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Abellio Greater Anglia Class 755s (Regional Trains)

gingerheid

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Been admiring 406 every time I pass it in a 153 or 156. Love these in Estonia and can't wait to be on one here!

Compared to Northern's 195s I feel we really did win this one!
 
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TheEdge

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I finally got a chance to have a look inside one. Comparing to the Meridian FLIRT I was on last week the Anglia ones don't feel like anything has been skimped on the fit out.

And I'm just shy of 6ft and well built and the seats are perfectly comfortable. The drivers seat however, can't wait to be sat on one of those everyday!
 

Alan Warren

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There is currently an interesting video on You Tube of several FLIRTs arriving at the Mid Norfolk Railway last week - especially in the second half of the video. Clearly the crossing keeper was slightly nervous at being filmed.......

 

samuelmorris

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Bletchleyite

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It does but one of those replies raises a valid point - no overhead luggage racks? The lighting makes it difficult to tell, but it looks more like those panels are flush with the ceiling than having any storage above.

There are supposed to be racks - perhaps it precedes them being fitted. On some of those pictures you can see the mountings for them.
 

trebor79

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They do look really nice. I seem to be doing Diss to London twice a week at the moment, and much as ai love the Mk3, the seats are actually too squishy in standard and the first class seats backs are raked back at an awkward angle that makes them quite uncomfortable for me.
Can't wait to try the new trains.
 

Fast Track

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They do look really nice. I seem to be doing Diss to London twice a week at the moment, and much as ai love the Mk3, the seats are actually too squishy in standard and the first class seats backs are raked back at an awkward angle that makes them quite uncomfortable for me.
Can't wait to try the new trains.
After decades of occasional travelling from Liverpool Street to Diss and laterally Norwich I will miss the classic Mk 3 carriages but the new stock looks superb - lucky East Anglia.
 

dk1

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Work has now begun at Victoria Sidings opposite Trowse Junction. This should provide stabling for another four 12-car 745 units.
 

Railperf

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Yes...i saw the ground being cleared a month or two back when i went up to sample the Great Yarmouth 37's. I wondered what was happening. Now it all makes sense.
 

F Great Eastern

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Was going to say that even Abellio couldn't make a mistake of not putting luggage racks in.

Can't say I like the new colour scheme, too much white for my liking, the original colour scheme with some greys and less clinical white and slightly darker carpets was far better.
 

Bletchleyite

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I was told by a local (Norwich) driver that they might have to switch to electric mode during their layovers at Norwich to keep the systems running without wasting fuel. Also, refuelling might be required part-way on some diagrams.

They should be doing this regardless of fuel - it should be mandatory on ALL bi-modes. Idling engines stink and cause pollution.
 

Railperf

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Would be an environmentally and healthy thing to do. But will it add an additional element of unreliability - switching between diesel and electric? GWR Class 800's suffer issues switching modes from time to time. A shore supply might also be good, but probably costly to install.
 

Railperf

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They should be doing this regardless of fuel - it should be mandatory on ALL bi-modes. Idling engines stink and cause pollution.
yes, i recall entering a Platform at Birmingham New street where a Voyager was sitting idling we were almost choking to death on the platform - the fumes were filling the platform as the station roof is so low!!
 

samuelmorris

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Would be an environmentally and healthy thing to do. But will it add an additional element of unreliability - switching between diesel and electric? GWR Class 800's suffer issues switching modes from time to time. A shore supply might also be good, but probably costly to install.
Yes but financial trumps operational, which in turn trumps environmental. Call me cynical but I expect it'll only be happening to save money.
 

Bletchleyite

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Would be an environmentally and healthy thing to do. But will it add an additional element of unreliability - switching between diesel and electric? GWR Class 800's suffer issues switching modes from time to time. A shore supply might also be good, but probably costly to install.

There is no need for a shore supply when there's 25kV above your head.

If switching is unreliable, the units are rubbish. But this is a Stadler product - very much a premium thing - I simply can't see there being issues like this.
 

Dave1987

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There is no need for a shore supply when there's 25kV above your head.

If switching is unreliable, the units are rubbish. But this is a Stadler product - very much a premium thing - I simply can't see there being issues like this.

You are aware of things called thermal cycles? Diesel engines work best at high power. You do not want to be turning diesel engines on and off repeatedly. I read recently that the whole auto stop-start tech fitted to modern cars might actually be doing more harm than good because the metals in catalytic converters work well at high temperatures and the stop-start was allowing the catalytic converter to cool off of their optimum operating temperature band and therefore doing more harm to the environment that just allowing the engines to keep running. Your statements sound very much like a politicians. Just because you cannot see any issues does not mean there aren't any.
 

ashkeba

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I read recently that the whole auto stop-start tech fitted to modern cars might actually be doing more harm than good because the metals in catalytic converters work well at high temperatures and the stop-start was allowing the catalytic converter to cool off of their optimum operating temperature band and therefore doing more harm to the environment that just allowing the engines to keep running.
Where did you read that? I'd be amazed if a car cat cooled that much in a stop-start cycle which is typically about a minute at signals. It sounds like the sort of stuff made up by Luddites to justify pressing the override and gassing a few more children waiting to cross.

The longer stop times on a bi-mode unit may be more of a challenge but as mentioned above or in the other thread, they can keep the engine train warm when on electric, probably for this reason among others.
 

Bletchleyite

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You are aware of things called thermal cycles? Diesel engines work best at high power. You do not want to be turning diesel engines on and off repeatedly. I read recently that the whole auto stop-start tech fitted to modern cars might actually be doing more harm than good because the metals in catalytic converters work well at high temperatures and the stop-start was allowing the catalytic converter to cool off of their optimum operating temperature band and therefore doing more harm to the environment that just allowing the engines to keep running. Your statements sound very much like a politicians. Just because you cannot see any issues does not mean there aren't any.

With 25kV above your head it is perfectly possible to fit electric heating elements to the block to keep it at temperature without the need to burn any dinosaurs. Think outside the box.
 

samuelmorris

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You are aware of things called thermal cycles? Diesel engines work best at high power. You do not want to be turning diesel engines on and off repeatedly. I read recently that the whole auto stop-start tech fitted to modern cars might actually be doing more harm than good because the metals in catalytic converters work well at high temperatures and the stop-start was allowing the catalytic converter to cool off of their optimum operating temperature band and therefore doing more harm to the environment that just allowing the engines to keep running. Your statements sound very much like a politicians. Just because you cannot see any issues does not mean there aren't any.
I have my doubts about that. Less effective perhaps, but catalytic converters still work from cold, you can even smell that they do. In any case, the situation with diesel vs petrol is quite different. There are other reasons why start/stop (as it's implemented outside the realm of hybrids) is not something I'm keen about, but being worse for the environment than not using it is not one of them.
 

Dave1987

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With 25kV above your head it is perfectly possible to fit electric heating elements to the block to keep it at temperature without the need to burn any dinosaurs. Think outside the box.

You can’t keep the block at the operating temperature it is at high power with electric heating elements. You can keep it warm but not at operating temperature. When you shut it down for an reasonable period of time you will get a thermal cycle.
 

Dave1987

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I have my doubts about that. Less effective perhaps, but catalytic converters still work from cold, you can even smell that they do. In any case, the situation with diesel vs petrol is quite different. There are other reasons why start/stop (as it's implemented outside the realm of hybrids) is not something I'm keen about, but being worse for the environment than not using it is not one of them.

I was using it as an example. There is a debate as to whether keeping engines running and keeping to cat at optimum working temperature is better than the benefits of stop-start.
 

43096

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You can’t keep the block at the operating temperature it is at high power with electric heating elements. You can keep it warm but not at operating temperature. When you shut it down for an reasonable period of time you will get a thermal cycle.
It’s cold starting that does the most damage to an engine - hence why pre-heat now tends to be fitted to mitigate it.

Leaving engines running at idle/low idle to supply auxiliaries also doesn’t do them much good and incurs engine hours (so maintenance becomes due sooner), so actually shutting the engine(s) down and using 25kV power instead makes a lot of sense: there are environmental, operational, engineering and financial benefits.
 

Dave1987

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It’s cold starting that does the most damage to an engine - hence why pre-heat now tends to be fitted to mitigate it.

Leaving engines running at idle/low idle to supply auxiliaries also doesn’t do them much good and incurs engine hours (so maintenance becomes due sooner), so actually shutting the engine(s) down and using 25kV power instead makes a lot of sense: there are environmental, operational, engineering and financial benefits.

I most certainly agree that it eliminates cold starting. But I wish people would not espouse this belief that heating the coolant is some magic bullet to shutting down the diesel engines while not putting it through a thermal cycle. Diesel engines work best at high power. This notion of turning them on-off-on-off while stopping engine wear by heating the coolant is a complete fallacy. How exactly is heating the coolant going to keep the exhaust port at the same temperature it experiences at high power?
 

Tim Regester

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Given the order of the Stadler Flirt Akku on the Schleswig Holstein line, which is a Bi Mode Catenary/Battery mode Flirt, I would imagine as Battery density improves, the Stadler Flirts on GA will swap out the diesel for Battery technology. The range is currently only 80 miles but given battery tech is rapidly improving this should improve.

So on my line, Sudbury-Marks Tey where would a 755/3 charge the batteries? I gather the original aim to run trains to Colchester Town has been put on the back burner but why not run to Platform 6 at Colchester North outside the peak. This would then recharge via overheads between Sudbury and Colchester North.

Oh and any idea when Sudbury-Marks Tey will see Stadler Flirts?
 

Alfie1014

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My understanding is that it is the performance implications of running on the main line to Colchester that has ruled out the extension to the Town, so the same would apply to North station too. That said with the technology now allowing remote charging, that could be done at both Marks Tey and/or Sudbury. Does it even need to be 25kv anyway, as in Japan at least lower voltages appear to be in use. Probably suitable for the Sudbury and Felixstowe branches (though the latter must be a shoe in for proper wiring) and possibly for the Norfolk branches too (Cromer charged ing point during reversal).
 

dk1

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My understanding is that it is the performance implications of running on the main line to Colchester that has ruled out the extension to the Town, so the same would apply to North station too. That said with the technology now allowing remote charging, that could be done at both Marks Tey and/or Sudbury. Does it even need to be 25kv anyway, as in Japan at least lower voltages appear to be in use. Probably suitable for the Sudbury and Felixstowe branches (though the latter must be a shoe in for proper wiring) and possibly for the Norfolk branches too (Cromer charged ing point during reversal).
Apart from the performance issues the footcrossing at Marks-Tey precludes regular through running. It was never going to happen.
 

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