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Northern Unit Refurbishments

Rail Blues

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2 Aug 2016
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Our pendos usually go through daily if they go on a depot. Longsight and Edge Hill both usually put the sets through before stabling. Other depots likely to be a similar process.

Thanks for the info, given this is done in the wee small hours, there can't have been many nights of late where the temperature gets up above five degrees. Do the Pendolinos forgo their daily wash?
 
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driver_m

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8 Nov 2011
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Thanks for the info, given this is done in the wee small hours, there can't have been many nights of late where the temperature gets up above five degrees. Do the Pendolinos forgo their daily wash?

It's not necessarily that late. First sets go on at 7/8 o'clock. I've known them to stop the wash if it's really cold, usually when we're into minus temps.
 

L+Y

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4 Jul 2011
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I've just started a new job that requires me to commute with Northern several days of the week- is it just my bad luck, or is there a broad problem across the fleet (regardless of refurb status) with draughts and faulty heaters? I'm currently typing this aboard a refurbished 156, with no heat, and I'm finding that warm units are becoming the exception rather than the rule!
 

LOL The Irony

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I've just started a new job that requires me to commute with Northern several days of the week- is it just my bad luck, or is there a broad problem across the fleet (regardless of refurb status) with draughts and faulty heaters? I'm currently typing this aboard a refurbished 156, with no heat, and I'm finding that warm units are becoming the exception rather than the rule!
Northern appear to switch it off in winter and on in summer.
 

superkev

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I'm I alone in thinking Northern don't maintain there vintage fleet too well. I've never known any of the depots featuring in any of the various awards.
K
 

brel york

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We laugh at the standard of depot repairs , there ok at the standard exam type work but when it comes to interior work it’s bodge up time
 

Rail Blues

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I'm I alone in thinking Northern don't maintain there vintage fleet too well. I've never known any of the depots featuring in any of the various awards.
K
No you're not. I get that the have large numbers of elderly and potentially unreliable stock and are therefore at a disadvantage compared to other operators, but the mantra for Northern under the current and previous franchisee is 'will this do?'
 

gorilladan

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12 Apr 2013
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I've just started a new job that requires me to commute with Northern several days of the week- is it just my bad luck, or is there a broad problem across the fleet (regardless of refurb status) with draughts and faulty heaters? I'm currently typing this aboard a refurbished 156, with no heat, and I'm finding that warm units are becoming the exception rather than the rule!
I feel your pain, clearly not an option for you but I carry duct tape in my driver's bag to seal the gaps beneath the driving desk. All unit types I drive have v poor draughtproofing & often the noise from the corridor connection door on 150/2's & 156's is something very special indeed. We're issued with thermal long-johns as the heritage fleet of Northern are bitterly cold on the legs in winter. I'll put a suggestion to my DTM that we provide thermals for our passengers.
 

brel york

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Is that Northern depots or depots on general?
K
Some fleets tend to be better looked after than others , I’ve been to lots of depots to do rework etc and they are very different indeed , not only in quality but also in how they behave towards you
 

ashworth

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I wonder what sort of condition these 150/1’s that are coming to Northern from GWR are going to be in. From reading threads on here from that part of the world, the passengers down in Devon and Cornwall are so pleased that they are going.
 

superkev

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I feel your pain, clearly not an option for you but I carry duct tape in my driver's bag to seal the gaps beneath the driving desk. All unit types I drive have v poor draughtproofing & often the noise from the corridor connection door on 150/2's & 156's is something very special indeed. We're issued with thermal long-johns as the heritage fleet of Northern are bitterly cold on the legs in winter. I'll put a suggestion to my DTM that we provide thermals for our passengers.
I wonder if anyone from Northern management read these forums or more importantly take any notice.
K
 

TEW

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I wonder what sort of condition these 150/1’s that are coming to Northern from GWR are going to be in. From reading threads on here from that part of the world, the passengers down in Devon and Cornwall are so pleased that they are going.
The interiors are bad, especially on the ex-Sliverlink units, but they do seem functional and better maintained than Northern units generally. The interiors are in stark contrast to the very good GWR 150/2s, which is why the 150/1s are so unpopular.
 

1179_Clee2

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There better looked after than northern units , I think gwr lease with angel is different than northern ,
That is obvious, but remember that it was the DfT that let the old Northern franchise on strict rules on what it could and could not do, a make do with what you have was about all they could do. The reason some of Northern's trains are in a bit of a state with rust ect ect is when they last saw works attention. Porterbrook's 150/2 and 155 were some of the first to receive Northern purple livery with the angular white swoosh at the end (not the curved one) in 2006, it is now 2018.
 

pdq

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7 Oct 2010
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Just got on 156451 and 156489, they are both in the new livery and looking pretty dirty, hope they get a good wash soon! The perils of a white colour scheme....
A few weeks ago I went on a white 150. The flat panels were all clean enough but the door recesses were really grubby. The automatic washers clearly don't reach 'all the parts' and the white paint just highlights the dirty areas...
 

coxxy

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16 Aug 2013
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Northern wash plants are on all year round but set to turn off at 3 degrees for frost protection. Couple that with all the wash plays being profiled for a "best case scenario" as the fleet is so different the washnplant can't be profiled to be perfect for every type of traction that passes through it.

Northerns units being painted white was always a big mistake.. whilst units have a full external clean (IE a man with a brush and chemicals scrubbing all down the sides), they always struggle this time of year, and come February they will once again be in panic mode ready for the spring wave of NPS (national passenger survey) and probably step up the manual cleaning.. they seem to do the same every year...
 

Parallel

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I wonder what sort of condition these 150/1’s that are coming to Northern from GWR are going to be in. From reading threads on here from that part of the world, the passengers down in Devon and Cornwall are so pleased that they are going.
As someone who fairly often travels on them; they're not great.
 

507 001

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That is obvious, but remember that it was the DfT that let the old Northern franchise on strict rules on what it could and could not do, a make do with what you have was about all they could do. The reason some of Northern's trains are in a bit of a state with rust ect ect is when they last saw works attention. Porterbrook's 150/2 and 155 were some of the first to receive Northern purple livery with the angular white swoosh at the end (not the curved one) in 2006, it is now 2018.

A lot of the issues actually pre-date Northern entirely. The days of First North Western and ATN were not good!
The ATN fleet was generally left to go to rack and ruin, and whilst things started well with NWT and the refurbishment of the 150s, things took a massive downturn after Firsts takeover.
 

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