Class 800 - Updates

[royaloak]

11 hours ago, jim.snowdon said:

Who's being protected, the passengers or the TOC's risk managers? 

 

Jim

Stopping the no win no fee brigade getting their cut!

[The Stationmaster]

12 hours ago, jim.snowdon said:

It was not at all unknown for GWR drivers to couple 387s at Paddington before letting the incoming passengers alight.

 There are also liable to be differences between what can be done in terms of how the trains have been designed and how the train operator wants it to be done. Train operators, and inter alia, their training contractors have a habit of being unnecessarily risk averse.

 

Who's being protected, the passengers or the TOC's risk managers? 

 

Jim

As far as GWR is concerned I have an idea from something I was told a long while back that it is a consequence of the bitter voice of experience.  There definitely can be considerable delays if you open trains doors before carrying out the coupling process because once the doors are released passengers getting off and on will open them and pass through them - that is what used to happen in the early days of 16X working.  Whether or not any passengers were hurt I don't know but if you carry out a coupling move with doors released and do the pull test there is certainly a potential there for the trains to move slightly in the opposite and that could catch people unawares.  

[royaloak]

16 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

 but if you carry out a coupling move with doors released and do the pull test there is certainly a potential there for the trains to move slightly in the opposite and that could catch people unawares.  

You cant because you wont get interlock or brake release, the doors must be closed and locked before the train can be moved.

[The Stationmaster]

16 hours ago, royaloak said:

You cant because you wont get interlock or brake release, the doors must be closed and locked before the train can be moved.

I know that on modern stock but how about older stock such as running on various parts of the former SR or indeed various 14X & 15X MUs?

[royaloak]

50 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

I know that on modern stock but how about older stock such as running on various parts of the former SR or indeed various 14X & 15X MUs?

Most/all will need the passenger doors closed and interlocked before you can get brake release, nothing I have ever signed (143/455 being the oldest) can be moved with the passenger doors released/opened unless isolations have been made.

Edited February 12, 2020 by royaloak

[stewartingram]

When I was commuting on the KGX line to Ely the 365/387 trains usually divided/coupled at Cambridge. The doors were always opened, then closed again prior to the uncoupling/coupling move. Very slick operation usually, I presume they still do it that way?

 

Stewart

[Gwiwer]

My first electric train ride in Wales today. A day out to “knock off” Maesteg and the VoG line saw me aboard a down Swansea which, apart from Bristol Parkway to Severn Tunnel Junction, was on the juice all the way to Cardiff. 
 

The ride was rather more comfortable across the Billiard Table than I have become accustomed to on the Berks & Hants. 
 

A 9-car 800 was quite lightly loaded. The seats were as they always are. The trolley came through once - at such a speed that it was chased down the aisle by hopeful customers. 
 

The return was identical except that there was no catering at all. 
 

Mid-day trips to Bridgend and Neath were also smooth but at South Wales speed, not Thames Valley, and the diesel engines were hardly taxed. 

[phil-b259]

On 10/02/2020 at 22:27, royaloak said:

There are very good reasons why it takes as long as it does, and being an ex South West Trains driver I am fully aware of 'how it is done on the Southern', unfortunately some posters (not aimed at you) simply wont listen because they know better than the people actually carrying out the procedure so I will bow to their (obviously superior) knowledge of all things railway!

 

Well would help if there was such a thing as a ‘standard procedure’ in use all across the country!

 

Despite all the years of grouping and nationalisation the amount of variation in how different areas tackle what seem to be the same thing is astonishing.

 

As I have found out to my cost when posting on signalling matters, what is ‘standard procedure’ on one region is most definitely not on another.

 

Thus it’s not unreasonable for someone well versed in, say Southern region practice to assume that is also what goes on elsewhere - British Rail and Network Rail are supposed to have been single entities as far as the public were / are concerned.

 

As you have subsequently said there are significant differences between those who rarely use rail and those form whom it is literally an everyday occurrence, but this is not necessarily obvious to everyone - particularly if you are only really used to one or the other.

 

 

[royaloak]

1 hour ago, phil-b259 said:

 

Well would help if there was such a thing as a ‘standard procedure’ in use all across the country!

 

As you have subsequently said there are significant differences between those who rarely use rail and those form whom it is literally an everyday occurrence, but this is not necessarily obvious to everyone - particularly if you are only really used to one or the other.

There are 'standard' procedures, its just they keep changing the standards.

 

IETs have certain safety equipment other trains dont have, this takes a couple of minutes to configure before the train can be moved, the days of 'key on and buzz off' have long gone!

 

The person that was aimed at is fully aware of the various type of passengers on different parts of the network and his continual postering is getting rather annoying, especially as most of the points he continues to be make have been previously answered but he chooses to ignore them.

Edited February 13, 2020 by royaloak

[4630]

Later this year Huddersfield should be added to the LNER network with, at launch, one return working per day from the town to London Kings Cross.

 

The planning for this has now reached the stage where test running/route training has now commenced with a couple of trains per day in the schedule Monday-Friday.

 

The early morning schedule (5Z20 & 5Z21) ran last week but I've not been around to see it.  The evening run (5Z22 & 5Z23) had been cancelled, but did run on 26th February 2020.

 

So here is the first evening LNER Azuma standing at platform 4 at Huddersfield on 26th February.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by 4630
To correct a typo.

[Zomboid]

Now TPE have had the route cleared for 80xs...

 

I had a chance to directly compare the mk4s to 80xs last week (KX to York with a 91, back that afternoon on an 80x), and for my money, the 80x was a significant improvement. The only thing the mk4s do better is seat padding, but I found the Azuma more comfortable overall.

[Ron Ron Ron]

2 hours ago, 4630 said:

.......So here is the first evening LNER Azuma standing at platform 4 at Huddersfield on 26th February.....

 

Looks like the hub caps have been nicked already............ 

[jamie92208]

1 minute ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

Looks like the hub caps have been nicked already............ 

It's at Huddersfield  not Lime st.

 

Jamie

[4630]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

It's at Huddersfield  not Lime st.

 

Jamie

 

As you'll no doubt recall from your time around Huddersfield Jamie, there are some parts of the town where not only the hub caps but the entire vehicle is likely to vanish.  With some justification one particular area, which I occasionally drive through as a short cut, is referred to locally as 'bandit country'. 

Edited February 27, 2020 by 4630
Typo

[Coach bogie]

My wife has just caught her first 10 car from Northallerton to Kings Cross. Sets wrong way round with K/L at the rear. Like an old episode of Benny Hill with everyone running to the opposite end of the platform to where they should be. Platform train describer had the set the right way round. What a farce.

 

Mike Wiltshire

 

Post script to the story. The 5 car set from Edinburgh arrived at Newcastle with one set of coach numbers. When coupled to the second 5 car, the coach numbers changed and those already in there seats were not only in the wrong coach but the wrong set and no way to walk through and change sets. 

 

On the plus side compensation for not honouring seat reservations.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Coach bogie

[GWRPhil]

Here’s a few videos of 80x’s on hemerdon bank today

 

 

 

[GWRPhil]

Recorded this last year at long rock level crossing near penzance

 

 

[GWRPhil]

And recorded this near cordwood devon

 

 

[GWRPhil]

802101 arrives at Bodmin parkway last august

 

 

[talisman56]

Nice 'social isolation' idea - go out to the middle of nowhere and video trains...

[GWRPhil]

1C78 paddington to PLymouth

 

 

1A88 Plymouth to paddington

 

 

[TomScrut]

On 27/02/2020 at 13:36, 4630 said:

Later this year Huddersfield should be added to the LNER network with, at launch, one return working per day from the town to London Kings Cross.

 

One route I think they could probably justify is doing a Scarborough to King's Cross once per day. The amount of people who change at York for LNER would surely justify it and given the line normally only sees 1 train per hour (maybe 2 before long; I think Northern are doing one too soon) there would be space for it. 802s have been on there before driver training for TPE as well.

 

Could even make it so there is a 10 car at York, 5 from Scarborough 5 from Harrogate and have the Harrogate avoid Leeds which I think did read was causing congestion

[GWRPhil]

 

[GWRPhil]

A few more 800 videos of mine

 

 

 

[Siberian Snooper]

I'm assuming that a 5 car unit is more than sufficient for the footfall currently on offer.  Can't say that I've seen any of the short HSTs since the lockdown,  I take it that they are cancelled or only working as far west as Taunton and connecting with the Pads.