GWR Class 800

[ainsworth74]

Fair point, but I would counter that it's easier for a human to make its way passed other humans than a human pushing a large box on wheels trying the same feat.

Yes agreed.

 

[DenmarkRail]

Just read from '@holdmch' on Twitter that class 800 seats are to be replaced / upgraded.

 

[Oxfordblues]

GWR could put a small pile of cushions at the end of each each carriage for use by people with delicate derrieres!

 

[jyte]

Wonder who's paying.....

 

[superalbs]

Would be far better if they tore the seats out and started again, they're absolutely awful.

Who on earth thought they'd even be suitable for a metro train? Let alone an InterCity!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Would be far better if they tore the seats out and started again, they're absolutely awful.

Who on earth thought they'd even be suitable for a metro train? Let alone an InterCity!

They need Grammer IC3000s. How about taking them out of the HSTs?

 

[59CosG95]

Just read from '@holdmch' on Twitter that class 800 seats are to be replaced / upgraded.

Not quite true, as it turns out; @holdmch does add in a later tweet that only the moquettes will be replaced in the GWR IETs, to something more in keeping with the GWR style. The Standard Class seat moquettes will, however, have better padding.

 

[ainsworth74]

They need Grammer IC3000s. How about taking them out of the HSTs?

No. They don't.

 

[AnthonyRail]

Seems a lot of cancellations on these new trains.

 

[Domh245]

Not quite true, as it turns out; @holdmch does add in a later tweet that only the moquettes will be replaced in the GWR IETs, to something more in keeping with the GWR style. The Standard Class seat moquettes will, however, have better padding.

More specifically I understand that they are going from the cloth covering that is currently used to a loop pile moquette. Supposedly this changeover is being done around the routine maintenance.

 

[urpert]

Interesting. I wonder if the 802s will arrive with a different interior then.

 

[59CosG95]

Interesting. I wonder if the 802s will arrive with a different interior then.

Seems probable; the newly built ones will almost certainly have the new seats, but the recently-built sets may be fitted with the existing DfT-spec seats (haven't seen inside one to be fair). They'll more than likely have them changed before they enter service though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Twitterer noted above has now said it's just new foams and moquette, though hopefully still an improvement.

 

[w1bbl3]

Can't say I'm surprised that the cloth going to be replaced, I've certainly noticed that a few of seats are already quite badly stained by drink spillages already. Didn't LA15 with the cloth interior highlight issues with the fabric staining some 18 months ago.?

As the basic seat frame/shell has been used elsewhere in Europe I can't why repadding wouldn't improve the comfort it is quite surprising what can be achieved with different foams and better contouring. I'd have thought the current overhardness is to achieve a particular design life specification between padding replacement that the seat manufacturer or Agility/Hitachi is on the hook for currently with the seats being a DfT specified item.

I assume the new fabric is going to be similar to the 387's and 150's, will DfT to picking up the bill for early reupholstering of a few thousand seats.?
More to the point how long will it take to convert a whole trainset over to the revised seats.

 

[Domh245]

More to the point how long will it take to convert a whole trainset over to the revised seats.

I'd read that the aim was to do a whole (presumably 5 car) unit within an 8 hour shift.

 

[387star]

I'd read that the aim was to do a whole (presumably 5 car) unit within an 8 hour shift.

while intentions are good this all seems a remarkable farce

A bit like the time consuming exercise of installing seat back tables on 700 trains

Hopefully Greater Anglia won't require post production changes as they have listened to passenger concerns regarding seat pitch?

Oh wait didn't Northern just ingore the winner?

Yet to travel on one of these trains. They look great from the outside and I have heard good comments about legroom and overhead luggage space and that they are quieter than the voyagers

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yet to travel on one of these trains. They look great from the outside and I have heard good comments about legroom and overhead luggage space and that they are quieter than the voyagers

Other than the issue that some people have with the actual seats (primarily tall people with long backs; I imagine they're fine for someone shorter than me who sit lower down) they are vastly better than Voyagers in just about every way.

 

[Goldfish62]

I think you'll find that "some

Other than the issue that some people have with the actual seats (primarily tall people with long backs; I imagine they're fine for someone shorter than me who sit lower down) they are vastly better than Voyagers in just about every way.

I think you'll find that it's more than just "some" people who have issues with the seats, given that they are being modified. However, I do agree that the trains are vastly superior to the Voyagers.

 

[MizzyMoo]

Yes agreed.

On first ride out of T.Meads on a very busy 17:17 W-S-M 5 car last year, the presumably very new and very keen trolley guy made an announcement asking people not to stand in the vestibules because he couldn't get through with his trolley, quite where else we were supposed to go he didn't say!

General relief when this service went back to an HST, but do wonder what happens when all the HSTs are gone !

 

[coppercapped]

I think you'll find that "some

I think you'll find that it's more than just "some" people who have issues with the seats, given that they are being modified. However, I do agree that the trains are vastly superior to the Voyagers.

Other than the issue that some people have with the actual seats (primarily tall people with long backs; I imagine they're fine for someone shorter than me who sit lower down) they are vastly better than Voyagers in just about every way.

But, but, but, they are not competing with Voyagers...

...but with HSTs which don't have underfloor engines.

 

[MizzyMoo]

But, but, but, they are not competing with Voyagers...

...but with HSTs which don't have underfloor engines.

...but the end/pantograph cars don't have underfloor engines either... floors are a lot lower, and the seats are strangely more comfortable.

 

[Bletchleyite]

...but the end/pantograph cars don't have underfloor engines either... floors are a lot lower, and the seats are strangely more comfortable.

The seats are exactly the same. Personally I prefer the relative position of the window to the seat in the higher floored coaches, but that obviously is a matter of taste and most people probably won't notice, let alone care.

 

[Dave1987]

Jimm, rather than ask why (as someone who works the IET train daily) I hold these opinions, you choose to make assumptions and speak to me in a superior manner. It's a bit weird and unecessary. It's like I made a personal attack on you, rather than discussing my personal experience of a train.

This is one of the reasons I never engage with Jimm any longer on this thread. You say a single slightly negative thing about these trains and he responds as if you have insulted him personally.

Jimm if you want people to respond to your posts and engage with you you might want to change the tone and stop the whole “superior manner” thing. All I get is that Jimm is a total fan boy of these trains and won’t have a single word said against them and talks down to anyone who has anything but praise for them.

 

[coppercapped]

...but the end/pantograph cars don't have underfloor engines either... floors are a lot lower, and the seats are strangely more comfortable.

...but the end cars also have a strange whine or whistle which probably comes from the transformer and associated gubbins (a technical expression, m'lud). HST coaches don't have these noticeable background noises.

 

[jimm]

This is one of the reasons I never engage with Jimm any longer on this thread. You say a single slightly negative thing about these trains and he responds as if you have insulted him personally.

Jimm if you want people to respond to your posts and engage with you you might want to change the tone and stop the whole “superior manner” thing. All I get is that Jimm is a total fan boy of these trains and won’t have a single word said against them and talks down to anyone who has anything but praise for them.

And there you go again. You have persistently ignored my criticisms of the way the IEP project has been financed, because it doesn't fit with your characterisation of my views.

You rarely make any attempt to engage or respond to anyone - many others apart from me - who has had the temerity to question any of the tide of negative stuff you have come out with about the trains and the IEP project generally over the years.

Eg your very first post in this thread, back on page 4 in June 2014. The very next poster asked you a question, but never got an answer.

And although you "never engage with me any longer", the instant (making allowances for the 11 days that have elapsed since the post you seized upon...) an opportunity presents itself to have a pop at me, all of a sudden you get an urge to "engage".

 

[Typhoon_93]

A small first for the IEP program on Monday 29.01.2018 saw the first Class 801 venture onto the national network with 801101 working 5X10 21:37 Doncaster Carr IEP Depot to Darlington.

 

[Dave1987]

And there you go again. You have persistently ignored my criticisms of the way the IEP project has been financed, because it doesn't fit with your characterisation of my views.

You rarely make any attempt to engage or respond to anyone - many others apart from me - who has had the temerity to question any of the tide of negative stuff you have come out with about the trains and the IEP project generally over the years.

Eg your very first post in this thread, back on page 4 in June 2014. The very next poster asked you a question, but never got an answer.

And although you "never engage with me any longer", the instant (making allowances for the 11 days that have elapsed since the post you seized upon...) an opportunity presents itself to have a pop at me, all of a sudden you get an urge to "engage".

You talk down to anyone who has even the slightest negative thing to say. FWIW these trains seem to be very good on electric and I'm sure the electric only versions on the ECML will be very good if the internal fit out is comfortable enough. They still have their design flaws, they are people munchers and not really long distance trains. BUT the biggest problem is..... the bi-mode diesel engines. I have always said the concept is bad one and I feel I have been proven correct in that thinking.

The reason I no longer take part in this thread much is it seems to be a general forum rule that you are not allowed to criticise class 80X's.

 

[samuelmorris]

The reason I no longer take part in this thread much is it seems to be a general forum rule that you are not allowed to criticise class 80X's.

Oh I'm not sure about that, I've seen plenty of criticism of them. I'm quite anxious to try one to see what I think myself. There has been plenty of criticism of the units in terms of performance which from what I've read sounds somewhat justified, even if it's more a criticism of DfT policy than the units themselves, the issue still remains. Seating comments are largely irrelevant as they are always subjective, though I do agree it's more important not to have excessively firm seating for longer-distance express services.

 

[CapitalStar378]

Can the lights be adjusted by the on board software? This is a bigger issue for me than the seating, it's very uncomfortable at night.

 

[jimm]

You talk down to anyone who has even the slightest negative thing to say. FWIW these trains seem to be very good on electric and I'm sure the electric only versions on the ECML will be very good if the internal fit out is comfortable enough. They still have their design flaws, they are people munchers and not really long distance trains. BUT the biggest problem is..... the bi-mode diesel engines. I have always said the concept is bad one and I feel I have been proven correct in that thinking.

The reason I no longer take part in this thread much is it seems to be a general forum rule that you are not allowed to criticise class 80X's.

So since you no longer participate in this thread (except when you see a chance to have a pop at me, apparently), we will never get an explanation of why you claim to have been "proven correct" about what a bad idea bi-modes are, despite never offering any hint as to how else through services between London and locations beyond the electrified area should be operated.

It's very easy to be negative about things, but you seem to find it very hard to - your words - "engage" and "respond" whenever anyone asks you to explain or justify what you post, never mind propose a practical alternative to the use of bi-modes.