GWR/LNER Class 800?

[duesselmartin]

Hello all,
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the UK, travelling Aberdeen to Oxford (via London) by train.
My impression was that the LNER Azuma had a much smoother ride than the GWR version. The latter was loud (electric motors) and rattled quiete a bit. The catering concept also seems to be different.
Is the GWR model a lower spec "cheaper" version of the Azuma?
best wishes.
Martin

 

[Class15]

Hello all,
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the UK, travelling Aberdeen to Oxford (via London) by train.
My impression was that the LNER Azuma had a much smoother ride than the GWR version. The latter was loud (electric motors) and rattled quiete a bit. The catering concept also seems to be different.
Is the GWR model a lower spec "cheaper" version of the Azuma?
best wishes.
Martin

Yeah, agreed. The 802s in particular are very poor in that regard.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

They are essentially identical, especially if you were travelling on an LNER bi-mode service from Aberdeen.
The majority of LNER's fleet is electric-only, with a few bi-modes for off-wire routes, whereas GWR's fleet is all bi-mode, because electrification does not yet reach Oxford/Bristol TM/Swansea.
GWR's trains were delivered first, with LNER's a year or two later, and mostly from the same UK assembly site (Newton Aycliffe).
But both are to the same government-led design and are owned and maintained by Hitachi at its dedicated depots.
A few early ones were built in Japan, but the spec is the same.
Some later GWR class 802 trains were assembled at Hitachi's plant in Italy (ex-Ansaldo-Breda), and they do get to Oxford.
But if it was an 800 it was from the main bi-mode fleet.
The internal fittings/colour scheme/catering provision are a bit different between LNER and GWR, as the TOCs had some scope to vary the internal spec.

 

[DanNCL]

Ride quality seems different on each unit. I’ve had both smooth and rough riding units from both LNER and GWR.

From a technical point of view it’s actually the LNER ones that are lower spec as the engines are derated compared to the GWR ones. But LNER definitely has the higher spec interior.

Not every coach is powered so it’s possible you were in a trailer car on the LNER unit. The motors are loud on all 80xs, and even louder on the 385s.