SWR Repaints and Refurbishments

Goldfish62 · 25 Mar 2019

SWRtrain_fan said:
Yes, according to Modern Railways and also, the refurbishment is being done very quickly now

Unrefurbished 450/0s seem to be becoming a rare species.

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TEW · 25 Mar 2019

No chance they are all going to be done by May, they aren't being refurbished at that fast a rate.

envirommc · 27 Mar 2019

450075 has been refurbished.

SWRtrain_fan · 27 Mar 2019

Full refurbishment of trains:
444003, 444010, 444015, 444019, 444020, 444025, 444029, 444038, 444040 & 444044.(10 units completed)(22% complete)

450005, 450008, 450015, 450016, 450018, 450019, 450020, 450032, 450033, 450041, 450075, 450079, 450081, 450082, 450083, 450084, 450085, 450091, 450094, 450097, 450100, 450113, 450115, 450119, 450121, 450122(26 units completed)(20% complete)
Let me know if any more trains have been fully refurbished and I will edit this post regularly

lewisf · 27 Mar 2019

Any news on when the Desiros will be reliveried? It seems like over half the 158 and 159 fleet is done.

K.o.R · 28 Mar 2019

The refurbished First Class in the 444s is notable for having quite a few more table bays.

SWRtrain_fan · 28 Mar 2019

lewisf said:
Any news on when the Desiros will be reliveried? It seems like over half the 158 and 159 fleet is done.

11/30 of the Class 159s have been done and 3/10 of the 158s have been done, so not half of them have been done yet

lewisf · 28 Mar 2019

SWRtrain_fan said:
11/30 of the Class 159s have been done and 3/10 of the 158s have been done, so not half of them have been done yet

I must just be seeing the same few units on my travels then

SWRtrain_fan · 28 Mar 2019

At the moment, 159018 and 159004 are in Loughborough to be re-liveried. 159018 should hopefully return soon

Train Boy · 29 Mar 2019

SWRtrain_fan said:
159018 should hopefully return soon

Today as it happens...

Goldfish62 · 29 Mar 2019

SWRtrain_fan said:
Full refurbishment of trains:
444003, 444010, 444015, 444019, 444020, 444025, 444029, 444038, 444040 & 444044.(10 units completed)(22% complete)

450005, 450008, 450015, 450016, 450018, 450019, 450020, 450032, 450033, 450041, 450075, 450079, 450081, 450082, 450083, 450084, 450085, 450091, 450094, 450097, 450100, 450113, 450115, 450119, 450121, 450122(26 units completed)(20% complete)
Let me know if any more trains have been fully refurbished and I will edit this post regularly

So that's 71 450s (at least) fully or partially refurbished (45 part refurbs were done). Excluding the 28 450/5s which to my knowledge haven't been touched yet that still leaves 28 unfurnished 450s. However, I can't remember the last time I travelled on one of these so maybe a few more have been done than we've recorded so far.

Mag_seven · 29 Mar 2019

Train Boy said:
Today as it happens...

Refurbished 159018 has just passed through Bristol Parkway on its way from Loughborough to Salisbury.

SWRtrain_fan · 29 Mar 2019

Goldfish62 said:
(at least)

Yes, I think its actually more that 71 450s done, because there is a fully refurbished Desiro coming out every day now

RealTrains07 · 30 Mar 2019

Does the full refurbishment mean having blue grab poles?? as i noticed the first refurbished 444 still had old orange grab poles throughout the train

SWRtrain_fan · 30 Mar 2019

RealTrains07 said:
Does the full refurbishment mean having blue grab poles?? as i noticed the first refurbished 444 still had old orange grab poles throughout the train

All of the fully refurbished trains have blue handholds by the seats, but unfortunately they still have orange grab poles in the vestibules, it could be because it makes it easier for people with poorer vision to see them.

Goldfish62 · 30 Mar 2019

SWRtrain_fan said:
All of the fully refurbished trains have blue handholds by the seats, but unfortunately they still have orange grab poles in the vestibules, it could be because it makes it easier for people with poorer vision to see them.

Doubt it. Probably more to do with it actually being a complex job to remove the poles for recoating, which would delay the whole programme A pity, though, as they don't look right.

swt_passenger · 30 Mar 2019

RealTrains07 said:
Does the full refurbishment mean having blue grab poles?? as i noticed the first refurbished 444 still had old orange grab poles throughout the train

You must have missed all the previous discussions about the poles and vestibule grab handles not being changed. There are getting on for 700 vehicles with a huge number of poles, it would be a completely unnecessary cost. What would be the point?

Dan15812 · 30 Mar 2019

SWRtrain_fan said:
There is a fully refurbished Desiro coming out every day now

Were not getting many at the moment. I might be wrong but I think their preparing the 442's at Eastleigh Works at the moment, so that could explain why we're getting the odd 450 done and no 444's being done?

Also to add, in the SWR March 2019 Customer Report, its states ''Before the end of the year we will have completed the introduction of our refurbished fleet of electric trains as well as started the introduction of brand new, state of the art Class 701 Aventras''.

TEW · 30 Mar 2019

swt_passenger said:
You must have missed all the previous discussions about the poles and vestibule grab handles not being changed. There are getting on for 700 vehicles with a huge number of poles, it would be a completely unnecessary cost. What would be the point?

The refurbishment has clearly been scaled back from the original plans. The first artists impressions showed the poles being painted. A full interior repaint was originally planned, along with a makeover for the toilets. None of that has happened. When the first "fully refurbished" unit came out there was some talk of the orange poles being painted yellow at some point in the future.

swt_passenger · 30 Mar 2019

Dan15812 said:
Were not getting many at the moment. I might be wrong but I think their preparing the 442's at Eastleigh Works at the moment, so that could explain why we're getting the odd 450 done and no 444's being done?

AIUI from earlier discussions the 442s and Desiros are being done by completely separate contractors. Siemens for the Desiros, and Gemini Rail Services (formerly Kiepe Electric) for the 442s.
At the end of the day Eastleigh Works (Arlington) are facilitators for the spaces they are working in, there shouldn’t really be any crossover between the two workstreams.

RealTrains07 · 30 Mar 2019

TEW said:
The refurbishment has clearly been scaled back from the original plans. The first artists impressions showed the poles being painted. A full interior repaint was originally planned, along with a makeover for the toilets. None of that has happened. When the first "fully refurbished" unit came out there was some talk of the orange poles being painted yellow at some point in the future.

Clearly, shame really. I think blue poles would have gone better with the look of the brand and train

RealTrains07 · 30 Mar 2019

swt_passenger said:
You must have missed all the previous discussions about the poles and vestibule grab handles not being changed. There are getting on for 700 vehicles with a huge number of poles, it would be a completely unnecessary cost. What would be the point?

Makes the trains look uniform instead of odd bits from the previous franchise, for all we know SWR may win the franchise again so its a job worth doing considering other rail companies are doing it

SWRtrain_fan · 1 Apr 2019

TEW said:
along with a makeover for the toilets. None of that has happened.

Earlier on in this thread, someone said that on one of the refurbished 450s, there was a new vinyl wall in the toilets, so that could be the refurbished toilet. See post #1558(6 pages back)

TEW · 1 Apr 2019

Yes, the refurbished units have a stripy vinyl on the wall, I would hardly describe that as a makeover though.

SWRtrain_fan · 1 Apr 2019

TEW said:
I would hardly describe that as a makeover though.

Fair enough. I'm not sure if interior repaints were ever planned for the refurbishment, but I remember that real-time information screens were definitely planned for the refurb and that hasn't happened yet. Will they ever come onto the Desiro trains?

swt_passenger · 1 Apr 2019

SWRtrain_fan said:
Fair enough. I'm not sure if interior repaints were ever planned for the refurbishment, but I remember that real-time information screens were definitely planned for the refurb and that hasn't happened yet. Will they ever come onto the Desiro trains?

The real time screens are not required yet. Not until Dec 2020 as per the franchise agreement, and as discussed in this thread last year:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/swr-repaints-and-refurbishments.152252/page-41#post-3724754

Goldfish62 · 2 Apr 2019

swt_passenger said:
You must have missed all the previous discussions about the poles and vestibule grab handles not being changed. There are getting on for 700 vehicles with a huge number of poles, it would be a completely unnecessary cost. What would be the point?

You seem to be inferring that the previous discussion had basis in fact, which I don't accept. Just because there are a "large number" of poles does not provide reason in itself not to do them. If that was the case then the seat top grab handles wouldn't have been done and in any case it wouldn't be a viable way to run a business.

The original CGIs clearly showed blue handrails. It is therefore probable that these would have been budgeted for. The fact that they haven't been done therefore suggests either :

1. The cost of the refurb has overrun, therefore SWR either had to absorb the additional cost or scale back the refurb.
2. Removal of the handrails for recoating would have further delayed an already late running programme. IIRC TPE mentioned the difficulties of removing the handrails on the 185s during the refurb due to the sturdy build of the units.

Speculation on my part, but likely more viable reasons than suggested above.

RealTrains07 · 3 Apr 2019

SWRtrain_fan said:
Fair enough. I'm not sure if interior repaints were ever planned for the refurbishment, but I remember that real-time information screens were definitely planned for the refurb and that hasn't happened yet. Will they ever come onto the Desiro trains?

Well thats not what SWR said when the interior refurbishment pictures came out

SWRtrain_fan · 3 Apr 2019

deleted

SWRtrain_fan · 3 Apr 2019

RealTrains07 said:
Well thats not what SWR said when the interior refurbishment pictures came out

But it was stated in article about the Class 444/450 refurbishment over a year ago

SWR Repaints and Refurbishments

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