GWR Class 800

[TractiveEffort]

Technical Riding Inspector

 

[samuelmorris]

Understood thanks, a precaution on new units, or just a coincidence?

 

[TractiveEffort]

Understood thanks, a precaution on new units, or just a coincidence?

Not sure what you mean, he wasn’t on the train, he was dropped off along side by another service heading to Wales, that picked him up at BPW.

 

[samuelmorris]

Ah I see. Misunderstood, thought he was on the train for some reason. Well at least that process is working well enough. I'm still a bit concerned about that sort of defect cropping up on the 802s (at the risk of starting the 800 vs 802 quality control discussion again).

 

[TractiveEffort]

Ah I see. Misunderstood, thought he was on the train for some reason. Well at least that process is working well enough. I'm still a bit concerned about that sort of defect cropping up on the 802s (at the risk of starting the 800 vs 802 quality control discussion again).

Completely different cause from the previous one, unsure of the root cause yet so won’t comment any more, as speculation is pointless,

 

[samuelmorris]

Agreed, but even with a different cause, perhaps the 802s are under closer scrutiny but I'm sure critical defects like air leaks were very rare with other stock introductions even if they were plagued with software and/or design issues. This just seems like no quality control, either at the manufacturing end or at point of acceptance. Potentially dangerous really. That will sound a bit excessive I'm sure, but if they can be shipped out with faults like that which are passing unnoticed, what other issues could come up? The 802 is no Fyra but it's hard not to think about that given the similarity in role and manufacturing facility...

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

As a point on the side to this incident (deer strike by an HST) , 1C91 1733 Paddington to Paignton had to start at Westbury worked by 143618 which ran ECS from Exeter.

I wonder what passengers faces would have been like to find a Pacer taking over an HST! Does ECS mean Empty Coach Stock? Just out of curiosity what took over from Exeter to Paignton?

 

[43096]

Sorry, you'll have to remind me what TRI stands for.

For anyone wanting to know what the role of the Technical Riding Inspector is, I would recommend the book “Train Doctor” by Roger Senior (a former ECML TRI).
Can be bought here: https://www.125group.org.uk/product/train-doctor-by-roger-senior/

 

[PHILIPE]

I wonder what passengers faces would have been like to find a Pacer taking over an HST! Does ECS mean Empty Coach Stock? Just out of curiosity what took over from Exeter to Paignton?

ECS is Empty Carriage Stock and the 143 would have gone through to Paignton, a place they go to many times every day.

 

[jimm]

For anyone wanting to know what the role of the Technical Riding Inspector is, I would recommend the book “Train Doctor” by Roger Senior (a former ECML TRI).
Can be bought here: https://www.125group.org.uk/product/train-doctor-by-roger-senior/

Rail magazine ran a Day in the Life feature a while back about an FGW TRI.

https://www.railmagazine.com/people/day-in-the-life/technical-riding-inspector-karl-atkinson

 

[Parallel]

Looks like there was a 80x failure today at Skewen. Looks as if the train preceded forward to Neath before booting everyone off - Going by RTT, there is some moderate disruption with some delayed trains being stuck behind it.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C57454/2019/01/12

From JourneyCheck:

18:29 Swansea to London Paddington due 21:29

18:29 Swansea to London Paddington due 21:29 will be terminated at Neath.
It will no longer call at Port Talbot Parkway, Bridgend, Cardiff Central, Newport (South Wales), Bristol Parkway, Swindon, Reading and London Paddington.
It was 25 minutes late but is now being further delayed at Skewen.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 10.

 

[Mag_seven]

802107 was delivered to North Pole depot today.

 

[eisenach]

Had my first journey on a class 800 today: 10h46 (ex Bristol) from Reading to Paddington, formed of two five car sets, running on diesel. The interior was pleasant enough, although I ended up with a seat that didn't align with a the window, so had a very limited view. The diesel engine sounded very loud, though, and the ride at speed between Reading and Slough was very unsettled; a sort of vertical jigging up and down (I'm not technical ) that was almost alarming at times. I suppose it was the track, but I was surprised at how badly the 800 rode.

I won't mention the seats .

Came back to Tilehurst on a 12 car 387 that got delayed at Reading because they found it difficult to detach the rear unit as planned. It took a while!

 

[Will Mitchell]

I’ve been commuting from Bristol to London and I’ve got mixed feelings about the 800s. They’re certainly not perfect but are, on the whole I think, an improvement on the FGW mark 3s with the lurid purple livery and interior.

First of all, the 800s look pretty smart thanks to the new GWR branding and clean, simple livery. Second, I find the seating arrangement far less claustrophobic, which is probably to do with the lower seat backs. Ride seems OK to me, and the trailer (non-motorised) carraiges are quite peaceful and civilised.

But there are some problems though, many of which are common to all modern trains. I won’t mention the seats but the lighting is so, so bright and there are still too many seats that don’t line up with windows. The toilets seem cramped and I lament the passing of the buffet car for which the trolley is a wholly inadequate replacement.

I realise a lot of these faults are not necessarily that of the 800 itself but of the DfT, GWR, regulations etc.

 

[Fearless]

Tomorrow I'm aiming to travel from Nailsea through to Padd and have booked the through service each way. However, whenever I've tried to do that journey on an 800, it's been terminated short at Bristol on the return. Fingers crossed for this time...

 

[Unclepete]

Hi,
any news on the fix for the Bedwyn Trains coming through yet?

thanks

 

[JN114]

Hi,
any news on the fix for the Bedwyn Trains coming through yet?

thanks

No news.

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

800301 sitting failed at Hereford Platform 4 (I believe) since last night, was meant to operate 1P07 but obviously didn’t.
Any ideas why?

 

[TractiveEffort]

800301 sitting failed at Hereford Platform 4 (I believe) since last night, was meant to operate 1P07 but obviously didn’t.
Any ideas why?

The shore supply failed, batteries went flat.

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

The shore supply failed, batteries went flat.

Uh oh!
That’s a relatively new shore supply as well, only recently changed from HST connections to IET connections.

 

[TractiveEffort]

Uh oh!
That’s a relatively new shore supply as well, only recently changed from HST connections to IET connections.

It’s been troublesome on more than one night, shore supplies are notoriously troublesome - sensitive to earth trips, HST compressors and HVAC being the main culprits.

 

[gallafent]

I'm on 1P81 (Hereford to Paddington via Oxford), which has just joined the main line at Didcot. 9-coach IET, I think 800 (original-style seat cloth) rather than 802.

Interestingly (and for the first time in my experience), instead the usual procedure (continuing at a fair speed off the Didcot Avoiding Line, crossing from the relief to the main, continuing to accelerate, and then coasting a bit and switching from diesel to electric power at high speed at Moreton Cutting) the train instead slowed down substantially on the avoiding line, and then switched very snappily from diesel to electric mode at low speed immediately once on the relief line, before accelerating very well through the rest of the junction as it switched from the relief to the main line. It's great to see this sort of flexibility starting to happen. I wonder if it's a deliberate strategy to gain some time through superior acceleration on electric mode, or whether it was opportunistic since the train had been checked on the avoiding line in any case.

Either way, having been running 13 minutes late at Worcester Foregate Street, it's now only 1 minute late at Reading. Good result all round.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C54122/2019/01/17/advanced

Now, where's that catering trolley?

 

[Aictos]

With the Class 800/802 fleets, is there likely to be much change to the diagrams post May especially the HST diagrams supplied on RUK or will it be more likely that the only HSTs running post May will be the GTi ones?

 

[JN114]

With the Class 800/802 fleets, is there likely to be much change to the diagrams post May especially the HST diagrams supplied on RUK or will it be more likely that the only HSTs running post May will be the GTi ones?

As talked about at length upthread, the current plan will see HSTs withdrawn from all Intercity services for/before the May 2019 TT change.

 

[Aictos]

As talked about at length upthread, the current plan will see HSTs withdrawn from all Intercity services for/before the May 2019 TT change.

With the only HST services being the GTi ones then? Fair enough

 

[jimm]

I'm on 1P81 (Hereford to Paddington via Oxford), which has just joined the main line at Didcot. 9-coach IET, I think 800 (original-style seat cloth) rather than 802.

Interestingly (and for the first time in my experience), instead the usual procedure (continuing at a fair speed off the Didcot Avoiding Line, crossing from the relief to the main, continuing to accelerate, and then coasting a bit and switching from diesel to electric power at high speed at Moreton Cutting) the train instead slowed down substantially on the avoiding line, and then switched very snappily from diesel to electric mode at low speed immediately once on the relief line, before accelerating very well through the rest of the junction as it switched from the relief to the main line. It's great to see this sort of flexibility starting to happen. I wonder if it's a deliberate strategy to gain some time through superior acceleration on electric mode, or whether it was opportunistic since the train had been checked on the avoiding line in any case.

Either way, having been running 13 minutes late at Worcester Foregate Street, it's now only 1 minute late at Reading. Good result all round.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C54122/2019/01/17/advanced

Now, where's that catering trolley?

I was also on this service today - pretty impressive running whatever power mode was being used, with five minutes already recovered between Worcester and Moreton-in-Marsh and down to just one minute late by Didcot North. Some very rapid - almost HST-like - arrival speeds into stations, then stopping on a sixpence next to the marker boards. A driver on top form.

Took just under two hours for Shrub Hill to Paddington - hopefully this sort of timing will become a regular feature with the GWR timetable overhaul.

Does anyone know what was going on this morning with the WMR service that blocked the line through Foregate Street for quite a while and caused the delay to this GWR service?

 

[JN114]

Does anyone know what was going on this morning with the WMR service that blocked the line through Foregate Street for quite a while and caused the delay to this GWR service?

Delay has been attributed to 5L28 wrongly routed at Worcester SH earlier in the morning.

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

Sorry if I've already mentioned this on this thread but there's something about the Class 80x trains that makes me slowly prefer them more than an HST. Might be because they're more spacious, cleaner, brighter and smoother may I say. I first used HST's on then First Great Western services in 2003, summer holidays so of course I'll miss them.

I wasn't sure how I'd properly take to the IET's but I've certainly taken to them. To be honest, I'm delighted that I've an HST trip or 2 in Scotland to hopefully look forward to given the cascade of around 27.

My only cons of the 800's are...

1. The non-disabled toilets are a bit too small (the only place to put your bag pack is on the door handle - I'd rather not leave it unattended).

2. Seats next to a blank wall at the end of some coaches - only a very small number though so not bad. But why this is the case I don't know.

I believe bike spaces have been criticised on the IET's. But to be fair, not having to board an HST at one door with a bike, get off then get on on another door and find a seat I think is much easier.

But looking at the interiors, I feel GWR, Hitachi and the DfT have done well to come up with a more futuristic, high- quality more reliable train!

 

[43096]

But looking at the interiors, I feel GWR, Hitachi and the DfT have done well to come up with a more futuristic, high- quality more reliable train!

GWR? They haven’t come up with anything. They are just doing what DfT have told them, like a good MDTR lapdog.

 

[Thunderer]

It was interesting watching the TONIGHT programme last night ITV, 7:30pm. Woolmar revealed the true cost of the GWML electrification and the IEP, and it was absolutely eye watering, in the billions and way over budget. The IET 800 with its complex procurement and Agility support contract, officially makes it the most expensive Inter-City passenger train to operate in the WORLD. Put that into context, all that money being spent on these new trains (which I think are a "mediocre at best" replacement for the HST) plus a heavily delayed, now to be unfinished Electrification project and its plain to see this whole project was badly thought through, badly designed and woefully costed, concluding in poor value for money for travellers and tax payers. The buck clearly stops with the DFT forcing the IEP on the GWML and ECML. The DFT should never have got directly involved with train procurement and should have allowed the GWML and ECML operators to procure a new fleet trains they wanted, best suited to their customers and operations. Now passengers are left on the GWML with sporadic electrification and a train which is still not performing at a level you'd expect, considering its extreme price tag and is a disappointing experience (a backward step) in comfort and facilities (no buffet on GWR). Every member of on board GWR staff I have spoken to over the last 15 months, have not got a good word to say about the IET, some have also told me customer dissatisfaction (with the IET) is high, no buffet, uncomfortable seats and poor value for money in 1st Class, being the main topics of passenger feedback. In the cold light of day when you look at what the GWML,has ended up with electrification and trainwise versus the money spent, then the whole project has been a failure.