• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

The future for Chiltern's Class 121 "bubble car" units?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Fincra5

Established Member
Joined
6 Jun 2009
Messages
2,486
Have these beasties found homes yet? If they're coming out of service with TPWS, OTMR, GSMR & CDL all intact, I'd imagine they might be popular?

Brighton to Hove shuttles. Freeing up a 313 for longer duties.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Ash Bridge

Established Member
Joined
17 Mar 2014
Messages
4,043
Location
Stockport
I realise it's never going to happen but I would dearly love to see one working the Looe Valley Branch again, then again during the height of the holiday season it's capacity could be rather inadequate unless ofcourse two were available for use.
 

Lad Brookes

Member
Joined
9 Nov 2010
Messages
202
Does anyone know if the Bubble is behaving itself today / for this evening? Sorry to pester but today, as it happens, this forum is probably the best place for me to find out!

Asking for a friend - maybe imaginary ;)



Can point to plenty of other functional fairies operating on the national network. And gremlins.

Not sure about today, but it was running just fine yesterday evening.
 

Suraggu

Member
Joined
23 Oct 2013
Messages
964
Location
The Far North
Have these beasties found homes yet? If they're coming out of service with TPWS, OTMR, GSMR & CDL all intact, I'd imagine they might be popular?

They are proving quite costly to maintain by all accounts. They do not have readily available spares so many have to be made before being fitted.
 

NickBucks

Member
Joined
17 May 2013
Messages
183
Bubble car running today very satisfactorily. Took the 08.49 Aylesbury to PR and return. Quite a few of us on board. Chiltern must be happy - income on the Aylesbury-PR line must have increased by a significant % in the last couple of weeks !
 

GW43125

Established Member
Joined
8 Dec 2014
Messages
2,045
Bubble car running today very satisfactorily. Took the 08.49 Aylesbury to PR and return. Quite a few of us on board. Chiltern must be happy - income on the Aylesbury-PR line must have increased by a significant % in the last couple of weeks !

Wouldn't bank on it, they don't always check tickets!
 

causton

Established Member
Joined
4 Aug 2010
Messages
5,504
Location
Somewhere between WY372 and MV7
Yep, that was the gist I got up-thread. In which case I shall have to direct my question to anyone who can supply info about the green one! :)

...

I really don't know why but I read "blue Bubble" the first time, and that was how I responded......

I am off sick today with manflu, so that is probably for the best!
 

tsr

Established Member
Joined
15 Nov 2011
Messages
7,400
Location
Between the parallel lines
Bubble car running today very satisfactorily. Took the 08.49 Aylesbury to PR and return. Quite a few of us on board. Chiltern must be happy - income on the Aylesbury-PR line must have increased by a significant % in the last couple of weeks !

Can now confirm it ran tonight. About half of available capacity used by enthusiasts of various descriptions...

Wouldn't bank on it, they don't always check tickets!

It rather looks like Chiltern's revenue team have read your mind. Lots of enthusiastic checking on their network tonight!

...

I really don't know why but I read "blue Bubble" the first time, and that was how I responded......

I am off sick today with manflu, so that is probably for the best!

Never mind. May thoughts of a functioning green bubble renew your composure!
 

IanXC

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Messages
6,331
It rather looks like Chiltern's revenue team have read your mind. Lots of enthusiastic checking on their network tonight!

More surprising anyone ever felt they weren't being checked - the guards are all RPIs with additional competency!
 

MarlowDonkey

Member
Joined
4 Apr 2013
Messages
1,094
More surprising anyone ever felt they weren't being checked - the guards are all RPIs with additional competency!

Apart from the 121s, hasn't Chiltern always been DOO south of Banbury, going back to the NSE days when 165s were first introduced?
 

4-COR 3142

Member
Joined
27 Nov 2013
Messages
110
https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/news/extra-“bubble-car”-services-scheduled-say-farewell

Some extra services planned next week -
1639 AYS - 1653 PRR Mon-Fri
+ five extra services on Friday 19th

Travelled on the 16:39 today which just about had space for all the enthusiasts.....!

Serious question could 55020 be 'hauled' with 55034 for Friday to increase seating capacity?
I haven't a clue if this is possible -or allowable - but they look like they'll need more seats for the last day.
 

Mainline421

Member
Joined
7 May 2013
Messages
481
Location
Aberystwyth
Apart from the extras is this:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=43354

still current?

No, that's a few years out of date. Current normal diagrams can be found here: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=1478545&postcount=4 as well as these, the Friday extras can be found at https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/news/retirement-class-121-bubble-car It's odd they don't seem to be listed in one place. EDIT: actually https://twitter.com/Mainline421/status/864969745069735936 now they are in one place.
 
Last edited:

Mordac

Established Member
Joined
5 Mar 2016
Messages
2,303
Location
Birmingham
No way:-x

Honestly, I'd be happy for them to go to a preserved line, although given that Chiltern was having issues with their maintenance, one would think a preserved railway would struggle with it even more, as they'd like the financial resources Chiltern have. But keep them away from passenger services on the national network. They're really a bit past their sell by date for that.
 

deepcar

Member
Joined
15 Sep 2013
Messages
7
Travelled on the 16:39 today which just about had space for all the enthusiasts.....!

Serious question could 55020 be 'hauled' with 55034 for Friday to increase seating capacity?
I haven't a clue if this is possible -or allowable - but they look like they'll need more seats for the last day.

There are rumours flying about if things get to busy on Friday the 55020 may be brought into service to run in multiple with 55034 as one engine does work.
 

Bletchleyite

Veteran Member
Joined
20 Oct 2014
Messages
97,539
Location
"Marston Vale mafia"
Honestly, I'd be happy for them to go to a preserved line, although given that Chiltern was having issues with their maintenance, one would think a preserved railway would struggle with it even more, as they'd like the financial resources Chiltern have.

True, but a preserved line would use it, what, one day a week at most at 25mph? It puts far less stress on a unit, even if these were to some extent depot pets.
 

deepcar

Member
Joined
15 Sep 2013
Messages
7
True, but a preserved line would use it, what, one day a week at most at 25mph? It puts far less stress on a unit, even if these were to some extent depot pets.

From what I understand its the wheelsets that are the problem. getting near the limit allowed on the mainline and too expensive to get them redone. ok to run on preserved lines.
 

Firesprite

Member
Joined
22 Dec 2011
Messages
295
Location
Fens
From what I understand its the wheelsets that are the problem. getting near the limit allowed on the mainline and too expensive to get them redone. ok to run on preserved lines.

Chiltern's space wheelsets were tested at the same time along with the Swanage Railways wheelsets. All failed and when you take in to account what is now becoming a very long lead time for the replacements that the Swanage Railway has on order for it's mainline DMU's. You can see why Chiltern has pulled the plug.
 

D1009

Established Member
Joined
22 Feb 2012
Messages
3,166
Location
Stoke Gifford
Apologies if this has already been mentioned, but I believe this is the last vacuum braked vehicle working a service train on the main line network, also it will almost certainly be the last opportunity to travel on a first generation DMU at greater speed than the 25 mph generally permitted on preserved lines.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top