Blue Class 73 with Virgin MK2's

[Waddon]

Hi,

Does anyone know why there's a BR Blue coloured class 73 pulling a rake of five MK2's in the old virgin colours going around south London? I've seen it twice in the last few weeks (but not close enough to get numbers or any other details).

 

[surreysprite]

I saw this at Woking today at about 1.30pm waiting on platform 1.

The loco was 73142 'Broadlands'.

 

[NSEFAN]

I think it's driver training runs. No idea what for though

 

[craig87034]

It would of been 73201 on 5Z73

 

[Aictos]

It would of been 73201 on 5Z73

Interesting, I wonder what it's all in aid of if it is indeed route learning purposes.

 

[mbonwick]

IIRC the Mk2 are there for brake force reasons.

 

[fgwrich]

I think it's driver training runs. No idea what for though

The Driver Training / Route learning trips are running for Serco - As Loco Hauled test trains are now the replacement for the Euroscout Unit - which has headed off back to Europe and so the test trains on the 3rd rail network will be largely 73 hauled...

The same thing happend around Christmas last december, with both RT rails 'Broadlands & Spitfire' used along with a mixture of Rivera Trains Mk1s&2s for brake force.

The Euroscout
http://www.traintesting.com/UFM160.htm

 

[poshbakerloo]

How do do MK2s in Virgin colours still exist! lol

 

[90019]

How do do MK2s in Virgin colours still exist! lol

Because they haven't been repainted.

There are quite a few around.

 

[jopsuk]

How do do MK2s in Virgin colours still exist! lol

It's what they had when they were taken out of service, and no-one's paid to repaint them. Simple.

 

[poshbakerloo]

It's what they had when they were taken out of service, and no-one's paid to repaint them. Simple.

buts its been ages now like 6years?

 

[90019]

buts its been ages now like 6years?

So?

They don't need repainted, and it's obviously not something that bothers them.

 

[surreysprite]

The Virgin logo was painted over, albeit not very well, on the rear coach. Couldn't see the rest.

 

[SouthEastern-465]

buts its been ages now like 6years?

Look how long Network SouthEast livery lasted on some units?

The last Class 465 in Network SouthEast livery lasted until September 2007, thats a good 14 years, when 465193 the last in NSE was sent to Stewarts Lane TMD (I think) for the new SouthEastern Livery.

And look at the various Slamdoor EMUs which were in early Network SouthEast Livery dating from the late 1980s which lasted up until withdrawl of the units in 2005.

 

[Drsatan]

When Go-via took over the South Central franchise from Connex in 2000, it didn't bother to repaint most of its slam door units (only a handful of 421s and 423s were repainted) since they were due to be replaced by 377s. So Connex white/yellow livery lasted until late 2005.

 

[jopsuk]

Look how long Network SouthEast livery lasted on some units?

The last Class 465 in Network SouthEast livery lasted until September 2007, thats a good 14 years, when 465193 the last in NSE was sent to Stewarts Lane TMD (I think) for the new SouthEastern Livery.

And look at the various Slamdoor EMUs which were in early Network SouthEast Livery dating from the late 1980s which lasted up until withdrawl of the units in 2005.

And those were units in day-to-day revenue use, not out of service carriages retured to the ROSCO being used for the occasional charter (be it passenger carrying, or, as in this case, not) which I'm pretty sure is what these are?

 

[SouthEastern-465]

And those were units in day-to-day revenue use, not out of service carriages retured to the ROSCO being used for the occasional charter (be it passenger carrying, or, as in this case, not) which I'm pretty sure is what these are?

Thats Correct, most 'Slamdoor units were in passenger use still with Network SouthEast livery (Mainly SE ones as SWT had modified the livery adding a orange stripe) I can remeber there was only ever one CEP on the SE that received Connex livery!

 

[jopsuk]

I'm not even sure what poshbakerloo expects them to have been painted too? The smaller charter companies paint up specific rakes (or their whole fleet, in the case of RailBlue) to identify the brand, and the DRS stock was the "Stobart Pullman" wasn't it? The bigger ROSCOs don't really have such a need to paint their old stock. Who owns these?

 

[royaloak]

There are loads of ex-virgin mark 2s lying around, why paint them, the paint that is on is good quality 2 pack which was applied when thet were refurbished so no need to.
I think the Virgin logo has been painted out on all of them, copyright etc.