Thanks for that.
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5x Class 153 conversion to bike and baggage vans for Scotrail
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Thanks for that.
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They're not sitting in a siding. They are in the yard/workshop of Brodie Engineering in Kilmarnock undergoing refurbishment. Interiors have been stripped out and corrosion repairs are underway. The aim is for them to be ready for service with ScotRail for the May timetable change.
There's every reason to be sceptical and negative about this when we are sorely lacking passenger capacity on certain routes today. 3 X 153's isn't going to cure all our ills but would solve chronic overcrowding on the routes I've mentioned, not to mention others.
Try explaining to passengers left behind on an hourly service that the railway sent 3 off lease dogboxes to Scotland to cart bikes around instead.
It's good to see the 153's being redeployed, but theres better uses for them at the moment.
Try explaining to passengers left behind on an hourly service that the railway sent 3 off lease dogboxes to Scotland to cart bikes around instead.
It's good to see the 153's being redeployed, but theres better uses for them at the moment.
Anyone in Scotland sign a 153? Would be tight to get them ready and into service in May!
berneyarms
Established Member
The point of them is to reduce overcrowding on the West Highland Line by removing the bikes.
DelW
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The 172s that you're waiting for are in an exactly analogous situation to the 153s in question - they've all now been withdrawn from the (heavily overcrowded) Gospel Oak - Barking line so that they can be modified to West Midland Trains' specification. The GOBLIN timetable has been reduced from quarter hourly to half hourly as a result.
It's inconsistent to object to the 153s being withdrawn for conversion to alleviate West Highland overcrowding, while expecting the 172s to be withdrawn from their previous home to benefit West Midlands services.
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The training program is ready to go as soon as the first one is out of the works. The fact that a 153 is very similar to a 156 will probably reduce the training time to about 1 day, with a couple of training runs. There's also a relatively small number of crew to train, so shouldn't take long. But, with all recent rolling stock introductions in ScotRail, no plan survives first contact, so we'll just have to wait and see!
Got to be cleared yet too. Think March next year is being bandied about, same as 158’s but is that full fleet by then or their introduction?
Are they still going ahead with clearing the 158s up the WHL?
I haven't said a word on this thread that could imply I 'expected' the 172's to be withdrawn. The goblin passengers have been treated poorly, although thankfully at least they still have a service and the same capacity per hour. Hats of to TFL for arranging the short term fix.
However the 172's have been withdrawn for use up here, and crew training is now well underway.
What I am annoyed at is that off lease rolling stock has been sent for conversion to carry bikes, when passengers are being left behind on routes where these units could have made an impact at least in the short term.
I don't doubt that the WHL needs these dogboxes to ease overcrowding in the summer, but space for passengers should always take priority over bikes.
Haha, same down this way. It's the railway.
Can't see no.2 cab proving popular in the summer when the weather gets a tad warm!
......relieving possibly worse overcrowding down there. I'll take chronic overcrowding over groups of passengers being left behind daily.
Should have arranged a tug of war over them! I'm glad to see the old things getting a new life but it's the timing of it all that's got me.
Aye, still been ongoing
computerSaysNo
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So are the platforms being adjusted so that the doors on the 158s don't hit them when they swing open? Last I heard about it was that they had cancelled that plan due to it being too expensive.
I don’t know what the main problems are for gauging but I don’t think it’s the platforms. A lot of them have been redone in years past and should already be suitable for 158 doors. 153’s no doubt provide their own challenge for gauging...
Of course, all 8 172's (001-008) should and more to the point could have been with WMT for over a year now.
The GOBLIN should, and more to the point could, have had a full service with electric units for over a year now.
Anybody remember the first 315's which were withdrawn late 2017 / early 2018, then parked at Wolverton for the best part of a year before being dragged to various extremities of the country for conversion to razor blades?
But no.
berneyarms
Established Member
With all due respect, there will never be a good time to do something like this.
Someone somewhere will always be complaining that their line needs additional stock.
Sometimes you just have to get on with something like this regardless.
But you must admit that we are being very inept in the way things are currently being done. With no RoSCos or franchise contracts set in stone "one railway" would have had a lot more options for managing the consequences of delivery failures and moving stock to where it is most needed.
One "company" can decide to take costs in one area (like overstaffing and driver training for a short-term interim loan of cascaded stock) because it is in their (i.e. our, the country's) overall best interests.
Fragmented ownership and smaller businesses cannot tolerate losses on their patch just because it is in the national interest, and government funding seems only to be able to partially address the problem on the operating side, and doesn't seem to be able to influence the RoSCos at all.
Journeyman
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They've never operated in Scotland. How different are they to a 156, though? Can't be much in it.
d9009alycidon
Member
If my understanding of how they are going to be used is correct, i.e being inserted as a centre car between the two 156 cars then why would the drivers need to sign for them? I would have though that a small number of drivers at Corkerhill might need to have to drive them during unit reorganisations but out on the line the cabs would not be used
anamyd
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The 70 153s were converted by Hunslet Barclay from 35 of the originally 42 155s made by Leyland Bus (the other 7 155s remain in service with Northern); the 156s were made by Metro-Cammell.
Every unit forming a train has to be signed by the driver and guard. Things like the emergency egress, emergency equipment may be in different places etc. It's only a matter of a small conversion course as there isn't much difference .
It's my understanding these units will be at the end of the 156.
61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
AIUI they aren't being "sandwiched" but will be on one end. Presumably they'll avoid the small cabs being on the outer end where possible, but they unavoidably will end up that way round occasionally.
Even if they were going in the middle of 156s crews would still need training on them: things like fault-finding and the location of fire extinguishers are also required knowledge. It isn't just about making it go and making it stop.
I live in Oban and these 153's will go a long way during the summer to ease the overcrowding
Chatting with one of the guards the other day about this, they say that the 153 will be sandwiched in between the 156.
158s have been abandoned on the WHL due to platform issues with the doors.
I can assure you they won't be. They are going to be placed on either end.
fair enough, whats your source?
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