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Class 221 for Grand Central
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Mordac
Established Member
They just started in January I think.
James Kevill
Member
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- 27 May 2019
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How many months are the Class 221 operating by Grand Central? I think it started in 2023.
45076
Member
Does anyone have the correct formations for the GC operated units please?
Mgameing123
Member
It would be better to give XC some half life diesels. Its better the 222's get used than get scrapped midlife.
gabrielhj07
Member
43096
On Moderation
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They are five car units, not four…
CR165022
Member
The last few 221s have coaches from other units, I think they are as follows:
142: 60392, 60992, 60986, 60792, 60492
143: 60393, 60993, 60994, 60793, 60493
Last edited:
sprinterguy
Established Member
So far as I'm aware (and certainly according to the GC website), they're still operating as 5-car sets:
221142: 60392 60992 60986 60792 60492
221143: 60393 60993 60994 60793 60493
45076
Member
Thanks Sprinterguy.
Wyrleybart
Established Member
I believe it was a temporary 12 month arrangement in order to catch up with a backlog of work on the class 180 fleet.
Last time I looked there were just two centre cars swapped now - cars 56903 and 56906 IIRC which is a huge improvement from last year.
Just guessing that if XC need 12 of the ex AWC 221s then 142 and 143 might be two of them.
James Kevill
Member
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- 174
Ok, so the two Class 221 units 221142 and 221143 will be operated by Grand Central temporally for 12 months until the problems for the Class 180 Adelantes are solved. And 221142 and 221143 might probably be transferred to CrossCountry Trains to join the 36 Class 221 Super Voyager units, and there also might be possibility that these two units will be reformed back into 4 carriages, 221136 and 221140 will be reformed back into 5 carriages and 221144 will have it's own carriages back just like when they used to be operated by Virgin Trains. And as for the 6 Class 221 Super Voyager units, they either be stored away or to be operated by Grand Union or to be transferred to CrossCountry to join the other Class 221 units and CrossCountry will have total of 44 units as a uniform fleet.
It is probable that they wouldn't be reformed back to the original formations. CrossCountry are only taking on 12 of the 20 Avanti 221s in any case, the seven announced initially, and a further five announced more recently.
While it may be an enthusiast desire to have units back in their original formations, it isn't necessarily what happens.
YorksLad12
Established Member
Indeed. A five-car minimum XC offering would be a step up on the NE-SW route via Leeds, with the four-car sets used for peak strengthening. Have caught a 10-car set twice recently (including this evening) where the rear-most coach was locked out of use, so 2x5 seems to be overkill.