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CrossCountry (XC) HST modifications including power doors

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Mitchell Hurd

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If I honest, yes its gonna be a shame to lose one lovely feature of the HST. However if / when I go to Scotland next year or 2020 hopefully, I'll still look forward to a HST from Birmingham New Street (after a Voyager from Oxford) and to and from Edinburgh and Dundee / Aberdeen. They might have the plug doors but still the same squeaky sound by the carriage / still the smell of a 125 :)!

One happy reason to have plug doors is when I have a carrier bag or 2 with me, I haven't got to worry about a bag or anything dropping between the train and the platform which thank god hasn't happened yet.
 
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Mitchell Hurd

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Oh and I saw the picture on Flickr of the first XC Mark 3 with the new doors. It's nice that they're being repainted (if I'm right) - if you notice at the moment, you can see some blobs of light / faded brown through these coaches at the moment. I wonder if that's corrosion.
 

158820

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Any sign of an appearance just 18 months from today all 5 sets are required to be in service and compliant.
 

sprinterguy

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By the end of the month. It's at Craigentinny and is currently being used for training.
That's very recent then, as of Tuesday there was just a single carriage at Craigentinny for training. Recent photos online of a completed Scotrail set at Wabtec show Crosscountry's XC03 set still at Doncaster in the background.
 

158820

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Thanks to Highlandspring in the scotrail hst thread, 2 XC powercars a 1 coach was on a Craigintinny to Doncater wabtec today. I presume that is the same 1 training coach that has been in Craigintinny with a few weeks.
 

mushroomchow

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Where HSTs Still Scream. Kind of.
As far as EMT's concerned, a recent post stated that design work was 'already in progress' to allow EMT to run MK4 coaches with HST power cars. (Although of course, if this happens, it might still not be in time for the deadline and EMT might need an extension on the MK3s (?1 year), then the MK4s...
Of course, once the MK4's were in place the DfT might then decide there was no hurry to get the bi-modes in (especially as suitable ones might not exist!) We're well used to getting screwed over in the East Midlands railway-wise!

The Mk 4 story may have some traction - given the DfT's insistence that it retains "intercity standard stock", there are rumblings that they could be getting a small fleet of displaced VTEC 91s / Mk. 4s to run the Corby service when electrification is complete. The HST conversion would make sense given that bi-modes will be a few years off yet even if EMT / newTOC take the plunge after the changeover.

I love the IC70 Mk. 3s from a basher perspective, but there's no denying that they're completely knackered - first class in particular is very tatty by modern standards. A Mk. 4 which has been fairly recently refurbished is a huge step-up in quality to the average passenger.
 

sprinterguy

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Thanks to Highlandspring in the scotrail hst thread, 2 XC powercars a 1 coach was on a Craigintinny to Doncater wabtec today. I presume that is the same 1 training coach that has been in Craigintinny with a few weeks.
No, different vehicle. 42036 is the training vehicle at Craigentinny, 42374 was the vehicle moved south to Wabtec.
 

YorkshireBear

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Full set of XC hst mk3s all with power doors just passed through York on way to Craigentinny. Looks smart, first time ive seen the new doors in the flesh.
 

jhy44

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To be absolutely honest, if someone is dumb enough to stick their head out for a window at 125mph, should they even be allowed to go on a train?

Some people, adults with learning difficulties, young children, have no (or a reduced) sense of danger and risk.
They're not 'stupid'.

Are you suggesting such people should be banned from train travel?

It staggers me that people still think that comments like this are acceptable in 2018.
 

greyman42

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There was a full set on test today between Craigentinny and Sheffield and back.
 

superalbs

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Some photos of the run replicated courtesy of James Crellin from a Facebook group:
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41257856_527427924384440_3570359373467222016_n.jpg

41083571_292684988178808_6876563874384969728_n.jpg

40860462_10204889181466378_5196890070015016960_o.jpg
 
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The_Train

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Saw this at Sheffield yesterday and didn't realise it was a test outing. Can't say that I'm overly impressed with the look but then I'm a big fan of slam door stock so I guess my opinion is slightly blinkered
 

sprinterguy

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Do we know if XC plan to increase them back up to 8 coaches?
They're not. It'll be enough work operating a mixed slam door/power door HST fleet for the remaining sixteen months of the franchise to begin with, let alone at two different lengths and the additional track access charges that would incur.
 
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swt_passenger

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Why are people so often referring to these as ‘plug doors’ when they are quite clearly internal pocketed sliding doors?
 

ericlesley

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Was just at craigentinny depot and there's a modified rake there. Have to say, it looks smashing from up close (looking though a fence). Unfortunately my phone battery was dead so couldn't take any snaps.
 

XCTurbostar

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First service with New Door XC HST set will be the 07:25 Newcastle to Taunton on Sept 17th.
 

XCTurbostar

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That service doesn't exist... And if you mean 1V50 (0725 NCL EXD) that's going to be a Voyager.
The source I have has confirmed that this service is booked as I wrote. I'm not sure about the diagramming behind it? Maybe a set swap.
 

221129

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The source I have has confirmed that this service is booked as I wrote. I'm not sure about the diagramming behind it? Maybe a set swap.
And what is this source? Unless a VSTP path goes in there is no way of it getting from Craigentinny to NCL as an ECS (So would therefore not be the first service.) Also the 0725 would need to be retimed for HST timings and it is running to Exeter not Taunton as you stated.
 
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