Disastro - For and Against

[Kris]

How do you rate the Desiros personally? I can rate rate them from a driver's point of view and it's not all bad.

Good points :-

Comfortable for the majority of drivers.
(Pigs were awful - backache, leg ache)

Get away better in the wet with 8 traction motors.
(Pigs - pathetic. Spin like fluff!)

Air Con and controllable heating in cabs.
(No a/c in Pigs)

Not draughty like other stock
(Pigs very draughty and noisy - I used to carry duct tape)

TMS guides you when you have a fault

Bad Points :-

Can't see out of the side windows - no peripheral vision. Very, very boring and have to guess where the stop marks are.

Don't like stopping even with the slightest bit of moisture.
(Pigs were good at stopping)

Heating sends you to sleep (they don't believe us)
(Takes all the oxygen out of the air)

Dynamic brakes are rough

Very uncomfortable for passengers

Very rough riding

Unable to carry out a normal conversation with the guard - one way wire (bit like 2 tin cans and a piece of string - the old Loudaphones on slammers are far superior ).

 

[Nathan]

As a passenger i think although a 444 ned the big issue is that its harder to find sockets to play with trains on the table and they are faster to an extent which means in theroy they are slightly harder to phot should you need a slightly quicker shutter speed.

But other than that the ride is always been good for me, never failed and the air con is just right, seeing them makes me happy so definatly for...

 

[Jordy]

Can't comment on the SWT Desiros, but as for our 185s...

Good points :-

Much better air con than 158s

Not draughty

Wider doors (MUCH wider!), reduces station dwell times.

Much quicker acceleration, better at catching up lost time

Better accomodation for Cycles, Wheelchairs, Buggys etc

First class thats actually worth paying for

Toilet doors that actually physically lock!

Higher seats and more leg room!

Bad Points :-

Slip a lot when its wet, departing from Habrough is often a problem for the first train in the morning!

Air con is a little colder than i'd like!

Rough riding - but by the sounds of it nothing like the SWT ones!

Auto announcer for safety information is annoying, she has a strong Yorkshire accent!

But other than that, can't think of many bad things, but i'm sure someone else will!

Jordy

 

[Kris]

and they are faster to an extent which means in theroy they are slightly harder to phot should you need a slightly quicker shutter speed.
never failed and the air con is just right, seeing them makes me happy so definatly for...

No way. Pigs are much faster - to the extent that we constantly lose time compared to the pigs.

Air con blows too cold most of the time.

Can't comment on the SWT Desiros, but as for our 185s...

First class thats actually worth paying for

The T.P. 158's we have down here have beautiful first class. Like a Pullman compared to the 4th Class 1st on a Disastro

 

[matt]

I can only comment on 350s as the only other desiro ive been on is a 450 once.

Im for the 350s. Smooth ride, fairly decent seats and much better than a 323. The air con is nice in the summer. The announcements can be a bit annoying sometimes but suppose its not much different to a human announcer

 

[960012]

Dont like any Diastros, so against!

444s are uncomfortable, i jsut cant get confortable on them all ways end up with back ache, the 442s u could really get comfee, 450s are jsut ****, 350s are better than 450s but still ****, 185s are better then 158s but are also still ****!

Give me a Pig of slammer anyday!

 

[Jordy]

The T.P. 158's we have down here have beautiful first class. Like a Pullman compared to the 4th Class 1st on a Disastro

Glad you like 'em, you can keep them too, we dont want them back

 

[Kris]

Glad you like 'em, you can keep 'em too

Going to - don't worry. Looking forward to them when (and if) I get back to Salisbury.

 

[thefab444]

By which time they'll be like 159s.

444s aren't uncomfortable, for me. Yeah sure you're upright, but some people don't like slouching right down you can't stand up... AirCon is fine, though thats personal preference but I can't stand being hot, and its nice to cool down after an hour or two on the platforms, so to speak.

However you moan about them, at least they're better than 377s. Pieces of ****e if there ever were any (and there are because there are 377s). 375s aren't as bad, but still prefer 444s, or 159s (despite the horrendous lack of legroom!).

 

[Nathan]

No way. Pigs are much faster - to the extent that we constantly lose time compared to the pigs.

0-38mph, Desiros are faster after that 442s were quicker but not necessarily off the mark.

 

[Kris]

Not as fast off the mark as the green CIG. Only thing that beats that is a Voyager.

 

[paul1609]

As the Portsmouth Signalling Fiasco continues and a lot of my trains are still starting from Fratton Ive been Desiroing it a lot between Portsmouth Harbour and Havant. Is it my imagination or has the air conditioning failed on a fair percentage of the SWT desiros? When first introduced they were icy cold but recently some (most) of them are like sweat shops now on hot days.

 

[Kris]

As the Portsmouth Signalling Fiasco continues and a lot of my trains are still starting from Fratton Ive been Desiroing it a lot between Portsmouth Harbour and Havant. Is it my imagination or has the air conditioning failed on a fair percentage of the SWT desiros? When first introduced they were icy cold but recently some (most) of them are like sweat shops now on hot days.

Very rare that you get one without air con faults flagged up on the TMS. (HVAC)

 

[Tom]

Desiros have three aircon settings;

Arctic, Sahara and Off.

Most are in Sahara mode currently.

 

[David]

Not as fast off the mark as the green CIG. Only thing that beats that is a Voyager.

And the only thing that beats a voyager is a 185.

 

[Dennis]

It is difficult to be subjective on this type of topic because of the emotional attachment the majority of enthusiasts have with the older units that have been displaced by Desiros.

As a means of transport they are generally very good and (as I'm sure the majority of norms would agree) offering a far superior travelling environment, especially compared with Slammers. Only problem is, they are almost completely soulless; I find it very difficult to get excited about an aluminium extrusion that goes eee...eee....eee.

 

[Coxster]

Although I'm not a big fan of Desiros, from a non-enthusiast point of view I don't actually mind travelling on a 444.

 

[thefab444]

Only problem is, they are almost completely soulless; I find it very difficult to get excited about an aluminium extrusion that goes eee...eee....eee.

Thing is though, same could really be said for the Slammers, especially when they were first introduced, or when the WESs first came, any PIG fan would be hunted down by the REP police, who are now the PIGGIES 4 EVA crowd.

 

[Daniel]

Not as fast off the mark as the green CIG. Only thing that beats that is a Voyager.

Had the blue/grey one last time, had just got off single track and was overtaken by a 5-444... driver opened it up and we beat it in >=)

 

[thefab444]

Which platform was the 444 going in to?

 

[Tom]

The up main platform.

 

[WessexWarrior]

All 442 affection aside, I'd much, much rather have a Desiro sitting waiting at Liverpool St than one of One's Class 317 rustbuckets.

 

[devon_metro]

Can't comment on the SWT Desiros, but as for our 185s...

Good points :-




First class thats actually worth paying for

Toilet doors that actually physically lock!



Jordy

I would agree with both of those. I believe the TPE 158 doors are meant to slide automatically. I ended up having to shove one of them to open it!

 

[Jordy]

I would agree with both of those. I believe the TPE 158 doors are meant to slide automatically. I ended up having to shove one of them to open it!

Have done that plenty of times! They work fine with a little bit of added force!

If you ever get one stuck open, keep pressing the close button constantly until it closes, seems to build up the pressure somehow

Jordy

 

[Hentis]

442's accelerate slower from poole that a 450 or 444!! Yet piggies are faster, the only other one faster than a pig was a voyager. they used to tackle the start from Poole up the bank with ease. Still theres nothing like a pig struggling in the wet or on ICE the wheelslip is awesome.

As to liking the 442's or 450/444's i'm afraid its the 442's. I am just so used to them. To be honest i will be going back to Eastleigh next Friday and it will be a desiro come 170 or dread even worse a 159 or 158 crap. The 170's were cool dont like 159/159's

Cheers

Hentis

 

[thefab444]

As to liking the 442's or 450/444's i'm afraid its the 442's. I am just so used to them. To be honest i will be going back to Eastleigh next Friday and it will be a desiro come 170 or dread even worse a 159 or 158 crap. The 170's were cool dont like 159/159's

The remaining 3 170s probably all have busted aircon. 159s > 170s, if you ask me anyway.

On another note, first refurbished TPE 158 has come back to Salisbury.