ffcphone
Member
Very new here so apologies if this discussed elsewhere. Did have a search around for 5-10 mins and saw nothing immediately.
I can't confess to having a massive interest in trains but I do have more than a passing one having been engrossed as a very young boy at the sight of the APT at Preston station one weekday evening sometime 1989/90 perhaps (unless those dates don't correlate with APT workings!).
However, I am a daily commuter between Bolton and Preston and have a choice of old Northern Rail rolling stock or the much never First TransPennine Express 185 units. It's perhaps no surprise that I time my commutes to marry up with TPE services which are not only faster for my journey but far my comfortable.
As someone with a slight engineering bent, when the 185s were introduced a couple of years back, I noticed the increase in engine revs upon braking and took it upon myself to investigate why before realising the rheostatic braking nature of the 185s. I wonder if anyone has ever looked into the environmental impact of an engine working harder under braking as opposed to older more traditional braking methods non-reliant on engine
Anyways, all this is just to demonstrate I do know a little more than just "it's a train with doors and wheels"!
The point I make is this...over the last six months or so it's become apparent a number of 185 engines idle poorly and some are starting to sound very "rough" indeed.
Also, TPE seem to run 185s on only 2 engines at certain parts and I notice this even between Bolton and Preston. The other day, on my way home, it was clear the driver was attempting to start the engine in my carriage but without success and at Chorley and Horwich Parkway stations continued to try but to no avail. Finally, when I got off at Bolton, I heard the engine finally start along with a huge plume of black acrid smoke which was blown down to platform level.
Do these Cummins engines have reliability issues or is poor idling, starting problems simply a result of inadequate/poor maintenance (savings costs?) at First TPE?
A wikipedia entry indicated oil splatterings visible externally on 185s necessitated a "crank case breathing modification". Has this had the desired effect as I still see oil splattered all over some 185s to this day.
F
I can't confess to having a massive interest in trains but I do have more than a passing one having been engrossed as a very young boy at the sight of the APT at Preston station one weekday evening sometime 1989/90 perhaps (unless those dates don't correlate with APT workings!).
However, I am a daily commuter between Bolton and Preston and have a choice of old Northern Rail rolling stock or the much never First TransPennine Express 185 units. It's perhaps no surprise that I time my commutes to marry up with TPE services which are not only faster for my journey but far my comfortable.
As someone with a slight engineering bent, when the 185s were introduced a couple of years back, I noticed the increase in engine revs upon braking and took it upon myself to investigate why before realising the rheostatic braking nature of the 185s. I wonder if anyone has ever looked into the environmental impact of an engine working harder under braking as opposed to older more traditional braking methods non-reliant on engine
Anyways, all this is just to demonstrate I do know a little more than just "it's a train with doors and wheels"!
The point I make is this...over the last six months or so it's become apparent a number of 185 engines idle poorly and some are starting to sound very "rough" indeed.
Also, TPE seem to run 185s on only 2 engines at certain parts and I notice this even between Bolton and Preston. The other day, on my way home, it was clear the driver was attempting to start the engine in my carriage but without success and at Chorley and Horwich Parkway stations continued to try but to no avail. Finally, when I got off at Bolton, I heard the engine finally start along with a huge plume of black acrid smoke which was blown down to platform level.
Do these Cummins engines have reliability issues or is poor idling, starting problems simply a result of inadequate/poor maintenance (savings costs?) at First TPE?
A wikipedia entry indicated oil splatterings visible externally on 185s necessitated a "crank case breathing modification". Has this had the desired effect as I still see oil splattered all over some 185s to this day.
F
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