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LNER Azuma (Class 800/801)

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Sleeperwaking

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Is there any news on how long that might take?
It's not usually a fast process because the unit will need to be inspected in depth for any "non-obvious" faults / impact on structural parts, then need some tests to check everything's working correctly again (post incident brake tests etc.). And also just realised my previous post is unnecessarily cryptic, sorry, I dashed it off without much thought or checking. I don't actually know what the scale of the repairs are, I just assumed there would be quite a lot of work involved both wrt investigations / inspections and then making it good again.
 
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3973EXL

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6/7 December
5Q65/5X66 Doncaster - Acton - Eastleigh
801217 800210

The above services also ran 29/30 November.
 
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Stathern Jc

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On the first Azuma "Chieftain" to Inverness, from Newcastle.
Noticed the smooth change to diesel at Bridge of Allan, an unobtrusive hum underneath.
Very brisk under the wires and I was interested to see how well they go on diesel. Mobile phone indications, so no assurance on accuracy. Passed Blair Athol at 53 and a steady 58-60 up the hill before picking up to near 80 heading to Dalwhinnie.
Much already said about the interior so won't risk too much repetition.
In First, a lot of single seats, headrests seem unduly large giving something of a boxed in feeling. A few clumsy connections with the table legs but soon sat in a more suitable position.
Was impressed by the red/green lights on the seat reservation displays, much easier for those without to find a spare seat.
Obviously need a few more journeys to get used to them and remember the seats which best match the windows.
But, the HST is a hard act to follow!
 

Stathern Jc

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Also, in Coach L (at the rear) a disconcerting clunking below decks when taking fast left hand curves.
Hopefully not a permanent feature. Has anyone else noticed this?
 

a_c_skinner

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Apologies for not reading this 92 page thread but what has happened about the inter-carriage cables being used to climb?
 

Stathern Jc

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The first "in service" Azuma arrived in Inverness on the Highland Chieftain this evening.
Apparently the official launch is before the departure tomorrow morning.IMG_20191209_201303632.jpg
 

BRX

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The first "in service" Azuma arrived in Inverness on the Highland Chieftain this evening.
Apparently the official launch is before the departure tomorrow morning.View attachment 71420
I'll be watching with interest to see how it does keeping to schedule on the HML bit. Looks like it lost a few minutes this evening but arrived nearly only time.
 

Chris125

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I'll be watching with interest to see how it does keeping to schedule on the HML bit. Looks like it lost a few minutes this evening but arrived nearly only time.

So after what feels like years of frothing and hundreds (if not thousands) of posts detailing how these hopelessly underpowered trains would obviously cause complete chaos on the Highland Main Line... is that all?
 
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BRX

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So after what feels like years of frothing and hundreds (if not thousands) of posts detailing how these hopelessly underpowered trains would obviously cause complete chaos on the Highland Main Line... is that all?
I expect they'll probably be just fine but surely no conclusions can really be drawn until they've been running for a few weeks at least?
 

GrimShady

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I expect they'll probably be just fine but surely no conclusions can really be drawn until they've been running for a few weeks at least?

It will be interesting to see how they handle the snow.
 

Journeyman

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I expect they'll probably be just fine but surely no conclusions can really be drawn until they've been running for a few weeks at least?

Agreed - the HML is terrible for timekeeping anyway, because of all the single-track sections. It only takes one train being out by a few minutes to cause widespread knock-on delays over a wide area.
 

trebor79

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Apologies for not reading this 92 page thread but what has happened about the inter-carriage cables being used to climb?
Nothing so far as I can see when observing them at Peterborough. Perhaps someone woke up one day and realised they were being a bit ridiculous, or went to another job?
 

Journeyman

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Nothing so far as I can see when observing them at Peterborough. Perhaps someone woke up one day and realised they were being a bit ridiculous, or went to another job?

Yeah...how come it was only deemed an issue on the ECML sets, after the GWR sets had entered service?
 

swt_passenger

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That seems to be the case, certainly my synthesis. They were given 12 months were they not and that is ticking away, meanwhile we are building more and more of them.
None of the online ORR authorisation letters that I’ve just scanned have an explicit duration or deadline. They require a ‘time bound’ plan, [to deal with the problem] whatever that means in practice...
 

ashkeba

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You do get the odd person who just pulls them down completely to work on a laptop etc - given that there are blank wall seats on most trains I don't get why they don't choose those seats instead.
Maybe they tried and met a seat selector that shows incorrect window positions? I have ended up looking at a blank wall instead of a window more often than is funny.
 

a_c_skinner

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None of the online ORR authorisation letters that I’ve just scanned have an explicit duration or deadline.
My memory may be playing me false but I've a recollection of a discussion on here about what would happen if they missed the time limit (which I thought was 12 months). Anyhow the basic story seems that nothing has happened and no one seems to know anything so it may be that it is all silently fading away.
 

Railperf

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I'll be watching with interest to see how it does keeping to schedule on the HML bit. Looks like it lost a few minutes this evening but arrived nearly only time.
A step down in performance over a HST - was 2 min slower reaching Schlod summit from Inverness and a paltry maximum of 56mph on the climb. Regular 2+9 HSTs could do 65mph, Scotrail mini 2+4 sets can do the full 75mph.
 

northernbelle

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A step down in performance over a HST - was 2 min slower reaching Schlod summit from Inverness and a paltry maximum of 56mph on the climb. Regular 2+9 HSTs could do 65mph, Scotrail mini 2+4 sets can do the full 75mph.
Nothing unexpected. There is a minor retiming from 15th December which gives more time between Inverness and Stirling but this is absorbed as the train heads south to give the same arrival time into London King's Cross. The Azumas were never planned to match HST levels of performance in diesel mode.
 

Failed Unit

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That would make sense. The trains have recovered about 5 mins late by Falkirk from what i have seen.

Be interesting to see how the handle snow.
 

Railperf

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So network rail spent £60 million with the aim of saving up to 10 minutes on end to end timings on the Highland main line, but the newest train to use the line cannot get up to some of the line speeds on the climbs leading to slightly slower journey times? Where does that make sense?
 

trebor79

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So network rail spent £60 million with the aim of saving up to 10 minutes on end to end timings on the Highland main line, but the newest train to use the line cannot get up to some of the line speeds on the climbs leading to slightly slower journey times? Where does that make sense?
It doesn't. But this is the work of the DfT, so hardly surprising.
 

northernbelle

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So network rail spent £60 million with the aim of saving up to 10 minutes on end to end timings on the Highland main line, but the newest train to use the line cannot get up to some of the line speeds on the climbs leading to slightly slower journey times? Where does that make sense?
Because the benefit to one train each way per day isn't really what that scheme was all about - it was about the regular Scotrail service which is in the process of receiving high powered short HSTs. It was also about boosting reliability on a notoriously difficult line to regulate.

On a journey the length of the Chieftan's, the benefits of being able to run on electric to Stirling far outweigh the disadvantages of losing a few minutes north of there.
 

47271

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Wire issues at Dunbar I believe.
That's right, single line working west of Dunbar for most of the afternoon and evening.

Here's another choice example from RTT that I had first hand experience of, not an Azuma to be fair, but spectacular nevertheless. Thankfully I was getting off at Newcastle, so I didn't get the full experience of King's Cross at half past three in the morning!

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y31171/2019-12-11
 

RLBH

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Because the benefit to one train each way per day isn't really what that scheme was all about - it was about the regular Scotrail service which is in the process of receiving high powered short HSTs. It was also about boosting reliability on a notoriously difficult line to regulate.
There's a straightforward solution to that problem:

800px-El18-2243_Finse_2004-07-07.jpg


That's close to the highest point on the Norwegian railway network, at a little over 4,000 feet above sea level, and sees seven trains a day. It has been electrified since 1964. The Highland Main Line isn't nearly as exposed, and sees a lot more trains. There is absolutely no technical difficulty in putting wires up the Highland Main Line, just political difficulty.
 
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