Best All Round DMU

[dubscottie]

Class 101.. Not modern I know but there must have been doing something right for them to last so long!

Class 156 is my fav.. Would also say class 175 (only been on one once) but it is a unit that looks and feels like it was made by a railwayman for the railway...

Its not a Met-Cam bias by the way.. They just seem to listen to what the railway wants instead of telling them what they can have.

 

[jonesy3001]

Tpe 185

 

[RPM]

170:- Lovely to drive with good all round vision, comfy seat and all controls within easy reach. Sluggish off mark though, even worse than a Sprinter, and take an age to reach 100. Frequent heating and air-con faults which give you a level 3 fault light when you take the key out. This fault was prevalent from delivery. Build quality poor with lots of squeaks, rattles and loose panels in the cab.

All of the above applies equally to the 168s with the added complication that the drip feed of Chiltern orders has meant that the fleet consists of examples from various different builds of the Turbostar product and they are all slightly different in subtle ways which can seriously hold you back when fault-finding.

I notice nobody has mentioned 165s in this thread which is surprising. They won't win prizes for comfort but that aside I think they are very good all rounders. Great to drive, good cab layout, relatively simple for traction knowledge & fault finding, fairly quick off the mark, good brakes, quite reliable, aesthetically fairly pleasing - and timeless, fair build quality, good interior ambience both as built and in FGW & Chiltern refurbs. Good window/seat alignment and large picture windows. Suitable for both commuter and inter-regional services. They beat any of the Sprinter builds into a cocked hat.

 

[Lrd]

The 158s I would say are a closer runner up, the class 170 being 100mph faster and a newer train.

The 170s don't do 190mph!

 

[150001]

the 165s are excellent, you just don't think about them that much, like the 175s. The 165 does remind me of a 150 improvement and they will last a long time I reckon.

 

[MattRobinson]

Class 155.

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Class 155.

As 155344 was my default commuting unit until a couple of years ago, and usually ran on time, I'll go along with that!

For comfort over long distances - Class 175.

For headoutofwindow entertainment - SR "thumpers".

For art-deco ambience - Class 109.

For piles-sufferers - Merseyrail 142...

 

[tbtc]

I notice nobody has mentioned 165s in this thread which is surprising. They won't win prizes for comfort but that aside I think they are very good all rounders. Great to drive, good cab layout, relatively simple for traction knowledge & fault finding, fairly quick off the mark, good brakes, quite reliable, aesthetically fairly pleasing - and timeless, fair build quality, good interior ambience both as built and in FGW & Chiltern refurbs. Good window/seat alignment and large picture windows. Suitable for both commuter and inter-regional services. They beat any of the Sprinter builds into a cocked hat.

The thing that holds them back as an "all rounder" is their lack of route availability though - you can get from Thurso to Penzance by 158s, but the size of 165s means they aren't cleared to run far off the GWML.

 

[RPM]

The thing that holds them back as an "all rounder" is their lack of route availability though - you can get from Thurso to Penzance by 158s, but the size of 165s means they aren't cleared to run far off the GWML.

Yes, very true. I had forgotten about the gauging issue. On the positive side though, it does give them a nice spacious feel inside.

 

[TSR :D]

The vote goes for class 172 from LM. However, it would be better if it were fitted with tables.

 

[yorksrob]

It seems to me a lot of DMU's (old and new) could be improved with tables. Particularly 150's.

 

[172212]

The 170s don't do 190mph!

Spelling mistake, don't kill me! Maybe the class 150 would be a decent candidate, for lines where the total speed is 75mph

 

[bronzeonion]

Hell no! Unless it's a 150/2 from ATW

 

[ACE1888]

Classic Design? Class 121
Second Generation? Class 150/1

 

[CC 72100]

So for local services, but happy to try their hand at more long-distance ones: 150/2

Long-distance units, have always been a particular favourite of mine, but having
travelled on an Arriva Trains Wales one yesterday made up my mind: Class 158

 

[Arriva158]

Have to stick to my guns here....
158's are by far the best regional DMU's (My all round favourite)
153's are good for short distance branch lines
170's are brilliant for long journeys
....and when they work, a 175 isn't bad for a stint!

 

[BestWestern]

Now i've got a bit more time i'll clarify a bit further.
As someone rightly pointed out there is no good all round DMU, as some are better at local stopping services than long distance and vice versea.

I can't comment on types i've never worked or travelled on but from a Drivers point of view on the more modern units..........

You raise the point regarding poor forward vision on Sprinter stock, which is obviously due to them being fitted with end gangways, as opposed to the very good view out of a 170. Whilst it must be a nuisance from a Driver's point of view, I would have to suggest that, overall, being fitted with end gangways is a definite positive point?!

 

[Shaky]

From the point of view of a newbie ( last time on train was a cravens out of hull in the late 70's ) I must say that the class 170 ( I think ) I travelled on out of hull was lovely. Quiet, brisk and very comfortable. Although the guards announcement that "We apologise for the overcrowding on this leg of the journey ( Hull~Leeds) but we think that it was due to the cricket at Headingley" made everybody on the coach I was standing in laugh and a few comments of "No **** sherlock" were heard were amusing.

Surely TPE would have realised this and added a coach to the train ? Anyway, that's another story. I thought the unit was very good

 

[60163]

Liking the LM 172s, but the 175s clinch it for me.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Sorry to go ever so slightly off topic and by saying this I might get some diss, but my favorite DEMU, it's got to be a voyager . I don't really see any fault with them and love riding them from Chester to London

 

[tbtc]

Sorry to go ever so slightly off topic and by saying this I might get some diss, but my favorite DEMU, it's got to be a voyager . I don't really see any fault with them and love riding them from Chester to London

As trains, they are good, very good in some respects.

However the fact that they aren't long enough to cope with demand on many XC services means that they get a lot of criticism.

There are other examples of this - a four coach 185 (which is how they were intended to be built) would be okay on many TPE services. But restricting them to three coaches and then stretching them all the way to Edinburgh makes people dislike them. Not the unit's fault that they are being used in unsuitable length/ unsuitable routes.

 

[12CSVT]

Sorry to go ever so slightly off topic and by saying this I might get some diss, but my favorite DEMU, it's got to be a voyager . I don't really see any fault with them and love riding them from Chester to London

And my favourite DEMU class - the 207. And if all goes to plan I shall be enjoying some top quality thrash from 1317 at Spa Valley this weekend.

 

[172212]

Hell no! Unless it's a 150/2 from ATW

I believe 150s are great for long distance routes, Arriva use them on their HOWL and they do the job, as well as another line, which I can't recall, and yes, I was referring to 150/2, because their end gangways provide walkpaths between connected trains

 

[Lrd]

I believe 150s are great for long distance routes, Arriva use them on their HOWL and they do the job, as well as another line, which I can't recall, and yes, I was referring to 150/2, because their end gangways provide walkpaths between connected trains

Whenever I see a 150 on a Cardiff - Portsmouth or Great Malvern - Brighton or Southampton then I get shivers down my spine and truly feel sorry for those poor passengers!

 

[BestWestern]

Whenever I see a 150 on a Cardiff - Portsmouth or Great Malvern - Brighton or Southampton then I get shivers down my spine and truly feel sorry for those poor passengers!

Indeed. Five hours on a noisy, rattling, drafty suburban-spec train, with a full tilt of 75mph on a run timed for up to 90, is not a pleasurable experience The 150's are very durable units, they'll go anywhere and get you there every time, eventually. But long distance trains they are not.

 

[150001]

I can't recall any 150s ever rattling with LM!

 

[CC 72100]

Indeed. Five hours on a noisy, rattling, drafty suburban-spec train, with a full tilt of 75mph on a run timed for up to 90, is not a pleasurable experience The 150's are very durable units, they'll go anywhere and get you there every time, eventually. But long distance trains they are not.

Even worse when it's a 150/1.

 

[jimm]

I can't recall any 150s ever rattling with LM!

Lucky you then. I encountered plenty of boneshakers which felt like they were trying to tear themselves apart between Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ATWalex101
Sorry to go ever so slightly off topic and by saying this I might get some diss, but my favorite DEMU, it's got to be a voyager . I don't really see any fault with them and love riding them from Chester to London
As trains, they are good, very good in some respects.

However the fact that they aren't long enough to cope with demand on many XC services means that they get a lot of criticism.

The only good thing about a Voyager is the engine and electric transmission pack. Stick that under the floor of a 175/180 body instead of the hydraulic transmission and you would have a fantastic train but I'm afraid the Voyager interiors are cramped, they waste space with all those vast toilets and some vibrate horribly under acceleration, never mind what it's like sitting over a wheel flat on one of them.

 

[sprinterguy]

Surely TPE would have realised this and added a coach to the train ? Anyway, that's another story.

Unfortunately not, as Transpennine Express have very little spare rolling stock available to them, which is why the 170s are running around as single 2-car trains rather than is pairs.

Of course it's not as simple as just adding another carriage to the train either, on a multiple unit run railway such as TPE a whole extra unit has to be added in order to provide extra carriages, so on TPE this would result in increases in 2 (Class 170s) or 3 (Class 185s) carriage increments.

 

[BestWestern]

I can't recall any 150s ever rattling with LM!

Oh come on, try a little harder! We now have the pleasure of the very same units, and I can assure you they most definitely do! As with all BR sliding door stock of that era, the doors shudder uncontrollably at the merest hint of a breeze, and very nearly jump out of their runners if another train passes. The engines are 'rattly' by nature, and the noise in the saloons if the windows are open makes any form of conversation a challenge. I use the PA and make decent announcements, whatever the unit, because it is part of my job, but on a 150 I genuinely have no expectation whatsoever that anybody can hear a word of what I am saying!