Abellio Greater Anglia Class 755s (Regional Trains)

[47421]

Indeed, once the users, stakeholders and MPs in Central and North Essex realise that many of their current journeys home from work are going to take longer from May so that a few can get to Ipswich and Norwich quicker they’re not going to be happy, especially as when they realise it’s a ‘fait accompli’!

yep, smacks of a face saving 'win' to disguise the multiple problems / non-delivery of commitments under the franchise agreement, including the deferral until an unknown date of all the other timetable changes due May 19, including extra TPH off peak to Hertford East and Southend V, extension of hourly LivSt-Ips semi fast to Norwich and extension of hourly Norwich-Cambridge to Stansted Airport, addition of 2TPH Meridian Water to Stratford.

 

[robreed90001]

mannaged to see 755405 on test at Diss this morning during the first daylight test run.

 

[F Great Eastern]

So they're changing the logo when the new fleet launches? Looks all red?

 

[Meerkat]

Sounds very noisy!

 

[samuelmorris]

Compared to a 170, I'm not sure it is to be honest.

 

[delticdave]

I was told that Power upgrades north of Ipswich were completed last Summer, to support 3 trains per hour. Now no limits on any Electric stock. There are also outstanding plans to close modify Level crossings IPS-NRW as well.

Why can a colour-light signalled double-tracked railway only cope with 3 trains per hour?
I used to live in Walthamstow & the rush-hour service was 9 tph, 6 of them being semi-fast with pre-war 3-aspect colour-lights.

DC

 

[Bletchleyite]

Sounds very noisy!

Mobile phone microphones tend to cause that effect.

 

[samuelmorris]

So they're changing the logo when the new fleet launches? Looks all red?

I believe so, all the new stock seems to have an all-red logo applied. Don't know why, the two colours looked much smarter to me.

 

[dk1]

Why can a colour-light signalled double-tracked railway only cope with 3 trains per hour?
I used to live in Walthamstow & the rush-hour service was 9 tph, 6 of them being semi-fast with pre-war 3-aspect colour-lights.

DC

Haughley to Norwich is not 3 aspect colour light.

 

[MikePJ]

Mobile phone microphones tend to cause that effect.

Phones have an automatic microphone level control, which will turn up the input gain to pick up on any ambient noise, because it assumes that's what you're listening to. At about the 1:00 mark on the video, you can hear the sound of the engines appear to get quieter for a few seconds when there's a voice briefly behind the camera - that sound will be nearer and louder and so the phone turns the mic gain down to accomodate it. When the voice stops, the noise level from the engines comes back up again.

 

[43096]

Why can a colour-light signalled double-tracked railway only cope with 3 trains per hour?
I used to live in Walthamstow & the rush-hour service was 9 tph, 6 of them being semi-fast with pre-war 3-aspect colour-lights.

DC

Have you considered the impact of the single line over Trowse swing bridge, which also carries services (2tph?) on the line to Ely? 5 trains in each direction (3 Diss, 2 Ely) means 10 trains over the single line every hour. I can easily see how 3tph to Diss is the limit.

 

[delticdave]

Haughley to Norwich is not 3 aspect colour light.

Oh, 'tis strange perhaps on a modernised main line? So, what is the problem, 2-aspects, or semaphores & long sections, policemen with stop-watches?

 

[delticdave]

Have you considered the impact of the single line over Trowse swing bridge, which also carries services (2tph?) on the line to Ely? 5 trains in each direction (3 Diss, 2 Ely) means 10 trains over the single line every hour. I can easily see how 3tph to Diss is the limit.

I did consider the single-line section, how long does it take for the longest timetabled train to clear it at line-speed?
It's no unknown for special trains to run to Norwich, I've enjoyed a trip back to Liv.St behind a 52 a few years back & that was given a reasonable path, in fact it arrived app. 30 minutes early. (Probably timed for 75 mph rather than 90.............)

 

[dk1]

Oh, 'tis strange perhaps on a modernised main line? So, what is the problem, 2-aspects, or semaphores & long sections, policemen with stop-watches?

No need for sarcasm. Long two aspect sections with 100mph trains 3 times per hour is fine. As Swills keeps explaining that doesn't mix well though when the North Walsham Tanks run as it's 60mph & heavy so struggles with the gradients in the up (loaded) direction. It even now gets caught up with the half hourly frequency.

 

[jopsuk]

There's an "official" video of daylight testing, including a shot of the gap-filling step deployed. Would be good to see it actually in action though

 

[samuelmorris]

Same PRM sounders as the Aventras by the look of things, which means come 2021 every train at Liverpool St bar the evening/weekend c2cs will use them. Going to be quite a din with that lot going off all the time

 

[87015]

No need for sarcasm. Long two aspect sections with 100mph trains 3 times per hour is fine. As Swills keeps explaining that doesn't mix well though when the North Walsham Tanks run as it's 60mph & heavy so struggles with the gradients in the up (loaded) direction. It even now gets caught up with the half hourly frequency.

It’s a four minute headway Ipswich to Trowse. Clearly the idea that the signalling is the constraint is dubious.

 

[Grumbler]

There's an "official" video of daylight testing, including a shot of the gap-filling step deployed. Would be good to see it actually in action though

Bootiful!

 

[physics34]

Same PRM sounders as the Aventras by the look of things, which means come 2021 every train at Liverpool St bar the evening/weekend c2cs will use them. Going to be quite a din with that lot going off all the time

extremely irritating and overkill. Go to vic platforms 9-12 and when the newer 377/6s and 7s are in there its a right old racket

 

[samuelmorris]

extremely irritating and overkill. Go to vic platforms 9-12 and when the newer 377/6s and 7s are in there its a right old racket

Not the same as those. Aventra buzzers are different, and imho, much more aggravating than those used on 2nd generation Electrostars like the 377/7.
I was rather hoping the Stadler units would receive the same sounders fitted to the 800s and 717s as they're a bit less obnoxious but for the intercity roles it won't matter too much.

 

[dk1]

It’s a four minute headway Ipswich to Trowse. Clearly the idea that the signalling is the constraint is dubious.

Not when the North Walsham Tanks are taken into account it's not. This is the whole issue being referred to. Slow moving at 60mph max (when it eventually gets to that speed) over 46 miles doesn't mix well with 2-aspect signalling with 100mph passenger trains.

 

[samuelmorris]

How often do they run?

 

[dk1]

How often do they run?

Sometimes 2-3 times per week but generally follows the 15:30 up. It may be this hour that needs a service removed. Not sure whether it can be retimed to run later at night or if it's constrained by the terminal. It carries highly flammable liquid gas.

 

[dk1]

Once it leaves the North Walsham terminal it has to keep going as blocks Crown Point whilst waiting on the Wensum Curve then only Stowmarket down loop can accommodate it & that eats into paths on the down whilst it slowly crawls in & then out again almost negating it being put out if the way.

 

[Alfie1014]

Photos published elsewhere show today’s main line test run with pan up so I assume they’re now cleared to run on the juice under NRs wires?

 

[87015]

Not when the North Walsham Tanks are taken into account it's not. This is the whole issue being referred to. Slow moving at 60mph max (when it eventually gets to that speed) over 46 miles doesn't mix well with 2-aspect signalling with 100mph passenger trains.

Which is nothing to do with the signalling restricting paths. Given it’s largely a blank paper recast its incredibly likely to be simply pathed in. The chances of the Norwich departures being 20/20/20 apart are very low anyway so it’ll get a gap.

 

[dk1]

Which is nothing to do with the signalling restricting paths. Given it’s largely a blank paper recast its incredibly likely to be simply pathed in. The chances of the Norwich departures being 20/20/20 apart are very low anyway so it’ll get a gap.

That's obvious. The tanks will struggle to be pathed is all some very knowlegable individuals on here are trying to say.

 

[samuelmorris]

Yeah it'll be awkward and it may require a tweak a few weeks in if the proposed time is held up too much but if it's less often than daily then that doesn't sound like too much of an issue.

 

[dk1]

405 I see out again this to morning to Diss continuing 100mph pantograph testing.

 

[samuelmorris]

I notice during some of those testing videos that both the pantograph is up and the engines are operating. I wonder what the significance of that is?