Class 222 Meridian 9 and 4 carriages

[DannyMich2018]

103/104/005/006 are the only ones with declassified first class. The 7 car you had might have been an on-the-day decision by the train manager

I travelled sometime last year from Kettering to Leicester on a 7 car 222, was very busy as Forest were at home so one of the 3 first class coaches was declassified so happens occasionally.

 

[ValleyLines142]

103/104/005/006 are the only ones with declassified first class. The 7 car you had might have been an on-the-day decision by the train manager

Just checked on my Rail Miles - it was indeed 006 so it was a permanent declassification.

 

[Discuss223]

Train Managers do have the authority to declassify a train but this will only be done in extreme circumstances. As Liam said, only some of the Meridians have sections of their First Class declassified.

I believe I am recalling this correctly, but the 9 coach Meridians were intended for enhanced Leeds-Sheffield-Derby-Leicester-London services but something happened and the plans changed. This meant that the 9 car units sat dormant in sidings for around a year and weren't introduced in to service until 2005, when some of the HSTs went off-lease. In late 2008 and throughout 2009, Stagecoach East Midlands decided to lengthen the existing 4 coach units to 5 car sets by removing 2 coaches from each 9 coach set to form a Meridian fleet of 5 & 7 coach sets. Some of this work involved declassifying First Class compartments, which is why 222007 and 222018 have First Class reading lights in some of their Standard Class accommodation.

Then a short while later, former Hull Trains 4 Coach 222s were taken on by East Midlands Trains for the commencing of the Corby services, and so these 4 units joined the fleet, with 222103 being slightly delayed and having newly built centre carriages added after an unfortunate incident where the unit was dropped from a rig at the depot.

East Midlands Railway (then part of Abellio) then added coaches from some of the seven car sets to the ex Hull Trains sets to make them 5 coaches. Some 7 car units were decreased to 5 cars and their lost coaches donated to increase the 4 coach sets to 5.

 

[D365]

… with 222103 being slightly delayed and having newly built centre carriages added after an unfortunate incident where the unit was dropped from a rig at the depot.

Brand new carriages? Is that right?

 

[Discuss223]

Brand new carriages? Is that right?

I believe so. Here a two of the original carriages in Crewe whilst the repair project was taking place.

730 views 2 Jun 2009
This is the first part to a two part film. I managed to catch the Pioneer 222103 leaving the works at Crewe on Monday 1st June I assume it was heading back to Crofton where it had been dropped off the jacks. These are the units that suffered the least damage as they are still in old Hull Trains colours. I managed to get the half that was badly damaged the next day so that will be in part 2.

 

[Galvanize]

I believe I am recalling this correctly, but the 9 coach Meridians were intended for enhanced Leeds-Sheffield-Derby-Leicester-London services but something happened and the plans changed. This meant that the 9 car units sat dormant in sidings for around a year and weren't introduced in to service until 2005, when some of the HSTs went off-lease. In late 2008 and throughout 2009, Stagecoach East Midlands decided to lengthen the existing 4 coach units to 5 car sets by removing 2 coaches from each 9 coach set to form a Meridian fleet of 5 & 7 coach sets. Some of this work involved declassifying First Class compartments, which is why 222007 and 222018 have First Class reading lights in some of their Standard Class accommodation.

Then a short while later, former Hull Trains 4 Coach 222s were taken on by East Midlands Trains for the commencing of the Corby services, and so these 4 units joined the fleet, with 222103 being slightly delayed and having newly built centre carriages added after an unfortunate incident where the unit was dropped from a rig at the depot.

East Midlands Railway (then part of Abellio) then added coaches from some of the seven car sets to the ex Hull Trains sets to make them 5 coaches. Some 7 car units were decreased to 5 cars and their lost coaches donated to increase the 4 coach sets to 5.

If memory serves me right, Network Rail wanted to charge higher track access to Midland Mainline, so the 2 hourly Leeds services never got off the ground. One of the magazines even suggested Irish Rail were possibly interested in taking on the 9 car 222s!

Anyway…Midland Mainline reduced the 9 car sets to 8 car sets so as to make some of the 4 car units 5 car, around 2006 or 7, I remember going to/from Great Central Railway galas on the longer sets (running in place of HST diagrams ).

 

[ExRes]

If memory serves me right, Network Rail wanted to charge higher track access to Midland Mainline, so the 2 hourly Leeds services never got off the ground. One of the magazines even suggested Irish Rail were possibly interested in taking on the 9 car 222s!

Anyway…Midland Mainline reduced the 9 car sets to 8 car sets so as to make some of the 4 car units 5 car, around 2006 or 7, I remember going to/from Great Central Railway galas on the longer sets (running in place of HST diagrams ).

I'm not sure about 8 car sets, I certainly don't remember ever driving any individual unit above 7 cars

The Network Rail comment may well be true but word at the time pointed the finger at the loss of revenue to a certain ECML company who weren't going to have someone taking a share of their cash

 

[JonathanH]

I'm not sure about 8 car sets, I certainly don't remember ever driving any individual unit above 7 cars

222001-007 were 8 car sets during the period that only 222011-222017 operated as 5 car and 222008-10/18-23 operated as 4 car.

 

[ExRes]

222001-007 were 8 car sets during the period that only 222011-222017 operated as 5 car and 222008-10/18-23 operated as 4 car.

Must be an age thing as I certainly don't remember 8 cars, just hope I stopped in the right place on the platform