Nova1, Azuma, AT300, IEP, 800, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 807, 810. Is there not a common name we can use?

[rebmcr]

And why would we separate the Class 395 from the Class 80x ? It’s clearly the same base product (hence the AT300 name), and even if they are quite different to the more recent 80x, it’s the same platform, just older. After all, the Class 376 and 378 are very different to the rest of the Electrostar range, but we still call them Electrostars, and there is a longer timeframe between the 357 and the 387 than there is between the 395 and the 800.

Indeed and we call 41001 and 41002 HSTs.

 

[JN114]

Why not just trains?

 

[TRAX]

Why not just trains?

So you don’t see the point in naming things to know what someone is talking about or to differentiate stuff ?

 

[Mikey C]

they will get called whichever brand name sticks. Suspect it might be Azuma.

That's certainly possible, seeing that Azuma is a well publicised name for the East Coast ones, even without Virgin being involved

LNER for example are sponsoring the new York City football/rugby league stadium, with the main stand named the LNER Azuma Stand

 

[Domh245]

What name sticks is surely dependant on where people are. For anyone near the East Coast they'll be 'azumas' but for anyone between London and Penzance they'll know them as IETs

 

[AM9]

What name sticks is surely dependant on where people are. For anyone near the East Coast they'll be 'azumas' but for anyone between London and Penzance they'll know them as IETs

So if there is a need for a generic name for all UK versions of high speed EMUs from Hitachi, then AT300 seems to be the most accurate one, and at just five characters, is hardly a lengthy title to write/type. Outside the various regional bubbles and the non-railway football one, those names don't really mean much. If a specific fleet is mentioned, then its class No. or TOC marketing name would suffice.

 

[JN114]

So you don’t see the point in naming things to know what someone is talking about or to differentiate stuff ?

No I do, but the train types listed have names already, as indicated in the thread title. The OP was after a common name for all of them, which for various largely pedantic reasons discussed through the thread seems unlikely to garner consensus. My answer was a simple distilling of that conundrum. Yet still managed to be controversial even then.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Azuma has sort of developed the nicknames satsuma and zoom-zoom and the name seems to have crossed over to TPE, at least in staff circles anyway.

Super Hitachi intercity Train seems to fit the bill however, from a Traincrew point of view...

 

[Purple Orange]

To wade back in, I think a 3 letter acronym works better, especially on a forum for people yapping about such issues. If a TOC decided tomorrow morning to procure some new IETs it doesn’t matter too much what the code is, in as much as the TOC is opting for a train that is becoming a standard bearer for Intercity trains in the UK. It signals an intention to offer a service on a train that is at least comparable to other long distance services. Therefore I was initially thinking of a term that could be generically applied for what is the next generation intercity train.

 

[Energy]

To wade back in, I think a 3 letter acronym works better, especially on a forum for people yapping about such issues. If a TOC decided tomorrow morning to procure some new IETs it doesn’t matter too much what the code is, in as much as the TOC is opting for a train that is becoming a standard bearer for Intercity trains in the UK. It signals an intention to offer a service on a train that is at least comparable to other long distance services. Therefore I was initially thinking of a term that could be generically applied for what is the next generation intercity train.

AT300 is the most universal and can be shortened to AT3 to fit the three character code which works better than something super long.

 

[rebmcr]

AT300 is the most universal and can be shortened to AT3 to fit the three character code which works better than something super long.

Half of a model number is not an acronym. The only sensible outcome for this thread is IET.

 

[Energy]

Half of a model number is not an acronym. The only sensible outcome for this thread is IET.

I called it a code not an acronym and how would IET be more suitable than AT300?

 

[northernbelle]

'IEP' is the programme that delivered the 800s (not 802s) to Great Western and East Coast so is not applicable to the whole family of variants. The TMS was developed for the IEP-delivered sets which came first, but it doesn't mean the abbreviation hasn't been incorrectly used on subsequent deliveries by the software engineers.

'IET' is a brand name specifically used by GWR to cover it's entire IEP sets (800s) and subsequent "West of England" contract 802s. IET is not correct for anything except GWR's fleet.

Hitachi refers to them as the AT300 which I think would cover all.

 

[py_megapixel]

I've seen a few suggestions that they should be called a "Super Javelin." This is not technically correct, but it is fairly accurate - these trains are effectively an evolved version of the same family as the HS1 Javelins. Plus it's not like the enthusiast community has been afraid to make up names for things in the past, from the Southern Region "Thumpers" to "Pretendolino" and "Worst Crapital Disconnect"

The upshot of which is, it doesn't really matter.

 

[AM9]

I called it a code not an acronym and how would IET be more suitable than AT300?

How about an AT3XX, - spotters have been calling GWR stock nnXX for decades.

 

[gallafent]

Hitachi refers to them as the AT300 which I think would cover all.

I think surely this is the winner. If we want one name for the lot, this is it!

 

[irish_rail]

I think surely this is the winner. If we want one name for the lot, this is it!

Trouble is AT300 is meaningless. Would never catch on amongst general public. HST high speed train meant something.
At least intercity Express train suggests a long distance, fast train , which, in theory they are.

 

[dan4291]

The class 803 for East Coast Trains is missing from this thread's title! Also, what's a class 807?

 

[swt_passenger]

The class 803 for East Coast Trains is missing from this thread's title! Also, what's a class 807?

Avanti 5 & 7 car WCML units are 805 and 807 respectively, it’s in another thread somewhere, based on a Rail magazine piece IIRC...

 

[dan4291]

Avanti 5 & 7 car WCML units are 805 and 807 respectively, it’s in another thread somewhere, based on a Rail magazine piece IIRC...

Thanks.

 

[Purple Orange]

The class 803 for East Coast Trains is missing from this thread's title! Also, what's a class 807?

803 added too now.

 

[Purple Orange]

A poll has been added

 

[rebmcr]

Trouble is AT300 is meaningless. Would never catch on amongst general public. HST high speed train meant something.
At least intercity Express train suggests a long distance, fast train , which, in theory they are.

Exactly. Also akin to TGV and ICE.

 

[Andyh82]

What I don’t get is why every new order within the IEP has to have a completely different class number.

Back in the 80s umpteen varieties of 150 were all 150s, even in the privatisation era we had loads of different batches of 170s

Maybe we should have had 800/1 800/2 etc for the electric ones and 801/1, 801/2 etc for the bi-modes

 

[AM9]

Trouble is AT300 is meaningless. Would never catch on amongst general public. HST high speed train meant something.
At least intercity Express train suggests a long distance, fast train , which, in theory they are.

This thread is about what 'we' should call them. I doubt that 'the general public' would know what thumpers, growlers, sheds, plastic pigs etc. are.

 

[Purple Orange]

This thread is about what 'we' should call them. I doubt that 'the general public' would know what thumpers, growlers, sheds, plastic pigs etc. are.

Growlers??? Well certainly not associate those names with the railway! I’ve no idea what you’re referring to when you write those terms and I would rather not know. I prefer the meanings in my head!

 

[harz99]

a common name that could be used for the "800-series"

You got it just there Yorkie.

 

[northernbelle]

Given the thread is about a 'common name' - the only common name that applies to all the classes above is AT300.

All the other relate to specific variants of the AT300 range.

 

[Purple Orange]

But the AT300 sounds like it’s a vacuum cleaner.

 

[rebmcr]

a common name that could be used for the "800-series"

You got it just there Yorkie.

No, that breaks as soon as another manufacturer produces a train numbered 800-899.