My trip on EMT HSTs

[Mitchell Hurd]

Good morning. One of the trips for around the end of April 2019 (if the timetable still exists and East Midlands Trains are still running HST's by then) may involve the 06:33 from Leeds to Sheffield, then CrossCountry's 08:18 back to Oxford. This is instead of the 06:11 from Leeds to Birmingham New Street (BHM) and the 08:33 from there back Oxford.

The 06:33 and 08:18 is around £42 compared to around £53 for the 06:11 (browsed for 10/12/18 to get an idea). The '£42' means an Advance Single from Leeds to Sheffield (something like £5.55) and the 08:18 means split ticketing to BHM then from there to Oxford.

Now given the photos and seating layout of the 8-coach "Paxman VP185" HST's, I can't help but wonder if the seating layout existed on Virgin XC HST's for 2 seasons...

1. Shape of the seats.

2. I watched a YouTube video last night and noticed a table seat at the front / rear of a non-quiet Standard Class carriage. Now I'm pretty sure I remember sitting in one of these seats - the one facing the whole coach - from Didcot on my first trip to London Paddington 12 years ago at the end of September next to my sister. The seat opposite facing the vestibules I'm pretty certain I sat opposite Mum on the way back from Preston back to Oxford (on the way back from Blackpool North) around 17/18 years ago.

If the EMT seating layout is the same as the 6 / 7-coach Virgin XC HST's then I'm sort of going back in time but from Leeds.

I don't know why but there's something about the Paxman VP185 HST's that I have a bit more faith in than the still good MTU ones - perhaps because Paxman's are british built ? I'm 99.9% sure the Paxman VP185's were built in Colchester.

I know the trip is around 6 months off yet but rare trips I tend to plan around 6 months in advance (I can sometimes guess the timetable).

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

I didn't realise there was a different forum, so thanks !

 

[cactustwirly]

Good morning. One of the trips for around the end of April 2019 (if the timetable still exists and East Midlands Trains are still running HST's by then) may involve the 06:33 from Leeds to Sheffield, then CrossCountry's 08:18 back to Oxford. This is instead of the 06:11 from Leeds to Birmingham New Street (BHM) and the 08:33 from there back Oxford.

The 06:33 and 08:18 is around £42 compared to around £53 for the 06:11 (browsed for 10/12/18 to get an idea). The '£42' means an Advance Single from Leeds to Sheffield (something like £5.55) and the 08:18 means split ticketing to BHM then from there to Oxford.

Now given the photos and seating layout of the 8-coach "Paxman VP185" HST's, I can't help but wonder if the seating layout existed on Virgin XC HST's for 2 seasons...

1. Shape of the seats.

2. I watched a YouTube video last night and noticed a table seat at the front / rear of a non-quiet Standard Class carriage. Now I'm pretty sure I remember sitting in one of these seats - the one facing the whole coach - from Didcot on my first trip to London Paddington 12 years ago at the end of September next to my sister. The seat opposite facing the vestibules I'm pretty certain I sat opposite Mum on the way back from Preston back to Oxford (on the way back from Blackpool North) around 17/18 years ago.

If the EMT seating layout is the same as the 6 / 7-coach Virgin XC HST's then I'm sort of going back in time but from Leeds.

I don't know why but there's something about the Paxman VP185 HST's that I have a bit more faith in than the still good MTU ones - perhaps because Paxman's are british built ? I'm 99.9% sure the Paxman VP185's were built in Colchester.

I know the trip is around 6 months off yet but rare trips I tend to plan around 6 months in advance (I can sometimes guess the timetable).

Um it does seem a waste to only travel from Leeds - Sheffield.
Have you considered traveling to London St Pancras in it, then getting a GWR train from Paddington to Oxford?

Can't help you about seating layouts, I never traveled on an original XC HST.
However here is a seating plan for the EMT HSTs
https://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/Global/Documents/Seating Plan HST from 09 Dec 2012.pdf
Remember there isn't a quiet coach.

The VP185s were built in Colchester, and they sound a lot better than the MTUs, not that they sound bad either.

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

I see what you mean about St. Pancras but with getting this to Sheffield and the 08:18 to Oxford it means I get just under an hour's stretch at Sheffield + my booked seat on the 08:18 means either forwards or backwards to Birmingham New Street or vice versa. Also, I find XC to be reliable for punctuality.

Thanks for giving me the EMT seating layout but it's ok, I may have got it already. I don't know who has the best HST layout, EMT or XC. However if you want to go back to say the 1990's or earlier then go for the 8-coach EMT HST's.

Plus even though I like a trip via London, for me it will be loads easier via Sheffield (I've done long HST trips from an approximate 10-minute one to nearly 6 hours in 2009) due to a delay of around 45 minutes once.

Also I'll get to Oxford by around 10:40 - an hour later if I miss the 08:18 or it's cancelled.

Thanks anyway !

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

I see what you mean about St. Pancras but with getting this to Sheffield and the 08:18 to Oxford it means I get just under an hour's stretch at Sheffield + my booked seat on the 08:18 means either forwards or backwards to Birmingham New Street or vice versa. Also, I find XC to be reliable for punctuality.

Thanks for giving me the EMT seating layout but it's ok, I may have got it already. I don't know who has the best HST layout, EMT or XC. However if you want to go back to say the 1990's or earlier then go for the 8-coach EMT HST's.

Plus even though I like a trip via London, for me it will be loads easier via Sheffield (I've done long HST trips from an approximate 10-minute one to nearly 6 hours in 2009) due to a delay of around 45 minutes once.

Also I'll get to Oxford by around 10:40 - an hour later if I miss the 08:18 or it's cancelled.

Thanks anyway !