kenw Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Yes, I think things are going to get, erm, 'interesting'. It's said East Coast ( the previous version) didn't bid for the test running work as they reckoned they couldn't cover that! Don't think there's any significant accelerations planned, that would release drivers, before the 800s start. And then of coarse there's the additional services starting next month with the Sunderland and Stirlings, and the daytime Newcastles all extended to / from Edinburgh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Richard E Posted November 4, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 4, 2015 and the daytime Newcastles all extended to / from Edinburgh. Thanks, that's cheered me up - NOT! The end result will possibly be fewer trains running to time although a quick look at my preferred train time home suggests it will still start at NCL so that has to be positive for me. Kenw I would like to wish you well with all this and I hope it does work for you and all your colleagues but I am having doubts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 (edited) I get the impression that the IEP will be a good train for reliability (I don't think anyone has doubted Hitachi's ability to build a quality train) and the drivers' working environment, but not for passenger comfort, with narrow seats (for the trolley), poor window to seat placement (to cram as many in as possible), poor luggage storage (due to the raised floors in the non-driving cars (not sure if this will affect the pure electrics too, I believe it might)) and of course underfloor engines in the diesel/bi-mode versionsBasically all the minus points come from the DafT spec rather than the train builder. Edited November 4, 2015 by Talltim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Got to say, I'm glad I don't do my London commute any more and will probably never do it again... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Basically all the minus points come from the DafT spec rather than the train builder. Reminds me of the original Class 50, though substitute the BRB for the DfT. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gary H Posted November 4, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 4, 2015 (edited) Reminds me of the original Class 50, though substitute the BRB for the DfT. Pretty much. EE had it bang-on with DP2 and then the BRB went and made it a basket case with useless unreliable clutter. Edited to add that for all their faults I still love em though! If you had a good one, you had a fast train. Edited November 4, 2015 by Gary H Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Richard E Posted November 6, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 6, 2015 Talking of reliability another 91 seems to have sat down this morning near Doncaster, I've seen comment that their reliability is getting worse recently. Mind you they were apparently designed to be around for 35 years and we've hit 29 of those now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenw Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) A great example of the "efficiencies" of the dis-jointed "system" that now runs the railway this evening; A Leeds bound 91/MkIV failed at Peterborough (yes, another one)... Having lost train supply (ETS)*, and attempts to re-establish supply being unsuccessful, the train's declared a failure at Peterborough... Control call out the Kings X Thunderbird to haul the set back... The Thunderbird crew turn out to the 67 stabled in the East Siding (formally York Rd)... it's one of those nice blue ones.... However, whoever it was operating it previously decided, as well as a nice repaint... they'd change all the door locks!!!! And of course, it never occurred to them to give anyone else keys.... So, Thunderbird required, and everyone LOCKED OUT! * MkIV sets are unable to operate without ETS as it's responsible for battery charge on all vehicles, including the DVT, so when it's batteries drop to a certain level, the DVT just switches off, totally, brake control, door interlock, everything even down to interior and tail / marker lights Edited November 8, 2015 by kenw Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Sounds like a spare 125mph spark driven effort may be required - isn't there one at Barrow Hill? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Richard E Posted November 10, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 10, 2015 Bad day at Black Rock yesterday, broken down train on the up line near Hambleton and OHL issues. I'm guessing a 91 sat down taking the wires with it. 90 minute delays advised, actual delays were up to 150 minutes and anyone travelling from York or points north were advised to travel via Leeds. Pretty chaotic for all. I feel sorry for the guys on the ground having to cope with it all, I wouldn't like to be in the firing line knowing how aggressive some folk can get. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium JDW Posted November 10, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 10, 2015 Never mind the technical bits, it will all be solved with some nice shiny new paintwork - has anyone seen 91101's Flying Scotsman scheme yet? I haven't sen it mentioned yet. I think I prefer it to the standard scheme, the front end looks better without the swooshy silver and white bits, and the straight lines of the flag suit the cab side. Not as nice as the East Coast scheme by a long shot, though, and the "Virgin" logo could have done with being much less prominent, to give a bit more prominence to the Flying Scotsman branding, I think - more "Flying Scotsman - by Virgin" than "Virgin Flying Scotsman". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenw Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Bad day at Black Rock yesterday, broken down train on the up line near Hambleton and OHL issues. I'm guessing a 91 sat down taking the wires with it. 90 minute delays advised, actual delays were up to 150 minutes and anyone travelling from York or points north were advised to travel via Leeds. Pretty chaotic for all. I feel sorry for the guys on the ground having to cope with it all, I wouldn't like to be in the firing line knowing how aggressive some folk can get. Sounds like it was a good day to be route review of Durham Coast route. A 91 'sat down' would be highly unlikely to do this, an internal loco fault wouldn't normally affect OHL. Any major fault and the loco opens it's 'VCB' (the T shaped device visible on roof between the pan. and the power cable into the loco), effectively disconnecting itself from the OHL. More likely either a defect, usually damage to, the pan, causing it to snag the wires, or, defect or damage to the wires causing them to snag the pan. Either will result in the wires being brought down, and usually removal of the pan head from the loco, and leave the train in the 'dead section' and without a usable pan. Always highly disruptive, as well as the time to remove the failed train, where the wires are down they'll be foul of the line, so also preventing diesel trains using the affected line till repairs can be made. Personally, I don't really see the point of two pans. As above, the train will usually be stopped in the dead section anyway, it has to be stopped immediately to prevent spreading damage even further. Also, on the one so fitted (91114), an interlock to prevent both pans being raised means that both pans have to be locked in the down position before either can be raised, so if one of them's gone, that's not going to happen. Incidentally, it was this one involved in the incident few month ago at Werrington Jn, which resulted in the unusual single line working I've mentioned previously, Up Slow crossing to Down Slow at Tallington, under Pilotman's Working over Down Slow to access the Up Stamford at Helpston 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purley Oaks Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 Following a series of passenger meetings in the last couple of months, looks like VTEC are running more of them early next year: Edinburgh Waverley 9 Jan 1600-1900; Leeds 10 Feb 1630-1800; KX 17 Dec 0700-0900 & 22 Mar 1600-1800; Newcastle 21 Jan 0600-0900; Peterborough 14 Jan 1600-2000 (Great Northern Hotel); York 8 Mar 0730-0915. Looks like they lay on refreshments so could be persuaded. More important, will they actually listen to travellers, or is it just a load of pr puff? Mal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan452 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 FYI - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34910891 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Richard E Posted November 25, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 25, 2015 Still doesn't stop the disruption we had yesterday from one under and today from a broken down freight train .... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cunningduck Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 FYI - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34910891 Do those MTU4000s require replacement already? It's surely less than 10 years since they were installed? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frobisher Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Do those MTU4000s require replacement already? It's surely less than 10 years since they were installed? They're not new engines but a rolling programme of refurbishment according to the latest edition of Rail. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Richard E Posted November 27, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 27, 2015 The MTU's were installed in a rolling programme over the whole HST fleet, except the EMT ones, between 2005 and 2012. EMT went for VP185 engines. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Are there any HST's out there with the original Valentas ? I was in York on Sunday and two EMT power cars were sandwiching a VTEC rake heading southbound and they were noticeably nosier than the MTU fitted locos. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Looking at an advert In Decembers Modern Railways you are going to have to be very thin to travel on the new trains and the seats look very hard plus it seems that the tables in first that are by double seats only are useable by the window seat. I am very glad that I will not have to use these trains and the east coast line so good luck to you all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 (edited) Are there any HST's out there with the original Valentas ? I was in York on Sunday and two EMT power cars were sandwiching a VTEC rake heading southbound and they were noticeably nosier than the MTU fitted locos. No, EMT = Paxman VP185. GWR, East Coast, Grand Central and Network Rail = MTU Edited November 27, 2015 by Peter Kazmierczak Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Richard E Posted November 28, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 28, 2015 No, EMT = Paxman VP185. GWR, East Coast, Grand Central and Network Rail = MTU [pedant mode] Not completely correct as there is still an opportunity to hear an original Valenta since 41001 still uses that engine. Mind you you won't find it on the main line. [/pedant mode] It is correct to say that there are no Valenta engined units in normal public service any more since 41001 is the prototype power car and is/was at Ruddington. The VP185 is still a Paxman engine though so has some of the HST heritage and possibly sound about it I suppose. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purley Oaks Posted December 14, 2015 Author Share Posted December 14, 2015 (edited) The new VTEC timetable sees an early morning direct service 0542 Stirling to KX (and direct return on the 1500 ex-KX) - can't understand why it hasn't been a regular feature until now. More of the VTEC services direct into Edinburgh are terminating on platforms 8 & 9, quite a nuisance because it is not part of the main station itself and accessed by stairs, escalator or lift to the footbridge. No escalator down to platforms 8 or 9. The East Coast trains usually terminated in the main station - meaning less of a stretch for those catching onward services. Anyone any idea what's going on? Mal edited for spelling... Edited December 15, 2015 by Purley Oaks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Richard E Posted December 15, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 15, 2015 And reliability is going through the floor, three sets with problems yesterday including one failed at York with pantograph problems. The driver on that one was rather miffed apparently. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sng7 Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 With regards to waverley at the moment there are aditional and longer trains to fife because of the forth bridge which may need to use the longer through platforms pushing east coast out to 8 and 9. In the long term Platforms 5and 6 Will be extended for terminating services from london and 12 will be extended for terminating services from glasgow and the north solving the problems Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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