IEP Testing?

[morgz84]

Hi All

I am new to the forum in that this is my first post. I have been reading many informative and interesting posts as a guest on this site, but I now have a question to ask.


I live near the GWR and my nearest station is Didcot Parkway. I am quite excited about the whole electrification project and would like to see some testing in action. It has cropped up in the local media from time to time but it is always after the event. I believe they are using the line from Reading to Didcot as a testing strip but I am not sure when I am likely to see them. Does anyone here live in the Didcot / Reading area and know when they are most likely to be doing test runs? I know numerous excellent places I could see it from but it's just knowing when they are about.

Any help or pointers would be appreciated. Cheers!

 

[leomartin125]

Hi All

I am new to the forum in that this is my first post. I have been reading many informative and interesting posts as a guest on this site, but I now have a question to ask.


I live near the GWR and my nearest station is Didcot Parkway. I am quite excited about the whole electrification project and would like to see some testing in action. It has cropped up in the local media from time to time but it is always after the event. I believe they are using the line from Reading to Didcot as a testing strip but I am not sure when I am likely to see them. Does anyone here live in the Didcot / Reading area and know when they are most likely to be doing test runs? I know numerous excellent places I could see it from but it's just knowing when they are about.

Any help or pointers would be appreciated. Cheers!

Sounds like I'm your guy. I follow IEP movements around Britain but am based in Maidenhead so always know when things are coming and going IEP wise. For you, in Didcot, your best bet is catching 800004 on test from Stoke Gifford to Reading & return. What you should do to find out when they run is constantly check the following links for activity, they tend to plan with STP (Short Term Planning) so it could be as late as the night before when a path will get uploaded, and even then, there is always a chance it may not run, though most do.

Here are your links:

Stoke Gifford (Bristol IEP Depot) - http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/STKGIEP/2016/08/02/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

North Pole (London IEP Depot) - http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/NPLEIEP/2016/08/02/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt


Always keep it on "0000-2359" and just change the date to today or up to 5 days in the future. Keep your eyes peeled and something is bound to come up.


Any questions, PM me.

Leo Martin


UPDATE: Since writing this post above, three paths have been uploaded to the train databases and RTT, all showing IEP testing through Didcot Parkway en route from North Pole Depot to Bristol TM and return. I will post the path links below:

Path 1: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K97139/2016/08/03/advanced

Path 2: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K97139/2016/08/04/advanced

Path 3: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K97139/2016/08/05/advanced

 

[morgz84]

Many thanks for the info. Looks like I'll get a chance to see it at around 22:00 tomorrow night!

 

[leomartin125]

Tonight's path was cancelled due to unknown reasons. May run tomorrow night though so keep your eye out.

 

[morgz84]

I noticed later on that it had been cancelled. Was staking out Cholsey station yesterday evening, to no avail. It wasn't great for taking a video any how, as the whole of the down fast platform was in darkness!

Tried Steventon this evening but to no avail. Lets see what Realtime Trains says in the morning.

As I understand it, all the tests are running in diesel mode at the moment. If it was running electric mode, would it be listed "Pathed as electrical multiple unit" on the site? I'm not sure on the actual classification of these trains. I assume the 800 is a DEMU? Does the single "limp home" diesel engines on the 801, make it also a DEMU?

 

[yorkie]

I saw it pass through Peterborough yesterday around 2150 (timings can be seen on open data sites such as OTT)

As I understand it, all the tests are running in diesel mode at the moment. If it was running electric mode, would it be listed "Pathed as electrical multiple unit" on the site?

Maybe, or maybe not. It's just a timing load.

 

[swt_passenger]

As I understand it, all the tests are running in diesel mode at the moment.

Not a reasonable conclusion, unfortunately. NR have clearly stated that there have been test runs done on overhead power.

Yorkie has already hinted that the train planners just use whatever timing loads there are if nothing exact is available 'off the shelf', if you were to do the same RealTimeTrains exercise for 387s running in and out of Paddington you'd see they are also pathed as DMUs despite being 100% EMU...

One of the purposes of the trial running is to determine standard timings for the stock on a route, its a bit 'chicken and egg' as you can imagine...

 

[sprinterguy]

I'm not sure on the actual classification of these trains. I assume the 800 is a DEMU? Does the single "limp home" diesel engines on the 801, make it also a DEMU?

Electro-diesel multiple unit (EDMU) is the commonly used term for the class 800s, in similar fashion to the electro-diesel locomotives built for the Southern region which could work on either third rail electric power or their own small diesel engine.

The "limp home" engine on the class 801s serves no practical purpose during non-degraded day to day working and is only there to get the unit out of trouble during times of disruption, so I haven't seen the units referred to as anything other than EMUs, though as they're able to rescue themselves I suppose they can be classed as EDMUs too.

 

[morgz84]

Electro-diesel multiple unit (EDMU) is the commonly used term for the class 800s, in similar fashion to the electro-diesel locomotives built for the Southern region which could work on either third rail electric power or their own small diesel engine.

The "limp home" engine on the class 801s serves no practical purpose during non-degraded day to day working and is only there to get the unit out of trouble during times of disruption, so I haven't seen the units referred to as anything other than EMUs, though as they're able to rescue themselves I suppose they can be classed as EDMUs too.

Oh thanks, that clears things up for me. I guess DEMU strictly means DMU with electric traction as opposed to hydraulic?

Another failed attempt this evening to see it. Either they are having some big problems and it's been cancelled again or I didn't wait long enough (beer at home waiting to be drunk).

 

[leomartin125]

I'm not even going to question what happened to this path:

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K97139/2016/08/05/advanced

The return was cancelled whilst the outbound was 'No Report' the entire way except Bristol Temple Meads [BRI]... Maybe there will be more test paths next week, always another chance.

All tests and ECS moves are completed in diesel mode, all except the Stoke Gifford to Stoke Gifford run that involved 800004 in the Scours Lane to Didcot test site. This hasn't reoccurred since it first ran a while back now so may as well have been a one off.