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

[AdamWW]

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.

Interesting. Thanks.

I think the vinyl/paint discussion started with the impact on ability to recognize cracks though, not a suggestion that somehow it was contributing to the cracking.

 

[43096]

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.

Specifically the 800/0s were vinyl wrapped in green, the 800/3s were painted green from new.

 

[FGW_DID]

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.

387302 & 387306 are still undergoing acceptance work. At this time the 3 c2c 387s have not been cleared for traffic, however we are only halfway through the day.

From what I have seen, it looks like the intention is just to pool them with the rest of the GWR fleet and not keep them together so don’t be surprised to see a mixed consist.

 

[Essexman]

GWR Journey Planner now showing hourly service between Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads tomorrow.

 

[ScouserGirl]

387302 & 387306 are still undergoing acceptance work. At this time the 3 c2c 387s have not been cleared for traffic, however we are only halfway through the day.

From what I have seen, it looks like the intention is just to pool them with the rest of the GWR fleet and not keep them together so don’t be surprised to see a mixed consist.

Are they still going to use the 3 c2c 387's seeing as the 800's are coming back into traffic?

 

[FGW_DID]

Are they still going to use the 3 c2c 387's seeing as the 800's are coming back into traffic?

I haven’t seen or heard anything to say they aren’t. It would probably be prudent to keep hold of them.

 

[TheGarner]

Are they still going to use the 3 c2c 387's seeing as the 800's are coming back into traffic?

There was this recent tweet with a video: https://twitter.com/GWRHelp/status/1393194242617581574

 

[Jimini]

I’m on the 1428 cl387 off Paddington at the moment. It’s.... bouncy

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I haven’t seen or heard anything to say they aren’t. It would probably be prudent to keep hold of them.

Not as if they're exactly needed by c2c at the moment anyway. It was mentioned on another thread, however, that Great Northern may be getting them along with the handful of Gatwick Express units to see off the dilapidated 365s.

 

[fgwrich]

387302 & 387306 are still undergoing acceptance work. At this time the 3 c2c 387s have not been cleared for traffic, however we are only halfway through the day.

From what I have seen, it looks like the intention is just to pool them with the rest of the GWR fleet and not keep them together so don’t be surprised to see a mixed consist.

That must have changed, as 387301 is currently working the 14:12 from Reading to Newbury.

 

[Annetts key]

Another fairly long report on BBC Points West local news this lunchtime about the 80x trains. This time on them returning to service.
It’s on iPlayer. About 2m 57secs in.

 

[357]

There was this recent tweet with a video: https://twitter.com/GWRHelp/status/1393194242617581574

That train looks like it is going backwards in the video

 

[FGW_DID]

That must have changed, as 387301 is currently working the 14:12 from Reading to Newbury.

I’ve just seen a post about it on Facebook. Currently restricted to Newbury services according to that. I’m not in work today, haven’t seen anything official yet but obviously the thumbs up has been passed to Control & the Depot.

 

[Dan G]

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.

Wow, so the Kobe Steel theory may well be right?

 

[AdamWW]

Wow, so the Kobe Steel theory may well be right?

I read that as the reverse - that the specification may be unsuitable, not that what was supplied may not have been to specification.

 

[43096]

Wow, so the Kobe Steel theory may well be right?

No. If you re-read it, it’s the specification of the metal rather than what was supplied.

 

[hwl]

Wow, so the Kobe Steel theory may well be right?

I read that the opposite way, the person specifying being the issue

 

[ABB125]

The plot thickens!

(Or was it actually slightly to thin? )

 

[Clarence Yard]

My wording was deliberate - the question is as to whether the (specified) use of A7N01S-T5 alloy was entirely appropriate in this application and in the known (potentially corrosive) environment the train is subjected to in everyday use.

There are other questions being asked as well but, at present, I really can't get into those here.

 

[FGW_DID]

That must have changed, as 387301 is currently working the 14:12 from Reading to Newbury.

I’ve just seen a post about it on Facebook. Currently restricted to Newbury services according to that. I’m not in work today, haven’t seen anything official yet but obviously the thumbs up has been passed to Control & the Depot.

387301: In service - Newbury Stoppers only.
387302: Should be ready by end of day.
387306: In progress, should be finished Monday.

 

[hwl]

My wording was deliberate - the question is as to whether the (specified) use of A7N01S-T5 alloy was entirely appropriate in this application and in the known (potentially corrosive) environment the train is subjected to in everyday use.

There are other questions being asked as well but, at present, I really can't get into those here.

So a more recent Japanese alloy creation, very very similar to 7005 but with lower silicon and iron (presumably to aid weld-ability) and age hardened post hot working but no solution treatment.
Doesn't like chlorine as regards SCC iand HAZ cracking ssues and plenty of papers from china suggesting innovative (i.e. complex and hi tech) post weld heat treatment is very very good idea...

 

[HST274]

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.

Are they removing their (Formal) acceptance of gwr tickets as well or will that stay for a while?
-Robert

 

[Horizon22]

Are they removing their (Formal) acceptance of gwr tickets as well or will that stay for a while?
-Robert

Not sure about that, but GWR should have enough diagrams (you need about 5-6 and they normally are 9 cars but probably some will be 5) to be able to provide a full PAD-BRI 1tph service, which is certainly feasible from next week given the gradual reintroduction of the IET fleet.

From tomorrow there's a full 1tph service to Bristol

387301: In service - Newbury Stoppers only.
387302: Should be ready by end of day.
387306: In progress, should be finished Monday.

And the Newbury stoppers are also running additionally from Paddington tomorrow, so they may be allocated seeing as the Swindon services (12 car) are still running as are the Didcot PW trains.

 

[aar0]

Interesting. Thanks.

I think the vinyl/paint discussion started with the impact on ability to recognize cracks though, not a suggestion that somehow it was contributing to the cracking.

Indeed, I had heard (and had no reason to disbelieve) that the vinyl hid the cracks from typical visual inspections, not that the vinyl would encourage any sort of cracking.

 

[73128]

That train looks like it is going backwards in the video

the three C2C sets arrived through platform 15 at Reading (which is where that was filmed) - as they had been pathed through 12 whilst a train was standing there!!

 

[43096]

Indeed, I had heard (and had no reason to disbelieve) that the vinyl hid the cracks from typical visual inspections, not that the vinyl would encourage any sort of cracking.

For the umpteenth time, cracks have not been hidden by vinyl.

 

[73128]

And the Newbury stoppers are also running additionally from Paddington tomorrow, so they may be allocated seeing as the Swindon services (12 car) are still running as are the Didcot PW trains.

It is trains in the Bedwyn diagrams (i.e. Paddington, Reading, Theale, Thatcham to Newbury) which are 387 from tomorrow (with Turbo to & from Bedwyn still), as well as the existing Newbury stoppers. i imagine that this could last for some time. The two Newbury stopper diagrams are for 387/3s initially.

Are they removing their (Formal) acceptance of gwr tickets as well or will that stay for a while?
-Robert

XC won't be running trains between Bristol and Swindon so it's largely irrelevant, isn't it? i imagine that acceptance via the west midlands will disappear soon - most non-advance tickets are valid via Chiltern to Marylebone, from the west of England via SWR from Exeter and via XC to Bristol anyway.

 

[Class 170101]

Probably a good thing that GWR aren't yet planning to run the 'Fast' London to Temple Meads via Parkway due to Covid 19 so there should be a bit more slack in the fleet than one would otherwise expect.

 

[Horizon22]

It is trains in the Bedwyn diagrams (i.e. Paddington, Reading, Theale, Thatcham to Newbury) which are 387 from tomorrow (with Turbo to & from Bedwyn still), as well as the existing Newbury stoppers. i imagine that this could last for some time. The two Newbury stopper diagrams are for 387/3s initially.


XC won't be running trains between Bristol and Swindon so it's largely irrelevant, isn't it? i imagine that acceptance via the west midlands will disappear soon - most non-advance tickets are valid via Chiltern to Marylebone, from the west of England via SWR from Exeter and via XC to Bristol anyway.

No just Paddington - Reading - Newbury additional services. They are in the base timetable but have barely run since Covid. There will still be a Newbury <> Bedwyn shuttle.

 

[Watershed]

Probably a good thing that GWR aren't yet planning to run the 'Fast' London to Temple Meads via Parkway due to Covid 19 so there should be a bit more slack in the fleet than one would otherwise expect.

If it were running, it would almost certainly be amongst the first services to be dropped.