Entire 800/801/802 fleet stood down for safety checks

[Horizon22]

any indications yet of the long term idea of numbers of 80X's avalible to run at any time with others out for these repairs?

Throughout the course of the day, 19 80x sets have been available and utilised by GWR. The number is expected to double tomorrow, but this will not be all at once (albeit hopefully most in morning). This presents a tricky customer information message because you can't advertise trains as the diagram might not be ready in time, but at the same time nobody likes short-notice changes and sudden reinstatements; although good you can't plan a message like that so trains might be somewhat empty!

 

[AverageTD]

Apologies for not keeping up with but what's the current TLDR sit-rep? I few days ago it was 70 trains back in service soon, then I heard that 20 were going back but now it seems that long term alternatives are still being considered? I understand that nobody really knows but what's the current most likely next step?

 

[popeter45]

yea feels high time

Apologies for not keeping up with but what's the current TLDR sit-rep? I few days ago it was 70 trains back in service soon, then I heard that 20 were going back but now it seems that long term alternatives are still being considered? I understand that nobody really knows but what's the current most likely next step?

basicly dont trust anything said on a forum without primary sourcing

so far all we know is "some" 80X's will be back in service and it will take till at least 2022 for full return of the fleet

 

[rebmcr]

now it seems that long term alternatives are still being considered?

Even if every cracked unit was available for service right up until its repair and/or modification, there will still be a requirement for cover while the fleet gets processed (starting immediately with the prototype units identified today). If they do them one at a time it will take longer, and if they do multiple in parallel more cover will be needed but not for as long.

Taking into account regular maintenance & exams, and the fact that some units will likely already be too cracked to serve before they're worked on, it's a pretty clear-cut case of needing alternate trains for a fair while even in a best-case scenario.

 

[yorkie]

basicly dont trust anything said on a forum without primary sourcing

In principle, yes, though it depends on who is posting (but I won't say any more on that topic here as this isn't the right thread for it!)

Even if every cracked unit was available for service right up until its repair and/or modification, there will still be a requirement for cover while the fleet gets processed (starting immediately with the prototype units identified today). If they do them one at a time it will take longer, and if they do multiple in parallel more cover will be needed but not for as long.

Taking into account regular maintenance & exams, and the fact that some units will likely already be too cracked to serve before they're worked on, it's a pretty clear-cut case of needing alternate trains for a fair while even in a best-case scenario.

Agreed and if we can get further discussion on that in the following thread that would be great, thanks: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ring-the-grounding-of-class-80x-fleet.217232/

 

[HST274]

it will take till at least 2022 for full return of the fleet

Is the policy keep as many as possible in now which have minimal/safe damage, then once repairs have been figured out fix the worst damage then take a few out at a time whilst still keeping a fairly good IET service (though I'm guessing having even enough to cover all diagrams let alone spares will not be for a while)?

 

[hwl]

In principle, yes, though it depends on who is posting (but I won't say any more on that topic here as this isn't the right thread for it!)

And then there is reading more into a message than actually exists...

E.g. "70 units will be returning to service without repair" doesn't mean that 70 will all be returning tomorrow or the day after. Circa 10% will be in maintenance at any point so only low 60s will be available for use at any time. (Which is roughly what should be hit at the weekend.)

 

[Horizon22]

Apologies for not keeping up with but what's the current TLDR sit-rep? I few days ago it was 70 trains back in service soon, then I heard that 20 were going back but now it seems that long term alternatives are still being considered? I understand that nobody really knows but what's the current most likely next step?

See my previous post (#1771), but eventually it is expected to scale up to approximately 50 by the end of the weekend. This is with caveat the trains still need their regular maintenance schedules and a lack of spare sets will mean that ad-hoc issues are more likely to lead to cancellations.

 

[Annetts key]

Andrew Barr, Group CEO, Hitachi Rail
was on BBC Points West local news this evening.
It’s on iPlayer. About 5m30secs in.

 

[WideRanger]

If it was a Latin word, which is isn't, then the plural would be Azumae. I don't know how the Japanese language pluralises words.

Pedamus, pedatis, pedant.

There is no pluralisation in Japanese

 

[AverageTD]

See my previous post (#1771), but eventually it is expected to scale up to approximately 50 by the end of the weekend. This is with caveat the trains still need their regular maintenance schedules and a lack of spare sets will mean that ad-hoc issues are more likely to lead to cancellations.

Cheers, are we looking at a fairly gradual but consistent increase over the next week or two?

 

[Horizon22]

Cheers, are we looking at a fairly gradual but consistent increase over the next week or two?

That's certainly the intention yes. The weekend will bring back through Bristol services as obviously its a reduced service already.

 

[aar0]

I’ve heard indirectly that one of the issues in finding the cracks was the vinyl wrapping covering them, so they were only revealed when the vinyl was cut off!

 

[35B]

I’ve heard indirectly that one of the issues in finding the cracks was the vinyl wrapping covering them, so they were only revealed when the vinyl was cut off!

My understanding is that there was no vinyl in the area of these cracks, but that the paint had flexed to obscure the cracks.

 

[RPI]

I’ve heard indirectly that one of the issues in finding the cracks was the vinyl wrapping covering them, so they were only revealed when the vinyl was cut off!

Most of the GWR ones are painted rather than vinyl

 

[aar0]

My understanding is that there was no vinyl in the area of these cracks, but that the paint had flexed to obscure the cracks.

Most of the GWR ones are painted rather than vinyl

Ah ok, thanks for the clarification!

 

[800001]

Most of the GWR ones are painted rather than vinyl

36 units have vinyls applied, the class 800/0. Remainder of units are painted.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

35 units have vinyls applied, the class 800/0. Remainder of units are painted.

How bizarre that 1 class 800/0 is presumably painted and the other 35 are vinyls!

 

[RobShipway]

How bizarre that 1 class 800/0 is presumably painted and the other 35 are vinyls!

I was under the impression that all Class 800s whether with GWR or LNER had vinyls on?

You may find that the Class 802's have been painted, but again after seeing the initial TPE 802's being white when they started in service, I would say that they are using vinyls as well.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I was under the impression that all Class 800s whether with GWR or LNER had vinyls on?

You may find that the Class 802's have been painted, but again after seeing the initial TPE 802's being white when they started in service, I would say that they are using vinyls as well.

TPE's were delivered light grey, the detailing is vinyl.

 

[Domh245]

I was under the impression that all Class 800s whether with GWR or LNER had vinyls on?

You may find that the Class 802's have been painted, but again after seeing the initial TPE 802's being white when they started in service, I would say that they are using vinyls as well.

The GWR 9 car 800s are definitely painted green. One of the giveaways is that the 'tricky geometries' around the drivers door, cameras, bolsters, etc are all green rather than white.

As an additional point of pedantry, the TPE 802s were light grey

 

[DanNCL]

The 800/0s and 802/2s are vinyl wrapped. The rest of the 80xs are painted.

 

[stuu]

I was under the impression that all Class 800s whether with GWR or LNER had vinyls on?

You may find that the Class 802's have been painted, but again after seeing the initial TPE 802's being white when they started in service, I would say that they are using vinyls as well.

If you look around the doors of some of them when open it is very obvious that they are painted. Some look like they were done by a three year old

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

From RTT, it looks like hourly 80x services are running Paddington-Swansea and Paddington-Plymouth.
No through services on Bristol TM, North or South Cotswold lines yet, with XC running hourly Swindon-Bristol TM.
But a big improvement in through services generally.
GWR advice is still "do not travel" today.

 

[SteelWeelApeal]

Tomorrow they also have an hourly Paddington to Newbury using electrostars. Presumably they are able to do this because of the extra c2c units, otherwise they would have done it earlier.

 

[Annetts key]

No through services on Bristol TM, North or South Cotswold lines yet, with XC running hourly Swindon-Bristol TM.

CrossCountry on their website say that today (Friday) is the last day that they will be providing the Bristol T.M. to Swindon service for GWR.

 

[Clarence Yard]

Hitachi have declared that 38 of the 93 GWR sets are now available for traffic. A further 16 are in the queue for Chlorination (of the water tanks - standard procedure for lying vehicles) before they can enter traffic and the 6 that are outstabled at various locations off depot need to be brought back and checked out.

There is therefore a way to go before GWR can get back to some semblance of normality.

The vinyl/paint issue is irrelevant to the problem - it is the specified (as opposed to supplied) composition of the metal and it's design suitability for the yaw bolster/jacking point application that is currently a significant focus of attention, amongst other lines of enquiry.

 

[800001]

How bizarre that 1 class 800/0 is presumably painted and the other 35 are vinyls!

The class 800s for gwr were delivered painted Grey and then wrapped in vinyl that is why all around the door areas you can see the grey.

 

[dk1]

Hitachi have declared that 38 of the 93 GWR sets are now available for traffic. A further 16 are in the queue for Chlorination (of the water tanks - standard procedure for lying vehicles) before they can enter traffic and the 6 that are outstabled at various locations off depot need to be brought back and checked out.

There is therefore a way to go before GWR can get back to some semblance of normality.

The vinyl/paint issue is irrelevant to the problem - it is the specified (as opposed to supplied) composition of the metal and it's design suitability for the yaw bolster/jacking point application that is currently a significant focus of attention, amongst other lines of enquiry.

Thanks for the update. Things slowly improving thankfully.

 

[800001]

How bizarre that 1 class 800/0 is presumably painted and the other 35 are vinyls!

It's obviously a typo by me, of course I meant 36 x 800/0s.