What about EMU's ?Any DMU's, class 31's, HST's and 306's. Don't miss any of them
What about EMU's ?Any DMU's, class 31's, HST's and 306's. Don't miss any of them
Agree. Nothing worse than having to travel from Worcester to Bristol/Swindon or beyond in a class 150. I dislike stock where windows and seats dont align, plus the 150s were so noisy on the mainline. Glad they've gone from Kidderminster line workings too.The FGW/GWR 150/1s. I hated when one of these turned up, yet don’t mind the 150/2s. I’m glad they’re gone and don’t miss them.
We don’t see many 150/2s anymore either, unless of course one turns up in place of a Turbo, 158 or mini HST.
The Tonbridge to Redhill were 508s that came from Merseyrail to Connex.
They were scrapped - literally - after Connex lost the franchise.
+1 for HSTs. While I can happily reminisce about being young and riding them on the WR, in my adult life using them out of necessity I found their ride quality to be severely lacking, and the fixed armrests on the IC70s were pretty annoying. Not to mention any remaining ounce of character had been half-inched from the experience once they were re-engined.
Afraid I must disagree, I've travelled a lot around Europe and mark 3 is a great coach compared to continential offerings and, I feel, an excellent coach in its own right. A DB ICE train might be the one which does beat a mark 3, though!Absolutely. They were revolutionary in their day and helped InterCity become a great success, but I've never understood the view that the Mark 3 is THE GREATEST CARRIAGE IN THE WORLD EVER, and it's time they bowed out. In fact, it was time at least 15 or so years ago.
Plenty of threads on what we like and miss but how about the opposite. Loco's and units we didnt like when in service and still don't miss years after withdrawl.
For me diesel loco wise 25's, they were fine reliable work horses and did what they were asked to do but never got excited about them, maybe because In Scotland we had "our" 26's and 27's.
From the days of modernisation plan dmus, I despised any unit I was travelling in that had (usually empty) First Class in the front ...
It wasn't even as if paying the extra gave you the view seats, because such units always had standard class seats at the other end, it was a 50-50 chance which one was leading.
Rarely employed on my school holiday "treat" from Taunton to MineheadClass 110s had first class at both ends.
Sometimes the opposite happens, and what was initially a disappointment turns into something memorable.Everybody it seems said:4 VEPs.
Class 150s, never very comfortable and their indirect replacement by 170s which cascaded down other units was a vast improvement. Even if 158s to Bathgate was perhaps a bit of an overkill.
Rarely employed on my school holiday "treat" from Taunton to Minehead
Sometimes the opposite happens, and what was initially a disappointment turns into something memorable.
Accordingly, I was waiting at Southampton Parkway one afternoon about 1990 to return to London, in the days when the fasts ran nonstop between these two points. Should have been a 12-REP, but what hove into view was sadly just a well-filled single 4-VEP. First surprise was I managed to get a forward-facing window seat, in the motor coach.
Off we set on what was a most spectacular run. We got to Waterloo in under an hour, making up time, having run it felt for much of the journey at 100mph; I know that's not possible, but we were flat out, and beat the REP timing.
Or A stock to be honest. Rough riding, slow, noisy and fitted with awful daylight lighting (at least that didn't make it into the S-stock, the warm white is much nicer, as is literally everything about the units).
I like the VEP's.
Very underrated all-rounders IMO. Enough trimmings for a fast run to the coast, whilst at the same time capacity and ease of loading for a peak suburban run.
Yes I always think the VEPs have been unfavourably remembered by history. A type of train which was at home on pretty much any part of the Southern electrified network, albeit a "jack of all trades and master of none". When fully loaded they were no worse than any other 2+3 train, and when lightly loaded I found them perfectly comfortable. In all honesty they're a type of train I rather miss.
I agree with a couple of the OP's non-preferences.Plenty of threads on what we like and miss but how about the opposite. Loco's and units we didnt like when in service and still don't miss years after withdrawl.
For me diesel loco wise 25's, they were fine reliable work horses and did what they were asked to do but never got excited about them, maybe because In Scotland we had "our" 26's and 27's.
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DMU's I am sure there are many out there that will not be shocked when I say 105's
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Deltics unreliable? Only ever had a failure once, ok the maintanence was expensive but they were well taken care of and worked harder than any other diesel class in their time.Deltics. Chronically unreliable, massively overrated, an utterly fruit-looped engine design and sound like a set of badly-tuned bagpipes.
VEPs. Out of date before they were built; and an utterly disgusting, rancid form of transport.
I take it that includes the Calder Valley sets (110, I think). They were almost as bad as the Cravens mentioned earlier. Presumably the nice Trans Pennines were allocated to the ends of the line?I never liked any DMU allocated to Newton Heath
Deltics unreliable? Only ever had a failure once, ok the maintanence was expensive but they were well taken care of and worked harder than any other diesel class in their time.
What was availability? How many running on one engine at a time?Deltics unreliable? Only ever had a failure once, ok the maintanence was expensive but they were well taken care of and worked harder than any other diesel class in their time.
I think there's an additional category we can add here for trains that we'll miss as enthusiasts, but recognise that they were generally awful for everyday travel purposes.
I loved a bit of thrash from the Thumpers on the Oxted line, but I'd feel seriously short-changed if I was forking out thousands a year to commute on one of those heaps of junk in the early 2000s. Likewise, I loved the 37s on the North Wales Coast in the nineties, but I don't think I ever rode in a train where all the heating and lighting worked properly.
I think I would feel more short changed by the state of them in terms of graffiti, toilets not working etc than the design. I seem to recall that they were getting a bit tatty at the end.
That said, I don't recall one ever not turning up on the Marshlink, so perhaps they were still reasonably reliable.