GWR Class 800

[liam456]

buffet

Ding ding ding!

P.S. I'm not saying you're wrong...

 

[w1bbl3]

Gloucester, Hereford, Cheltenham all would have issues with 10 cars that SDO wouldn’t be able to solve (too long to stand between signals/points etc)

Curious about Gloucester as platform 1+2 is long enough for a pair HST's, I assume this issue that 10-car in platform 1 would foul platform 2? In terms of Cheltenham is there not enough land within the NR boundary to extend the platforms at and/move the signals nearer to the A40 so a 10 car could be platformed? Point taken about Hereford surprised if that is the only station on the cotswold line that couldn't cope with a 10-car considering how short many of the platforms are.

 

[JN114]

Curious about Gloucester as platform 1+2 is long enough for a pair HST's, I assume this issue that 10-car in platform 1 would foul platform 2? In terms of Cheltenham is there not enough land within the NR boundary to extend the platforms at and/move the signals nearer to the A40 so a 10 car could be platformed? Point taken about Hereford surprised if that is the only station on the cotswold line that couldn't cope with a 10-car considering how short many of the platforms are.

It’s nothing to do with platform lengths, they can be solved with SDO.

 

[Mintona]

Looked like 802109 was at North Pole yesterday. Not too many more to come now.

 

[TractiveEffort]

Technical question, does the train's software control the brightness of the interior lights?

No, the lights are on or off. The units go into sleep mode after 15 minutes without an active cab, this puts the lights and HVAC off, the crew can over ride sleeep mode for 30 minutes at a time, but not change the lighting brightness.

 

[cambsy]

On Weds 6th Feb, had my first run under electric power from Bristol Parkway-Paddington, waas 13.03 Parkway-Paddington, 2x5 car 802, again the performance under electric power was impressive, absolutely slaughtered the timings, 22 mins Parkway-Swindon, 24 mins Swindon-Reading, between Parkway and Paddington we spent approx 10 mins waiting time, they have so much time in hand under electric running, can’t wait to see what they achieve when the faster timetable comes out, I expect to see some impressive timings especially the Paddington-Parkway non stops.

 

[CapitalStar378]

No, the lights are on or off. The units go into sleep mode after 15 minutes without an active cab, this puts the lights and HVAC off, the crew can over ride sleeep mode for 30 minutes at a time, but not change the lighting brightness.

Thanks, that's a pity. Looks like it's sunglasses at night for the foreseeable then

 

[anamyd]

The lighting brightness definitely needs to be changed. Some people have sensitive eyesight...

 

[Bletchleyite]

The lighting brightness definitely needs to be changed. Some people have sensitive eyesight...

It's not as awful as the HST, but about 75% of the present level would be good.

 

[59CosG95]

It's not as awful as the HST, but about 75% of the present level would be good.

Given the "airline" style seating on the IETs, perhaps going the whole hog and adding dimmers isn't a bad idea...

 

[Will Mitchell]

I think it might be more to do with the types of bulbs Hitatchi are fitting. Many cheap LED bulbs give off a very harsh, cold quality of light (>3000k) and have the effect of appearing to bleach colour. But there are now LEDs available which can reproduce much lower colour temperatures (<2000k), offering a warmer quality of light, closer to candlelight or old style tungsten light bulbs. So either this comes down to ignorance on the part of train designers / manufacturers or the DfT specified the horrible lighting or it’s specified in some regulation or other. Whatever the cause, the effect is we’re all having to spend our time sitting in what feels like an operating theatre or some sort of gulag torture room. Add the seats into the mix and you’re in for quite an unnecessarily uncomfortable journey.

 

[TractiveEffort]

I like the bright lights, makes it easy to read and do crosswords. Nothing worse than being sat in dingy conditions. I will check the regs, I am sure there will now be minimum lux levels - more elf and safety gone mad.....

 

[Bletchleyite]

I like the bright lights, makes it easy to read and do crosswords. Nothing worse than being sat in dingy conditions. I will check the regs, I am sure there will now be minimum lux levels - more elf and safety gone mad.....

I reckon this is probably one of those myths a bit like "you can't have big overhead luggage racks". The lighting in other recent stock such as Class 700s is nowhere near as bright.

 

[anamyd]

I like the bright lights, makes it easy to read and do crosswords. Nothing worse than being sat in dingy conditions. I will check the regs, I am sure there will now be minimum lux levels - more elf and safety gone mad.....

Isn't that what reading lights are for...?

 

[Master29]

Back to the 5 car v 9 car thing, I noticed in Rolling Stock Review 2018 - 19 that a 5 car iet is 162m long but a 9 car is only 242m. I say only because doubling up a 5 car would be 324m probably slightly more with the coupling points would make a 10 car some 80 longer than a 9 car. That seems a hell of a lot more. I just can`t see how that`s true.

 

[TractiveEffort]

Back to the 5 car v 9 car thing, I noticed in Rolling Stock Review 2018 - 19 that a 5 car iet is 162m long but a 9 car is only 242m. I say only because doubling up a 5 car would be 324m probably slightly more with the coupling points would make a 10 car some 80 longer than a 9 car. That seems a hell of a lot more. I just can`t see how that`s true.

5 Car - 130m long
9 Car - 234m long
Each vehicle 26m long between coupler faces.

 

[Bikeman78]

On Weds 6th Feb, had my first run under electric power from Bristol Parkway-Paddington, waas 13.03 Parkway-Paddington, 2x5 car 802, again the performance under electric power was impressive, absolutely slaughtered the timings, 22 mins Parkway-Swindon, 24 mins Swindon-Reading, between Parkway and Paddington we spent approx 10 mins waiting time, they have so much time in hand under electric running, can’t wait to see what they achieve when the faster timetable comes out, I expect to see some impressive timings especially the Paddington-Parkway non stops.

I've had similar runs with HSTs over the years, more in the down direction than the up, e.g. Depart Swindon at xx:40, arrive Parkway at xx:02. I'm also looking forward to the accelerated schedules.

 

[Master29]

5 Car - 130m long
9 Car - 234m long
Each vehicle 26m long between coupler faces.

That makes sense now. There is no way those earlier figures I quoted could have been true. The rolling stock review publication was obviously wrong. I should have guessed as everywhere else I had noticed 26m for carriage length + coupler facings. Thanks for that.

 

[jimm]

Hot bacon rolls were being offered for sale in standard class on the 06.42 Hereford-Paddington yesterday - first time I have seen this happening. A customer host brought a batch down from the kitchen in insulated bags to their colleague who was working the standard class trolley and the rolls' availability was announced on the PA.

The nine-car 800 working the service had the full new set of interior notices, which include little bright green Quiet Carriage stickers above the windows in coach A and Quiet Carriage notices on the vestibule doors.

But still no sign of the seat reservation system working on nine-car sets, though while waiting to go home at Reading I saw a 2x5 with the traffic light system working in both sets and card reservations in the seat backs as well.

And for all the fans of the words 'regular' and 'routine' out there, the following has been posted on the GW Passengers' Forum about short formations this week

Totals so far this week is 11 from a very rough estimate of 800 trains, so just over 1.3%:
MONDAY - 2
TUESDAY - 1 (not including 20:17 Frome to Westbury!)
WEDNESDAY - 0
THURSDAY - 0
FRIDAY - 8

The improvements seem to have coincided with much more use of the new 9-car 802/1s that are still being delivered.

The same person also posted this on Wednesday.

In fact, two Cotswold Line diagrams that are supposed to be 5-car, were covered by 9-car units, so there were the following longforms.

1W19, 09:21 PAD-WOF
1P29 12:00 WOF-PAD
1W31, 15:22 PAD-GMV
1P44, 18:29 GMV-PAD

1W12, 05:47 PAD-WOF
1P22, 08:25 WOF-PAD
1W23, 11:20 PAD-WOF
1P33, 13:55 WOF-PAD

1P22 and 1W31 being especially useful to run as 9-cars as they load well as 5-cars.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=18792.1350

 

[Mintona]

The reservation system on the nine-car sets has been switched off until all the HSTs are gone, I believe.

Card reservations should be in place instead.

 

[tomglazed]

The reservation system on the nine-car sets has been switched off until all the HSTs are gone, I believe.

Card reservations should be in place instead.

I’m pretty pleased to here this because the seemingly increased gamble of “will my seat res. work out” gets boring. At least this removes at least one variable.

 

[jimm]

The reservation system on the nine-car sets has been switched off until all the HSTs are gone, I believe.

Card reservations should be in place instead.

That may be the theory but it's very hit and miss as to whether they are actually provided in my experience - though at least with the extra seats available on nine-car IETs it's less of an issue than it was if an HST turned up without reservations.

 

[Thunderer]

How many of the 14 nine car 802/1's have been accepted into service with GWR so far please?

 

[Clarence Yard]

802101 to 802105 have been accepted. 802106 is due for acceptance next week and 802107 the week after.

The last one, 802114, is due to be accepted around mid-April.

 

[Mordac]

802101 to 802105 have been accepted. 802106 is due for acceptance next week and 802107 the week after.

The last one, 802114, is due to be accepted around mid-April.

Are all the 5 car 802s accepted already?

 

[Siemens Staines]

Yes. All 22 have been seen on passenger trains at Reading.

 

[Phil G]

Was in 802001 today, quite surprised as still not seen 800001 or 800301 in service yet.

 

[TractiveEffort]

Was in 802001 today, quite surprised as still not seen 800001 or 800301 in service yet.

800301 has been in service for a while, 800001 & 800002 are still for Driver training.

 

[Mordac]

Are all the 5 car 802s accepted already?

Fantastic, thanks. Not long to go now till they're all in.

 

[Mag_seven]

Have Hitachi stopped washing the sets at night? The last couple of 800s that I've seen have been very dirty on the outside.