Jump to content
 

Greater Anglia's Stadler Flirt - Class 745 & 755


Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Premium
17 hours ago, beast66606 said:

 

Basil 009 entered service on the 07:40, Norwich - Liv. St. today - I photographed it on it's first Northbound service run.

 

It's time like this I wish I lived down south. As a northerner I'm missing out seeing the introduction of the new FLIRTs, not to mention them occasionally been hauled by ROG 37s. Thank goodness for sites like RMWeb in which I can follow the introduction and information surrounding such units. 

 

Pleased that you got to photograph it on it's first northbound run and thanks for letting us know that it's now entered service as well. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Sat at Ely yesterday waiting for a Lynn line train, and one of the basils came in to go to Norwich. It arrived on the juice, and I watched the changeover to diesel. I was quite surprised that the pan dropped (with a zap) before the first engine started. Then the other engines were started one at a time. The noise with all four running was unexpectedly loud. Another thing that struck me was the exhaust ports. Not only are they huge (l’d say at least 8 inches if not more) they were sort of angled in such a way to throw the gases towards the platform....

The changeover was quick, the station stop didn’t seem much longer than about a minute.

 

Andy g

  • Like 1
  • Informative/Useful 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

90015 becomes the first victim of the new order - it finishes with GA after working back to Norwich tonight.

 

Another rake of Mk3s is off to Newport tomorrow AM for conversion to razor blades.

  • Thanks 1
  • Informative/Useful 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
22 minutes ago, beast66606 said:

90015 becomes the first victim of the new order - it finishes with GA after working back to Norwich tonight.

 

Another rake of Mk3s is off to Newport tomorrow AM for conversion to razor blades.

 

I know its supposedly progress but it does saddens me that all this perfectly serviceable stock is off to the breakers yards .

I took a rake to the mid Norfolk today and it felt awful walking through the train and thinking no one would ever ride in it again 

Hopefully the 90s will have years yet working for freightliner and LSL and quite a few coaches will get taken into charter fleets or preserved 

  • Like 1
  • Agree 3
  • Friendly/supportive 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
21 minutes ago, beast66606 said:

90015 becomes the first victim of the new order - it finishes with GA after working back to Norwich tonight.

 

Another rake of Mk3s is off to Newport tomorrow AM for conversion to razor blades.

 

Thank you very much for posting this. I was unaware until now. 

 

I have to say I am gutted to see the MK3s, DVTs and 90s go from GA. I wonder when 90015 will go to Freightliner? I also wonder if the ex GA 90s will go to Freightliner separately, one by one, or if for example a few are dispatched to Freightliner at a time. It will be interesting to see how the cascading pans out. 

 

Not more MK3s for scrap. So we now have FGW, GWR, LNER & GA MK3s going for scrap. Pretty devastating that so many are destined for scrap. Is it DRS 37401 or 37402 doing the honours for the final move? It was 401 wasn't it for the first ex GA batch for scrap the other week?

 

Thank you. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
2 minutes ago, DRS Crewe On A Mission said:

 

Thank you very much for posting this. I was unaware until now. 

 

I have to say I am gutted to see the MK3s, DVTs and 90s go from GA. I wonder when 90015 will go to Freightliner? I also wonder if the ex GA 90s will go to Freightliner separately, one by one, or if for example a few are dispatched to Freightliner at a time. It will be interesting to see how the cascading pans out. 

 

Not more MK3s for scrap. So we now have FGW, GWR, LNER & GA MK3s going for scrap. Pretty devastating that so many are destined for scrap. Is it DRS 37401 or 37402 doing the honours for the final move? It was 401 wasn't it for the first ex GA batch for scrap the other week?

 

Thank you. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

 

401

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
3 minutes ago, russ p said:

 

I know its supposedly progress but it does saddens me that all this perfectly serviceable stock is off to the breakers yards .

I took a rake to the mid Norfolk today and it felt awful walking through the train and thinking no one would ever ride in it again 

Hopefully the 90s will have years yet working for freightliner and LSL and quite a few coaches will get taken into charter fleets or preserved 

 

I completely agree with you. 

 

Out of interest do you know the stock numbers of what you took to the MNR today? I'm assuming you used 37401 or 37402? 

 

Yes, it's good to see the 90s getting a new lease of life and it should be for several years to replace some/all of the 86s. LSL are expanding their coaching stock fleet quite considerably at the moment with the addition of ex Caledonian Sleeper MK2s & MK3s and ex LNER MK3s, so again as you say that's also good news.  

 

Thank you. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
19 minutes ago, DRS Crewe On A Mission said:

 

I completely agree with you. 

 

Out of interest do you know the stock numbers of what you took to the MNR today? I'm assuming you used 37401 or 37402? 

 

Yes, it's good to see the 90s getting a new lease of life and it should be for several years to replace some/all of the 86s. LSL are expanding their coaching stock fleet quite considerably at the moment with the addition of ex Caledonian Sleeper MK2s & MK3s and ex LNER MK3s, so again as you say that's also good news.  

 

Thank you. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Danny. 

 

Sorry  Danny I don't have a record of what the numbers were

I was on 402 on the front and my mate on 401 on the back 

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

If I recall correctly, Mk3s, don't take well to storage so if no-one wants them, what else is there to do with them - it costs leasing companies to store carriages no-one is using and may never use.

 

There is now a over supply of 40 year old carriages.

  • Agree 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
3 hours ago, russ p said:

 

401

 

Thanks for letting us know. At least they get a ride behind one of DRS' finest on their final move. 

 

3 hours ago, russ p said:

 

Sorry  Danny I don't have a record of what the numbers were

I was on 402 on the front and my mate on 401 on the back 

 

No worries and thanks for letting us know. Nice to hear that today's move was top and tail 37s. I have to say you are very fortunate driving the 37s, especially for DRS. What I would do to have your job. I mean I think playing with the OO versions is brilliant but you have the experience level. 

 

How super do 401 & 402 look in Large Logo by the way!

 

2 hours ago, woodenhead said:

If I recall correctly, Mk3s, don't take well to storage so if no-one wants them, what else is there to do with them - it costs leasing companies to store carriages no-one is using and may never use.

 

There is now a over supply of 40 year old carriages.

 

You are right, it just seems like a strange think to admit. 

 

Most of us are well aware of how much work and money that needs to be spent on them to bring them up to 2020 compliant standards. It's just hard to think that most weeks we now have at least one or sometimes two coaching stock moves for scrap and not just coaches that are maybe more worn or even damaged when compared to others but rakes of six coaches at a time in most cases, which can't all be that bad. 

 

I know that the railway does need to move forward but at what point do we think that this what I would call 'scrap anything' malarkey is just stupidity? I just can't help but think that the operating companies and government should be utilising such stock in a better way. No doubt it isn't cost effective but it still seems like a waste to have so many coaches scrapped. 

  • Like 1
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, beast66606 said:

90015 becomes the first victim of the new order - it finishes with GA after working back to Norwich tonight.

 

Another rake of Mk3s is off to Newport tomorrow AM for conversion to razor blades.

Snapped at Norwich this morning. Very sad. Was surprised to see they had been de-branded to go to scrap though? 

 

scrap.jpg

  • Like 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Great Moulton

12 March 2020

37401, Mary Queen of Scots, on 5Z37, 08:42, Norwich C.PT. T.&R.S.M.D - Newport Docks (simsgroup) (15:28) - coaches for scrap (12013, 12109, 12060, 10402, 12040 and 12066)

 

DAS852846.jpg.8cf9890569ff131f6f81239548888ef7.jpg

  • Like 11
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
13 minutes ago, beast66606 said:

Great Moulton

12 March 2020

37401, Mary Queen of Scots, on 5Z37, 08:42, Norwich C.PT. T.&R.S.M.D - Newport Docks (simsgroup) (15:28) - coaches for scrap (12013, 12109, 12060, 10402, 12040 and 12066)

 

DAS852846.jpg.8cf9890569ff131f6f81239548888ef7.jpg

 

Excellent photo. Farewell old friends...

 

On a more positive note DRS are keeping the 37s going. I never imagined that we would still see some in traffic in 2020. 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, DRS Crewe On A Mission said:

 

Excellent photo. Farewell old friends...

 

On a more positive note DRS are keeping the 37s going. I never imagined that we would still see some in traffic in 2020. 

Only hope Sims do a better job executing these than the executioner did for Mary Queen of Scots. 

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, carlgoss said:

Only hope Sims do a better job executing these than the executioner did for Mary Queen of Scots. 

 

From what I know of Sims in Newport, the carriages won't be there long. They're the proud owner of "the biggest metal shredder in the world", or at least they used to be. I reckon those Mk3s will be mere fragments in days...

 

 

Sims Metal.jpg

  • Like 3
  • Informative/Useful 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

I'll miss the flexibility of a swiftly changed out traction/stock package, but like eggs is eggs, dealing with the foibles of aging stock becomes increasingly frustrating. Especially to those of us that'd like an on time railway when we need it.

I'll not miss the increasingly tatty stock nor the frequently on less than full compliment of traction motor powered locomotives. 

 

Otoh, might've been nice if Abellio didn't dick about bringing in third party software for new trains that should've worked out of the box. But there you are. 

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Classsix T said:

Otoh, might've been nice if Abellio didn't dick about bringing in third party software for new trains that should've worked out of the box. But there you are. 

 

Ooooo! the feline is sprinting away from the bag!! :diablo_mini:

  • Funny 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, beast66606 said:

Great Moulton

12 March 2020

37401, Mary Queen of Scots, on 5Z37, 08:42, Norwich C.PT. T.&R.S.M.D - Newport Docks (simsgroup) (15:28) - coaches for scrap (12013, 12109, 12060, 10402, 12040 and 12066)

 

DAS852846.jpg.8cf9890569ff131f6f81239548888ef7.jpg

 

Pleased they cleaned the coaches before sending them for scrap, unlike the units transferred to other operators:rolleyes:

 

IMG_20200120_124922723.jpg.5f4df2f8667e0b7bc9fa0bc4fbccac28.jpg

  • Like 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

Seeing all the old stuff going to scrap just makes you pine for comfortable seating and a proper restaurant car that made you want to go by train! Now I just go by train if I really have to. The new stock reflects that enough people really have to.

  • Like 2
  • Agree 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
10 hours ago, DRS Crewe On A Mission said:

 

Excellent photo. Farewell old friends...

 

On a more positive note DRS are keeping the 37s going. I never imagined that we would still see some in traffic in 2020. 

I never really imagined that 37's would outlive mk3's.

  • Agree 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, beast66606 said:

Great Moulton

12 March 2020

37401, Mary Queen of Scots, on 5Z37, 08:42, Norwich C.PT. T.&R.S.M.D - Newport Docks (simsgroup) (15:28) - coaches for scrap (12013, 12109, 12060, 10402, 12040 and 12066)

 

12013 was one of the Edinburgh-Glasgow push-pull Mk3s until ...erm... about 30 years ago.

 

Makes you realise how old some of these Mk3s are - the early HST trailers will be nearer 50 years than 40 now.

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Suzie said:

Seeing all the old stuff going to scrap just makes you pine for comfortable seating and a proper restaurant car that made you want to go by train! Now I just go by train if I really have to. The new stock reflects that enough people really have to.

Yeah dead right.. I remember when you could enjoy a proper meal in the restaurant. Good food too. Those chefs did a great job in the old restaurant cars. Do you remember the swing door that said 'first class passengers only'.. although as long as you had a meal they would let you sit in there> Woe the cafe bar!

 

Edited by carlgoss
Link to post
Share on other sites

I had a great restaurant car lunch on the GEML once (didn't usually need to go that way, so only once). I think it was when 'one' were the operator. Though I was just about on my own in the carriage, and there were many broken glasses when we clattered through Stratford...

 

I can understated why those days are pretty much over, but it's a shame.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...