Kremlin Stooge
Member
For various reasons I have been taking jaunts around the Great Western network over the last few days, but had not needed to use services provided by the Class 8xx units until today, and goodness me the ride was notably appalling. In particular, the 1030 from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington (I was riding in unit 800 031, part of a 2×5 coach formation) set up a disturbing combination of high-frequency lateral and vertical vibration between Chippenham and Wootton Bassett that was most unpleasant, indeed it was a relief to get off the thing at Swindon. It reminded me of days of yore spent travelling in the Driving Motor Brake Second of the Southern Region diesel-electric units, or a slightly more up-to-date comparison, sat in the lower saloon of a badly-tuned Volvo B7 double-deck bus. For a sustained period every panel in the coach was vibrating, including the luggage racks; empty seats further down the coach were clearly observed to be flexing in a different direction to the bodyshell, accompanied by mysterious thuds and clunks from somewhere underneath the coach. There was a also a noticeable ‘snatch’ as power was applied or disengaged.
Initially I put this down to a rogue unit but after concluding matters in Swindon I had to head to Stroud, via another 5-car unit which banged and thumped its way through pointwork and, despite the lower prevailing speeds on this line, there was a repeat of the high-frequency perturbations which again set various panels and fittings rattling persistently. The sinuous curves at the top of the valley towards Stroud were negotiated by a series of lurching clunks rather than a smooth traversal. The journey back was just as rough.
What prompted this post was comparing todays experience with yesterday, when I travelled from Great Malvern to Temple Meads on a Class 158 that was positively serene in contrast, handling the junctions at Gloucester, Westerleigh and Bristol Parkway with nary a quiver. Or even later on today, having got back into Swindon just missing a Bristol train, an 1813 service terminating at Parkway was displayed. “That’ll do” I thought, not really expecting anything, until EMUs 387 150 & 156 hove into view. These provided a smooth and unperturbed ride, commendably getting me to Bristol Parkway in a tad under 25 minutes, a decent showing compared to IET timings and refreshingly free of unlooked-for ride exceedences.
I do not wish to reopen the HST v IET debate, apart from anything else it is not really comparing like with like. I think the 8xx has the potential to be an outstanding train but I do feel that some dynamics engineers need to start paying close attention to the interactions of the suspension with the track, if only to reduce component wear and tear. I gather some of these units are subject to a 27 year contract; good luck with that, they will shake themselves to bits long before then!
(“Blame the track” cry the rolling stock designers and engineers, “Tsk, tsk” says a certain Mr. Philip Rees...)
Am I asking too much to hope that an IET at 125mph provides a ride as smooth as a Class 158 at 90mph or a Class 387 at 110mph? If that is too much to ask, why?
Initially I put this down to a rogue unit but after concluding matters in Swindon I had to head to Stroud, via another 5-car unit which banged and thumped its way through pointwork and, despite the lower prevailing speeds on this line, there was a repeat of the high-frequency perturbations which again set various panels and fittings rattling persistently. The sinuous curves at the top of the valley towards Stroud were negotiated by a series of lurching clunks rather than a smooth traversal. The journey back was just as rough.
What prompted this post was comparing todays experience with yesterday, when I travelled from Great Malvern to Temple Meads on a Class 158 that was positively serene in contrast, handling the junctions at Gloucester, Westerleigh and Bristol Parkway with nary a quiver. Or even later on today, having got back into Swindon just missing a Bristol train, an 1813 service terminating at Parkway was displayed. “That’ll do” I thought, not really expecting anything, until EMUs 387 150 & 156 hove into view. These provided a smooth and unperturbed ride, commendably getting me to Bristol Parkway in a tad under 25 minutes, a decent showing compared to IET timings and refreshingly free of unlooked-for ride exceedences.
I do not wish to reopen the HST v IET debate, apart from anything else it is not really comparing like with like. I think the 8xx has the potential to be an outstanding train but I do feel that some dynamics engineers need to start paying close attention to the interactions of the suspension with the track, if only to reduce component wear and tear. I gather some of these units are subject to a 27 year contract; good luck with that, they will shake themselves to bits long before then!
(“Blame the track” cry the rolling stock designers and engineers, “Tsk, tsk” says a certain Mr. Philip Rees...)
Am I asking too much to hope that an IET at 125mph provides a ride as smooth as a Class 158 at 90mph or a Class 387 at 110mph? If that is too much to ask, why?
