Autumn refresh for GWR Class 165/166 Turbos

[gabrielhj07]

SWR took over 6 years 2 months ago, and still have around 500 carriages in old SWT colours. Not just those due to be withdrawn, there are still some 450, 444 and possibly some 159s not repainted.

I'm not sure any of the 159/1s are in SWR grey yet.

 

[Kite159]

I'm not sure any of the 159/1s are in SWR grey yet.

All the 159/1s are in Stagecoach colours along with half (?) of the 158s. The franchise changed hands in the process of getting refurbished & upgraded for 2020 mods.

 

[DelW]

All the 159/1s are in Stagecoach colours along with half (?) of the 158s. The franchise changed hands in the process of getting refurbished & upgraded for 2020 mods.

Warren T Manager commented on another thread that the 159s were last painted 2015 - 2019 and they have an 8 year paint warranty. So yes, they will be in SWT colours for longer than the remaining blue Turbos that were commented on above.

 

[CR165022]

166212 currently en route to Doncaster.

 

[FGW_DID]

166212 currently en route to Doncaster.

Gone for C4 exam at Wabtec.

 

[CR165022]

Gone for C4 exam at Wabtec.

Ah right, is this something that all units will have eventually? Or just 212

 

[FGW_DID]

Ah right, is this something that all units will have eventually? Or just 212

It won’t just be 212 but others may not go to Doncaster. At Reading when we do C4 work on the Turbos it’s usually a component change like an engine or transmission. Presumably the work on 212 must be more involved than that and requires a higher level of maintenance facility, as SPM is quite capable of the type of component change I’ve mentioned.
I’m not an engineer and as it’s not my part of the empire, I can’t really shine any more light on it!

 

[CR165022]

Wolverton swap paths scheduled in for the 19th, presumably 201 coming back as I don't think 203 has been there long enough yet.

 

[50002Superb]

Wolverton swap paths scheduled in for the 19th, presumably 201 coming back as I don't think 203 has been there long enough yet.

Looks like this one is on the move, is it confirmed to be 201?

Realtime Trains | 5Q89 0904 Wolverton Centre Sidings to St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh | 19/10/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Q89 0904 departure from Wolverton Centre Sidings to St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh on 19/10/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Siemens Staines]

Looks like this one is on the move, is it confirmed to be 201?

I did not see 5Q89 but 5Q70 is 166207

 

[FGW_DID]

Looks like this one is on the move, is it confirmed to be 201?

Realtime Trains | 5Q89 0904 Wolverton Centre Sidings to St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh | 19/10/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Q89 0904 departure from Wolverton Centre Sidings to St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh on 19/10/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Yes, Brian* is back!

*166201 is known to many as Brian.

 

[Techniquest]

The question, therefore, is why? I'm not familiar with 166201's nickname of Brian, but I am very curious.

 

[JN114]

The question, therefore, is why? I'm not familiar with 166201's nickname of Brian, but I am very curious.

There are 2 back stories; depending on whom you ask.

1) it’s named after a driver, who happened to be driving it when the former guard that named it worked it as their first train they ever worked; and somehow the name stuck.

2) a reference to the character by the same name from the children’s TV show “Magic Roundabout”

Either way it’s just a bit of an in-joke that’s been somewhat over-inflated by social media.

 

[FGW_DID]

There are 2 back stories; depending on whom you ask.

1) it’s named after a driver, who happened to be driving it when the former guard that named it worked it as their first train they ever worked; and somehow the name stuck.

2) a reference to the character by the same name from the children’s TV show “Magic Roundabout”

Either way it’s just a bit of an in-joke that’s been somewhat over-inflated by social media.

#1 is the version I've heard the most and indeed the former guard still maintains that story!

 

[Anonymous10]

#1 is the version I've heard the most and indeed the former guard still maintains that story!

Isn't you by any chance is it

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks for the explanation there, that makes more sense now than it did earlier!

 

[FGW_DID]

Isn't you by any chance is it

No, not me! Said former Guard works with my other half.

 

[387star]

202 is out too

 

[fgwrich]

See, despite the guard / driver backstory, I’ve always considered it to be more of the latter, as every time I’ve worked it or travelled on it in the past, it’s been (unmentionably) slow*

*I mean, I was never expecting much acceleration from a 166 in the first place but until Brian moved to Bristol, it was the slowest in the Reading fleet.

 

[Beemax]

See, despite the guard / driver backstory, I’ve always considered it to be more of the latter, as every time I’ve worked it or travelled on it in the past, it’s been (unmentionably) slow*

*I mean, I was never expecting much acceleration from a 166 in the first place but until Brian moved to Bristol, it was the slowest in the Reading fleet.

For younger readers (or very old readers) , the childrens' character Brian was a snail.

 

[43096]

For younger readers (or very old readers) , the childrens' character Brian was a snail.

Said snail from Magic Roundabout is also the reason why Class 31s are known as “Brians”.

 

[Snow1964]

For younger readers (or very old readers) , the childrens' character Brian was a snail.

Brian was a hyperactive and very fast snail on a children's TV show called The Magic Roundabout about 50-60 years ago.

Thus everyone doing a Brian the snail always went faster than those around them. Although why that unit should be faster than rest of the fleet is a mystery to me.

 

[Siemens Staines]

Paths are showing on RTT for transfer movements tomorrow (14/11)

5Q81 0904 Wolverton Centre Sidings to St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh

Realtime Trains | 5Q81 0904 Wolverton Centre Sidings to St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh | 14/11/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Q81 0904 departure from Wolverton Centre Sidings to St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh on 14/11/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

5Q71 1408 St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings

Realtime Trains | 5Q71 1408 St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings | 14/11/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Q71 1408 departure from St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings on 14/11/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

5Q70 1507 St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings

Realtime Trains | 5Q70 1507 St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings | 14/11/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Q70 1507 departure from St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings on 14/11/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

If these transfers take place, then I am guessing that 5Q81 will be 166203 and that only one of 5Q71 or 5Q70 will run? If the latter is to be one of the two remaining blue 166s, then currently 166209 is shown to end at St Philips Marsh tonight and 166211 at Exeter, so 166209 would seem to be the most likely candidate?

 

[CR165022]

Paths are showing on RTT for transfer movements tomorrow (14/11)

5Q81 0904 Wolverton Centre Sidings to St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh

Realtime Trains | 5Q81 0904 Wolverton Centre Sidings to St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh | 14/11/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Q81 0904 departure from Wolverton Centre Sidings to St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh on 14/11/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

5Q71 1408 St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings

Realtime Trains | 5Q71 1408 St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings | 14/11/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Q71 1408 departure from St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings on 14/11/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

5Q70 1507 St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings

Realtime Trains | 5Q70 1507 St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings | 14/11/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Q70 1507 departure from St Philips Marsh Depot Fhh to Wolverton Centre Sidings on 14/11/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

If these transfers take place, then I am guessing that 5Q81 will be 166203 and that only one of 5Q71 or 5Q70 will run? If the latter is to be one of the two remaining blue 166s, then currently 166209 is shown to end at St Philips Marsh tonight and 166211 at Exeter, so 166209 would seem to be the most likely candidate?

Can confirm it's 209 on 5Q71

 

[Siemens Staines]

Thank you for that confirmation

 

[Snow1964]

If these transfers take place, then I am guessing that 5Q81 will be 166203 and that only one of 5Q71 or 5Q70 will run? If the latter is to be one of the two remaining blue 166s, then currently 166209 is shown to end at St Philips Marsh tonight and 166211 at Exeter, so 166209 would seem to be the most likely candidate?

If 166209 is now in works, but 166211 is still in blue then just wondering how long it has taken to repaint them all.

Feels like Green started to be used about 7 years ago, how long was it, I realise some were repainted just before introduction, but do were NSE Jaffa cake units, and they quickly standardised those.

 

[FGW_DID]

If 166209 is now in works, but 166211 is still in blue then just wondering how long it has taken to repaint them all.

Feels like Green started to be used about 7 years ago, how long was it, I realise some were repainted just before introduction, but do were NSE Jaffa cake units, and they quickly standardised those.

First ones appeared in Green in August 2015. You are correct, the plain blue 166s were repainted just before the decision to go Green. It would probably have been seen as economically wasteful, to take a freshly painted unit out of traffic just to paint it again.
I’m also sure that someone would have been wailing about GWR going short in traffic, if they had decided to send a freshly painted unit Back to works just for a repaint.

 

[northernbelle]

First ones appeared in Green in August 2015. You are correct, the plain blue 166s were repainted just before the decision to go Green. It would probably have been seen as economically wasteful, to take a freshly painted unit out of traffic just to paint it again.
I’m also sure that someone would have been wailing about GWR going short in traffic, if they had decided to send a freshly painted unit Back to works just for a repaint.

From the outset of the GWR rebrand it was decided that trains would only be repainted when they technically required painting, rather than just for the sake of rebranding.

At the same time it was decided that the 'GWR' identity wouldn't appear on blue/pink, which is why you still see some stations and trains fully FGW branded in name and colour. There have been some exceptions to this but locally done rather than company policy.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

At the same time it was decided that the 'GWR' identity wouldn't appear on blue/pink

I think this was a good choice with hindsight.

 

[Robin Procter]

I have only ever seen the Class165/166 in GWR livery. This one, Class166 208, was running down to Weymouth very recently and the front bodywork looks like it needs a bit of repair. I photographed it while waiting for a yellow Test Train.

I have never travelled in one and am extremely unlikely to as I rarely travel on trains and when I do it's likely to be long distance.

GWR Class166 208_OMD17660 @ by Robin Procter, on Flickr