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Abellio Greater Anglia Class 755s (Regional Trains)

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samuelmorris

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ainsworth74

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Please note that now that these fleets are starting to enter service it's time to split the discussion slightly. This thread can be used to continue talking about 755s, their introduction and people's impressions of them. There is a new thread here which can be used for the 745s which are still not yet ready for service. If anyone is unsure please feel free to contact a member of Forum Staff for guidance.
 

dk1

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Thanks. 12-car and wires is good. Is there a target/expected date for available 'in use'?
Cheers!
Was told December. There are to be diagrams where trains stable here overnight. Drivers will be taxied to & from Victoria sidings.
 

Railperf

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Very impressive, shame this highlights the PIS still not working correctly.
(Once they're introduced) I'd like to see such a video of a 3-car unit on electric power, wherever that can take place!
Yes...electric performance promises to be phenomenal with the right driver to give it the full beans. Stowmarket southbound start will be very interesting with almost 22hp per ton!
 

chubs

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Please note that now that these fleets are starting to enter service it's time to split the discussion slightly. This thread can be used to continue talking about 755s, their introduction and people's impressions of them. There is a new thread here which can be used for the 745s which are still not yet ready for service. If anyone is unsure please feel free to contact a member of Forum Staff for guidance.

Do we really need a separate thread? The 745's aren't far behind and a combined thread for all FLIRT related chat has worked really well so far.
 

supervc-10

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That comparison's only really fair with a CVT or hybrid car as the engine speed won't be linked to vehicle speed on diesel-electric units like the 755s. That said, the gradient changes on the rails should be nowhere near as substantial as on the roads, so for a constant speed I wouldn't expect drastic changes in power demand.

The Toyota hybrids are awful for this. Had an Auris Hybrid taxi the other day, and the engine would suddenly come on when we came to the tall, relatively steep bridge on the M60 over the Manchester Ship Canal, the engine was revving away really loudly and with a really annoying droning noise. Would drive me nuts if I had one!
 

apk55

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A couple of questions
Are all the diesel engines run under identical load conditions or do they load up some first before using using the other engines.
Do they ever stop some of the engines while leaving just leaving one operating on periods of low demand. This could be useful for long periods of rest while waiting in a terminus or depot
 

samuelmorris

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The Toyota hybrids are awful for this. Had an Auris Hybrid taxi the other day, and the engine would suddenly come on when we came to the tall, relatively steep bridge on the M60 over the Manchester Ship Canal, the engine was revving away really loudly and with a really annoying droning noise. Would drive me nuts if I had one!
A little off-topic but you have to remember, it's proportional to load, maintaining a high speed up a substantial gradient requires almost all the power they can give as the Atkinson cycle engines they use are lower output but higher efficiency (50hp/l where 70+ is common nowadays). In almost all other cases, however, they work less hard than with a conventional transmission. At 'cruising speed' on level ground, even at 80mph+ if so inclined you will struggle to hear them at all, which is definitely not the case in most other cars. The clue is in the terminology you use - 'engine would suddenly come on' - the Auris isn't a plug-in, it will have been on all the time if above 50mph, you just wouldn't have noticed it.

This is useful characteristic for DEMUs because engine noise will be highest when accelerating, which is when traction motors will also be making a lot of noise (though in the case of the 755s admittedly those aren't in the same place). Once up to speed, the power requirement is lower and so the engine speed can be far lower, which should ultimately provide a better experience than regular DMUs. In the case of the 755s, things go a step further with the engines not being in the same actual vehicle as the passengers, and even the number of seats adjacent to them make up a small proportion of the actual train.
 

F Great Eastern

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Do we really need a separate thread? The 745's aren't far behind and a combined thread for all FLIRT related chat has worked really well so far.
Agreed - another example of over zealous moderation, which as mentioned several times in the last few weeks, is seriously destroying RF.

I posted in the FLIRT thread this morning and couldn't find it tonight because of the title has been changed. How on earth are other forum member supposed to cope?
 
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trebor79

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Also agree. They are essentially the same trains. I don't see the Azuma thread being split out into 800 and 801.
This thread had evolved into a one stop shop for discussion about the introduction of the new intercity and regional fleets. Splitting it up benefits nobody other than someone wanting a 'tidy' forum.
 

superalbs

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Do we really need a separate thread? The 745's aren't far behind and a combined thread for all FLIRT related chat has worked really well so far.
I also agree, in fact it's messier to have the two threads seperate, as then you have to go to two threads instead of the one, both are basically the same subject.
 

samuelmorris

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To offer a counterpoint, I actually disagree. It's slightly disruptive to break up that conversation, but threads about the 700s and 800s have proven that discussion goes on far longer than just the units' introduction into service. As time goes on, that will lead to concurrent discussions about different issues going on in the same thread. The 745/755 are not like the 800/801 - they do not work the same services, the same type of service, they are a totally different size and even the tractive power is different. I really don't have an issue with there being one thread for 755s and one for 745s. It's not like you're being asked to use separate threads for the subclasses or anything daft.

If you want to talk generally about Anglia's new fleet as a whole, there's already a thread for that too.
 

samuelmorris

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For which I've had several posts deleted from for talking too general and not creating an additional thread.
On that note, moderators are real people. Have you spoken to them? I've had the same happen to me but generally accept the reasoning behind it. Much more of this conversation in this thread and it too contravenes forum etiquette...
 

RailWonderer

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For which I've had several posts deleted from for talking too general and not creating an additional thread.
I had posts deleted for reiterating what I said in another thread. It's a shame, RF is far better when the discussion goes slightly off topic and is fluid like an actual conversation rather than quarantined posting all the time.
In other news, according to RC, Sheringham is next to go 755, then it's Ipswich, but could take longer since crews as I understand aren't fully trained on them yet. Any date for when Ipswich will start to see 755 services?
 

86246

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In other news, according to RC, Sheringham is next to go 755, then it's Ipswich, but could take longer since crews as I understand aren't fully trained on them yet. Any date for when Ipswich will start to see 755 services?

I could be wrong but I'm not aware of them visiting Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe and the East Suffolk so far. I assume the priority will be to get enough in service to ensure that they have replacements for the 170s.
 

trebor79

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I'm sure @dk1 posted just a few days ago that Norwich drivers are being trained on them first. Ipswich and East Suffolk will get 15x once the 170s are gone until drivers in that part of the world get trained on the 755s.
I believe they have been everywhere on the route network, but only on test.
 

dk1

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I'm sure @dk1 posted just a few days ago that Norwich drivers are being trained on them first. Ipswich and East Suffolk will get 15x once the 170s are gone until drivers in that part of the world get trained on the 755s.
I believe they have been everywhere on the route network, but only on test.
Yes mate. Around Norwich first everything else all in good time.
 

trebor79

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Yes mate. Around Norwich first everything else all in good time.
Thanks for confirming. And as I said before, they will be worth waiting for. Had another 2 journeys today and I still can't quite believe how good they are.
I used to be an engineer, and just looking around the cabin it's obvious how well designed everything is to lower manufacturing costs but still have a good fit and finish. Random example, the the ceiling panels that have a CCTV camera also have an emergency light wifi unit down one side of the train. Down the other side the space for that light is neatly banked off. Saves the cost of tooling to make 2 different panels.
It's that sort of detail which gives away how much effort has gone into the design way before any metal was cut.
From a passenger POV everything is well designed and good quality materials have been used. Even the seat back tables are metal and have ridges to prop your tablet or phone up at a comfortable viewing angle.
I just love sitting in seats that are nicely aligned with the huge windows, in the peace and quiet. That's the best part, the peace and quiet (and I enjoyed a bit of thrash during next to the power unit this morning). Lovely.
 
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37047

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Just boarded 755413 at Ely (1K55 0533 Norwich to Cambridge) - a very pleasant surprise for a Friday morning. My first 755 for haulage, very impressed. Quiet, spacious, a huge step up from the 170s + 15Xs.
 

170TurboFan

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Thanks for confirming. And as I said before, they will be worth waiting for. Had another 2 journeys today and I still can't quite believe how good they are.
I used to be an engineer, and just looking around the cabin it's obvious how well designed everything is to lower manufacturing costs but still have a good fit and finish. Random example, the the ceiling panels that have a CCTV camera also have an emergency light down one side of the train. Down the other side the space for that light is neatly banked off. Saves the cost of tooling to make 2 different panels.
It's that sort of detail which gives away how much effort has gone into the design way before any metal was cut.
From a passenger POV everything is well designed and good quality materials have been used. Even the seat back tables are metal and have ridges to prop your tablet or phone up at a comfortable viewing angle.
I just love sitting in seats that are nicely aligned with the huge windows, in the peace and quiet. That's the best part, the peace and quiet (and I enjoyed a bit of thrash during next to the power unit this morning). Lovely.
That emergency light thing is actually the WiFi access point. Seen them on other trains which seem to also have WiFi but not on ones which don't have WiFi.
 

trebor79

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That emergency light thing is actually the WiFi access point. Seen them on other trains which seem to also have WiFi but not on ones which don't have WiFi.
Ah yes, I did wonder if it was that rather than an emergency light, post edited. Point still stands though :)
 

170TurboFan

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Ah yes, I did wonder if it was that rather than an emergency light, post edited. Point still stands though :)
Exactly, I still feel that the fit and finish internally is much better than a lot of rolling stock, as much as I like the 170s, they do sometimes sound like they are falling apart a bit, especially the luggage rack issue. The 755s can only improve on what we had and not really be worse.
 

supervc-10

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A little off-topic but you have to remember, it's proportional to load, maintaining a high speed up a substantial gradient requires almost all the power they can give as the Atkinson cycle engines they use are lower output but higher efficiency (50hp/l where 70+ is common nowadays). In almost all other cases, however, they work less hard than with a conventional transmission. At 'cruising speed' on level ground, even at 80mph+ if so inclined you will struggle to hear them at all, which is definitely not the case in most other cars. The clue is in the terminology you use - 'engine would suddenly come on' - the Auris isn't a plug-in, it will have been on all the time if above 50mph, you just wouldn't have noticed it.

This is useful characteristic for DEMUs because engine noise will be highest when accelerating, which is when traction motors will also be making a lot of noise (though in the case of the 755s admittedly those aren't in the same place). Once up to speed, the power requirement is lower and so the engine speed can be far lower, which should ultimately provide a better experience than regular DMUs. In the case of the 755s, things go a step further with the engines not being in the same actual vehicle as the passengers, and even the number of seats adjacent to them make up a small proportion of the actual train.

Yes, I didn't word myself very well, the engine in the Toyota system is generally running at any speed above 30, and below that when accelerating I believe. However my 1.0 Turbo Seat Ibiza is pretty silent at a steady 70 over that bridge. It's a 'managed motorway' stretch so steady 70 is the only way to do it without risking a speeding fine. It's the sudden revving up and hearing the car come on and off the power that I really didn't like.

Totally agree that it would be appropriate for a DEMU. The way the 755s will shut down individual engines sounds like a great idea too, reducing wear, fuel consumption, and noise.
 

samuelmorris

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Exactly, I still feel that the fit and finish internally is much better than a lot of rolling stock, as much as I like the 170s, they do sometimes sound like they are falling apart a bit, especially the luggage rack issue. The 755s can only improve on what we had and not really be worse.
They did from new, 170s have always had rattling interior panels.
 

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