Northern Class 331: Construction/Introduction Updates

[LNW-GW Joint]

Anyone notice Michael Portillo driving brand new 331 005 at the CAF factory in Zaragoza, in his latest Continental Journeys programme (Wednesdays 2000, BBC2)?
The CAF visit starts around 44m in.
The CAF spokesman said one third of CAF production was destined for the UK.
Maybe this would include the components for subsequent assembly at Newport.
The date on the train PIS said 19 April 2019, so presumably filmed 15 months ago.
He praises the "beautifully smooth" ride (at about 2mph), something which we have all noticed...

In the episode in Spain he also got to sit on a seat at his own station (Portillo is a district of Zaragoza).
Plenty of views of him travelling on other CAF trains (mainly DMUs) between Salamanca and Madrid and then Zaragoza to Huesca and Canfranc in the Pyrenees.
The high speed train he was on between Madrid and Zaragoza was a Talgo unit.
Well worth a look.

 

[Spirit555]

331031 is currently sat on Edge Hill

Mark

 

[Halish Railway]

I know that I’m reactivating a seemingly dead thread, however, it must be noted that some form of training is happening again.

Workings tomorrow:

Realtime Trains | Departures from Fitzwilliam all day on 05/09/2020

Train information at Fitzwilliam all day on 05/09/2020. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Some that operated last week:

Realtime Trains | Departures from Fitzwilliam all day on 29/08/2020

Train information at Fitzwilliam all day on 29/08/2020. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[js1000]

The 331s have revolutionized travel from South Manchester to the Fylde Coast.

2016: 2-car 150 (whether booked only 2 or short-formed I can't remember): no air-conditioning on a hot August Bank Holiday Friday.
2020: 6-car 331 for the most part regardless of season. Air-conditioning or heating to suit and soo much more capacity.

I regularly use the Northern 6 coach services between Manchester-Man Airport (195) and Manchester-Hazel Grove (331). It's actually quite sad to see them mostly empty (at the moment anyway) given the investment that has been made.

However, I do think the pandemic and fall in passengers numbers is karma given they didn't invest in these units 10 years ago - which is what should have happened as the Pacers were already life-expired and passenger numbers were rising rapidly.

That being said I think Northern are in a strong position going forward as a polycentric network with no unhealthy dependence on commuters, business and leisure travellers. For years it's been a basket case but it'll be the long-distance service and London commuter services that are going to struggle with the mass advent of home-working and conference calls.

 

[Dspatula]

031 was out on a Blackpool Manchester Airport yesterday evening. I haven't seen 030 as yet.

 

[D.K.TAYLOR]

031 was out on a Blackpool Manchester Airport yesterday evening. I haven't seen 030 as yet.

Reported on another site 331031 doing 12-47 Macclesfield Blackpool

 

[Adam0984]

030 is out today on the Liverpool to Blackpool with 003 currently on the way to Bpool on the 1437

 

[Chorley Cake]

Can confirm 031 out in service. Left Piccadilly heading south to Macclesfield at circa 16:45

 

[py_megapixel]

Sorry to bump this rather old thread but I'm just wondering if a 331 has been to Glossop yet? If not, are they planned to at some point in the future?

 

[mikemcniven]

Sorry to bump this rather old thread but I'm just wondering if a 331 has been to Glossop yet? If not, are they planned to at some point in the future?

It has been on Network Rail test duties using the OHL camera to check the OHL equipment

 

[py_megapixel]

It has been on Network Rail test duties using the OHL camera to check the OHL equipment

Are there any plans for there to be 331-operated passenger services though?

 

[jonesy3001]

Are there any plans for there to be 331-operated passenger services though?

Probably stick to 323 work now that northern are keeping them and also with the WMT 323s joining some time in 2021.
Unless they share the route or keep to checking the overheads.

 

[Mollman]

Are there any plans for there to be 331-operated passenger services though?

I think in the original franchise plan (with 323s exiting) Glossop was going to be served by 4 car units.

 

[jonesy3001]

I think in the original franchise plan (with 323s exiting) Glossop was going to be served by 4 car units.

Would have been the 319s or the 4 car 331s but since the plan changed, they are sticking to the 323s as the 331/1s are all in west yorkshire.

 

[M!T]

I had an uneventful journey from Bingley to Leeds on 331109 (2H27 Skipton-Leeds) this morning. However, the initial phase of my return journey on 331105 (2H38 Leeds-Skipton) was characterised by some very disconcerting banging noises. It happened a few times as we left Leeds and got up to speed. Each time it sounded like a giant with a one metre wide metal hand was slapping the roof, for lack of a better description and was very loud!

 

[_toommm_]

I had an uneventful journey from Bingley to Leeds on 331109 (2H27 Skipton-Leeds) this morning. However, the initial phase of my return journey on 331105 (2H38 Leeds-Skipton) was characterised by some very disconcerting banging noises. It happened a few times as we left Leeds and got up to speed. Each time it sounded like a giant with a one metre wide metal hand was slapping the roof, for lack of a better description and was very loud!

You were probably sat underneath the pantograph - the banging was the sound of the MCB opening and closing over neutral sections. It sounds pretty disconcerting but it’s normal, albeit some EMUs sound a lot louder than others in that respect.

 

[M!T]

You were probably sat underneath the pantograph - the banging was the sound of the MCB opening and closing over neutral sections. It sounds pretty disconcerting but it’s normal, albeit some EMUs sound a lot louder than others in that respect.

I did wonder if that was the case. I've been on various EMUs and on the London Underground and heard that distinctive "clonking" noise which coincides with the lights dimming and is clearly related to the power supply temporarily being lost. This, however, was so loud that it seemed strange that if it was a symptom of normal operation they'd not done anything to mitigate the volume of the noise. Quite a few other passengers were looking around as though they were quite surprised by it. Northern's 333s are so much quieter over neutral sections that I barely notice it.

Edited to add:
Looking at the illustration on RTT for that working and assuming that the end of the train that's on the right is the front, I was indeed right sat under the pantograph.

 

[samuelmorris]

I did wonder if that was the case. I've been on various EMUs and on the London Underground and heard that distinctive "clonking" noise which coincides with the lights dimming and is clearly related to the power supply temporarily being lost. This, however, was so loud that it seemed strange that if it was a symptom of normal operation they'd not done anything to mitigate the volume of the noise. Quite a few other passengers were looking around as though they were quite surprised by it. Northern's 333s are so much quieter over neutral sections that I barely notice it.

Edited to add:
Looking at the illustration on RTT for that working and assuming that the end of the train that's on the right is the front, I was indeed right sat under the pantograph.

It's common to a lot of contemporary EMUs, pretty much all Electrostars and I think AT200/300s as well. Fortunately on the Aventras it seems far less noticeable.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's common to a lot of contemporary EMUs, pretty much all Electrostars and I think AT200/300s as well. Fortunately on the Aventras it seems far less noticeable.

350s, particularly /2s, as well.

 

[Wyrleybart]

Looking at the illustration on RTT for that working and assuming that the end of the train that's on the right is the front, I was indeed right sat under the pantograph.

Not been on a 331 but the vast majority of EMUs which run under OLE, have a lower ceiling under the pantograph well, so easy to spot.

 

[Philip]

I live close to the Bolton line and the 331s are the nosiest of the lot with the whine, surprisingly a lot noisier than the 397s. However I've noticed that the whining noise is more noisy on the down, Bolton-bound track. I know this is uphill, so is this likely to be because the power is on in this direction, or is it caused by the track?

 

[samuelmorris]

I'd be surprised if you can hear the traction motors that much from outside. They're loud on 331st, but not compared to older EMUs, it's far more likely to be ground rails you're hearing, especially if it's much more noticeable in one particular direction.

 

[jonesy3001]

I like it when they set off and the motors kick in, just make sure your sat down though.
Have the 331/1s on the airedale and wharfedale lines.

331108 menston

Explore Dazza P Jones' 3662 photos on Flickr!

flic.kr

 

[Geeves]

It might be the sound of the rheostatic braking, they are slowing from 100 so presuming some heavier braking required, it wasnt being used till recently due to extra training required.

 

[Philip]

As for the 3 car 331s, are these allocations correct and have I missed one?

4 pairs for Manchester Airport - Blackpool (8)
5 pairs for Hazel Grove - Blackpool (10)
2 pairs for Liverpool - Blackpool (4)
2 pairs for Liverpool - Wigan (4)

26 out of 31 in service. There seems to be one 319 diagram for the Liverpool to Blackpool route. Looks nice and uniform, hopefully Northern won't start messing around swapping some double 6-car sets in the NW for single 4-car sets currently in Yorkshire.

Are any 331s booked to go to Crewe anymore, or Stoke or Hadfield?

 

[Bow Fell]

A pair also do 1601/1817 Lime St - Victoria and 1702/1925 back.

 

[AMD]

hopefully Northern won't start messing around swapping some double 6-car sets in the NW for single 4-car sets currently in Yorkshire.

The 4 car sets are only in Yorkshire until the Leeds remodelling is complete. They then come back to work Liverpool/ Wigan/ Blackpool.
Operationally the pairs of 3 cars on the Wigan - Lime st stoppers are a nightmare because you can only use the front three cars (due to platform lengths) so most of us can't wait to get the 4 cars back

 

[Philip]

The 4 car sets are only in Yorkshire until the Leeds remodelling is complete. They then come back to work Liverpool/ Wigan/ Blackpool.
Operationally the pairs of 3 cars on the Wigan - Lime st stoppers are a nightmare because you can only use the front three cars (due to platform lengths) so most of us can't wait to get the 4 cars back

That still means about 21 3-coach sets will be kept in the west though (18 in service, 3 for maintenance/spare). So out of the 10 going to the east, only about 8 in service each day but with all the 4-car trains in the west. There will be probably be some Yorkshire 331 services. going from 4 carriages to 3.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That still means about 21 3-coach sets will be kept in the west though (18 in service, 3 for maintenance/spare).

How many does Airport-Blackpool use? That's permanently 6 car now isn't it?

(Still feels odd to have South East style long trains on a route that used to have 2-car DMUs a lot of the time!)

 

[Viscount702]

Weren't the Hadfields supposed to go to 4 cars originally and the platforms lengthened to accommodate this where necessary