish can be read as "No Go".  Calling brand new trains "Nova" was tempting fate really.

 

There again Fiat hit the nail on the head when they came up with "Punto" which of course can mean "full stop".

 

Good to see there is a chance the new stock will carry real passengers tomorrow.  Trans Pennine needs the new trains to transform the North's Inter-City product, plus I do like the sound of the 68s.

[frobisher]

1 hour ago, wombatofludham said:

Going slightly off tangent, you'd have thought the marketing twonks at Fist would have had second thoughts about christening their new trains "Novas", especially given two of the types are being made in Spain.  It's fairly common knowledge that the Vauxhall-Opel supermini of the 1980s, which in the UK was a "Nova" was dubbed the "Corsa" in Europe because "Nova" in Spanish can be read as "No Go".  Calling brand new trains "Nova" was tempting fate really.

 

That's an urban myth, with it's roots in the US... https://www.thoughtco.com/chevy-nova-that-wouldnt-go-3078090 and... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Corsa#Nova

[DavidB-AU]

12 hours ago, newbryford said:

Reported on a local gen list that the first passenger service with 68s/Mk5s will be tomorrow.

0556 from Liverpool-Scarborough

 

Watched for it on the York Railcam and 1E23 was a 185.

 

Cheers

David

[4630]

14 hours ago, newbryford said:

Reported on a local gen list that the first passenger service with 68s/Mk5s will be tomorrow.

0556 from Liverpool-Scarborough

 

Cheers,

Mick

 

1 hour ago, DavidB-AU said:

 

Watched for it on the York Railcam and 1E23 was a 185.

 

Cheers

David

 

There have been mixed messages on some of the forums over the past couple of weeks, although the consensus seems to be that there will be a couple of 68/Mk5 diagrams 'some time this month'.

 

The favoured start for one of the diagrams that's been quoted several times though is 1E23, 05.56 from Liverpool Lime Street to Scarborough.  The stock for this in the current WTT is formed from 5E23, 04.12 Ardwick TMD to Liverpool Lime Street.  For the diagram to be switched to a 68/Mk5 we probably should keep watch for a STP or VSTP working, more likely from Longsight  where the 68s/Mk5s are based, or less likely but also possibly from Crewe where they've been outstationed when on driver training.

[DavidB-AU]

5E25 is currently scheduled to originate at Longsight on 26/8.

 

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y03034/2019/08/26/advanced

 

Cheers

David