dk1
Veteran Member
Finally announced then. Been expecting it for months.
Finally announced then. Been expecting it for months.
Prediction. 442s stripped of seats, which will end up in the 458 refurbished interiors. Other useful spares removed. Perhaps a couple of sets bought/sold for loco hauled excursions. The rest are next seen as washing machines and tins onnthe shelf of your local supermarket.Changes to our fleet: Withdrawal of Class 442
The Class 442 units will be retired from service and go through a process to remove useful spares and dispose of the vehicles.
Stick the Darth Vader fronts back on & call them 460s haha.Yeah, despite the testing of a unit that had the AC motors continuing until last couple of weeks, was always looking unlikely that they'd return. Bit surprised about the 458s though.
The same goes for me!Gutted but not surprised about the 442s. Its a shame for me as this means I will never get the chance to take a journey on one.
Having travelled on two or three between Brighton and Victoria.....I'm yet to discover what was so special about them. Unless cramped doorways and sluggish performance made them special.
Gutted but not surprised about the 442s. Its a shame for me as this means I will never get the chance to take a journey on one.
They were great in their original form, and an absolute game-changer compared to the stock that operated before. However, since the loss of the compartments, buffets and snugs, and replacement of all the original seats, they're really not that impressive at all, and just about every train that has come since has been superior.Having travelled on two or three between Brighton and Victoria.....I'm yet to discover what was so special about them. Unless cramped doorways and sluggish performance made them special.
I hope the seats are re-used in the 458s, because otherwise there's a strong chance they'll get ironing boards, which will ruin them completely.Prediction. 442s stripped of seats, which will end up in the 458 refurbished interiors. Other useful spares removed. Perhaps a couple of sets bought/sold for loco hauled excursions. The rest are next seen as washing machines and tins onnthe shelf of your local supermarket.
Just like travelling across Ireland until a few years back then.They were basically (in my view) what the Mk3s should all have been like - power doors, manual vestibule doors that didn't bang back and forth, better lighting and better seats.
I also predict an attempt to preserve one, which will fail because no heritage railway will want a 115m long train that basically doesn't work.
Lovely to Drive And a decent 1st. Other than that, fairly hopeless for the job on GX.Having travelled on two or three between Brighton and Victoria.....I'm yet to discover what was so special about them. Unless cramped doorways and sluggish performance made them special.
I doubt it will be possible. They were supposedly able to be hauled by any ETH-fitted loco in their original form, but I think that facility was removed some years ago, and to the best of my knowledge it was never used anyway. In their current form, they're really not that special anyway.If they can sensibly be converted to loco-hauled they might be of interest to charter operations because of not having the manual door issue. They were clearly viable as such as this was the subject of an entirely serious bid for TPE.
Not any more.And a decent 1st.
They were basically (in my view) what the Mk3s should all have been like - power doors, manual vestibule doors that didn't bang back and forth, better lighting and better seats.
That always stuck in my mind. Boarded them several times on GatEx duties & each time the thought of their unsuitability for airport traffic hit me.Lovely to Drive And a decent 1st. Other than that, fairly hopeless for the job on GX.
The 387s aren't much better!That always stuck in my mind. Boarded them several times on GatEx duties & each time the thought of their unsuitability for airport traffic hit me.
Gutted but not surprised about the 442s. Its a shame for me as this means I will never get the chance to take a journey on one.
The 350/2s have 3+2 seating and no DC capability, so will need significantly more extensive mods than the 458s, which are currently operating very reliably.In reality they’re not what they once were. The refurbishment for Southern wasn’t wonderful, and some of the nice features (such as compartments) were removed - though no doubt some will say that was an improvement!
They were nice trains, but haven’t really aged well unfortunately, and the fact that their traction system was prehistoric even from the time the units were built has not helped.
I’m surprised SWR aren’t going for 350/2s though. One can only assume that this is because they aren’t available yet, but then again neither are the 458s.
Just because money has been spent already does not mean we have to see this project through to completion. It's been beset by unforeseen difficulties, including the worst global crisis for decades.So what do reckon £20m splurged on retractioning them plus some had been refurbished as well. Then they are going to spend another £5-10m on sorting out 458's.
Presumably all sanctioned by Dept of Transport.
The 350/2s have 3+2 seating and no DC capability, so will need significantly more extensive mods than the 458s, which are currently operating very reliably.
SWR said otherwise. The 458s will be Bournemouth based, their words: “This fleet will be based at Bournemouth depot, going towards protecting the workforce there.” (From the quotes in the 458 thread.)Something that no-one seems to have mentioned is the fact that a lot of staff at Bournemouth Depot have suddenly lost their day to day jobs and must be wondering what is next for them. Not a very nice position to be in I'm sure.
So what do reckon £20m splurged on retractioning them plus some had been refurbished as well. Then they are going to spend another £5-10m on sorting out 458's.
Presumably all sanctioned by Dept of Transport.
It has to be said that the whole 442 project has been an absolutely scandalous waste of money. The solution of using the 458s has been available from the start, given SWR's intention to ditch them. Instead they have literally wasted millions on leasing costs, repainting, refurbishing and re-tractioning the 442s for no purpose.
The railway's ability to p*** money up the wall is never ending. Is to be hoped the bill is picked up by First and MTR rather than DfT and taxpayers - their idea, their plan, their utter screw up, should be their cost.
At the time it was proposed as part of the franchise bid so was built into that. I'm surmising, but don't know, that First Group haven't used their own funds to undertake this as all costs are being picked up by Dept of Transport.And just maybe the Department was assured by engineering experts that it was worth the investment and would provide working trains, who would be responsible for wasting all that money then?