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GWR Class 800
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Mitchell Hurd
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Changing the subject a bit, my opinions of the 800's are...
1. Sleek and a bit snazzy
.
2. Fantastic choice of engines from MTU!
3. Like walking into a new classroom / modern office basically.
4. Good fabric material - I don't like the feel of the cushion when you touch it. Makes me feel a bit funny. HST's were always comfortable though!
5. I love the design of the "platform" doors from the inside as they look like something classic. The larger windows help.
6. The normal toilets are a bit too small.
7. I'd say about 22 less Quiet Coach (QC) seats than the ones on the GWR HST's you'd think isn't good. However, less people would want the QC I imagine. So a good compromise here.
8. I appreciate the extra legroom and more availability of table seats than the HST's.
9. Are actually better than the HST's and all the diesel trains GWR have.
To be honest, it's got to the point where I'm actually slowly preferring these more than an HST because of it's cleanliness inside / interior quality.
Of course I love an HST journey really but there needs to be a newer train where you can actually say "These are actually better than the HST's!" .
I did think that of the Adelantes but Grand Central were bonkers to replace HST's with these trains.
If only GWR kept the 180's it'd have meant more capacity in the 5-car formations (I wonder if they'd have converted the First Class coaches into Standard). Plus they knew how to run them reliably - between 2012 and when they withdrew them in late 2017, for most weekends they'd not use them.
They'd be cleared for Plymouth (I don't know about Cornwall).
1. Sleek and a bit snazzy
. 2. Fantastic choice of engines from MTU!
3. Like walking into a new classroom / modern office basically
. 4. Good fabric material - I don't like the feel of the cushion when you touch it. Makes me feel a bit funny. HST's were always comfortable though!
5. I love the design of the "platform" doors from the inside as they look like something classic. The larger windows help.
6. The normal toilets are a bit too small.
7. I'd say about 22 less Quiet Coach (QC) seats than the ones on the GWR HST's you'd think isn't good. However, less people would want the QC I imagine. So a good compromise here.
8. I appreciate the extra legroom and more availability of table seats than the HST's.
9. Are actually better than the HST's and all the diesel trains GWR have.
To be honest, it's got to the point where I'm actually slowly preferring these more than an HST because of it's cleanliness inside / interior quality.
Of course I love an HST journey really but there needs to be a newer train where you can actually say "These are actually better than the HST's!" .
I did think that of the Adelantes but Grand Central were bonkers to replace HST's with these trains.
If only GWR kept the 180's it'd have meant more capacity in the 5-car formations (I wonder if they'd have converted the First Class coaches into Standard). Plus they knew how to run them reliably - between 2012 and when they withdrew them in late 2017, for most weekends they'd not use them.
They'd be cleared for Plymouth (I don't know about Cornwall).
TractiveEffort
Member
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180’s are an absolute maintenance nightmare, very labour intensive and costly.......
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
They are just rubbish. They should have been good, but weren't. I can see them (and the 175s) being scrapped in fairly short order.
Melancholia
Member
jyte
Member
Had my first ride on an 800 the other day, was about summed up by a passenger boarding through the Kitchen area, and not being able to get out as the staff had locked the door.
Pete_uk
Established Member
I'm on a 800 from Cheltenham to Paddington and the PIS one station behind!
More capacity? I don't think so - the 180s seat about 280 people, while a five-car GWR 800 or 802 has seats for 320+ passengers.
The terms agreed by FGW and the DfT when five 180s came back to FGW in 2012 to release some Turbos from the Cotswold Line to strengthen Thames Valley peak services required the 180s to spend the weekends parked at Old Oak Common doing nothing - perhaps in the hope that they would then behave themselves on weekdays after a nice rest.
spark001uk
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The absolute hottest temperature I've ever had to endure was on a London bound 180 with busted aircon a few summers back, saved only by a long delay at Charlbury enabling pax to escape it temporarily. It was that bad almost everyone ditched it at Oxford.!
Anyway, back to IET, has GWR considered running the Bedwyns but with a TM for now? Or is it a case of the expense, or not enough TMs? Or maybe they would just rather modify them first?
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swt_passenger
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Clarence Yard stated a month ago, in another thread:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...l-region-services.146681/page-23#post-3765953
...that it definitely wasn’t happening. This was shortly after I’d mentioned it, based on an original posting by another GW insider I’d seen in wnxx...
Yes, this diversion into 180s has been interesting but lets get back to IETs shall we?
Thanks!
Thanks!
59CosG95
Established Member
A problem not exclusive to IETs, I might add.
spark001uk
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OK, but as far as I can see, no definitive answer came as to the reason(s) why it wouldn't/couldn't be done?
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SWRtrain_fan
Member
Have all of the HSTs on GWRs intercity services been replaced by the IETs yet? I saw an article saying the final IET has entered service. http://www.railtechnologymagazine.c...rcity-train-sees-gwr-deliver-10000-more-seats
PHILIPE
Veteran Member
Last edited:
All the 800s for GWR have been delivered. Still waiting on the rest of the 802s.
Jamesrob637
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and 15 further Class 802 trains are still to be rolled out during 2019
so mostly but not entirely.I wish I could remember exactly where I read it but somewhere it's been suggested May timetable change may be the point that HSTs are replaced fully by IETs. Considering where we are I'd suggest that that doesn't sound wholly unfeasible.
Jamesrob637
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That would allow me a chance to get down to my mum's in Plymouth and do one last HST just before/just after Easter school hols (don't tend to travel in school hols not having kids yet!)
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
If they ever get their act together, you can of course "do" more HSTs in far better scenery up in Scotland!
cactustwirly
Established Member
February is the date for services via Swindon, being replaced by 800s.
May is for the remaining B&H services being replaced by 802s
swt_passenger
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Why would you expect an official or definitive answer though? It isn’t the sort of decision process a TOC would ever make public.
Jamesrob637
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Forgot about bonny Scotland and I've only ever been twice north of the border, one of which was on a 4 in 8 day North West Ranger so only popped to Lockerbie and returned south an hour later!
spark001uk
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I'm not sure what you mean but I'm not looking for anything public or official (and I never said so), I was just curious as to the likely reasons why it couldn't or wouldn't be done that's all.
Nice to see GWR taking good care of the Class 800's provided to them out of the public purse, NOT!
Some of the 800's with light gray seats are FILTHY and clearly not being looked after. The carpets don't look like they have hoovered properly either.
The 802's? With a gray patterned seats are not so bad.
Some of the 800's with light gray seats are FILTHY and clearly not being looked after. The carpets don't look like they have hoovered properly either.
The 802's? With a gray patterned seats are not so bad.
Dren Ahmeti
Member
I would’ve thought it’s because there are only a small amount of HSS guards trained for Bedwyn, and most the stations down that route have been DOO since at least the 90’s.
swt_passenger
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My thoughts were that the likely reasons were already mentioned in the other thread to the level you’d expect in a forum...
coppercapped
Established Member
Two points:
- The trains procured under the IEP contract have been designed, manufactured and tested with no 'public' money being spent on them at all[1]. That is the whole point of the DfT's contract(s) with Agility Trains.
- As far as I am aware ALL the cleaning and maintenance of the IEP trains is carried out by Agility Trains under the terms of the IEP contract(s). So GWR is not directly involved - it simply supplies the train crews to run the trains.
[1] Apart from the shedloads of money the DfT spent on consultants in the years leading up to the IEP contract.
Care & Maintenance of the 80x fleet is wholly by Hitachi. GWR just operate the sets i.e. Driver & on-board Crew.
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