Class 230 into revenue service

[The Stationmaster]

So was a lot of Gresley's stock for the LNER, and Bombardier make trams as well as trains.

 

You could equally well say that trams are down market trains for running in the streets.

 

What matters is how passengers see the new Stadler trains as their means of getting from A to B. As long as they are comfortable enough, ride well and get them there on time, what's underneath is irrelevant.

 

Jim

 

But no doubt passengers will inevitably compare them with the refurbished Mk3s in just the same way as they compare Class 8XX trains with HSTs. (another thread seems to major on that ).  Anglia's refurb Mk 3s aren't bad vehicles in my limited experience of them and they are undeniably streets ahead of the way they were before refurbishing, fortunately.

[jim.snowdon]

It was said of the Ansaldo-built T68 cars for Manchester Metrolink, with some justification, that no two were the same.

 

Jim

[mdvle]

A session for the public discussing how the battery version of the Class 230 works has been posted on YouTube, specifically mentions that the suspension was redone shortly before retirement from London Underground

 

[Gordon Connell]

Now into passenger service: https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/news/europe/single-view/view/vivarail-d-train-enters-passenger-service.html

 

Gordon

[jim.snowdon]

Good for them. It's not something I would ever have thought would happen 40-odd years ago when I was involved in the testing of the first units of D78 stock.

 

Jim

[Pete the Elaner]

& to confirm the news article, I saw one in service last night.

[EddieB]

Obviously I picked the wrong time for a family visit to Bletchley Park last week - when the empty stock trials were cancelled and regular services still in the hands of class 150 dmus.  I saw reports this morning that 230004 was out again today.  Ho hum, I guess another trip is warranted!

[Mike Storey]

1 hour ago, EddieB said:

Obviously I picked the wrong time for a family visit to Bletchley Park last week - when the empty stock trials were cancelled and regular services still in the hands of class 150 dmus.  I saw reports this morning that 230004 was out again today.  Ho hum, I guess another trip is warranted!

 

Apparently the whole line was shut until 11.00 today due to a level crossing failure, so today was not the one to choose!

 

[EddieB]

5 hours ago, Mike Storey said:

 

Apparently the whole line was shut until 11.00 today due to a level crossing failure, so today was not the one to choose!

 

The failure only affected a few services between 07:30 and 11:00, which ran to/from Bletchley but were turned around at Ridgmont.

 

My understanding is that full service with 230s will start with the introduction of the Summer timetable from early next month. At present many of the staff still need to be trained on these units, so it’s not reliable to predict in advance which days they might be running. I’m holding off the prospect of a return visit for the time being.

[Christopher125]

These videos really show what a good job they've done with the inside and just how unobtrusive the diesel engines are - as soon as they get going it's just like being in an EMU, as as I think one passenger can be heard remarking.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2019 by Christopher125

[lmsforever]

Great vidios the units are very well made light airy and decent seats like the info panels and Rigmont station will have try and go on the line perhaps with my new U3A railway group.

[woodenhead]

Excellent videos

 

Any truth in the Viva rail up cycled tilting  bi-mode 142s for the MML or ex MerseyRail 508s for Cross Country.

[Mike Storey]

Excellent video - many thanks. They really look and sound much better than many of us believed would be the case.

 

Just one thing - someone else remarked on the slow speed of the door release. Did that seem to be a problem?

 

[Zomboid]

14 hours ago, lmsforever said:

Great vidios the units are very well made light airy and decent seats like the info panels and Rigmont station will have try and go on the line perhaps with my new U3A railway group.

The seats look like those unpadded ironing boards that just about everything is being fitted with these days. So I wouldn't criticise the 230s specifically about that, but nor would I describe them as "decent".

 

Looks smart though. Kind of shows that the age of the body shell is not really that critical to whether a train is a nice environment.

 

I hope they turn out to be a success. If they're actually noticeably cheaper then brand new then they could be useful in a lot of places.

[caradoc]

On 25/04/2019 at 14:27, Christopher125 said:

These videos really show what a good job they've done with the inside and just how unobtrusive the diesel engines are - as soon as they get going it's just like being in an EMU, as as I think one passenger can be heard remarking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting, but let's hope Chris Grayling and the DfT don't hear this !

 

[Nearholmer]

Made a small tour de Marston Vale on Tuesday afternoon, cycling in one direction, and catching the train back. 

 

Unfortunately, the train I happened to catch was the 153, which was fairly busy, and already at its theoretical capacity limit (=2) for bikes, when I got there. Fortunately, the guard applied common sense and let me on. The 153 is a bit tatty inside, and seems to make hard work of not going very far, quite slowly.

 

The 230 was on the opposite diagram, so I need to try again!

 

Best 'line-side feature' is the display of 1970s BR advertising posters at Millbrook (I think) ....... so recent, but such a long time ago.

[TravisM]

Saw 230004 today at Bedford and I must admit that I’m pretty impressed with the end result.  The unit looked clean and fresh (as it should be) but what impressed me the most was as it pulled away, the power unit was quiet and though they used the same traction motors, it still sounded as it did on LT.

[Nearholmer]

"......  the power unit was quiet and though they used the same traction motors, it still sounded as it did on LT."

 

I'd thoroughly agree that it is pretty quiet, certainly making a lot less fuss and bother than the 153, but it doesn't have the same DC motors as it did on LU; it has AC motors now.

 

 

Edited May 9, 2019 by Nearholmer

[Zomboid]

I'd expect them to be quiet, properly silencing automotive engines is very well understood these days. If your new car made as much noise as most modern DMUs you'd be straight to the garage.

[mikejames]

I would be interested to know if there are any figures for 'reliability' in service yet.

 

The next lot are due for north wales which is 'my patch' 

hence the interest

 

regards

mike j

 

[Zomboid]

One unit in the first few weeks after introduction isn't going to provide any meaningful statistics on reliability, either good or bad.

 

It'll be interesting to see how the engines fare in particular, being automotive technology. 

[Davexoc]

On 12/05/2019 at 15:53, Zomboid said:

One unit in the first few weeks after introduction isn't going to provide any meaningful statistics on reliability, either good or bad.

 

It'll be interesting to see how the engines fare in particular, being automotive technology. 

Well they're still going. This is 230005 I think, crossing the A5 heading into Fenny Stratford this evening.

In fact on Monday I crossed the level crossings four times and was stopped three times by 230s, two were definitely the same unit though.

 

[Davexoc]

Reported in our local rag this week that earlier during the summer, they were suffering from overheating problems due to pollen blocking the air filters. Daily checks on filters were initiated and more spare motor-gen sets made available. One unit failed at Bedford some time ago with some important LNWR people onboard, so I guess the problems are being ironed out...

[Nearholmer]

If you see one of the "first generation" gensets close-up, it isn't difficult to understand why cooling is a challenge, but I know that Vivarail were working on some serious improvements in that area well over a year ago, so they may well be onto "second generation" (or beyond) by now.

 

Returned from a bike ramble round the Vale on one not long ago, and they continue to impress me with their quietness and general electric-trainness. Bike space is a bit "make it up as you go along" so might become contentious in the "rush hour", but that would be my only minor gripe. 

 

I put my bike in the space intended for a wheelchair, which is ideal, unless, of course, a wheelchair user needs it. There is another space opposite, which I think is where bikes are meant to go, but that has no means to secure a bike that I could find - the most bike-friendly trains have a bar and a sort of belt that fits round the bike to keep it from falling over or zooming-off down the carriage, and I now carry a short bungee cord in my pannier for use on those that don't have a belt.

 

 

Edited September 28, 2019 by Nearholmer

[08221]

230005 at Bletchley forming the 11:01 to Bedford on Saturday 28 September 2019.