Best and worst refurbished train since privatisation

[Rail Blues]

Best: TPE 185
Worst: Northern's "will this do?' refurb of their sprinters after promising as new interiors.

 

[yorksrob]

The Wales Arriva-refurbished 158s are an example of a really good refurbishment I'd argue. Good comfortable seats, many aligned with windows (after a lot of lobbying by passengers), and a lot smarter than their dismal appearance (inside and out) in Central Trains livery.

I should have said the Northern ones due to tht ironing board seats mainly - a counter-productive move.

I must admit, I've never been on one of the ATW ones - I quitelike the EMT refurbs though.

 

[43096]

What about the 460s being converted into 458s as a bad refurbishment?

Quite the opposite from a passenger point of view. They got 2+2 seats with spacers between the seats, meaning there was room at shoulder and elbow height. Having used them daily in both forms, the /5s are more comfortable. Definitely some of the best suburban trains we’ve ever had.

 

[ScottGallagher]

Best
WAGN class 317
SWT class 455
Valley Lines 142/143
Thameslink 319
Chiltern Mk3

Worst
Virgin Trains mk3 (understand it was a tideover job until the pendos arrived but it wasn't very virgin in look and feel, why red and black on the outside and pastel blue and green on the inside?)

Silverlink 321 (didn't even change the NSE seat covers!)

Merseyrail 142 (one if these actually ventured up the cumbrian coast on one of my visits)

Serco Northern anything

Anything First group barbie

 

[158747]

For the worst :
GWR LA15 / LA16 - They've learnt their lessons after those two awful sets.

I am curious, what was awful about sets LA15 / LA16?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

EMT 158s. Comfortable seating for longer journeys, very good legroom, and although some lament the change to a predominantly airline layout, it did give the units a much-needed capacity boost. Even though the refurbishment is a good ten or so years old now, the units' interiors still look very presentable - especially compared to what a lot of them were like before! I'm glad they're staying on Norwich - Nottingham a little longer than was previously envisaged.

The high-density layout really lets them down IMO. It may have been a necessary compromise for capacity but if I'm hoping that the service I'm about to board is the sole unrefurbished member of your fleet (the ex-SWT one) then the refurbishment can't really feature as "among the best". Other operators have done a far better job with the same units.

Not sure the 185 "refurbishment" deserves to be among the best either: it was basically just a refresh, albeit a thorough one.

 

[yorksrob]

Best
WAGN class 317
SWT class 455
Valley Lines 142/143
Thameslink 319
Chiltern Mk3

Worst
Virgin Trains mk3 (understand it was a tideover job until the pendos arrived but it wasn't very virgin in look and feel, why red and black on the outside and pastel blue and green on the inside?)

Silverlink 321 (didn't even change the NSE seat covers!)

Merseyrail 142 (one if these actually ventured up the cumbrian coast on one of my visits)

Serco Northern anything

Anything First group barbie

SERCO Northetn tended to just repaint and re-upholster, which to be fair meant that they didn't end up doing too much damage.

 

[Bletchleyite]

SERCO Northetn tended to just repaint and re-upholster, which to be fair meant that they didn't end up doing too much damage.

True, though their colour scheme of painting everything beige and the purple striped seat covers made old rolling stock looks even older, rather like your Nan's front room, though I wonder if that might actually have been appreciated in the conservative (definitely small C!) North, as against the ultramodern, stark scheme used by new Northern.

 

[hexagon789]

Worst - Haymarket 158s, need I say more?

 

[Class360/1]

Best:
TransPennine Express class 185, a massive improvement from the old First Barbie
Greater Anglia class 321

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Greater Anglia class 331

Say what now?

 

[Journeyman]

Worst - Haymarket 158s, need I say more?

The seats in those are like rusty iron spikes!

 

[bramling]

Top 3 I reckon was best would be GNER Mallard, Connex Class 319 (brighton express) and Stansted Epress class 317/7

For the worst I'm not sure, propably any train that gets fitted with ironing board seats

Best
WAGN 317/2
Mallard
Connex Express
LU 73 stock - very thorough

Worst
Merseyrail 142
GTR 365

 

[Class360/1]

Say what now?

I mean compare it to the old green interior...

 

[NoMorePacers]

I mean compare it to the old green interior...

I think you've missed the point.

You put "Greater Anglia Class 331".

I assume you meant 321?

 

[Class360/1]

I think you've missed the point.

You put "Greater Anglia Class 331".

I assume you meant 321?

Ye, blame auto type

 

[greyman42]

I don't think anyone has mentioned the 170s that came down from Scotrail to Northern. They were pretty good by modern day standards and are Northerns best trains.

 

[Doomotron]

Quite the opposite from a passenger point of view. They got 2+2 seats with spacers between the seats, meaning there was room at shoulder and elbow height. Having used them daily in both forms, the /5s are more comfortable. Definitely some of the best suburban trains we’ve ever had.

I was talking about the Gatwick Express 460s, not the 458/0s.

 

[43096]

I was talking about the Gatwick Express 460s, not the 458/0s.

It’s still not a bad refurbishment: it made them more than fit for purpose for the duties they perform. Especially as the alternative was likely to scrap them.

 

[yorksrob]

True, though their colour scheme of painting everything beige and the purple striped seat covers made old rolling stock looks even older, rather like your Nan's front room, though I wonder if that might actually have been appreciated in the conservative (definitely small C!) North, as against the ultramodern, stark scheme used by new Northern.

I certainly liked the purple and lilac colour scheme. Perhaps I've just got the same taste as a granny !

 

[Bletchleyite]

I certainly liked the purple and lilac colour scheme. Perhaps I've just got the same taste as a granny !

I thought it was homely but very, very dated. Though I probably prefer it to the current stark, cold scheme. Not refurbished, but my favourite current UK interior scheme is between TPE (a bit cold and Soviet-looking, but nice wood panelling) and LNER (the red is just lovely, warm and welcoming).

 

[FOH]

Worst
Virgin Trains mk3 (understand it was a tideover job until the pendos arrived but it wasn't very virgin in look and feel, why red and black on the outside and pastel blue and green on the inside?)

Because it was already underway by Intercity West Coast. I remember a pic of a very proud Ivor Warburton on the first set.
IIRC Virgin originally intended continuing the operation as Intercity until the new stock arrived but had a change of heart early on.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Virgin Trains mk3 (understand it was a tideover job until the pendos arrived but it wasn't very virgin in look and feel, why red and black on the outside and pastel blue and green on the inside?)

Virgin did later do the "Pretendolino" in the silver livery and dark blue/red seats, same as an actual Pendolino. As someone said it was commissioned by InterCity West Coast before it was sold off, so changing it would probably have cost too much if fabric had already been ordered.

 

[yorksrob]

I thought it was homely but very, very dated. Though I probably prefer it to the current stark, cold scheme. Not refurbished, but my favourite current UK interior scheme is between TPE (a bit cold and Soviet-looking, but nice wood panelling) and LNER (the red is just lovely, warm and welcoming).

I'm not a fan of red seats. The EMT 1st class mk 3's had the best refurbished interior overall.

Don't know why I didn't mention them first off.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Best
WAGN 317/2
Mallard
Connex Express
LU 73 stock - very thorough

Worst
Merseyrail 142
GTR 365

The Merseyrail 142 "refurbishment" was pre-privatisation wasn't it?

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Merseyrail 142 "refurbishment" was pre-privatisation wasn't it?

Hmm. I think it was FNW era.

 

[Mikey C]

I think, the only minor feature that let the SWT 455 refurb down was the rather retina burning exposed fluorescent lighting tubes. While I prefer the SWT 455 refurb to Southerns, at least Southern tidied up the ceilings in those.

Agreed. Having diffusers and more modern light fittings makes a big difference to the ambience AND makes the ceiling more contemporary looking.

By mattbuck (category) - Own work by mattbuck., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12433851

By PeterSkuce - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56282221

 

[Bletchleyite]

The luggage rack is also very dated, like the ones on Mk3 coaches. Swap it for a glass one (as Merseyrail did on their units) and that would be all the 1980s-dating features gone.

 

[hexagon789]

The seats in those are like rusty iron spikes!

I'm not sure they are even fit to be called "seats" and the legroom is equally as appalling.

The WiFi also never seems to work and the hopper windows don't seal properly so let in noise, draughts and rain (not sure of that's specific to this refurb or a general 158 design fault admittedly, but I don't recall this issue on Inverness 158s when I had those in lieu of Haymarket ones).

 

[yorksrob]

The luggage rack is also very dated, like the ones on Mk3 coaches. Swap it for a glass one (as Merseyrail did on their units) and that would be all the 1980s-dating features gone.

As long as I can fit my big travelling case in it, I'm happy.