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SWR Repaints and Refurbishments

Adsy125

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22 Dec 2016
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421
Nice, it's good that SWR have now started to add the onboard Infotainment system to their trains. The reason the Wi-Fi isnt working on some trains is because it is currently being upgraded on the 444s/450s
It does show that the content is stored on the train instea of on a server somewhere. Definitely a good sign for its reliability.
 
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SWRtrain_fan

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18 Dec 2018
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Full refurbishment of trains:
444003, 444007*, 444010, 444015, 444019, 444020, 444025, 444029, 444033, 444034*, 444038, 444040, 444042 & 444044.(12 units completed)(27% complete)
*Currently being done

450005, 450008, 450015, 450016, 450018, 450019, 450020, 450032, 450033, 450037, 450041, 450075, 450079, 450081, 450082, 450083, 450084, 450085, 450091, 450094, 450097, 450100, 450103, 450113, 450115, 450119, 450121, 450122(28 units completed)(22% complete)
Let me know if any more trains have been fully refurbished and I will edit this post regularly
 
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Deepgreen

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Betchworth, Surrey
I saw what I take to have been a refurbished 450 the other day, in that it had a first class '1' at each unit end, but no pale blue cantrail-level dots. This is yet another lax approach to first class markings - the blue dots are very poor anyway as an indicator, but at least be consistent. The repainted 159s have either a cream or yellow stripe to denote first class (why two options?!) - why can't the 450s simply have the yellow stripe applied - it would be very clear against the dark blue base. What a mess - another useful universal information indicator destroyed by privatisation.
 

SWRtrain_fan

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I saw what I take to have been a refurbished 450 the other day, in that it had a first class '1' at each unit end, but no pale blue cantrail-level dots. This is yet another lax approach to first class markings - the blue dots are very poor anyway as an indicator, but at least be consistent. The repainted 159s have either a cream or yellow stripe to denote first class (why two options?!) - why can't the 450s simply have the yellow stripe applied - it would be very clear against the dark blue base. What a mess - another useful universal information indicator destroyed by privatisation.
I think when the 450s are repainted, they will be repainted in the same livery as the 159s(with yellow markings for First Class) so that problem should hopefully be solved, but I agree that it is such an easy thing to just put blue dots by the first class area in the meantime, and SWR haven't done that...
 

TEW

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The first few 450s had the dots moved to the new First Class area but they gave up rather quickly with that and later units have simply had the dots in the old location removed, many units don't even have the First Class 1 applied.
 

RealTrains07

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I wouldn’t say so. The 458/0s had had new seat covers not long before conversion, so they didn’t need changing. It was only really the (former) first class areas that weren’t up to standard.

I still rate the 458/5s as the best of the SWT/SWR suburban fleet. Bet the 701s will be a significant downgrade on them!

The seats on the 701s certainly will!
 

Goldfish62

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I think when the 450s are repainted, they will be repainted in the same livery as the 159s(with yellow markings for First Class) so that problem should hopefully be solved, but I agree that it is such an easy thing to just put blue dots by the first class area in the meantime, and SWR haven't done that...
The 458s, when they had 1st Class only ever had a "1" by the door and no stripe or dots either.
 

RealTrains07

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I wouldn’t say so. The 458/0s had had new seat covers not long before conversion, so they didn’t need changing. It was only really the (former) first class areas that weren’t up to standard.

I still rate the 458/5s as the best of the SWT/SWR suburban fleet. Bet the 701s will be a significant downgrade on them!

The seats will be at any rate
At least the 701s will be fully in SWR design unlike the rest of the current fleet
 

SWRtrain_fan

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For the Desiro refurbishment deadline, I dont think the deadline for it is 1st May but it can be completed anytime in May. Does anyone reckon it would be completed by 31st May or is the refurbishment not being done fast enough for that deadline?
 

swt_passenger

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For the Desiro refurbishment deadline, I dont think the deadline for it is 1st May but it can be completed anytime in May. Does anyone reckon it would be completed by 31st May or is the refurbishment not being done fast enough for that deadline?
If your posts listing the numbers done are right, they’re lucky to do 3 units per week, so no chance whatsoever.
 

SWRtrain_fan

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I am guessing that more units have been done than the ones I've listed because some passengers on-board the refurbished trains probably don't take note of the unit number. Or I could be wrong.
 

Goldfish62

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I am guessing that more units have been done than the ones I've listed because some passengers on-board the refurbished trains probably don't take note of the unit number. Or I could be wrong.
I travel on 450s around four times a week and I haven't been on an unrefurbished 450/0 for well over a month. It does indeed suggest that more have been done than we've recorded.
 

TEW

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I travel on 450s around four times a week and I haven't been on an unrefurbished 450/0 for well over a month. It does indeed suggest that more have been done than we've recorded.
Must just be the way it goes, I've had loads of unrefurbished 450/0s over the last two weeks.
 

SWRtrain_fan

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I was quite lucky to have a ride on a refurbished 444 today(444003) for the first time, from Winchester to Basingstoke today. The seat colours simply look amazing and the headrests feel a bit softer than before. I like both the refurbished 444s and 450s, but the interior just looks slightly more posh on the 444s, I'm not sure why.
 
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K.o.R

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I was quite lucky to have a ride on a refurbished 444 today(444003), from Winchester to Basingstoke today. The seat colours simply looks amazing and the headrests feel a bit softer than before. I like both the refurbished 444s and 450s, but the interior just looks slightly posh on the 444s, I'm not sure why.

The inter-city seating layout, perhaps? Lots of seats uninterrupted by doors and vestibules.
 

Bletchleyite

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Yeah, and the seats on 444s visually look a lot more comfortable than the 450s

They're just a wider-backed version of the same seat with armrests and a slightly bigger headrest. The 350/1, /3 and /4s also have that seat. The base is actually exactly the same, evidenced by 350/2 seat bases having been reported on this forum as fitted to LNR 350/1s.
 

WVL14

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Full list of refurbished 450s as of 8-4-19 :-

005, 008, 015, 016, 018, 019, 020, 025, 032, 033, 037, 041, 075, 079, 081, 082, 083, 084, 085, 091, 094, 097, 100, 103, 113, 115, 119, 121, 122

At Eastleigh at moment 450038 (another unit due in this evening)
 

SWRtrain_fan

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Full list of refurbished 450s as of 8-4-19 :-

005, 008, 015, 016, 018, 019, 020, 025, 032, 033, 037, 041, 075, 079, 081, 082, 083, 084, 085, 091, 094, 097, 100, 103, 113, 115, 119, 121, 122

At Eastleigh at moment 450038 (another unit due in this evening)
Thanks for this. Do you know what the next 444 to be done is?
 

WVL14

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Thanks for this. Do you know what the next 444 to be done is?

444s done are: 4003, 4010, 4015, 4019, 4020, 4025, 4029, 4038, 4040, 4042 and 4044.

4042 was released from Eastleigh this morning and replaced by 4007.
Also on site at Eastleigh are 4033 and 4034.

.
 

SWRtrain_fan

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444s done are: 4003, 4010, 4015, 4019, 4020, 4025, 4029, 4038, 4040, 4042 and 4044.

4042 was released from Eastleigh this morning and replaced by 4007.
Also on site at Eastleigh are 4033 and 4034.

.
So 444042 is the lastest 444 that has been refurbished
 

K.o.R

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6 Dec 2017
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Have all the refurbished 444s had the First Class resizing done?

On that note, First Class now has more large tables than it used to (4 4-seat bays vs 1 4 and 2 2-seat bays).
 

SWRtrain_fan

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I still find the idea of refurbishing 3 450s and 1 444 a bit confusing. Is it like they do it in a pattern like; 444, 450, 450, 450, 444, 450, 450, 450 e.t.c?
 

DelW

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For the Desiro refurbishment deadline, I dont think the deadline for it is 1st May but it can be completed anytime in May. Does anyone reckon it would be completed by 31st May or is the refurbishment not being done fast enough for that deadline?
What changed the deadline to May (and when)? AIUI, the original franchise agreement specified the end of December 2018, with an extension to end of March 2019 if SWR were using all reasonable measures (or a similar phrase) to complete them. From a passenger perspective it's hard to believe they have been, especially as it looks unlikely the refurbs will be finished by either the beginning or the end of May anyway, unless progress speeds up greatly.
 

Bigfoot

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I still find the idea of refurbishing 3 450s and 1 444 a bit confusing. Is it like they do it in a pattern like; 444, 450, 450, 450, 444, 450, 450, 450 e.t.c?

I'd suggest that it takes longer to refit a 444 due to the size and more extensive interior modifications over the shorter and less complex changes to a 450. Says to me there are two teams working and it just appears to you that they work on one unit at a time rather than having two on the go.
 

K.o.R

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The removal of the buffet and guard's compartment certainly makes a difference to the "feel" of those coaches that had them.
 

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