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Strange Class 158 pic

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sprinterguy

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I'm not clear on what there is to work out. What's causing you a problem?
Presumably the bright red class 158 carriage on the right of the pic fitted with ribbon glazing?

Although the Regional Railways set on accommodation bogies is also interesting - I didn't realise that many spare bodyshells were built (The livery looks too pristine to be an operational set in 1999); just the one to replace a vehicle out of 158861 in 1992, and the (unpainted) spare used for crash testing at Litchurch Lane.
 

sprinterguy

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is that not one of the thai ones?
No, there's a whole host of differences with the Thai "158s": Hopper vents on all saloon windows, twin headlights where the destination blinds sit on British examples, a pair of air vents above where the corridor connection would be. And they never carried Regional Railways insignia, either (which was applied only to 158815 - 872 as delivered).
 

Bletchleyite

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I wonder if that could have been some kind of structural testbed for the ribbon glazing for the Turbostars, as well as a spare bodyshell? It has no doors either...

No idea what the livery is, it might have just been so they could paint it with *something*.
 

Alan1310

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it was more the fact that this as about 1999 and there were still 158 bodies still kicking about and what is that red one all about i have never seen it before or read about it or anything the ribbon glazing is something i had never seen i was wandering if anyone could shed any light on it.
also i never thought about crash testing did this happen on all types of loco another thing i had never herd of
 

sprinterguy

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Although the Regional Railways set on accommodation bogies is also interesting - I didn't realise that many spare bodyshells were built (The livery looks too pristine to be an operational set in 1999); just the one to replace a vehicle out of 158861 in 1992, and the (unpainted) spare used for crash testing at Litchurch Lane.
Come to think of it, I'd forgotten one: There was also one painted body shell numbered "158999" that wound up at Crewe works last decade. From the photo below it seems quite plausible that the Reggie Railways liveried shell nearest the camera in the original linked image is one and the same, and there were actually two painted spare body shells at one time, making up a complete 2-car "unit":
https://www.flickr.com/photos/15218213@N06/3064834698/
 

Ash Bridge

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Presumably the bright red class 158 carriage on the right of the pic fitted with ribbon glazing?

Although the Regional Railways set on accommodation bogies is also interesting - I didn't realise that many spare bodyshells were built (The livery looks too pristine to be an operational set in 1999); just the one to replace a vehicle out of 158861 in 1992, and the (unpainted) spare used for crash testing at Litchurch Lane.

Just out of interest, was 158861 the unit hit by the runaway class 47 47343? At Hazel Grove in 1992? Seem to recall they performed a crash test at Derby on a spare 158 bodyshell probably mounted on accommodation bogies sometime shortly after the Hazel Grove incident just to prove the integrity of the alloy shell. I think it involved being propelled into a stationary class 45 at around 20mph from memory.
 

fgwrich

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I'm now intrigued by the fact that the carriage on the right appears to be a 365!

That could also be a 465 - The Networker fleet's were built by Met Camm at Washwood Heath, and BREL / ABB at Derby & York. That's defiantly an BREL / ABB Shell as the BREL units have an additional air intake above the side windows. Wouldn't surprise me that it's there though, York Works were later closed by ABB and presumably they concentrated all the spares in LL. Indeed the 158 picture has a few Networker Turbo roofs lying on the ground too!
 

SpacePhoenix

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That could also be a 465 - The Networker fleet's were built by Met Camm at Washwood Heath, and BREL / ABB at Derby & York. That's defiantly an BREL / ABB Shell as the BREL units have an additional air intake above the side windows. Wouldn't surprise me that it's there though, York Works were later closed by ABB and presumably they concentrated all the spares in LL. Indeed the 158 picture has a few Networker Turbo roofs lying on the ground too!

Could it be a prototype made of an "intercity version" of a Networker?
 

gith

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End doors/windows make it look almost like some sort of freakish early prototype for VT/XC's Voyager fleet...
 

34D

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Could it be a bodyshell that was given an overseas customer's branding for the purposes of trying to get an order?
 

fgwrich

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Could it be a bodyshell that was given an overseas customer's branding for the purposes of trying to get an order?

Could be a possibility.

Although I still have a feeling that it was a spare 158 bodyshell used to test ribbon glazing - Something that was new and untested at the time until the arrival of the Networker Turbostar (Class 168). The somewhat funky and non standard framework says prototype to me - something that seemed to be a common theme in the '90s with the converted GNER ex Sleeper having Oval windows as well.
 
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It certainly does have the appearance of a test bed for bonded glazing in an surplus 158 body shell when you look closely at the lifting points immediately below the leading bogie. I cannot see any contemporary DMU's with this similarly located.
 

sprinterguy

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Just out of interest, was 158861 the unit hit by the runaway class 47 47343? At Hazel Grove in 1992? Seem to recall they performed a crash test at Derby on a spare 158 bodyshell probably mounted on accommodation bogies sometime shortly after the Hazel Grove incident just to prove the integrity of the alloy shell. I think it involved being propelled into a stationary class 45 at around 20mph from memory.
Yeah, that was the incident in question regarding 158861. The crash tests with the spare unpainted bodyshell did indeed take place shortly after.
 

83G/84D

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I have a similar photograph taken at a works open day around 2003, it may have been Crewe.
 

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jopsuk

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I wonder if the mystery body shell was anything to do with the "Networker Classic" idea for putting a modern bodyshell on an old chassis. The one carriage presented to the public looked like a turbostar with sliding doors.

Or was it perhaps a prototype for an Electrostar 23m, end door unit type? The body looks quite long (hard to scale of course). The door (and there does if you look at both appear to be one near the cab end too) looks very like the doors that went on the 22x classes.

The 158 without a gangway and with recessed doors is a Thai unit surely? Why it was in Derby in 1999 though is a mystery
 

Bletchleyite

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Or was it perhaps a prototype for an Electrostar 23m, end door unit type? The body looks quite long (hard to scale of course). The door (and there does if you look at both appear to be one near the cab end too) looks very like the doors that went on the 22x classes.

Doesn't look like there are any doors - look where the footboard is. The window at the inner end is the bog/bike window.
 

Juniper Driver

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is that not one of the thai ones?

I actually was thinking that at first..

No, there's a whole host of differences with the Thai "158s": Hopper vents on all saloon windows, twin headlights where the destination blinds sit on British examples, a pair of air vents above where the corridor connection would be. And they never carried Regional Railways insignia, either (which was applied only to 158815 - 872 as delivered).

Yeah I have seen a pic but not in real life.Saw some other sprinter at Chiang Mai.
 
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SpacePhoenix

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It's not one of the tie ones:

http://www.andrewgrantham.co.uk/images/rail/th-158-hualampong5.jpg

It looks too different to be one

Googled the number at the front it in one photo and found:

The prototype 'mock up' of the 158 DMU at Crewe works open day. The unit is finished in Regional Railways express livery but lacks internal fittings and stands on accomodation bogies. The number 158999 has been crudely chalked on the front gangway conection.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/theoriginalzippy/3064834698
 

trac

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The front of the Thai '158' looks very busy! That would be fun for the scale-modeller!
 

hwl

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The Red "158" unit - is it possible it was used for multiple tests and experiments over the years?

At some point there were some crumple zone and coupling experiments on internal ends done pre electro-star which adopted the features would this make sense?
 

RobShipway

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Where any demonstration vehicles built for the Irish railways to look at all?
 
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