SWR Metro fleet permanent withdrawals

[HamworthyGoods]

A pleasant and very friendly driver was telling me at Guildford today how a 455 involved in a minor tree strike at Weybridge several weeks back was coincidentally scheduled to go off lease the day after the accident occurred! This means one more has gone. I don’t know which, sorry, but according to him there’s several more 455s which will now need to be withdrawn in the Summer due to recent discoveries with the units. The plan is to short form more mainline 450s to cover on the Guildford New Line, Kingston Loop and Chessington South branch.

There’s no plans to move more 450s into the inner suburban area, indeed plans are currently afoot within the planning team to move a few 450s back onto mainline services to try and tackle some of the current known overcrowding issues.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

There’s no plans to move more 450s into the inner suburban area, indeed plans are currently afoot within the planning team to move a few 450s back onto mainline services to try and tackle some of the current known overcrowding issues.

Right. Well, from now on then I will take any predictions about SWR with a pinch of salt and just wait until things happen.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Right. Well, from now on then I will take any predictions about SWR with a pinch of salt and just wait until things happen.

The 707s going back into the base ‘LTP’ timetable soon helps cascade a bit of stock around now these are confirmed as staying on a bit longer.

A very fluid situation is probably the best way of describing it.

 

[yorkie]

Just a gentle reminder this is a non-speculative thread for updates only.

We do welcome discussion of a speculative nature, but we do ask that this is posted exclusively in the Speculative Discussion area please.

There is a speculative thread here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ced-by-701-metro-services-information.233484/ and if anyone wishes to discuss anything not covered by that thread or any other existing thread, feel free to create a new one.

Thanks

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I've started adding pictures from a visit to rail live yesterday. The gallery contains several pictures of stored 455/456's https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p653026504/h1bb5517b#h1bb5517b

I like your pictures of perfectly useable 455/456's alongside dumped 196's something has gone badly wrong with rolling stock in this country

 

[TrainTrackJack]

Is there any reason why the withdrawn Southern Class 455s seem to head quite quickly to Sims at Newport whilst the much longer withdrawn SWR Class 456s are still mainly in storage?

Interestingly, an UID 456 was noted inside the Chrysalis Rail workshop at Long Marston on Wednesday 22nd - an indication of something to happen?

 

[aleandrail]

I like your pictures of perfectly useable 455/456's alongside dumped 196's something has gone badly wrong with rolling stock in this country

Is it me but are the orange vinyls on the front of the 196s starting to fade

 

[Goldfish62]

Is it me but are the orange vinyls on the front of the 196s starting to fade

The fronts are painted.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Not to be seen for very much longer, but Guildford saw three pairs of 455s next to each other for most of the days trains ran this week, and continue to do on Sundays for the moment. Worth noting that a fair few London Road services were 450 worked though.

Image shows six 455s in three pairs at Guildford.

 

[GW43125]

Not to be seen for very much longer, but Guildford saw three pairs of 455s next to each other for most of the days trains ran this week, and continue to do on Sundays for the moment. Worth noting that a fair few London Road services were 450 worked though.

Image shows six 455s in three pairs at Guildford.

If the last Cobham is subbed for a pair of 455s (as happens occasionally), you get 455s in platforms 1,2 and 4 on a weeknight.

Since the morning peak Woking stoppers went over to 450s, a 1-2-3 of 455s is quite rare indeed.

 

[Juniper Driver]

5854 is cut out on 14 road blocks Clapham Yard.Noticed it a while back but it was still there this morning.

 

[Siemens Staines]

5907 (the tree unit) isn't off lease. It is close to C4 mileage so was being used sparingly. It certainly hasn't gone but it is not currently in the C4 plan.

I notice on RTT that 455907 has returned to passenger service today (2J18)

As it is the turn of the month, perhaps it is worth me posting an update of the list of 458 & 455 that I have not recorded working in passenger service for over a month. This is with the last date that I have noticed them appear on a passenger train on RTT. This date is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate, but it shouldn't be out by more than a day or so, bar any silly typos on my part.

458509 27/03/22
458511 12/04/22
458513 23/04/22
458519 07/04/22
458522 09/10/21
458529 25/08/21
458533 28/01/22

List excludes Off-lease 458507,517,534

455703 22/05/22
455711 01/06/22
455716 10/05/22
455719 27/01/22
455722 18/05/22
455741 12/04/22
455848 29/09/21
455854 21/02/22
455856 21/05/22
455918 18/05/22

List excludes Off-lease and/or Scrapped 455704,726,736,740,847,855.

 

[LambicHedgehog]

Apologies if this has been covered already, I couldn't find it earlier in the thread: why have the 455s and 458s stored at Long Marston come off lease for storage?

(As opposed to either remaining in service with what is likely to be their final TOC or being scrapped)

 

[warwickshire]

Apologies if this has been covered already, I couldn't find it earlier in the thread: why have the 455s and 458s stored at Long Marston come off lease for storage?

(As opposed to either remaining in service with what is likely to be their final TOC

Because it is a Porterbrook owned site.
So storage will be free to Porterbrook with it being its owned units.

 

[swt_passenger]

Apologies if this has been covered already, I couldn't find it earlier in the thread: why have the 455s and 458s stored at Long Marston come off lease for storage?

(As opposed to either remaining in service with what is likely to be their final TOC or being scrapped)

In the case of the 458s there’s apparently a gap between the end of the current 458/5 lease, and the start of the new 458 lease in their new role. It’s mentioned somewhere in the separate “458/5 to be retained” thread.

 

[fgwrich]

Because it is a Porterbrook owned site.
So storage will be free to Porterbrook with it being its owned units.

Well, almost. A more ideal situation for Porterbrook would be to have the fleet in service and earning money, as although they own LM, they'll still have the associated storage costs on their books (electricity, staffing costs, security etc). So cheaper storage, but they certainly ain't free.

 

[tricky18jan]

I seen a post on a Facebook page earlier showing 2 low loaders in a service station on the M5 with a couple 456 coaches

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picture on the comments shows a carriage from 456012

 

[Ewan M]

456012 currently on its last journey by road to Sims Newport

 

[Siemens Staines]

455848 29/09/21

After an absence of over 9 months, 455848 has returned to passenger service today (2U17).

Until recently 2U17 is one of two Windsor diagrams that were pairs of 458, but now seem to be pairs of 455. 2U18 is the other diagram. Only 15 458s showed up on RTT as being in passenger service this morning.

Further, one Reading 450 diagram now seems to usually be a pair of 455, 2R07 and then 2C17 0820 Waterloo - Reading etc.

I do not know if these alterations are long-term or a short-term blip.

 

[Goldfish62]

After an absence of over 9 months, 455848 has returned to passenger service today (2U17).

Until recently 2U17 is one of two Windsor diagrams that were pairs of 458, but now seem to be pairs of 455. 2U18 is the other diagram. Only 15 458s showed up on RTT as being in passenger service this morning.

Further, one Reading 450 diagram now seems to usually be a pair of 455, 2R07 and then 2C17 0820 Waterloo - Reading etc.

I do not know if these alterations are long-term or a short-term blip.

The Reading one started last week. One to be avoided...

 

[WarrenTManager]

After an absence of over 9 months, 455848 has returned to passenger service today (2U17).

Until recently 2U17 is one of two Windsor diagrams that were pairs of 458, but now seem to be pairs of 455. 2U18 is the other diagram. Only 15 458s showed up on RTT as being in passenger service this morning.

Further, one Reading 450 diagram now seems to usually be a pair of 455, 2R07 and then 2C17 0820 Waterloo - Reading etc.

I do not know if these alterations are long-term or a short-term blip.

5848 is on diagram WM814 today. 458 diagrams are in the WM8xx series.

 

[gmaguire]

After an absence of over 9 months, 455848 has returned to passenger service today (2U17).

Pretty sure I saw this at Clapham Junction this morning. It was very busy.

 

[Ewan M]

456019 has also since been sent to Sims Metals Newport for disposal

 

[Roger B]

456019 has also since been sent to Sims Metals Newport for disposal

Thanks Ewan. Do you know when it was dispatched? Cheers

 

[Ewan M]

Thanks Ewan. Do you know when it was dispatched? Cheers

Im not too sure, possibly more or less the same time as 012

 

[Dibbo4025]

I do not know if these alterations are long-term or a short-term blip.

Definitely be short term - should be gone from the 18th

 

[Ewan M]

456007 has also been dispatched by road to Newport for scrapping. Looks as if they’re starting to get rid of them all now!

 

[Class455]

456007 has also been dispatched by road to Newport for scrapping. Looks as if they’re starting to get rid of them all now!

So it seems like all the BREL built former Southern metro stock are being scrapped at the same time then with the Southern 455’s currently going there for scrap.

 

[Siemens Staines]

455741 12/04/22

455741 returned to passenger service on Saturday (2H01). Today 455741+455709 are on 2C20 0811 Reading - Waterloo. This is a variation to the usual Reading 455 diagram, which is a pair of 450 today.

 

[5920]

5907/5918 now off lease. Definitely not looking good for 5918. It's been harvested.