Greater Anglia's Stadler Flirt - Class 745 & 755

[russ p]

Its Victoria sidings that are coming back in service,  they used to hold withdrawn stock before scrapping. 

They will hold the new trains when I suggested to a GA manager that the sidings would still hold stock before scrapping he didn't seem impressed! 

There is so much stock on crown point you can hardly move

[Zomboid]

Taken literally, every siding outside places like the NRM is holding stock before scrapping...

[beast66606]

Bit of a flirty start to today.

 

13 August 2019

 

Eccles Road

755410 on 1K59, 06:33, Norwich - Cambridge (07:53) - first passenger working of a FLIRT on a Norwich - Cambridge service

 

then a new delivery

 

Gissing

66001, 755419, 755331, and 755330 on 5Q99, 03:43, Ripple Lane Exch Sdgs - Norwich C.PT. T.&R.S.M.D (08:23)

 

and finally catching 755410 returning from Cambridge

 

Eccles Road

755410 on 1K60, 08:09, Cambridge - Norwich (09:30) running on 13/08/2019

 

 

 

[Legend]

On ‎09‎/‎08‎/‎2019 at 16:14, wombatofludham said:

I wonder if anyone will be announcing a model of the Bionic Bunnies this year at Warley?  They are certainly one of the more distinctive trains on the network and with TfW having ordered Flirts for the Hwntw who won't be getting Supertrams, there's potentially more than one livery to come assuming they retain the same overall appearance.

 

Could be the kind of thing to create a buzz with younger modellers in the way Hornby used to do when they released models of the latest trains like APT and Class 58.

 I wonder that too .   Its a distinctive train , although they may want to actually see the TfW ones first in case they are markedly different to the Anglian ones . Even up in Scotland I might be tempted , just because it would be something different .  

[stivesnick]

Had a ride on one of the new trains today - 15.40 Norwich to Cambridge, the unit had worked in from Lowestoft. 

 

Most impressed by the quiet inside the coach and the acceleration. Having spent a lot of time on ironing board train seats on Class 700 units, these seats were much better. The only disappointment was that the driver did not reset the internal display so we had Norwich, this train terminates here on the display. Some photos enclosed. 

 

Anyone who wants to scratchbuild a model, should check out the roof detail first - difficult to take photos from the Cambridge North footbridge but the rood detail is complex with the diesel exhausts, 2 pantographs, air-con units etc.

 

Regards 

 

Nick 

 

 

[stivesnick]

With Photos....

 

 

[Coryton]

(Bit late, but I haven't had a chance to post until now....)

 

By a sheer fluke, I ended up on a FLIRT on the first day of operation. Lots of staff on board, with free drinks and biscuits, and commemorative phone charging leads being handed out!

 

We got on in Norwich quite early, and even got drinks brought to our seat.

 

The staff seem rightly proud of their news trains.

 

I'm very impressed - level boarding, engines tucked out of the way for a nice quiet ride. Big windows, decent seats - apparently they let customers try various options and went for the one they liked the most, despite being the most expensive.

 

The only real problem is a lack of luggage space, but that could be rectified quite quickly if the will was there.

 

Level access:

 

 

The walk-through engine compartment:

 

 

Looking forwards to getting these in Wales. Probably with less nice seats. But I believe we get more doors per carriage.

 

[uax6]

On the Norwich Cambridge service, are these units using the knitting between Ely and Cambridge?

 

Andy G

[Zomboid]

Those interior shots look superior to what passes for first class on some other trains.

I'm sure they won't be too everyone's liking (nothing ever is), but well done to GA for attempting to introduce a bit of quality to their offering.

[Zomboid]

1 minute ago, uax6 said:

On the Norwich Cambridge service, are these units using the knitting between Ely and Cambridge?

 

Andy G

Don't know about right now, but I'd expect them to in due course. They're supposedly going to arrive and depart Norwich on electric when heading on the Yarmouth direction route. Whether they'll go on the juice through Ely on the Ipswich - Peterborough run is another thing.

[beast66606]

5 minutes ago, uax6 said:

On the Norwich Cambridge service, are these units using the knitting between Ely and Cambridge?

 

Andy G

 

I don't think so as drivers are warned to lower the pans (by a sign) if taking the Brecklands at Norwich

Edited August 14, 2019 by beast66606

[russ p]

31 minutes ago, Coryton said:

(Bit late, but I haven't had a chance to post until now....)

 

By a sheer fluke, I ended up on a FLIRT on the first day of operation. Lots of staff on board, with free drinks and biscuits, and commemorative phone charging leads being handed out!

 

We got on in Norwich quite early, and even got drinks brought to our seat.

 

The staff seem rightly proud of their news trains.

 

I'm very impressed - level boarding, engines tucked out of the way for a nice quiet ride. Big windows, decent seats - apparently they let customers try various options and went for the one they liked the most, despite being the most expensive.

 

The only real problem is a lack of luggage space, but that could be rectified quite quickly if the will was there.

 

Level access:

 

 

The walk-through engine compartment:

 

 

Looking forwards to getting these in Wales. Probably with less nice seats. But I believe we get more doors per carriage.

 

 

 

 

Oh great a train that has all the interior  ambiance of an MRI scanner! 

And people like this because.......

[Coryton]

9 hours ago, russ p said:

 

 

 

Oh great a train that has all the interior  ambiance of an MRI scanner! 

And people like this because.......

 

I thought my other photograph answered that question.

 

Because you get step-free access onto the train.

 

It makes sense to me that in addition to providing step-free access to platforms, you shouldn't then need a ramp to get on the train itself.

 

There are a lot of new trains coming into service that don't have step-free access and I wonder if our collective appetite for this will remain for their expected lifetime, particularly in the case of the IETs.

 

 

 

 

[cunningduck]

Does the level access include an extendable ramp/step similar to a Pendolino?

Edited August 15, 2019 by cunningduck

[Coryton]

25 minutes ago, cunningduck said:

Does the level access include an extendable ramp/step similar to a Pendolino?

 

Yes - you can see that in my first photo.

 

The nearest yellow line is in the doorway, the further one is the far edge of the extendable 'shelf'

 

This doesn't fill the gap - in Great Yarmouth a few days ago they were testing out a portable ramp to bridge the gap to the platform, but it was a very lightweight (and level) affair.

 

(I got to wheel my bag over it - probably one of the first passengers ever to do so...)

[Titan]

10 hours ago, russ p said:

 

 

And people like this because.......

 

Just a hunch, but is it because it appears  to be much much better than anything else built in the last 10 years?

 

I rather like it. Nice big windows, spacious and airy, you don't get much of that in an MRI scanner...

Edited August 15, 2019 by Titan

[Coryton]

41 minutes ago, Titan said:

 

Just a hunch, but is it because it appears  to be much much better than anything else built in the last 10 years?

 

I rather like it. Nice big windows, spacious and airy, you don't get much of that in an MRI scanner...

 

I am certainly looking forward to commuting on them.

 

Though the Welsh ones might not have the same fit-out - I'll be impressed if we get such nice seats.

[Pete 75C]

Looking at the second photo in Coryton's post above, how wide is the corridor? It looks quite narrow, but I'm guessing it must be wide enough for a wheelchair or pushchair/pram? It reminds me of the old corridor Mk1 stock where two people wishing to pass would have to do a bit of a sideways turn and "crab" past each other.

[Zomboid]

27 minutes ago, Titan said:

Just a hunch, but is it because it appears  to be much much better than anything else built in the last 10 years?

Based on what we've seen so far, if they were being introduced on my line, I'd be doing cartwheels at the apparent quality of the interior.

 

(The passage through the engine module isn't much to get excited about, but that's not somewhere you'd expect to spend much time.)

 

These things are replacing 153s and 156s...

 

I expect the interior of the intercity EMU version to be similar, and they look entirely suitable for a journey lasting more than a couple of hours.

[Titan]

38 minutes ago, Pete 75C said:

Looking at the second photo in Coryton's post above, how wide is the corridor? It looks quite narrow, but I'm guessing it must be wide enough for a wheelchair or pushchair/pram? It reminds me of the old corridor Mk1 stock where two people wishing to pass would have to do a bit of a sideways turn and "crab" past each other.

 

35 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

The passage through the engine module isn't much to get excited about, but that's not somewhere you'd expect to spend much time.

 

I guess as long as there is a disabled loo in each half, the corridor only has to be wide enough to fit a catering trolley through.

[Joseph_Pestell]

3 minutes ago, Titan said:

 

 

I guess as long as there is a disabled loo in each half, the corridor only has to be wide enough to fit a catering trolley through.

 

I don't think that there is. They consider that disabled passengers are quite capable of getting into the right part of the train.

[Coryton]

43 minutes ago, Pete 75C said:

Looking at the second photo in Coryton's post above, how wide is the corridor? It looks quite narrow, but I'm guessing it must be wide enough for a wheelchair or pushchair/pram? It reminds me of the old corridor Mk1 stock where two people wishing to pass would have to do a bit of a sideways turn and "crab" past each other.

 

I cannot imagine that you would get a wheelchair through even if it coped with the step up somehow. Just passing someone would be difficult, I think.

 

There are only toilets in one carriage so a wheelchair user would need to board in the correct place (which if I recall correctly is clearly indicated).

 

It might be nice if the two loos were each in a different half of the train, but presumably having them together is easier from a technical and operational point of view.

 

 

 

 

[Coryton]

44 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

 

I expect the interior of the intercity EMU version to be similar, and they look entirely suitable for a journey lasting more than a couple of hours.

 

I have been told that the intercity version has inner vestibule doors, and internal ramps instead of steps so the trolley can get through.

 

And a narrow corridor on the inner ends of the central two coaches, housing equipment that is behind the cab at the other end of each half-set. (With a "passing" place at the gangway between the two coaches).

[admiles]

12 hours ago, russ p said:

 

 

 

Oh great a train that has all the interior  ambiance of an MRI scanner! 

And people like this because.......

 

Because a 153 has the interior ambiance of the Ritz I suppose?  Personally the Stadler units look rather good to me. Well done GA!

 

Times change, things move on whether you like it or not. Sure we'd all prefer EE power bolted to Mk2s but that was never going to last was it?

 

Or does your dislike spring solely from the fact they weren't built in the UK?  I rather suspect it is...

[Pete 75C]

18 minutes ago, admiles said:

 

Sure we'd all prefer EE power bolted to Mk2s but that was never going to last was it?

 

 

Can you imagine if they had never existed and were introduced, brand new, to today's travelling public? The outrage on social media...

The likes of us with our rose-tinted specs are not exactly a large target market of any TOC. The old stuff is great but it has little place on today's railway and no place at all on tomorrow's.