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Greater Anglia's Stadler Flirt - Class 745 & 755


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26 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

I think the colour of the (usually LED) lighting used these days is more of an issue than the absolute brightness. And it's certainly not limited to one type of train, or even just trains - modern car headlights are a scourge...

I'll take modern LED headlights over candle like halogens (not to mention Tungsten bulbs) any day. Means you can actually see where you're going.

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The whiteness of most LED lamps is not inevitable. It is just that they are the bulk of production in the world because many warmer countries like them and anyway, I think, they are cheaper to produce. It is perfectly possible to get warm white LEDs.

Not a driver but I agree that when I am travelling as a passenger it is often difficult to see anything except the oncoming headlights. I assume (hope) this is not a problem for train drivers!

Jonathan

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The railway round here is completely unreliable at the moment you dare not turn up for a train and expect it to turn up 

Spoke to a mate about possibly going to Peterborough on Saturday but both agreed that the  train isn't reliable enough to use

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I should hope that there's a pretty cast iron clause in the contract that Stadler are receiving fiscal penalties, possibly off setting delay repay compensation costs etc. 

 

Another on the 16:29 NMT-SMK tonight, smooth riding units, dunno what they're like through Claydon at 90 yet though, my acid test for GEML ride quality. 86 hauled Mk1 buffets were, "lively"!

 

C6T. 

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4 hours ago, admiles said:

I'll take modern LED headlights over candle like halogens (not to mention Tungsten bulbs) any day. Means you can actually see where you're going.

 

There's nothing wrong with halogens, assuming you're not exceeding the speed limit or your own driving ability. Hate LED headlights. Total overkill, but hey, they look cool, so that's ok then.

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14 hours ago, russ p said:

The railway round here is completely unreliable at the moment you dare not turn up for a train and expect it to turn up 

Spoke to a mate about possibly going to Peterborough on Saturday but both agreed that the  train isn't reliable enough to use

 

14 Cancellations (so far) this morning and Ipswich / Peterborough is hit hard again.

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38 minutes ago, beast66606 said:

 

14 Cancellations (so far) this morning and Ipswich / Peterborough is hit hard again.

Three consecutive departures from Lowestoft cancelled on the East Suffolk line this morning (0614, 0641, 0727) by the look of it amongst those, as one (0641) is being started from Saxmundham (and doesn't appear in their "cancellations" list!), so that is near enough a 4 hour gap in the up line timetable north of Saxmundham.

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This seems to happen quite often - trains go off to their new homes before their replacements have had the initial commissioning troubles dealt with.

Happened with 800s on GWR I seem to recall, and also in Scotland with the 385 introduction. The people who put these plans together never seem to learn...

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20 hours ago, Zomboid said:

By dazzling the people coming the other way. It's probably an issue of setup, but I don't feel safer knowing that I can hardly see anything other than the oncoming headlights.


Getting off topic here but according to my optician the dazzle caused by vehicle headlights is more to do with the positioned height as more vehicles such as SUV and 4X4 ride higher on the road surface.

 

But returning to the subject of trains,I thought the Swiss were a byword for reliability.Or is it that new technology is too complex for the ordinary mortal to adapt to readily ? Hope the glitches are sorted soon for everyone’s sake.

 

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37 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

This seems to happen quite often - trains go off to their new homes before their replacements have had the initial commissioning troubles dealt with.

Happened with 800s on GWR I seem to recall, and also in Scotland with the 385 introduction. The people who put these plans together never seem to learn...

The problem is very simple.  Nowadays in most cases (presumably the same for the Flirts?) trains, including sets such as the IETs, are required to complete 1,000 miles of fault free running before they are accepted.  There might also be other criteria imposed by the  finance house - for example Eurostar UK Class 373s had to complete a trip through the Channel Tunnel under their own power before the finance house involved would sign off with the lease company that the train was 'delivered' (part way through and then back out under their own power was I believe acceptable as long as they had gone at least half way through the tunnel before returning).

 

That then takes you to two things.  Firstly a need to define what 'fault free' might mean (for example on an IET the reservation system software is presumably not essential for the train to actually run).  Secondly there is a major difference between running round empty and then running in passenger service because all sorts of things can, and usually will, emerge the instant you put passengers in your shiny new train (e.g it needs some sort of reservation system, or passengers use the toilets - and so on).  

 

Thus everyday service entry can be a very different thing from running around empty building up mileage.  The best way to deal with this, although expensive (hence it is popular on SNCF who love spending money)is to engage in 'shadow running' in which new types of trains are brought in gradually by first running as extras but carrying passengers - perhaps initially with invited guests then moving on to being open to the public (maybe even on normal timetabled trains).  But it needs to also be done on a gradual build up basis public service so you don't go mad flooding all your new sets into service but operate with a high percentage of spares (SNCF start with 100% spares!) to try to ensure you will always provide a train once they're in timetabled service and then gradually reduce the spares percentage.  Doing it this way is expensive but at least you should be able to run your timetabled trains once you introduce your new fleet to public service.  And of course what you don't do is drive your introduction rate for new trains by the rate at which the displaced trains have to be cascaded.

 

Most modern trains are highly software dependent and you will only find some of the software bugs once the train is in service (another reason for having spare capacity) but then you need to get your software updates performed in a way which at least matches your service use build-up of the fleet.  If you don't then you can end up cancelling trains.

 

I don't see new trains having problems once they enter public service as particularly unusual nowadays because of their complexity and that heavy reliance on software. But what it does mean is that service entry has to be managed in a different way and it will probably be more costly if you want reliability.

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22 hours ago, Zomboid said:

By dazzling the people coming the other way. It's probably an issue of setup, but I don't feel safer knowing that I can hardly see anything other than the oncoming headlights.

 Personally I much prefer them, they actually provide decent light. 

 

Unlikely to be a set up issue as they're not user changeable and are self adjusting unlike halogen bulbs which can be put in the headlight unit incorrectly which affects the beam pattern causing dazzling, etc.

 

I do find bright white LED lights on bicycles to be a problem sometimes though.

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18 hours ago, Pete 75C said:

 

There's nothing wrong with halogens, assuming you're not exceeding the speed limit or your own driving ability. Hate LED headlights. Total overkill, but hey, they look cool, so that's ok then.

 

I beg to differ. Try driving an R56 generation Mini fitted with halogens for example. Absolutely lethal.

 

It's nothing to do with looking cool. It's about seeing where you're going! Lot's of dark Suffolk country lanes where I am. LED and Xenon headlight have been a godsend.

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2 hours ago, Zomboid said:

The people who put these plans together never seem to learn...

"Newbie's" with little or no experience perhaps?

 

PS - I should add that this is not a criticism of any particular individual, just an observation on my part  - we have all been "new with little or no experience" at some point in our lives.

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4 hours ago, admiles said:

 

I beg to differ. Try driving an R56 generation Mini fitted with halogens for example. Absolutely lethal.

 

It's nothing to do with looking cool. It's about seeing where you're going! Lot's of dark Suffolk country lanes where I am. LED and Xenon headlight have been a godsend.

 

We will have to agree to disagree. Sick and tired of being dazzled by them in the wet - they're way too bright.

 

Back on topic - I know in my little neck of the woods (Bittern line), social media dissent is growing amidst all the late-running and cancellations. A particular bugbear is the termination of trains at Cromer to try and get them back on time. Not hugely helpful for those of us that live beyond Cromer. Those that were vocal against the old 153s and 156s are now moaning their loss, as they were at least generally reliable. It would seem that you can't please anyone any of the time...

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7 minutes ago, Pete 75C said:

 

We will have to agree to disagree. Sick and tired of being dazzled by them in the wet - they're way too bright.

 

Back on topic - I know in my little neck of the woods (Bittern line), social media dissent is growing amidst all the late-running and cancellations. A particular bugbear is the termination of trains at Cromer to try and get them back on time. Not hugely helpful for those of us that live beyond Cromer. Those that were vocal against the old 153s and 156s are now moaning their loss, as they were at least generally reliable. It would seem that you can't please anyone any of the time...

…. and the other adage, "be careful what you wish for!"

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55 minutes ago, Pete 75C said:

 

We will have to agree to disagree. Sick and tired of being dazzled by them in the wet - they're way too bright.

 

Back on topic - I know in my little neck of the woods (Bittern line), social media dissent is growing amidst all the late-running and cancellations. A particular bugbear is the termination of trains at Cromer to try and get them back on time. Not hugely helpful for those of us that live beyond Cromer. Those that were vocal against the old 153s and 156s are now moaning their loss, as they were at least generally reliable. It would seem that you can't please anyone any of the time...

 

I'm fairly sure GA wouldn't have wished the transition to the new fleet to go as it has but as they've been told (apparently) when the old units must leave their a bit powerless to do much about it. Now a case of getting on with it and getting the new units in service asap.

 

Pretty much every new train fleet has teething problems on introduction. Once the new fleet settles down the extra capacity should be welcome

though East Anglia will be rather barren from a enthusiasts point of view.

Edited by admiles
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