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Different driving styles?

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David

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I've just had yet another look at the video I posted the other day in the "HST - Violent jerking" thread, and something occured to me. The valenta powered HSTs on the GWML never sounded like that!

With the GNER HST vidoe linked above, you can definately hear the driver notching up, but in this video of a FGW HST the power application is smooth and un-interupted (until notch 4, where there is a slight pause until notch 5 is selected).

Is it a case of differering driving styles, or was there different components used to give the effect of differing driving styles?
 
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TDK

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I've just had yet another look at the video I posted the other day in the "HST - Violent jerking" thread, and something occured to me. The valenta powered HSTs on the GWML never sounded like that!

With the GNER HST vidoe linked above, you can definately hear the driver notching up, but in this video of a FGW HST the power application is smooth and un-interupted (until notch 4, where there is a slight pause until notch 5 is selected).

Is it a case of differering driving styles, or was there different components used to give the effect of differing driving styles?

It's like a car driver - no one drives exactly the same
 

The Planner

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It accomodated in some areas, we time XC HSTs differently south of Bristol to FGW one's as XC tend to drive their HSTs ever so slightly harder.
 

westcoaster

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It accomodated in some areas, we time XC HSTs differently south of Bristol to FGW one's as XC tend to drive their HSTs ever so slightly harder.

I presume this is because some xc drivers drive both hst's and vomiters, and in doing so crank the speed up on hst's to try and match the vomiter while starting away. We had a similar thing with 377's and 319 s while braking when they first arrived.
 

Yew

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Is it similar for emt's hst's? As they drive alongside meridians? Or a they have different stopping patterns is it different?
 

muttynut

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i usually go to notch 2 as soon as the amps ramp up its notch 3 then if all good at about 10 -15mph full power .... but thats just me the jerk is down to slack in the coupling on a good tight set even if you went to full power it would be smooth as the brakes leak off slower on hst so you have about 1500 amps (east coast set) by the time the brakes come off .. all good
 

142094

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I've heard a story about the Metro (which took on a lot of ex-bus drivers when the system came in from BR), where you could once tell if it was a BR driver or bus driver in the cab - the ex-bus drivers slowed down on corners.
 

notadriver

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Buses, and light rail/trams are often grouped together. Perhaps the speeds attained, type of work and stopping distances (driven mainly on sight) are similar for all of them ?
 

spesh

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Alot of FGW hst's have been fitted with driver aid displays in the cabs, so that might be one reason.
 

spesh

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No I mean driver aid :). there IS a new display unit in them telling the the most efficent way to drive, I know the some of the drivers don't like it, I was in landore depot a few weeks back and they were being installed into the fleet, big push on saving fuel!!!
 
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tbtc

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No I mean driver aid :). there IS a new display unit in them telling the the most efficent way to drive, I know the some of the drivers don't like it, I was in landore depot a few weeks back and they were being installed into the fleet, big push on saving fuel!!!

They have a similar thing on buses round here called "Drive Green" which is intended to save First a few quid on fuel bills
 

tempests1

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When a guard on slam door third rail EMU's some of the old school drivers would brake using the vacuum brake and not the Electro Pneumatic brake. This would show their experience and skill off a treat some of these men worked on steam and diesels, before they had air brakes fitted. On a particular diagram we would be running an ECS very late at night then finish on a particular branch line on 75mph stock. I glanced at the speedo as we got a got a couple of stations closer and it showed 90. Obviously these sort of things could never go on today with OTMR etc etc.
 
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notadriver

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They have a similar thing on buses round here called "Drive Green" which is intended to save First a few quid on fuel bills

I think the difference is on buses they are expected to drive green all the time. Trains are expected to be able to make up time. Safety, time keeping and economy in that order.
 
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