• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Northern Unit Refurbishments

Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Neptune

Neptune

Established Member
Joined
29 May 2018
Messages
2,494
Location
Yorkshire
py_megapixel said:
Could really do with some carpet imo, looks rather unfinished without.
Click to expand...
Vinyl floors are more hygienic and easier to clean.

I honestly don’t know why trains need carpets. They look awful in a very short space of time due to heavy usage and they can hide all sorts of bugs (thinking of the 155 flea infestation a few years ago).
 
N

northernchris

Established Member
Joined
24 Jul 2011
Messages
1,509
Neptune said:
I honestly don’t know why trains need carpets. They look awful in a very short space of time due to heavy usage and they can hide all sorts of bugs (thinking of the 155 flea infestation a few years ago).
Click to expand...

Agreed, I was on a 195 last week and noted how filthy the carpet looked. A vinyl floor is much more practical as can be seen with the refurbed 333s
 
S

superkev

Established Member
Joined
1 Mar 2015
Messages
2,686
Location
west yorkshire
Neptune said:
Vinyl floors are more hygienic and easier to clean.

I honestly don’t know why trains need carpets. They look awful in a very short space of time due to heavy usage and they can hide all sorts of bugs (thinking of the 155 flea infestation a few years ago).
Click to expand...
Although admittedly not suitable for suburban trains i do think carpets reduce noise both from other passengers, the train itself as well as improving the general ambience.
K
 
py_megapixel

py_megapixel

Established Member
Joined
5 Nov 2018
Messages
6,673
Location
Northern England
Neptune said:
Vinyl floors are more hygienic and easier to clean.

I honestly don’t know why trains need carpets. They look awful in a very short space of time due to heavy usage and they can hide all sorts of bugs (thinking of the 155 flea infestation a few years ago).
Click to expand...
Well maybe not a carpet but something other than white vinyl. It looks plain and unfinished.
Possibility blue vinyl or black would be a bit better
 
Neptune

Neptune

Established Member
Joined
29 May 2018
Messages
2,494
Location
Yorkshire
py_megapixel said:
Well maybe not a carpet but something other than white vinyl. It looks plain and unfinished.
Possibility blue vinyl or black would be a bit better
Click to expand...
A dark vinyl would make the interior gloomy (think of how dark the blue vestibule walls look). At least the light coloured vinyl brightens it up.
 
Halish Railway

Halish Railway

Established Member
Joined
26 Apr 2017
Messages
1,711
Location
West Yorkshire / Birmingham
221101 Voyager said:
BTW, why are Northern putting in horrible new seats in 156's and 158's?
Click to expand...
Only the 5 ex-ScotRail sets are receiving new seats as the old Ashbourne seats that they had were completely dilapidated.

AFAIK the 158s also received new seats as it was a franchise commitment to bring them to a similar specification as the nee 195s/331s for Northern Connect operations. I’m not sure why the 3-car variants haven’t received them yet.
 
SteveyBee131

SteveyBee131

Member
Joined
28 Oct 2017
Messages
651
Location
Grimsby Town
As far as I can make out, the ex ScotRail 156s and all 2 car 158s are to receive "ironing board" seats;

All 75mph Sprinters are to receive new wipe-clean/lino/vinyl etc flooring.
 
221101 Voyager

221101 Voyager

Established Member
Joined
17 Nov 2019
Messages
1,421
Location
Milton Keynes
Halish Railway said:
Only the 5 ex-ScotRail sets are receiving new seats as the old Ashbourne seats that they had were completely dilapidated.

AFAIK the 158s also received new seats as it was a franchise commitment to bring them to a similar specification as the nee 195s/331s for Northern Connect operations. I’m not sure why the 3-car variants haven’t received them yet.
Click to expand...
If it was a franchise commitment, it seems rather silly to me to replace what are overall good quality, comfy seats on most units to replace them with rubbish ones that you iron clothes on and rest your arms on twigs that are too low. I don't get why just for connect services they have to all have the same cheapy seats as the CAF junk!

It just does not make sense and as for the digital train mods being carried out, what's the point in fitting 150 & 156's with WiFi and USBs, these are over 30 years old and should be replaced within this decade I imagine and I don't see the point in investing money in things like this, a 75Mph Sprinter is what it is, you can't polish a turd! :lol:

A nicely done up 158 is nice though except for the ironing boards of course! ;)
 
Halish Railway

Halish Railway

Established Member
Joined
26 Apr 2017
Messages
1,711
Location
West Yorkshire / Birmingham
Mmmmm, all this talk about the new seats. Would it be considered extremely controversial if I thought that they are a vast improvement over what they were like in their Serco-Abellio guise?

I personally like:
- The huge amount of legroom (some of the biggest I’ve seen on any train.
- Their more upright posture.
- Their more modern appearance.

Personally I don’t mind that they’re a bit hard, mainly because the vast majority of trains that I’ve ridden all my life have had hard seats and also because I’m in good shape i.e. no back issues.
 
Last edited:
Neptune

Neptune

Established Member
Joined
29 May 2018
Messages
2,494
Location
Yorkshire
Halish Railway said:
Ummmm, all this talk about the new seats. Would it be considered extremely controversial if I thought that they are a vast improvement over what they were like in their Serco-Abellio guise?

I personally like:
- The huge amount of legroom (some of the biggest I’ve seen on any train.
- Their more upright posture.
- Their more modern appearance.

Personally I don’t mind that they’re a bit hard, mainly because the vast majority of trains that I’ve ridden all my life have had hard seats and also because I’m in good shape i.e. no back issues.
Click to expand...
I find the new seats absolutely fine. The seat base is perfectly comfortable for a 2 hour journey (unlike the class 700 seat base) and the backrest is upright and firm to aid good posture. Leg room is also excellent.

As I mentioned upthread (which most people have largely subsequently ignored) the original seats in the refurbished 3 car sets has a ridiculously thick seat base meaning you sit with the small of your back above the lumber support which causes pain on short journeys and subsequently it means the table and arm rests are way too low. I know it’s possible to have a shallower seat base cushion to rectify this but it is unlikely to happen now. The leg room is also poor in these seats.

I think people just don’t like them because they associate them with the poor version of the seat base in the class 700. They just join in with the ‘ironing board seats (I hate that phrase) are bad’. Put it this way, they’re a massive improvement over the awful Ashbourne seats.
 
S

superkev

Established Member
Joined
1 Mar 2015
Messages
2,686
Location
west yorkshire
158757 said:
Does anyone know which unit this was?

A shiny 150110 was on Stalybridge-Southport today so I presume that's the unaccounted 150/1 that returned to NH on Saturday.
Click to expand...
150110 only went to Crewe I believe on 12th Sept so perhaps just a repaint and seat covers.
 
158757

158757

Member
Joined
14 Aug 2007
Messages
498
superkev said:
150110 only went to Crewe I believe on 12th Sept so perhaps just a repaint and seat covers.
Click to expand...

I ended up on 110 today and it has had a full refurbishment. Also noted today with new moquette seat covers were 150134, 150141, 769448 and 769458. Of note is that 150134 seems to be the first of the few 150's that initially kept the purple seat covers (along with 136, 137, 140, 149, 205, 206) to be changed.
 
158757

158757

Member
Joined
14 Aug 2007
Messages
498
156424 and 156427 noted today as having the flat cloth replaced with moquette, these changes seem to be picking up the pace which is good.
 
221101 Voyager

221101 Voyager

Established Member
Joined
17 Nov 2019
Messages
1,421
Location
Milton Keynes
superkev said:
Wasnt that the 3rd path they have booked and then not used for presumably a 323 returning back for Wolverton.
K
Click to expand...
Yes that 3 paths, Saturday, Tuesday & Wednesday all cancelled.

It should run this Saturday. Hopefully.

323 Wolverton-Allerton runs are usually on Saturdays from what I've seen personally. I've never known one to go from Wolverton in the week.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top