GWR Class 800

[59CosG95]

800315 was delivered from Newton Aycliffe to Donny Carr Depot last night.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmCIBNBBgZa/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=11i4rqc8clxuf

 

[Phil G]

Looks like 9 car sets being used regularly on temple meads to Paddington. Two days 17:00 has been 9 car. 306 Friday and 308 today. Seems to sort all previous issues, plenty of seats and actually seems slightly faster on diesel but could be my imagination! Certainly seems more like a proper train!

 

[Pete_uk]

5 cars are starting to be used on Cheltenham services which makes sense.

 

[Mag_seven]

5 cars are starting to be used on Cheltenham services which makes sense.

That's because they are having issues with the 9 cars I believe. There are lots of IET short forms posted up on the GWR JourneyCheck website this morning.

 

[dancan]

That's because they are having issues with the 9 cars I believe. There are lots of IET short forms posted up on the GWR JourneyCheck website this morning.

1P12 [05:28 Hereford > Paddington] has been an HST Monday & Tuesday this week, having been a 9-car IET for the previous two weeks. Any idea what the issues are?

 

[Mag_seven]

1P12 [05:28 Hereford > Paddington] has been an HST Monday & Tuesday this week, having been a 9-car IET for the previous two weeks. Any idea what the issues are?

No idea I'm afraid - I'm just speculating on what these short forms (five car IET or HST instead of 9 car IET) are implying about the reliability of the 9 cars.

 

[dancan]

No idea I'm afraid - I'm just speculating on what these short forms (five car IET or HST instead of 9 car IET) are implying about the reliability of the 9 cars.

Thanks. Certainly looks from JourneyCheck that the HSTs are being drafted in and 2x5-car IETs are being split to release 5-car units to cover where 9-cars aren't available.

 

[TractiveEffort]

No idea I'm afraid - I'm just speculating on what these short forms (five car IET or HST instead of 9 car IET) are implying about the reliability of the 9 cars.

Nothing, I would suggest.

Five 9 cars available today of the six currently available for passenger service, imbalance and GWR continually altering diagramming would be more accurate.

 

[jimm]

Indeed - and the real issue is that GWR is still short of four of the 36 five-car Class 800 sets that should all now be in passenger service, and should have been for several months - but are not as a result of the long delay to the training programme last summer and that in turn delaying the release of those sets to get full passenger interiors and any other work they may need after three years of use for testing and training.

I believe that in the normal course of things, 32 of the 36 GWR five-car sets should be in use each day, with four on maintenance - programmed maintenance needs to be done as a matter of course, so almost inevitably there will be a shortfall on the number available for traffic.

Hitachi has been releasing the odd set or two back into traffic later in the day if they can, once work is completed, but until the full complement of five-cars is available short-forms are likely to continue to appear and diagrams will continue to be juggled around.


It looks as though the signal-sighting issue that affected nine-car sets using the island platform at Hereford station may have been resolved, as 800307 worked one of the London-Hereford-London round trips on Sunday. Pictures by Martin Loader

http://hondawanderer.com/800307_Ledbury_Viaduct_2018.htm
http://hondawanderer.com/800307_Ledbury_2018.htm

 

[dancan]

It looks as though the signal-sighting issue that affected nine-car sets using the island platform at Hereford station may have been resolved

I was guessing this had been resolved some time ago as 1P12 [05:28 Hereford > Paddington] was--until this week--a 9-car IET since early July (barring the two-week suspension during the Oxford works mid-July)

 

[JN114]

It looks as though the signal-sighting issue that affected nine-car sets using the island platform at Hereford station may have been resolved, as 800307 worked one of the London-Hereford-London round trips on Sunday. Pictures by Martin Loader

Yes, it was resolved fairly early on; and this is by no means the first 9 car to Hereford.

Units may not be left unattended in the platform at Hereford as the revised stopping points cause the rear of a 9 car to be foul at the Shrewsbury end of the station.

 

[jimm]

No, I deliberately said the island platform - numbers 1 & 2 - as that was where the signal-sighting issue was.

The 05.28 comes empty from the depot at Bristol, so runs straight into platform 3 and then leaves towards Worcester, so was not affected.

 

[JN114]

No, I deliberately said the island platform - numbers 1 & 2 - as that was where the signal-sighting issue was.

The 05.28 comes empty from the depot at Bristol, so runs straight into platform 3 and then leaves towards Worcester, so was not affected.

That doesn’t change any of the substance of my post.

The restrictions were lifted a while ago, this weekend is definitely not the first 9 car 1Wxx to Hereford.

 

[Charlie M.]

5 car Cheltenhams turned into 9 cars again. Originally they were going to go on the Cardiff/Swansea rotations and run the five cars here however some muppet decided not.

It wasn’t an issue with the nine cars, it’s an issue with the amount of 5 cars in passenger use.

 

[jimm]

That doesn’t change any of the substance of my post.

The restrictions were lifted a while ago, this weekend is definitely not the first 9 car 1Wxx to Hereford.

Your post must have popped up while I was writing my second one - as I answered the phone in the middle of writing it - and I logged out straight after posting, so did not see what you had written, had no idea of the substance of your post and hadn't quoted the previous post, which might have made clear which one I was referring to.

Since no one had posted anything about the issue over use of the island platform being resolved that I have seen, it was news to me when I saw the pictures of 800307 taken on Sunday and though it was worth a mention.

The substance of my post is also correct - there was never an issue with nine-car IETs using platform 3 at Hereford, was there? So never any impact on the operation of the 05.28 to London with an 800/3.

5 car Cheltenhams turned into 9 cars again. Originally they were going to go on the Cardiff/Swansea rotations and run the five cars here however some muppet decided not.

It wasn’t an issue with the nine cars, it’s an issue with the amount of 5 cars in passenger use.

'Some muppet' may also be trying to get sets back to the places they are supposed to be at the end of each day and is juggling duties around among five-cars, nine-cars and HSTs to achieve that outcome, tieing in with what Tractive Effort said above.

 

[westv]

We know the first LNER service that will use an Azuma and we know it should be December but do we know yet the date?

 

[D2007wsm]

I am currently on a 9 carriage 800, the 17:01 from Bath Spa to Weston-super-Mare. It was delayed leaving Bath Spa due to loosing several engines. Once reset and these were isolated, the train was able to move again. Though the difference in speed and acceleration with engines out is definatley noticeable.

 

[Wychwood93]

I am currently on a 9 carriage 800, the 17:01 from Bath Spa to Weston-super-Mare. It was delayed leaving Bath Spa due to loosing several engines. Once reset and these were isolated, the train was able to move again. Though the difference in speed and acceleration with engines out is definatley noticeable.

Looking at the return service from WSM - 1A29 1808 WSM-PAD. Dep. 6 late and currently 8.5 late through Nailsea - a loss of 2.5, or 3.5 if you chunk on the 1 min engineering allowance. A loss in any case!

 

[D2007wsm]

Between Bristol and Nailsea & Backwell it got up to around 56mph, generally it is nearer 90. By the time it gets to Parson Steer it is around 60, not 35 as tonight.

Looking at the return service from WSM - 1A29 1808 WSM-PAD. Dep. 6 late and currently 8.5 late through Nailsea - a loss of 2.5, or 3.5 if you chunk on the 1 min engineering allowance. A loss in any case!

 

[Mikey C]

The 10am departure (to Temple Meads) this morning should have been an IEP, but they had to use an 8 car HST instead (throwing the seat reservation out!)

 

[PHILIPE]

The 10am departure (to Temple Meads) this morning should have been an IEP, but they had to use an 8 car HST instead (throwing the seat reservation out!)

This is an everyday type of occurrence

 

[Pete_uk]

I am currently on a 9 carriage 800, the 17:01 from Bath Spa to Weston-super-Mare. It was delayed leaving Bath Spa due to loosing several engines.

Several engines?? That sounds both interesting and worrying.

 

[Rob F]

I am currently on a 9 carriage 800, the 17:01 from Bath Spa to Weston-super-Mare. It was delayed leaving Bath Spa due to loosing several engines. Once reset and these were isolated, the train was able to move again. Though the difference in speed and acceleration with engines out is definatley noticeable.

’Loosing’? You mean they came loose? They didn’t actually fall off, did they?

 

[ainsworth74]

’Loosing’? You mean they came loose? They didn’t actually fall off, did they?

No I firmly believe they mean engines were lost, i.e. broken.

 

[Rob F]

No I firmly believe they mean engines were lost, i.e. broken.

Sorry, should have put a smiley in there!! ‘Lose’ and ‘Losing’ seem to be the most commonly misspelt words on this forum and I am not sure why. I don’t recall it being a common mistake elsewhere.

 

[D2007wsm]

’Loosing’? You mean they came loose? They didn’t actually fall off, did they?

No they lost the engines as in they cut out and lost power lol. That is what the words the Train Manager said over the PA repeatedly. She didn't mention how many they had to isolate.

I think a lot of the spelling and grammatical errors is down to using a smart phone or tablet and the flaming auto correct.

 

[ainsworth74]

Sorry, should have put a smiley in there!! ‘Lose’ and ‘Losing’ seem to be the most commonly misspelt words on this forum and I am not sure why. I don’t recall it being a common mistake elsewhere.

Oh dear. I'll go and clobber my humour detector again and hope it starts working

 

[387star]

Rode my first 800 today from Padd to Reading and I was quite impressed

It was a 5+5 going to Swansea I think

The seats were firm but comfortable enough and the new patterned covers should solve the issue of seats looking stained

I was aware that the cycle spaces had either a pram or what appeared to be a catering trolley in them which must be annoying if you have a bike. I understand bike areas double up as luggage space


The catering trolley was only in one portion of the train so that was not good either and reveals the problem of having no through corridor especially given there is no buffet. So a 10 car should have a trolley in each portion?

The coat hooks were magnetic and flexible

The inter carriage doors were sensor operated with no need to press a button. Great idea and I am surprised other new trains are not like this ?

The number of tables appeared to vary between the coaches

They seem to borrow a few design traits from the Voyagers/Pendos noticably window blinds electronic reservation displays and external displays although I guess these are standard now

Brakes seemed screechy from the outside

Under AC they certainly fly by

Commuters in Reading are lucky to have these trains

My opinion might change if I head all the way to liskeard!

Overall I think they are very good and very stylish from the outside as are the 345s

 

[Pete_uk]

Went on a 3 minute trip on my first 5 carriage 800. It was number 10, with Paddington Bear on one door. Apart from where it stopped, it was just the same as a 9 carriage one. A bit busier though.

 

[Mikey C]

Went on a 3 minute trip on my first 5 carriage 800. It was number 10, with Paddington Bear on one door. Apart from where it stopped, it was just the same as a 9 carriage one. A bit busier though.

Working as a guard or standing due to lack of seats?