Class 800 - Updates

[Mallard60022]

2 minutes ago, Geoff Endacott said:

Maybe they should convert the spare HSTs into luggage trains which could follow on behind the IETs.

 

Geoff Endacott

Good idea but let them go first as they are faster and more reliable

[Coryton]

1 hour ago, iands said:

Hi Coryton,

The body shells travel to the UK by ship and then by road transport from the docks to the Hitachi factory.

 

That's what I would have thought.

 

Seems a bit odd to have to use a turntable to get the correct orientation when they've come off a ship and then a truck.

[Ken.W]

The overhead racks are meant for most cases / holdalls, with larger ones in the coach-end racks. Smaller bags go under the seats.

 

Just oversized cases should go in the storage compartments. However, the similar reserved bikes compartments have just a small white on gray notice by the door saying luggage is not to be stored there - can imagine how many will  take notice of , or even see, that

 

There's even airport-style bag size guides at Kings X, not that I've yet to see anyone use them

 

Edited June 2, 2019 by Ken.W

[Ken.W]

On 30/05/2019 at 20:15, iands said:

A couple more photos from the Hitachi factory.

 

And what I assume is one of the Driving Trailers of unit 801103 judging by the info on the sign.

 

 

That looks to be it’s Hitachi Train Number, a sort of works number in effect

Train 103’s 801211, while 801103’s T73, a 5 car set, and that’s car 9

 

Edited June 3, 2019 by Ken.W

[Ken.W]

Meanwhile, the latest issue to arise with these;

No attempt can be made to rescue persons or recover property or equipment that’s fallen under the train until specific confirmation has been received from Hitachi the vehicle has been electrically isolated and made safe.

This applies to both staff and emergency services.

[iands]

11 hours ago, Coryton said:

 

That's what I would have thought.

 

Seems a bit odd to have to use a turntable to get the correct orientation when they've come off a ship and then a truck.

All things considered, logistically, it is probably the easiest solution to get the correct orientations sorted at the factory once all the construction/fit-out works have been completed, rather than rely on a body shell loaded on to road transport at the docks being the correct way round. I guess previous experience has taught them that lesson.

 

[Mallard60022]

43 minutes ago, iands said:

All things considered, logistically, it is probably the easiest solution to get the correct orientations sorted at the factory once all the construction/fit-out works have been completed, rather than rely on a body shell loaded on to road transport at the docks being the correct way round. I guess previous experience has taught them that lesson.

 

When building a coach kit I mark the parts end A and end B (or similar if an end needs to be a specific design with different fittings to the opposite end) with a marker, and ensure the orientation is there before it goes off ready for painting and then mark the very ends of the floor pan underneath. May I suggest a big felt pen is less expensive than a turntable? However, the latter is a very useful item t have at a depot/workshop/ factory.

[mdvle]

14 hours ago, Coryton said:

 

That's what I would have thought.

 

Seems a bit odd to have to use a turntable to get the correct orientation when they've come off a ship and then a truck.

 

Not really.  They are all the same orientation for the ease of the factory floor and its processes - so the workers all know without thinking where things go without having to wonder if this is one of the 50% that are the other way around.

[Coryton]

3 hours ago, mdvle said:

 

Not really.  They are all the same orientation for the ease of the factory floor and its processes - so the workers all know without thinking where things go without having to wonder if this is one of the 50% that are the other way around.

 

OK but that's not the same reason as given earlier (that they all arrive the same way round so there has to be a turntable to get half of them the other way round).

 

Previous factories in the UK that fitted out bodyshells must have managed without a turntable, if this is the first such one...or were they all built somewhere that had a turntable left over from steam days?

 

 

 

 

[Coryton]

9 hours ago, Ken.W said:

Meanwhile, the latest issue to arise with these;

No attempt can be made to rescue persons or recover property or equipment that’s fallen under the train until specific confirmation has been received from Hitachi the vehicle has been electrically isolated and made safe.

This applies to both staff and emergency services.

 

I wonder how quickly such confirmation can be obtained in an emergency?

[royaloak]

7 hours ago, iands said:

All things considered, logistically, it is probably the easiest solution to get the correct orientations sorted at the factory once all the construction/fit-out works have been completed, rather than rely on a body shell loaded on to road transport at the docks being the correct way round. I guess previous experience has taught them that lesson.

 

They all go through the production line the same way round making it easier for the fitting staff, once complete the coaches will be turned if necessary.

[Coryton]

17 hours ago, Ken.W said:

The overhead racks are meant for most cases / holdalls, with larger ones in the coach-end racks. Smaller bags go under the seats.

 

 

Maybe I'm mis-remembering but I thought I read somewhere official that "most" coaches had coach-end luggage racks on the GWR IETs.

[royaloak]

1 minute ago, Coryton said:

 

Maybe I'm mis-remembering but I thought I read somewhere official that "most" coaches had coach-end luggage racks on the GWR IETs.

They do but they arent very big, they are more a lip service, tick the box sort of thing than an actual attempt to be able to store reasonable amounts of luggage.

[Coryton]

1 hour ago, royaloak said:

They do but they arent very big, they are more a lip service, tick the box sort of thing than an actual attempt to be able to store reasonable amounts of luggage.

 

Well, indeed, but the point I was failing to make was that "most" implies that some coaches don't even have any....

[The Stationmaster]

A day of the ICCE for me today (ICCE = Inter City Curate's Egg).

 

Outward trip Reading to Parkway - set (9 car) the right way round, the seat recliner worked perfectly so it was  readily set at exactly the correct angle and a nice comfy trip (yes really).  Only problem was non-working reservation system.  Ride was generally good.

 

Return trip - set (9 car again) the right way round, and shown as such in the handy 'staff information' screen on the station platform, seat recliner barely workable, also seat cushion seemed to be a different shape so finished up with my arthritic knee playing merry h*ll because I couldn't get a comfortable position.  Definitely not my favourite set, and it had a distinctly grubby exterior but didn't ride too badly even east of Didcot.

 

So one almost 100% good one and one which would have made 75% if it hadn't spent more time on diesel than using electricity although it was perhaps 'upset' by a very full/almost emergency brake application between Uffington and Challow 'due to a problem with a preceding train' (the only one about was another IET which lost a lot of time between Challow and Wantage Road).  We then seemed to be running slowly enough to examine the line between from there to Challow and the through to Wantage Road as we did most of it at about 20mph - I'm far from clear why we need to go that slowly for over 4 miles unless the one in front had been shedding bits?.  So what had happened with preceding train I don't know - maybe the Driver had reported something?  But our Driver had a go from Didcot with the pan up and I reckon he actually managed to snatch about half a minute off the nett time.  

 

Oh and judging by the noise I could hear when travelling slowly I do wonder what sort of WSP is fitted on Class 800s as there was the very distinctive sound of a flat after that very sharp stop west of Challow?

 

BTW most comfortable seat of the day - well from Reading I travelled in a 165 running vice a 387 and sat in one of the former 1st Class seats - almost sank into it, strange contrast?

[Coryton]

14 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

A day of the ICCE for me today (ICCE = Inter City Curate's Egg).

 

 

A good description.

 

I certainly wouldn't say they are uniformly bad, but there's a lot that could be better too.

 

It would be nice if they could keep the windows clean. They used to manage that with the HSTs, but then again that was a different "they".

 

I would be a little surprised if trains were turned out with that level of filth on the windows in Japan though.

[JJGraphics]

16 hours ago, Coryton said:

 

I wonder how quickly such confirmation can be obtained in an emergency?

 

Not quickly enough, I suspect.

 

John

[Coryton]

22 minutes ago, JJGraphics said:

 

Not quickly enough, I suspect.

 

John

 

You and me both.

[HillsideDepot]

Re the dirty windows, I am told that a problem was found with the design of the washing plants at two of the three Western depots (my contact couldn't remember which two, as it is outwith his role). The problem is the design of the plumbing and legionella. Whether this was an actual problem which had occurred, or a theoretical one it was decreed that washing was to cease until the problem was solved. The system was re-designed, contractors made the necessary changes, but the washes remain out of use as someone from DfT needs to visit the depots to sign off the work. Said person from DfT is apparently so busy he can't leave his desk. I'm told that there are well over 50 sets which are over due washing, and the further concern is that they will need three or four passes through the plant to really get them clean, and depot time is already tight.

 

However, the bodyside cameras are being washed by hand at Paddington (although I saw what appeared to be a feather duster being used at Temple Meads) and the excess water from that operation dribbles down the windows, giving very narrow clean bits...

[jim.snowdon]

2 hours ago, HillsideDepot said:

Re the dirty windows, I am told that a problem was found with the design of the washing plants at two of the three Western depots (my contact couldn't remember which two, as it is outwith his role). The problem is the design of the plumbing and legionella. Whether this was an actual problem which had occurred, or a theoretical one it was decreed that washing was to cease until the problem was solved. The system was re-designed, contractors made the necessary changes, but the washes remain out of use as someone from DfT needs to visit the depots to sign off the work. Said person from DfT is apparently so busy he can't leave his desk. I'm told that there are well over 50 sets which are over due washing, and the further concern is that they will need three or four passes through the plant to really get them clean, and depot time is already tight.

 

However, the bodyside cameras are being washed by hand at Paddington (although I saw what appeared to be a feather duster being used at Temple Meads) and the excess water from that operation dribbles down the windows, giving very narrow clean bits...

You would have expected the depot plant to have been part of Hitachi's responsibility, not the DfT's, but then we are living in an ever stranger world when it comes to Britain's state run non-state railways.

 

Jim

[Mallard60022]

I have half an apology to make. I made a rude comment earlier about letting the HST converted to Luggage Transport being allowed to go first before the 800 as it would be faster and more reliable! Well. on reading some donated 'modern' Railway magazines such as Today's railways, I see some journey records on the GWR (last year this is) where the damn 800s were racing around the place at over 120 mph over long distances. Zoomers they must be then?

Oh, the other half apology is delayed due to faulty somethings, just like the 800s!

P

[jim.snowdon]

20 hours ago, Coryton said:

 

OK but that's not the same reason as given earlier (that they all arrive the same way round so there has to be a turntable to get half of them the other way round).

 

Previous factories in the UK that fitted out bodyshells must have managed without a turntable, if this is the first such one...or were they all built somewhere that had a turntable left over from steam days?

 

 

 

 

I can only recall two - Alstom (Metro-Cammell) when they did the Pendolinos, and Brush when they put the 60s together. Everything else, at least in the UK, was fitted out in the same works as built the bodyshells.

 

Jim

[Coryton]

40 minutes ago, jim.snowdon said:

I can only recall two - Alstom (Metro-Cammell) when they did the Pendolinos, and Brush when they put the 60s together. Everything else, at least in the UK, was fitted out in the same works as built the bodyshells.

 

Jim

 

Maybe I'm missing something, but doesn't the argument that it would be too hard to cope with fitting out bodyshells that aren't all facing the same way apply whether the bodyshells are assembled in-house or trucked in?

[Coryton]

4 hours ago, HillsideDepot said:

Re the dirty windows, I am told that a problem was found with the design of the washing plants at two of the three Western depots (my contact couldn't remember which two, as it is outwith his role). The problem is the design of the plumbing and legionella. Whether this was an actual problem which had occurred, or a theoretical one it was decreed that washing was to cease until the problem was solved. The system was re-designed, contractors made the necessary changes, but the washes remain out of use as someone from DfT needs to visit the depots to sign off the work. Said person from DfT is apparently so busy he can't leave his desk. I'm told that there are well over 50 sets which are over due washing, and the further concern is that they will need three or four passes through the plant to really get them clean, and depot time is already tight.

 

However, the bodyside cameras are being washed by hand at Paddington (although I saw what appeared to be a feather duster being used at Temple Meads) and the excess water from that operation dribbles down the windows, giving very narrow clean bits...

 

Interesting.

 

It doesn't give a very good impression for the new trains.

 

I think it's a shame that GWR isn't prepared to explain this - sorry the trains have dirty windows, they're aware of the problem, it's being worked on, and they expect things to be sorted out soon.

 

I had assumed there was a reason (technical or contractual for this) but I think a lot of people will just think that they can't be bothered cleaning them.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they need a hand-wash now, rather than "just" 3 or 4 passes through the washer.

[Judge Dread]

On 03/06/2019 at 09:48, iands said:

All things considered, logistically, it is probably the easiest solution to get the correct orientations sorted at the factory once all the construction/fit-out works have been completed, rather than rely on a body shell loaded on to road transport at the docks being the correct way round. I guess previous experience has taught them that lesson.

 

A friend of mine and a low profile member of this community was an apprentice serving his time at Eastleigh works quite a few years ago. He was sent to the coach building department and his first task was to aid whist one of a pair of a complete driving trailers of a  class 4-EPB was removed from the shop, towed across to the main works area and turned around on their turntable. My friend's comment ( no names, no pack drill!) was "Why don't you built them facing either way?" The reply was "We have always built them facing the same way and in doing so, they always come out the same!"