Vivarail files intention to appoint administrators

[Pacific231G]

On 05/12/2022 at 11:27, Nearholmer said:

There was a GWR auto train based at the Chinnor line, not sure if it’s still there, but that would be perfect for the job and I can’t imagine that adding coaling and watering facilities would be that complex. ;-)

I rode in the auto coach a couple of months ago but I don't think it was still fitted as I was in what would have been the cab.  There was a working autotrain on the Wallingford line a few years ago and I think Didcot also have one. 

[Pacific231G]

On 05/12/2022 at 09:21, adb968008 said:

Ive noticed since the BBC went to Manchester its been much less Waitrose / M&S and much more “how to live a week off a penny”. Stuart Rose must be really missing his appearance fees.

 

The move north has really changed BBC from glass half full to glass half empty reporting. It can be very depressing watching BBC.

 

You may have nothing in your pocket, but its still more inspiring to look at a cloud in a blue sky, then looking down for weeds on a grey pavement.

 

 

You have to look down at the weeds to avoid being tripped up by the broken paving stones. Do they get many blue skies in Manchester?  🤣

 

In the late 1980s-early 1990s I made a number of "how to live a week off a penny" type programmes at the BBC and I was based in W. London. That was though when the best way to get out of poverty was to get a job; we didn't hear much about in-work poverty.  The move to Salford was largely foisted on the BBC by the government but I think the depressing viewing probably has more to do with the state of the country and its economy than the location of production staff.  It was in any case the departments with less internal political clout like sport, children's, learning, and religion that moved to Salford. The production centre that really lost out was Birmingham. 

[Nearholmer]

There was a working one on a long visit last year, and may still be there., and it was operating ‘properly’.

 

Its the car that I have a tin model of, one of the short-length ones.

 

 

[lmsforever]

Thanks for showing our line the camera views really showed how lovely the countryside is ,the cricket club adds to  the ambiance of the rolling stock and stations.  The members work very hard to keep it as good as possible and one day we will get to the A40 as Watlington is not possible.So come and see us everybody is freindly and our cream teas are fantastic,I am not biased just glad to be a member {used to be on the tuesday gang} .Chris

[Bernard Lamb]

16 minutes ago, lmsforever said:

Thanks for showing our line the camera views really showed how lovely the countryside is ,the cricket club adds to  the ambiance of the rolling stock and stations.  The members work very hard to keep it as good as possible and one day we will get to the A40 as Watlington is not possible.So come and see us everybody is freindly and our cream teas are fantastic,I am not biased just glad to be a member {used to be on the tuesday gang} .Chris

The flap jack is not bad either. It gave me enough energy to ride home without another stop, even if I went straight up the hill. Not been post pandemic but hope to visit in the spring.

Bernard

[KeithMacdonald]

On 26/11/2022 at 17:25, Jim Martin said:

..) have been refurbished multiple times but are increasingly knackered nevertheless. 

 

In my confusion, I had to read that several times before I realised it says what it says.

 

Not (as I first though)

Quote

I have been refurbished multiple times but are increasingly knackered nevertheless. 

 

[Jim Martin]

3 minutes ago, KeithMacdonald said:

 

In my confusion, I had to read that several times before I realised it says what it says.

 

Not (as I first though)

 

Sadly, both are true. As I tell the Divine Mrs M, my body is a temple: specifically, it's in ruins.

[papagolfjuliet]

Announced this morning that Vivarail's Adrian Shooter has passed away. He had been suffering from motor neurone disease for some time.

[Nearholmer]

That is very sad indeed. He was one of the few really, really gifted and generous-spirited very senior railway managers.

[russ p]

7 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

That is very sad indeed. He was one of the few really, really gifted and generous-spirited very senior railway managers.

 

Probably the last BR manager still in high office.  What a shame 

RIP Adrian 

[papagolfjuliet]

The last, and by all accounts the nicest. A proper railwayman of the old school.

[Mike_Walker]

I had the pleasure of meeting Adrian on many occasions both professionally and socially and he really was one of the finest you could wish to meet.  A superb manager who was genuinely respected by his staff who would always be prepared to go the extra mile for him - something that is sadly no longer the case at Arriva controlled Chiltern.  He will be greatly missed across both the national industry and the heritage sector.  At the recent naming ceremony of 168001, his last public appearance I think, one of the Chiltern drivers called out: "this man is a legend" which pretty much sums up how he was thought of.

 

RIP, Adrian.

[big jim]

I’m genuinely quite teary hearing about mr shooter, an absolute gentleman and a pleasure to work for whilst at chiltern, always had time for a chat 

 

had the pleasure of going to his final staff funday at his house in the heyfords and riding his Darjeeling inspired garden railway with him at the helm, an impressive set up!

 

 

[The Stationmaster]

Very good, albeit with an interesting gap, obituary for AS in yesterday's 'Daily Telegraph'.

[Nova Scotian]

A few stories on Vivarail today - liquidating assets. 
 

GWR picking up a few employees, some IP and some stock for the fast charge battery product. 
 

this is a quote from Rail Magazine - part of the blame for administration is placed on maintenance cost of the WMR 230s being higher than forecast. “WMT reports that Vivarail was replacing up to three engines a week on its Class 230 diesel multiple units, resulting in low availability and higher-than-expected operating costs.”

What on earth? This was supposed to be a tested, easy to repair/maintain commercial van engine dropped into this product. Was the cooling package wrong? Vibration? This strikes me as very odd. It was the ford 3.2l five cylinder diesel right? No wonder operators were wary of the 230s if this was happening. 
 

Seems like core engineering they needed to get right for their customers, but pulled in lots of different directions with battery, hydrogen etc. That said, clearly GWR saw their battery IP as valuable enough with commercial potential. 

[Nearholmer]

From some detail reported in another thread, which came via local councillors, I think it was the alternator, not the engine, that was the problem.

 

If you look back up thread, you will see that I formed the opinion when I looked at it first in 2017/18 that the alternator was way too complex for the application, and at that time I know they were looking to replace it with a simpler design.

 

From my memory, so not to be entirely trusted, the alternator was one that was designed for high performance F1 e-cars, very light and compact, and water cooled. Very unlike the sort of robust, air-cooled animal normally used in traction applications, standby generators, site power supplies etc. The cooling arrangement actually made it take up quite a bit of space, turned the demountable engine module into a bit of a snake’s nest, and was obviously a potential failure point. They were looking for a simpler machine that matched the optimum RPM of the engine they were using, but I don’t know if they ever found one.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Nearholmer

[Mike Buckner]

Formula Teams are used to rebuilding their kit after a couple of hours running

[Titan]

1 hour ago, Mike Buckner said:

Formula Teams are used to rebuilding their kit after a couple of hours running

Think that only applies to the racing cars.  Pretty sure they will not be happy rebuilding their workshop equipment every couple of hours. Unless I am mistaken and there is a need for a large alternator on an electric car.

[Nearholmer]

I was told it was designed for the drive train of a motor racing car ….. presumably a machine that is used as both a motor and, during braking, as an alternator, as part of a full E or PE transmission, or maybe simply as the alternator at the output of a petrol engine in the PE case.

 

I know nothing about the classes and which drivetrains are used in each in motor racing, so maybe saying F1 is wrong ….. to me that just means an unnecessarily fast car!

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Nearholmer