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GWR Class 800

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Yew

Yew

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swt_passenger said:
I didn't think so either, which is why I was surprised that the ceiling had been designed to look that way...
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I think it was designed to appear like a warm beige, but without realising it just makes them look stained by cigarettes..
 
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AM9

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Yes they were two of the Gresley B17s. In 1937, Nos. 2859 & 2870 were clad in A4 style streamlining and renamed East Anglian and City Of London for publicity purposes and headed the East Anglian train from Liverpool St to Norwich.
Their valances were removed during the war making them look like A4s in BR days, and the overall cladding was removed by 1951.
 
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hassaanhc

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jimm said:
Well I can assure you that in my neck of the woods when the 180s were withdrawn by FGW first time round and were initially replaced by HSTs, then a matter of months later by Turbos - because filling 500-seat trains off-peak was never going to happen - that there most certainly was a great deal of muttering on platforms whenever Turbos hove into view. And there still is whenever a Turbo turns up instead of a 180, or, even worse, though it does happen, instead of an HST - sometimes even a two-car 165 instead of a 125. People out here most certainly do notice things like that, whatever you may think. But maybe we're just odd? And I am not talking peak periods - my 'commute' is off-peak, so it is not the same crowd every day.
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I think those people have been on a Turbo before so know what they're comfort is like. I mean, compared to a HST or 180, they're noisy, and fairly cramped (thanks to the 3+2 seating), so not going to provide the level of comfort that you would otherwise have. Pretty sure if a SWT 158 or 159 "Express Sprinter" was regularly used, with their heavily padded seats and air conditioning, they wouldn't be unhappy about it, even if it does have a "brick shaped front".
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DownSouth said:
It's like the Van Halen contract which had an obscure line requiring a bowl of M&Ms with no brown ones buried in the middle of the contract - if a train is grotty or hasn't been replaced for 30 years, people make the quite rational deduction that the same low level of attention has been paid to important things such as the trains' performance/reliability/safety, the quality of the staff or the state of the track. Even shuffling around different trains of roughly the same age would be a PR win, because a change really is as good as a holiday.

An update to the appearance can be achieved simply with a new livery though! The brightly coloured liveries of the HST fleet under the current private operators look smart and modern, light years ahead of the BR Intercity sector liveries which made the rookie error of using brown paint - bad because brown is usually assumed to be white paint coated with grime which in turn says that corners are being cut on important stuff. The casual observer's perception of even the most boxiest of brick-shaped multiple units can be almost completely turned around with a good livery that deflects attention from the boxy edges and has a livery with swooping curves mixing up the appearance of the slab sides.
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The D Stock before refurbishment were horrible, and many people thought those were much older than they actually were. Don't think anyone would believe you if you said the A Stock was 20 years older!
 
Y186520

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BBC South Today reporter Paul Clifton is in Japan and will be reporting tomorrow on the "programme" about the IEP. I was unable to hear all of what he said but I think it is the first prototype being launched.
If I have got that right then tomorrow's news should have some significant coverage.
 
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sprinterguy said:
You may be thinking about the LMS' Coronation streamliners, where the streamlining was purely cosmetic, and Stanier ensured that a number were built without streamlining (and the remainer were subsequently converted) as he was adamant that it gave no saving in power exerted.
.
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I did read somewhere (?) that the LMS streamlining was actually more effective than the LNER as it had fewer corners.
 
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47802

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Well that's not really showing anything more than photo's that are already on the internet, the fact it looks like a 395 isn't exactly surprising since it uses the same cab, and the doors on the driving trailers are further away from the end of the train to allow for the large toilet.

I have to say I think the slider doors 156 style on a train of this standard is poor giving no view to the 1st 2 seats on the trailer cars, at least the windows look a reasonable depth.

Apart from that I do have every confidence in Hitachi that it will be a good train.
 
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asylumxl

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47802 said:
Well that's not really showing anything more than photo's that are already on the internet, the fact it looks like a 395 isn't exactly surprising since it uses the same cab, and the doors on the driving trailers are further away from the end of the train to allow for the large toilet.
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Oh I'm sorry. Thought this was a thread regarding Class 800 news. I was obviously mistaken, I'll make sure articles only use new photos from now on ;).
 
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BananaRepublic said:
I saw the BBC South news report this lunchtime. They look very sleek.
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I would question whether the procurement and design process have been particularly efficient over ordering a fleet of Pendolinos or similar. That said, it looks a good train, and I expect Japanese build quality will ensure it lasts. The 395s themselves are good kit, so I would expect the same.

Neil
 
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swt_passenger

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Suraggu said:
The body is tapered, when apparently they wouldn't be. Considering its not a tilting train... :(
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It isn't 'square' like a Desiro but it is far less tapered than required for a tilting train.

I suggest it is also 'squarer' than a Turbo/Electrostar. Stopping the video at 29s, it doesn't suggest a significant degree of inward angle...
 
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Obviously the nose/cab are based on the 395. Is the rest of the body also based on the 395?

Speaking of which will the electric models be capable of 225kph like the 395s (assuming signalling is upgraded or they're on HS1 or HS2)?
 
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starrymarkb

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Limited to 125mph. My understanding is that 140 would just require software upgrades and certification paperwork.
 
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159220

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Noddy said:
Obviously the nose/cab are based on the 395. Is the rest of the body also based on the 395?

Speaking of which will the electric models be capable of 225kph like the 395s (assuming signalling is upgraded or they're on HS1 or HS2)?
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starrymarkb said:
Limited to 125mph. My understanding is that 140 would just require software upgrades and certification paperwork.
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The Class 800/801 is from the Hitachi AT300 series. Same design and styling in all AT300 series trains (395/800/801). The AT100 and AT 200 share the body design.

http://www.hitachirail-eu.com/at-300-high-speed_47.html

Capable of 140mph once incab signaling is introduced on the GWML/ECML
 
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starrymarkb said:
Limited to 125mph. My understanding is that 140 would just require software upgrades and certification paperwork.
Click to expand...
And stripes put on the side. Won't go faster without them, if my youth taught me anything about making cars faster.
 
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jopsuk

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Saint66 said:
What about the Spoiler? That's essential for any fast car, no? ;)
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On at least one record breaking TGV set the engineers preparing the train, knowing it would be set one way, genuinely put a spoiler on the rear to help with aerodynamics. As well as putting on bigger driving wheels and lowering the suspension.
 
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ainsworth74 said:
What do you think the pantograph is for?



So is the body of a Mk4 and it doesn't appear to be a problem there...
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There was no mention of tapered bodies in the specifications but on unveiling, there is some sort of taper. The Mk.4's were built to tilt but equipment was never fitted.
 
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jopsuk said:
On at least one record breaking TGV set the engineers preparing the train, knowing it would be set one way, genuinely put a spoiler on the rear to help with aerodynamics. As well as putting on bigger driving wheels and lowering the suspension.
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How did lowering the suspension help?
 
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