Blindtraveler
Established Member
an easier job with the 166 as they already are designed for express work and are doing it today. New seats, pannles, carpets, plugs in first and improved DDA compliant toilets and your laughing!
That's more of a refresh (facelift) than a refurbishment, as original items have pretty much been retained.The Turbo fleet have had an interior refurbishment fairly recently as part of the FGW franchise agreements. So whether they'd redo the whole lot again is debatable, would depend on the timescale I would think.
That's more of a refresh (facelift) than a refurbishment, as original items have pretty much been retained.
As another poster said, the Class 166 units could be refurbished with new aircon, new 2+2 seating, crapets and a DDA complient toilet in one of the DM coaches. All-in-all a pretty major job could be done on them, giving a fleet of 21-refurbished long distance units.
FGW have aquired MORE 150's? Great, they need less of the damn things not more of them given they refuse to use them in an appropriate manner.
I'm getting thoroughly sick of finding a 150 in place of the usual 150 on my 2.5 hour journey from Bristol Temple Meads to Great Malvern. It's a noisy, cramped unit suited for commuter use not long distance work. I pity any of the pax who had been on the unit from its originating point at Southampton Central!
They are increasingly using 150's on numerous 5-6 hour journeys where previously a far more suitable 158 would be diagrammed.
but that's utterly meaningless as Portsmouth-Cardiff, and indeed nowhere that FGW DMUs are used outside the London District, is going to be electrified, is it? So that's completely meaningless
London - Bristol Parkway - Cardiff is being electrified
Bristol Parkway - Bristol is being electrified (as the additional two/hour from London to Bristol will run this way).
So I'd expect the short chord through Patchway will get wired too.
Therefore I think that's a decent chance that the Cardiff - Portsmouth will be split into:
- Cardiff - Bristol (four coach EMU)
- Bristol - Portsmouth (DMU)
(thus allowing the Portsmouth service to maybe be doubled up?)
Frustratingly its not *that* far to electrify from Bath to Southampton, but I guess that depends on Basingstoke - Exeter electrification
Nice idea putting the wires between Bath & Southampton especially if you include the line between Romsey & Eastleigh via Chandlers ford especially if SWT can replace the class 158/159's with some emu's allowing the class
158's to be cascaded to boost capacity elsewhere.
I wouldnt really bother splitting the Cardiff - portsmouth service , however I would split the Cardiff - Taunton route so that it becomes an hourly Cardiff - Bristol TM stopping service using an EMU and a hourly Taunton - Bristol dmu service which could be extended to Gloucester if enough DMU's are available
166s are 2 plus 2 and not bad considddering. I quite like them
Anyway does anyone know how many 2 carriage class 158's FGW had before the were re-formed into 3 carriage sets?
166s are mainly 3+2 seating with a small area of 2+2 seating with tables in the middle coach. The interior is basically identical to 165s otherwise
Wiki have it as 21 x 2 car units and 1 x 3 car unit.
Indeed, but the actual seating areas are largely the same.Not exactly. There is twice as much First Class provision on a 166. There is also much more space for luggage on a 166 due to them theoretically being used on Gatwick runs and longer distance Great Malvern runs.
The recent refresh has been nothing more than new seat covers, carpets and a coat of paint on the interior panels, and possibly a repaint of the toilets. The faulty CIS has been replaced with a new one that's faulty in a different way. The faulty window seals that cause the windows to be permanenetly steamed up have not been fixed, nor have the latches on the emergency ventilators on the 166s.
dont you mean a class 150 in place of a class 158?
According to Rail FGW are converting some of the five remaining 2-car 158s into 3-car however they are using 57749 and 52749 which I thought were in the 3-car units 158954 and 158955 respectively unless they were swapped? The new 158s are 158960 and 158961 formed from 158767, 158769 and the above coaches. This leaves 158745, 158763 and 158766. There are 40 coaches ignoring 158798 so presumably two will remain 2-car. The SWT 158 should be returned soon I imagine.
Looking forward to the ex LM 153s painted into the plain dark blue!
158950 57751 52761 57761
158951 52751 52764 57764
158952 57745 52762 57762
158953 52745 52750 57750
158954 57747 52760 57760
158955 52747 52765 57765
158956 57748 52768 57768
158957 52748 52771 57771
158958 57746 52776 57776
158959 52746 52778 57778
158960 57749 52769 57769
158961 52749 52767 57767
so there appears to have been some rearranging going on somewhere.
Will FGW have any "orphan" 158 driving cars after the reforms are complete, and if they did could they give the one existing real central car they have to northern?
I thought the remaining two 2 Car 158s were to be formed into 158962 and a Spare vehicle which be exchanged in the event of a problem with 1 Coach of a 3 Car setFrom my own records, which partly agrees with both http://www.thejunction.org.uk/ and http://www.abrail.co.uk/
So only 158763 and 158766 remain as 2-car.Code:158950 57751 52761 57761 158951 52751 52764 57764 158952 57745 52762 57762 158953 52745 52750 57750 158954 57747 52760 57760 158955 52747 52765 57765 158956 57748 52768 57768 158957 52748 52771 57771 158958 57746 52776 57776 158959 52746 52778 57778 158960 57749 52769 57769 158961 52749 52767 57767
I thought the remaining two 2 Car 158s were to be formed into 158962 and a Spare vehicle which be exchanged in the event of a problem with 1 Coach of a 3 Car set