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Class 800 - Updates


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I doubt that it is actually pollen, which is quite fine, but a highly likely candidate is the fluffy airborne seeds that are floating around at the moment. They're a problem I ran into on the Docklands trains back in the 1990s. The traction equipment used centrifugal filters (the name swirly-flow comes to mind) and whilst these were OK for most things, the fluffy seeds were too big to escape and just ended up clogging the filters. There wasn't a cure other than pulling the units in more frequently just to clear the stuff out of the filter banks.

 

Jim

I wonder if this is related to lineside vegetation control, the reduction in willing trains and general management, or lack thereof, of the lineside?

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Just caught my first 9 car IET, 17.00 departure from Paddington to Bristol, I thought this is usually 2 x 5 cars so has the diagram changed or is it due to availability?

Just caught my first 9 car IET, 17.00 departure from Paddington to Bristol, I thought this is usually 2 x 5 cars so has the diagram changed or is it due to availability?

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Just caught my first 9 car IET, 17.00 departure from Paddington to Bristol, I thought this is usually 2 x 5 cars so has the diagram changed or is it due to availability?

 

The set you are on was booked to work from North Pole to Paddington.

 

Yesterday the 14.56 up frpm Chippenham was due to be a 9-car, but two fives turned up.

 

Which set are you on?

 

Geoff Endacott

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The set you are on was booked to work from North Pole to Paddington.

 

Yesterday the 14.56 up frpm Chippenham was due to be a 9-car, but two fives turned up.

 

Which set are you on?

 

Geoff Endacott

No Idea, will look when I get off.

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Is that the old Royal Mail building?

 

They are not hanging about with that conversion, if it is.

I don't think so, it looks to be the opposite side near the old Avon Street yard

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Finally traveled in Standard Class on a 800 back form London yesterday,

Certainly the seats are not particularly comfortable, however it did feel like there was a lot more leg room than on the outbound HST.  The air conditioning didnt feel particularly good on a hot day (the circle line train was a better temperature!) 

 

On electric it certainly felt very rapid pulling out of Paddington.  Could have done without the unscheduled stop between Didcot and Swindon resulting in missing my connection back to Stonehouse.

Concur, although the cooling was better on my first 800 ride this week, Swindon to London.

Back same day on an HST.

Writing this on a Chiltern MK3....

Summary-

If you travel long distances and are looking forward to trying a new 800, I would advise that you buy a cushion or two and/or trips to your chiropractor.

It’s nice as an EMU, OK as a modern DMU, legroom is fine, but either way it is rotten hard to sit in for any length of time. Overheard commuters to Reading voicing agreement with this, and their journey is all of 20minutes-ish.

GWR seem to have countered the hard seats with their current service level, as lots have to stand.

Glad I reside in Chiltern country!

Whoever signed the seats off has consigned legions of travellers to unnecessary discomfort.

If those destined for the ECML simply have different seat covers, not extra padding, then they will suffer the same fate.

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There have been 2 5 car sets working the ECML last and this week. They are working Donny, York, Peterborough, Newark & Retford (at least) in various combinations. However I've only seen a couple at Retford, with one having Technicians from Japan on board and a couple of Azuma Depot staff seemingly?

ICBA to look at RTT to read the actual services but  here is a link:http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/RET/2018/07/12/0600-2000?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt    I see there was a Kings Cross working today as well.

I think the Units were 8002's? They have been working on both modes and with 'Panto' up at front or rear with some rear 'pushing' style.

P

Edited by Mallard60022
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I travelled on several IETs today with a Rover ticket; it would have been more but "old trains" kept turning up in the place of "new trains" to use Train Manager public address terminology.

 

None of the sets I had today had the new seat covers/extra padding, but I find the original seats fine albeit the furthest I did was Swindon to Cardiff. The reservations indicator lights and screens were blank more than they were working, although one train manged to have electronic and paper reservations (which didn't agree!) and which was announced on the platform as having no reservations! 

 

Set 800026 was interesting as it has different door steps. The step board is as usual, but the first bit actually inside appeared to be a flip-over ramp. I'm not sure what that was all about, and as it was busy at Bath Spa I couldn't get a photo.

 

I noted a few consecutive pairs running today, 9 & 10, 26 & 27, but the location of First Class is still a lottery, even the CIS screens and PA can't agree with each other on occasion!

 

I travelled in the motor composite coach for one journey, and it had a mere 9 passengers in the standard section. But the interesting thing to note was that of those 9 one was sitting with no view in the first seat in from the vestibule, another was sitting in a seat which was mainly pillar and another had chosen a seat which is two-thirds pillar, one-third window. Of the others two were at a table, and the rest of us happy in our window airline seats. A small sample, but a random snapshot suggests that, despite the many moans on here, people really aren't bothered about seats and windows lining up.

 

I'm off to try the GTi HST tomorrow; I just hope they do stop Camborne Fridays.

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There have been 2 5 car sets working the ECML last and this week. They are working Donny, York, Peterborough, Newark & Retford (at least) in various combinations. However I've only seen a couple at Retford, with one having Technicians from Japan on board and a couple of Azuma Depot staff seemingly?

ICBA to look at RTT to read the actual services but  here is a link:http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/RET/2018/07/12/0600-2000?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt    I see there was a Kings Cross working today as well.

I think the Units were 8002's? They have been working on both modes and with 'Panto' up at front or rear with some rear 'pushing' style.

P

 

 

The two units you saw are probably 800201 and 800202, the first of the 800/2s destined for use on the ECML.  

 

I understand that these are driver/staff training runs for LNER and as you indicated are operating at the moment between York and Peterborough, Newark and Retford.  There also appears to be a separate IEP working between Doncaster and London Kings Cross.  

 

Here are several views of the workings on 9th July 2018.

 

post-414-0-43018800-1531422782.jpg

 

post-414-0-07499200-1531422791.jpg

 

post-414-0-92702900-1531422807.jpg

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If you travel long distances and are looking forward to trying a new 800, I would advise that you buy a cushion or two and/or trips to your chiropractor.

It’s nice as an EMU, OK as a modern DMU, legroom is fine, but either way it is rotten hard to sit in for any length of time. Overheard commuters to Reading voicing agreement with this, and their journey is all of 20minutes-ish.

GWR seem to have countered the hard seats with their current service level, as lots have to stand.

Glad I reside in Chiltern country!

Whoever signed the seats off has consigned legions of travellers to unnecessary discomfort.

If those destined for the ECML simply have different seat covers, not extra padding, then they will suffer the same fate.

 

My first "long" journey (London to Cardiff) I found the seats uncomfortably hard after a while.

 

On a more recent journey (Cardiff to Reading via Gloucester, with delays, so actually longer) I found the seat more comfortable for some reason.

 

And as for "OK as a modern DMU" I would say the sound isolation from the diesel engines (OK generating units) is a lot more than "OK".

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Having noticed the occasional 9-car IET on the Western recently, I see that they are running using the leading pantograph, which makes an interesting contrast with the WCML Pendolino sets, where it is always the trailing pantograph that is used. I understood the logic for that was that if there was a dewirement or other damage to the pantograph, at least the leading one, by virtue of being lowered and ahead of the damage, could remain usable.

 

But the Western region/GWR always had to be different didnt they, maybe its just a continuation of that!

 

I suppose that depends on how they run on LNER...

 

Or maybe it's more to do with OHL instructions?

With the Cl.91/MkIV sets -91 loco one end, DVT the other -

 

When driving from the 91 end, so pan on leading vehicle, and loose the 'line light' (ie overhead power), so long as there's no unusual noises or movements of the overhead lines, 4 attempts can be made to 'Pan Up / Reset', which would lock out a defective traction motor, and failing that, Pan Down and coast to the nearest convenient location - next station or somewhere other trains can pass...

(Have done that fairly recently, from about 80mph approx 10 miles into Darlington)

 

From the DVT end, so pan on rear vehicle, it's one Pan Up / Reset attempt then stop and examine immediately.

 

Having a spare pan available, though seemingly a good idea (indeed EC/VTEC recently trialled a twin pan on a 91), however in event of dewirement / pan damage is rarely of use practically, either;

1. The wires are down in the section where you've stopped, so the other pan can't be put up, or the train's still caught up in the downed wires

2. The wires are down behind you, so the 'breakers will be out and unless while stopping you've past an OH neutral section even if you can put the other pan up there's no juice there

3. The remains of the damaged pan will usually be 'out of gauge', so you're standing waiting of fitters to attend to remove it - the case in both such incidents I've attended with  the 'Thunderbird'

(The 91 twin pan trial was abandoned a while ago, it's reverted to the normal single one)

Edited by Ken.W
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Or maybe it's more to do with OHL instructions?

With the Cl.91/MkIV sets -91 loco one end, DVT the other -

 

When driving from the 91 end, so pan on leading vehicle, and loose the 'line light' (ie overhead power), so long as there's no unusual noises or movements of the overhead lines, 4 attempts can be made to 'Pan Up / Reset', which would lock out a defective traction motor, and failing that, Pan Down and coast to the nearest convenient location - next station or somewhere other trains can pass...

(Have done that fairly recently, from about 80mph approx 10 miles into Darlington)

 

From the DVT end, so pan on rear vehicle, it's one Pan Up / Reset attempt then stop and examine immediately.

 

Having a spare pan available, though seemingly a good idea (indeed EC/VTEC recently trialled a twin pan on a 91), however in event of dewirement / pan damage is rarely of use practically, either;

1. The wires are down in the section where you've stopped, so the other pan can't be put up, or the train's still caught up in the downed wires

2. The wires are down behind you, so the 'breakers will be out and unless while stopping you've past an OH neutral section even if you can put the other pan up there's no juice there

3. The remains of the damaged pan will usually be 'out of gauge', so you're standing waiting of fitters to attend to remove it - the case in both such incidents I've attended with  the 'Thunderbird'

(The 91 twin pan trial was abandoned a while ago, it's reverted to the normal single one)

 

Understood.

 

But why on the continent are almost all electric locos fitted with at least 2 pans? Even the single voltage ones? They must find some advantage in having two, otherwise they wouldn't go to the expense of fitting & maintaining them.

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Understood.

 

But why on the continent are almost all electric locos fitted with at least 2 pans? Even the single voltage ones? They must find some advantage in having two, otherwise they wouldn't go to the expense of fitting & maintaining them.

I don't know about most European systems, but in France, all the locos that can operate under 1500vDC are fitted with two Pantographs. Both are used on starting to spread the current draw as the amperage is obviously higher under the lower voltage. You then see one of the pans drop when the train gets to about 10 mph.

 

Jamie

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Or maybe it's more to do with OHL instructions?

With the Cl.91/MkIV sets -91 loco one end, DVT the other -

 

When driving from the 91 end, so pan on leading vehicle, and loose the 'line light' (ie overhead power), so long as there's no unusual noises or movements of the overhead lines, 4 attempts can be made to 'Pan Up / Reset', which would lock out a defective traction motor, and failing that, Pan Down and coast to the nearest convenient location - next station or somewhere other trains can pass...

(Have done that fairly recently, from about 80mph approx 10 miles into Darlington)

 

From the DVT end, so pan on rear vehicle, it's one Pan Up / Reset attempt then stop and examine immediately.

 

Having a spare pan available, though seemingly a good idea (indeed EC/VTEC recently trialled a twin pan on a 91), however in event of dewirement / pan damage is rarely of use practically, either;

1. The wires are down in the section where you've stopped, so the other pan can't be put up, or the train's still caught up in the downed wires

2. The wires are down behind you, so the 'breakers will be out and unless while stopping you've past an OH neutral section even if you can put the other pan up there's no juice there

3. The remains of the damaged pan will usually be 'out of gauge', so you're standing waiting of fitters to attend to remove it - the case in both such incidents I've attended with  the 'Thunderbird'

(The 91 twin pan trial was abandoned a while ago, it's reverted to the normal single one)

 

So are you saying that the advantage of having the pantograph up on the leading vehicle is that the driver is more likely to be aware if it's taken the wires down?

 

I'd never thought of that but it makes sense.

 

Perhaps this is less applicable to a Pendolino since the pantographs are on intermediate vehicles.

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I travelled in the motor composite coach for one journey, and it had a mere 9 passengers in the standard section. But the interesting thing to note was that of those 9 one was sitting with no view in the first seat in from the vestibule, another was sitting in a seat which was mainly pillar and another had chosen a seat which is two-thirds pillar, one-third window. Of the others two were at a table, and the rest of us happy in our window airline seats. A small sample, but a random snapshot suggests that, despite the many moans on here, people really aren't bothered about seats and windows lining up.

 

I was sat in one of the seats with no view the other day (usual 17:00 scramble for seats) Adrian and was surprised how little window there was but didn't bother me as with the recent sun it was actually helpful as I could see my laptop screen better. As the train journey is a continuation of my working day, I never bother looking out of the window and rely on station announcements and jolts from thing like Wooton Bassett junction to work out where we are.

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