Rumour that Chiltern are going to lease class 68s to replace 67s (confirmed)

[RobShipway]

I would have thought that the ideal solution would be to convert the pacers and similar aged multiple unit stock going out of service into mail trains?

 

[ainsworth74]

Just a thought but has anyone actually thought if there's any demand for more mail trains (outside of Christmas time) before we start trying to find more stock to carry mail? I certainly wouldn't object to seeing more mail on the rails but Royal Mail seem to be getting by quite happily with their present arrangements.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Just a thought but has anyone actually thought if there's any demand for more mail trains (outside of Christmas time) before we start trying to find more stock to carry mail? I certainly wouldn't object to seeing more mail on the rails but Royal Mail seem to be getting by quite happily with their present arrangements.

And the class 325s are not by any means fully deployed at the moment.
On the other hand the parcels business (several major players) is growing rapidly.
There never seems to be a sniff from people like DHL and TNT who are big rail users in continental Europe.
And Amazon's main distribution centre is right alongside the Bletchley-Bedford line.

 

[Manchester77]

And the class 325s are not by any means fully deployed at the moment.
On the other hand the parcels business (several major players) is growing rapidly.
There never seems to be a sniff from people like DHL and TNT who are big rail users in continental Europe.
And Amazon's main distribution centre is right alongside the Bletchley-Bedford line.

Is there any way to encourage them to use the railways then for more of their freight in the UK?

 

[sprinterguy]

I would have thought that the ideal solution would be to convert the pacers and similar aged multiple unit stock going out of service into mail trains?

Pacers would be no use as mail units, even if there was a need. Step entrances (assuming there is some sort of physical need for them to be there?), narrow doors at vehicle ends (Is cutting doors towards the centre of the vehicles likely to compromise the strength of the body shells?), low powered and with fairly high axle loadings if you tried to load any real weight onto them.

It is interesting though that Royal Mail did consider a small purpose built fleet of parcels class 156s, when they were being built. Converted 150s could also be useful: They share the same basic 20 metre mark 3 bodyshell as the 325s, after all.

 

[RobShipway]

Pacers would be no use as mail units, even if there was a need. Step entrances (assuming there is some sort of physical need for them to be there?), narrow doors at vehicle ends (Is cutting doors towards the centre of the vehicles likely to compromise the strength of the body shells?), low powered and with fairly high axle loadings if you tried to load any real weight onto them.

It is interesting though that Royal Mail did consider a small purpose built fleet of parcels class 156s, when they were being built. Converted 150s could also be useful: They share the same basic 20 metre mark 3 bodyshell as the 325s, after all.

Class 150's where my first thought before using pacers, but I was not sure if any Class 150s would be released as being available soon?

 

[LateThanNever]

And the class 325s are not by any means fully deployed at the moment.
On the other hand the parcels business (several major players) is growing rapidly.
There never seems to be a sniff from people like DHL and TNT who are big rail users in continental Europe.
And Amazon's main distribution centre is right alongside the Bletchley-Bedford line.

I thought that EWS ran a Brum Aberdeen night parcels service for DHL in the days of Railtrack or did I dream it?

 

[ExRes]

I would have thought that the ideal solution would be to convert the pacers and similar aged multiple unit stock going out of service into mail trains?

When I started with Res I was told that DEMUs had been considered but couldn't be used because of the fire risk with mailbags sitting directly over the engines, true or not I don't know

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I thought that EWS ran a Brum Aberdeen night parcels service for DHL in the days of Railtrack or did I dream it?

There was indeed a service from Walsall to Scotland, but it ceased I think because of a merger in the parcels industry.
But it's odd that such a trunk haul has not been resurrected.
Apart from Royal Mail, the big boys are all arms of the national post offices (TNT Dutch, DHL German, DPD French).

 

[Emyr]

Pacers would be no use as mail units, even if there was a need. Step entrances (assuming there is some sort of physical need for them to be there?), narrow doors at vehicle ends (Is cutting doors towards the centre of the vehicles likely to compromise the strength of the body shells?), low powered and with fairly high axle loadings if you tried to load any real weight onto them

I thought they were basically freight wagons anyway...

 

[Peter Mugridge]

When I started with Res I was told that DEMUs had been considered but couldn't be used because of the fire risk with mailbags sitting directly over the engines, true or not I don't know

I would have thought that the fire risk is far higher on the road lorries that the Royal Mail seem to prefer to use these days?

 

[YorkshireBear]

Just a thought but has anyone actually thought if there's any demand for more mail trains (outside of Christmas time) before we start trying to find more stock to carry mail? I certainly wouldn't object to seeing more mail on the rails but Royal Mail seem to be getting by quite happily with their present arrangements.

Yes i have (it was me who originally said it). Royal Mail are looking at coming back in a bigger way but just transporting mail and mostly parcels. Not TPOs or anything.

But more important than that is the other big players in parcels are all looking at rail very closely.

 

[Photohunter71]

I'm sure there will be a few companies such as WH Davis/Babcock rail etc only too happy to design and build modern day equivalents of GUV's?

 

[sprinterguy]

I thought they were basically freight wagons anyway...

The underframe and suspension was derived from BR Researchs' developmental high speed freight vehicle and, AFAIK, is not dissimilar from the chassis of the standard VDA van.

 

[deltic08]

I would have thought that the ideal solution would be to convert the pacers and similar aged multiple unit stock going out of service into mail trains?

Have you no compassion for long distance Pacer drivers? At 75mph they would get in the way of faster trains unless used on freight lines or secondary routes.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Yes i have (it was me who originally said it). Royal Mail are looking at coming back in a bigger way but just transporting mail and mostly parcels. Not TPOs or anything.

But more important than that is the other big players in parcels are all looking at rail very closely.

I'd be interested to know where Amazon's main distribution centre is. I think this would have a major infulence on the viability of transporting parcels by rail.

 

[TheGrew]

I'd be interested to know where Amazon's main distribution centre is. I think this would have a major infulence on the viability of transporting parcels by rail.

They have several as per this page http://www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&node=2610312031

To me it looks like Rugeley, Marston Gate (Milton Keynes), Doncaster, Peterborough, Swansea are fairly close to railways lines. Building the appropriate freight facilities might be interesting though.

 

[YorkshireBear]

I actually can't remember who told me this but Amazon have bought up land next to some railway lines with a future intention of setting up distribution centres there....

I will find out where i got this information from and come back to the forum.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

They have several as per this page http://www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&node=2610312031
To me it looks like Rugeley, Marston Gate (Milton Keynes), Doncaster, Peterborough, Swansea are fairly close to railways lines. Building the appropriate freight facilities might be interesting though.

The giant Amazon Marston Gate site is actually alongside the Bletchley-Bedford line at Ridgmont.
It is built on the former brickworks site.

 

[Jamesb1974]

Re the 325's, I have it on good authority that Royal Mail are soon to fund an overhaul program, including LED lighting and improved cab environments (particularly in respect of draught proofing).

James