D78 stock / Class 484 on test runs at Ryde Esplanade / Ryde Pier.

[45669]

Afternoon All,

By a stroke of luck, I was in the right place at the right time yesterday and got a bit of video footage of one of Vivarail's new SWR Class 484s doing some test runs / driver training on the Isle of Wight. If you'd like to have a look, it's now on my YouTube channel:

 

I spoke to one of Vivarail's staff and he was quite confident that the opening date of the 1st November should be achieved.

Hope it's of interest.

 

TTFN,

Ron.

[keefer]

Latest news is covered in this existing thread (link to current last page):

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/108784-iow-light-rail-conversion-proposed/page/42/#comments

 

(Only posted in case you didn't realise there was already a thread )

 

[45669]

43 minutes ago, keefer said:

Latest news is covered in this existing thread (link to current last page):

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/108784-iow-light-rail-conversion-proposed/page/42/#comments

 

(Only posted in case you didn't realise there was already a thread )

 

 

No, I hadn't seen that thread, although it talks about a light rail conversion.

[mdvle]

3 hours ago, 45669 said:

 

No, I hadn't seen that thread, although it talks about a light rail conversion.

 

It started out as that, but then progressed to discussing the move to the new trains and the upgrades to the infrastructure for them and now has pictures/videos of the new stock.

Edited October 2, 2021 by mdvle

[Wickham Green too]

Looking at that 'new' stock, I can't determine whether the light grey doors within dark grey bodyside are for visually impaired passengers and the dark grey doors within light grey bodyside are for the rest of us  -  or vice-versa.

 

( I guess the same problem occurs with anything else in that wonderful livery.)

[mdvle]

6 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

Looking at that 'new' stock, I can't determine whether the light grey doors within dark grey bodyside are for visually impaired passengers and the dark grey doors within light grey bodyside are for the rest of us  -  or vice-versa.

 

??

 

Why would you think visually impaired passengers get "special" doors?

 

The requirement is for contrasting colours, which all 4 doors have - albeit more a case of following the letter of the rule than the spirit given that I think they could have done better to differentiate the doors from the general pattern of colours on the bodyside.

[phil_sutters]

2 hours ago, mdvle said:

 

??

 

Why would you think visually impaired passengers get "special" doors?

 

The requirement is for contrasting colours, which all 4 doors have - albeit more a case of following the letter of the rule than the spirit given that I think they could have done better to differentiate the doors from the general pattern of colours on the bodyside.

That type of dazzle paint job was clearly inspired by this WW1 monitor. That was devised to confuse the enemy and I think the 484 will confuse the visually impaired. Why grey and grey? The interior design world seems obsessed with every shade of grey, why do trains on a holiday island need to be such boring colours. Bring back the dinosaurs, I say.

[45669]

It's a pity Stagecoach didn't continue with South West Trains and their colourful livery.  It would have looked nice on the D78 stock.  Even the London Transport silver livery would be better than the horrid SWR livery.

[Wickham Green too]

Let's face it, pretty well anything would look better ................ apart, perhaps, from some of the horrors inflicted on the 319s over the years !!?!