Pendolinos give smoothes ride at 125mph and what is smoothest line for ride at 125mph

[DarloRich]

it is the up side i am talking about!

 

[chris89]

The pendo's give a very good ride i find, so do VT's super voyagers as long as tilt isn't disabled, then it can be quite a rough ride.

Normal Voyagers & Perment tilt disabled ones with XC the ride varys alot especially depending on what part of the ECML and from Birmingham.

334's seem to give an alright ride along the Bathgate/ Airdire rail link.

Can't say on HST's as haven't been on one for about 10 years now.

Chris

 

[Prodigy]

I have found Voyagers and Mark 4's quite smooth when I've been on them, Pendolino's for some reason were very rough when I was on them.

 

[DarloRich]

i find that voyagers vibrate so much that i cant do any work (if i get a table) I find pendos can be a bit rough also. PLsu i find the seats on both to generate a pain i nthe backside after about an hour. Mind i had a MKIV recently which had a sqaure wheel so that was a challenge!

By and large i think MKIII or MkIV stock is the most comfortable, for so many reasons. (Plus i can look out of a window and not a vison slit like a pillbox on a pendo AND my phoneworks unlike on a Voyager)

 

[Prodigy]

i find that voyagers vibrate so much that i cant do any work (if i get a table) I find pendos can be a bit rough also. PLsu i find the seats on both to generate a pain i nthe backside after about an hour. Mind i had a MKIV recently which had a sqaure wheel so that was a challenge!

By and large i think MKIII or MkIV stock is the most comfortable, for so many reasons. (Plus i can look out of a window and not a vison slit like a pillbox on a pendo AND my phoneworks unlike on a Voyager)

Eugh I hate Pendo seating, no legroom at all!

 

[Hydro]

i find that voyagers vibrate so much that i cant do any work (if i get a table) I find pendos can be a bit rough also. PLsu i find the seats on both to generate a pain i nthe backside after about an hour. Mind i had a MKIV recently which had a sqaure wheel so that was a challenge!

By and large i think MKIII or MkIV stock is the most comfortable, for so many reasons. (Plus i can look out of a window and not a vison slit like a pillbox on a pendo AND my phoneworks unlike on a Voyager)

Work on a Voyager? I take it you're not using a laptop in an airline seat then!

For all their faults, Voyager engine vibrations settle down a bit once at top whack, it's the idling that really gets on my tits. Plus their windows are a better height for my taste. Mk.3's are great, but I find the windows a bit high, especially on MML sets with IC70 seats (which, by the by, are ridiculously comfy, but the designer needs shooting for an immovable armrest in the centre; reminds me of a CEP).

The ride of Voyagers is OK on the whole, but can get a bit jarring over S&C and rough track.

 

[EM2]

Having used an HST, Pendo, Meridian, 225 and Voyager pretty much one after the other, I would go (smoothest first):
225
HST (GWML)
Meridian
Pendolino
Voyager (WCML)

 

[DarloRich]

Work on a Voyager? I take it you're not using a laptop in an airline seat then!

No - table only! It is hard enougth to read a book in those airline seats!

 

[kevincoy]

I travel regularly on the Pendolino's from Birmingham down to London, and find more often than not, a very disconcerting vibration when they are at top whack or in a tilt phase.

Obviously, after many trips, it becomes the norm, but still often see people looking around with that look of unease!

I've always been very comfortable on HST Mk3's, but I do recall back in Summer 2001 heading to Brighton from Birmingham on a 47 hauled service, and found it very comfortable indeed, even with the weaving around on the route the service took!

 

[185]

Less tilt in a 142 than a 185.

I think I caught an airborne stewardess not so long ago. :roll:

 

[Bridge189]

I find MK3 ride quality varies. Sometimes they can be clattery and draughty and other times they can be ok it depends. MK4s seem to have a smooth, good ride quality across the fleet and the doors/vestibules are well sealed to prevent draught.

 

[TEW]

I generally find MK3 ride quality better than MK4, and is in my opinion the best. However, I took an HST down the Midland Main Line once and the ride was much worse. Worst ride has to be the Class 139 PPM. It genuinely feels like it will come off the tracks at every joint in the rail. I would not like to travel in it any faster than it currently does.

 

[exile]

I'm afraid none of the British trains have a ride as smooth as their Continental equivalents - eg TGVs, AVEs, ICEs and so on. Whether that's due to train design or state of the track I don't know.

 

[mralexn]

MK4s are very smooth at any speed. Much more than the HSTs

I found when travelling in a mk4 coach that they seem to slip a lot

 

[notadriver]

How does a Mk4 slip? They aren't powered.

 

[LexyBoy]

i know the coach tilts but drinks don't spill so much,

That's the point of the tilting...

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I found when travelling in a mk4 coach that they seem to slip a lot

I've never experienced anything that could be described as 'slip' in a MkIV. This post is a mystery.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Perhaps he means "locking up", ie sliding?

 

[sprinterguy]

I've never experienced anything that could be described as 'slip' in a MkIV. This post is a mystery.

I understand what he is describing: The "jolt" you get even at speed occasionally when the 91 is propelling. I've always presumed that it occurs either when power is shut off when the train is cruising, or it's when the brakes first catch on when a brake application is made. No idea for certain though, but it definitely feels like a slip.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I understand what he is describing: The "jolt" you get even at speed occasionally when the 91 is propelling. I've always presumed that it occurs either when power is shut off . . . . .

Ah, I understand. Thanks.
I'm familiar with that when propelled (i.e. southbound) through some neutral sections, the one south of Stoke Tunnel (probably Stoke Junction, not that there's a junction anymore) frequently results in a 'jolt'. But I wouldn't say there are many of these moments on the MkIV's route on the ECML.