Greater Anglia Rolling Stock Updates

[delticdave]

My understanding is that all the ex FCC 321/4’s have now been modified for Selective Doors.

I have also seen quite a few of them on 12 car Southminster services

A supplementary question please...., are all the current LST- Southminster through services 12 cars, & might they become 2 x5 or 1 x 10 when the new Bombardier trains are in service?
Reason for asking, the local opinion here in SWF seems to think that when / if new housing is built the trains won't be able to cope with the extra passengers.
Off-peak, not problem at all with 4-car 321's being replaced with 5-car units with 24m vehicles, but would the peak through trains still be 1 x 10 or 2 x 5?

 

[samuelmorris]

Oddly I think one of them's 12-car and the other's 4-car. If the existing timetable were just being adapted to suit the new units I imagine that means one would be 10 and the other 5, but since it's being completely rewritten, I'm not sure anyone can say at the moment. Based on the loadings I witness with those peak services, if they still run fast to Wickford, I don't see them both running as 5-car being an issue. In seating capacity terms a 5-car 720 is 76% greater than a 4-car 321. I don't often see many people standing on the Wickford trains unless there's disruption.

 

[AC47461]

The 1722 Liv St - Southminster is normally 8. It regularly passes me while I wait at Billericay.

 

[samuelmorris]

I'd forgotten about that one, I don't normally travel that early so I only usually get to see the 1802 and 1841.

 

[306024]

Off-peak, not problem at all with 4-car 321's being replaced with 5-car units with 24m vehicles

Until you try to fit a 5 car in either of the bay platforms at Wickford

 

[AC47461]

That's a good point!
I wonder if they'll just run them through to Shenfield? Or even London (though I doubt there'll be any room once off peak Southend Vic services go 4tph).

 

[Wivenswold]

All guess-work but at least one 10 (or 2x5) car will run to and from Southminster to Liverpool Street. It would be a PR nightmare to cut services along that line.

Interesting about the bay platforms at Wickford, there isn't even enough room on the track for a 5 car 720 let alone platform length. Wonder whether they'll do what TfL are doing with the Upminster to Romford branch and keep a couple of older trains to run the shuttle. Alternatively the London end siding is long-enough to turn a 5 car 720, though I don't think it's got OHL.

 

[delticdave]

All guess-work but at least one 10 (or 2x5) car will run to and from Southminster to Liverpool Street. It would be a PR nightmare to cut services along that line.

Interesting about the bay platforms at Wickford, there isn't even enough room on the track for a 5 car 720 let alone platform length. Wonder whether they'll do what TfL are doing with the Upminster to Romford branch and keep a couple of older trains to run the shuttle. Alternatively the London end siding is long-enough to turn a 5 car 720, though I don't think it's got OHL.

I didn't realize that the Wickford Bays could only acomodate

All guess-work but at least one 10 (or 2x5) car will run to and from Southminster to Liverpool Street. It would be a PR nightmare to cut services along that line.

Interesting about the bay platforms at Wickford, there isn't even enough room on the track for a 5 car 720 let alone platform length. Wonder whether they'll do what TfL are doing with the Upminster to Romford branch and keep a couple of older trains to run the shuttle. Alternatively the London end siding is long-enough to turn a 5 car 720, though I don't think it's got OHL.

I didn't realize that the Wickford bays were so short. ISTR that back in the olden days a 5-car DMU was used on the rush-hour working on the branch & that fitted in at least one of the bays. I did take some pix from the footbridge alongside the line, but they would be film rather than digital & I've no idea where to find them.........

 

[Wivenswold]

I measured the bay platforms on Google earth, both are 107m long from the buffers. The 5 car DMU at approximately 100m long would just about fit in, but a 5 car Class 720m will be about 120m long.

 

[Alfie1014]

I measured the bay platforms on Google earth, both are 107m long from the buffers. The 5 car DMU at approximately 100m long would just about fit in, but a 5 car Class 720m will be about 120m long.

Lots of problems to be resolved with the new train lengths stabling being one of the biggest. Many sidings at places like Clacton and Bishops Stortford which can accommodate 4s, 8s and 12s today wont allow the same number of sets to be berthed as 5s or 10s, cue lots of ECS running to maintain the same level of service or as Wivenwold has said the spectre of 5 replacing 8s on some services.

 

[Alfie1014]

I see that Stadler have just launched their new multi-mode train the WINK. Perhaps the Anglia ones could be called WA.. oh well perhaps not!

A recent order from Arriva marked the launch of Stadler’s latest multiple-unit family, which it has named Wink, meaning Wandelbarer Innovativer Nahverkehrs-Kurzzug (‘convertible, innovative short train for local transport’).

The Wink platform is intended for less busy secondary routes, and Stadler believes it could find applications in western and central Europe including the UK.

The modular structure of the Wink is based on Stadler’s Flirt family, and was developed with the internal project name Flirtino. Like Stadler’s GTW family of multiple-units, Wink has a central power module containing the energy generation, traction and auxiliary systems. This modularity means trainsets can be offered with a range of traction options, with diesel, biodiesel, electro-diesel, diesel-battery and electric-battery all envisaged...

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...nit-offering-a-range-of-traction-options.html

 

[F Great Eastern]

Pretty clear theme.

They also have the SMILE and KISS.

 

[Wivenswold]

More appropriate for Essex would surely be the Stadler Grimace.

 

[Class 170101]

Interesting about the bay platforms at Wickford, there isn't even enough room on the track for a 5 car 720 let alone platform length. Wonder whether they'll do what TfL are doing with the Upminster to Romford branch and keep a couple of older trains to run the shuttle. Alternatively the London end siding is long-enough to turn a 5 car 720, though I don't think it's got OHL.

The siding you refer to has accommodated an 8 car Class 321 in the fairly recent past and is still wired to my knowledge. Extending the service to Shenfield would require an extra diagram off peak as there are tight turnarounds at both ends of the journey already.

As for the Romford to Upminster service surely the new Class 710 would fit as a four car? (As being built)

 

[jopsuk]

There seems to have been a 156 on a Norwich-Cambridge diagram today, saw it (running late) this morning at Cambridge North. 170 problems?

 

[Wivenswold]

The siding you refer to has accommodated an 8 car Class 321 in the fairly recent past and is still wired to my knowledge. Extending the service to Shenfield would require an extra diagram off peak as there are tight turnarounds at both ends of the journey already.

As for the Romford to Upminster service surely the new Class 710 would fit as a four car? (As being built)

Thank you for that, having not been down that branch for years I couldn't remember whether the siding at Wickford was wired and some investigation on Google Earth didn't help me. So I think the likely outcome is that the Southminster trains are sent into that siding for a change of ends.

There was an announcement a few weeks back that a 315 would be retained for the Upminster to Romford branch releasing a 710 to increase capacity elsewhere on the LO network. I don't know whether it's a long-term move though it certainly sounded like it. It's a bit of a schlep for tourists wanting to see London's only heritage railway line!

 

[Bringback309s]

Wouldn't it be great if the 315 was restored to blue/grey and refurbished inside too.. They could use the 306 at Chappel as a stand-by. It would be a great branch to run as a heritage line (when vandals aren't around that is)

 

[Alfie1014]

Sadly the 306 is in no fit state to do anything, it's hoped that it can be moved to the NRM, (as its part of their collection), for cosmetic works to make it water proof and stop it deteriating any more, but any chance of it returning to a working condition is a long way off.

 

[dk1]

There seems to have been a 156 on a Norwich-Cambridge diagram today, saw it (running late) this morning at Cambridge North. 170 problems?

It's a daily occurrence now. The 19:38/21:15 is booked for a 156. Today's diagram starting 04:40 Lowestoft which starts the Cambridge diagram commencing with the 06:33 is also a 156. DMU fleet availability is not good at the moment.

 

[class387]

Wouldn't it be great if the 315 was restored to blue/grey and refurbished inside too.. They could use the 306 at Chappel as a stand-by. It would be a great branch to run as a heritage line (when vandals aren't around that is)

Wouldn't be too difficult to do either with the original seats and layout still in place. You just need a repaint and retrimming with blue flash moquette and it would be perfect.

 

[MatthewRead]

What are my chances of getting a Renatus 321 on Saturday?

 

[jopsuk]

It's a daily occurrence now. The 19:38/21:15 is booked for a 156. Today's diagram starting 04:40 Lowestoft which starts the Cambridge diagram commencing with the 06:33 is also a 156. DMU fleet availability is not good at the moment.

I get the impression that Crown Point will not be sad to see the 153/156/170 fleet go.

 

[Wivenswold]

What are my chances of getting a Renatus 321 on Saturday?

Not sure on the Southend branch which is 100% Class 321s, but the Desiros seem to take a larger share of the weekend work on the London to Ipswich, Colchester Town and Clacton services. I've been on a Renatus on the Walton to Colchester service on several Saturdays recently but it's probably a long way to come on the off-chance.

 

[jamesontheroad]

It's a daily occurrence now. The 19:38/21:15 is booked for a 156. Today's diagram starting 04:40 Lowestoft which starts the Cambridge diagram commencing with the 06:33 is also a 156. DMU fleet availability is not good at the moment.

The 06:02 CBG-NRW (2K56) and the 07:37 NRW-CBG (1K61) this morning have both been 156.

 

[dk1]

The 06:02 CBG-NRW (2K56) and the 07:37 NRW-CBG (1K61) this morning have both been 156.

16:44 Cambridge to Ipswich is likewise tonight & full to capacity with no working toilet.

 

[eastdyke]

16:44 Cambridge to Ipswich is likewise tonight & full to capacity with no working toilet.

Time for the released 68 'short set' to make a comeback?

 

[Class 170101]

What are my chances of getting a Renatus 321 on Saturday?

Not sure on the Southend branch which is 100% Class 321s, but the Desiros seem to take a larger share of the weekend work on the London to Ipswich, Colchester Town and Clacton services. I've been on a Renatus on the Walton to Colchester service on several Saturdays recently but it's probably a long way to come on the off-chance.

A few more 321s likely to be out and about than normal due to Christmas shopping at Westfield (and elsewhere) if its anything like last year.

 

[dk1]

Time for the released 68 'short set' to make a comeback?

I think that boat has well & truly sailed.

 

[eastdyke]

I think that boat has well & truly sailed.

 

[grumblingalong]

I think that boat has well & truly sailed.

Pushed along by a gentle breeze of several million pounds GA didn't want to spend themselves