Class 180's to.....Northern?

[EE Type 3]

They did?

Not sure about passengers disliking them, but FGW wanted to get rid of then because of their poor reliability, but to be fair when have FGW trains ever been reliable, except for the HSTs? :roll:

Dave

 

[class 313]

Not sure about passengers disliking them, but FGW wanted to get rid of then because of their poor reliability, but to be fair when have FGW trains ever been reliable, except for the HSTs? :roll:

Dave

165s/166s?

 

[P156KWJ]

never been on a turdo so can't comment

 

[djw1981]

But yet you did..........

 

[Ben]

never been on a turdo so can't comment

Why call them a turdo then?

 

[me123]

Not sure about passengers disliking them, but FGW wanted to get rid of then because of their poor reliability, but to be fair when have FGW trains ever been reliable, except for the HSTs? :roll:

Dave

Reliability can be reversed, as has been proven by the 334s. As for passengers, well a few internet blogs make quite interesting reading... I'll see if I can find them again. That said, this was for the "mainline" passengers, and I'm sure quite a few users of the Cardiff-Portsmouth line would have welcomed them with open arms.

 

[P156KWJ]

Why call them a turdo then?

common nickname for them, come on! It's like saying you can't call a 47 a spoon unless you've been on one...

 

[djw1981]

Does any sensible person call them spoons...

 

[P156KWJ]

I'm sure you have before

 

[Mintona]

But yet you did..........

165s/166s have good reliablity. HSTs have good reliability. Most of the West stuff isn't too bad either, FGW have the most reliable fleet of 142s in the country.
The 180s aren't needed so much for Cardiff-Portsmouth now, as the 3 car 158s are back, so presumably there is enough space for most people now.

 

[djw1981]

I'm sure you have before

No, it has a name - a class47.........just like it is a class 66, or class 67 not a shed or a skip....

 

[class 313]

common nickname for them, come on! It's like saying you can't call a 47 a spoon unless you've been on one...

'Spoon' was made from the horn sound.

'turdo' was made from how **** they are.

You don't have to be on a spoon to hear the horn but you do have to be on the Turbo to have your own opinions on them.

 

[djw1981]

Funny that people say 165/166 is so bad, when the next gen 170's (at least the FSR ones) are such nice comfortable reliable units.

 

[class 313]

Funny that people say 165/166 is so bad, when the next gen 170's (at least the FSR ones) are such nice comfortable reliable units.

170s have a more express feel to them whilst Turbos have 323/Networker seats...

 

[djw1981]

Hmm yes.. the underfloor vibrations on the DMU's do tend to mean that they need more sprung seating than an EMU I guess.

 

[me123]

170s have a more express feel to them whilst Turbos have 323/Networker seats...

Networker seats aren't great to say the least... in fact, the best thing about the FSR 170s is the lovely seats. Replace them with networker seats... not a nice train at all to say the least.

 

[williamn]

Just seen a 180 at Kings Cross...

 

[rail-britain]

Just seen a 180 at Kings Cross...

Not unusual, sub-lease to Hull Trains

 

[djw1981]

Is it a sub-lease from FGW? I thought itw as direct between Angel and Hull Trains/First Group. (As opposed to FGW - they are separate legal entities for frnachising purposes apparently.)

 

[williamn]

Ok, I pass through KX every day and not seen one there before.

 

[rail-britain]

The Class 180s are on lease from Angel Trains to First Group
They are then on sub-lease to Hull Trains

The original lease with FGW was transferred back to First Group

 

[djw1981]

Hmmm....... instead of Northern, would be logical to put them to TPE (a First company) and the 170 go over to Northern... TPE coudl run teh 185's to Scotland, or on busy cross Pennine services.

 

[me123]

Which almost goes back to the original rumours that they'd be shared with TPE and FSR, most being with TPE for runs to Scotland and presumably a few actual Transpennine services, and a few running to Aberdeen and Inverness on the busier services in Scotland to allow 158s/170s to be released to strengthen services elsewhere.

 

[djw1981]

I don't think FSR will get any - too much demand down south, and FSR have advertised for the loco+coaches for Fife Circle from this year, and by the end of that contract in 2010, we should have the 158's freed from the Bathgate services. Thus FSR could renew that contract and redeploy the loco and coaches to other services.

 

[me123]

No, I'm sure they won't, and they don't need them like EMT and other companies do, but it did remind me of the original rumour that was flying around, what must be nearly 2 years ago now hock:

 

[rail-britain]

I was last in Aberdeen on Thursday and there was no mention of having the Class 180 units in Scotland, either on FSR or FTPE
I could ask the asset team what the longterm plans are when I am next in Aberdeen later this week

 

[me123]

It was just a rumour which was dismissed when plans to move to Hull Trains became rumoured and later fact; for all I know it could have been a genuine aspiration from First, or just a load of rubbish from the internet.

 

[rail-britain]

That's one of the problems when ONE unit appears and people wonder how or why something has ended up where it is...
Sometimes it is better to just sit and wait until the fleet actually changes
A few years ago NatEx tried to swap 156s and 158s, and look what happened to that proposal!

 

[1D53]

Fairly certain Vernon said no to 180's so they aren't coming to TPE.

 

[Philip]

Who's Vernon?

I remember a press release coming out about two years ago stating TPE 'was looking to secure extra rolling stock (class 180's) for the new Manchester-Scotland' to quote it. This was the thing that announced TPE winning the ex-Virgin Cross Country route to Scotland. Nothing more came of that apart from the rumours about the TPE/FSR joint share of the units that were doing the rounds early last year.