The Terror of Class 153 Rail Travel

[xotGD]

Anyone know what the dividers are for in the 153s , a third of the way along?

Smoking one side, non-smoking the other?

 

[sw1ller]

Not that long ago TfW put one on the Sunday Shrewsbury wolves during a major football match. Every station was heaving and ended up with the police actually shouting at the guard for there only being 1 carriage. Absolute carnage.

 

[PHILIPE]

Not that long ago TfW put one on the Sunday Shrewsbury wolves during a major football match. Every station was heaving and ended up with the police actually shouting at the guard for there only being 1 carriage. Absolute carnage.

That was the booked working for a 153

 

[Parallel]

I’m not a massive fan of 153s. They used to frequently cover solo on busy routes around Bristol when 150s weren’t available, sometimes at peak times.

They’re OK on quieter routes, however as I am fairly tall, I only enjoy the table seats otherwise my legs go numb with my kneecaps being pressed against the seat back in front. They were OK when on the off peak TransWilts or Looe Valley services, or when they were doubled or tripled up with each other or working in multiple with other units.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Anyone know what the dividers are for in the 153s , a third of the way along?

They're just decorative from when they were 155s. The 156s have the same dividers too. Designed to break the cabin up a bit.

The 153s are fine when they are being used where they should be, and with the thinner seats. The ones refurbished with the Richmond seating are pretty grim, the seat back takes up all the knee room, but the same issue afflicts the 156s with those seats too.

153s are less fine when they substitute for something bigger, but that's same of anything really. A Rolls Royce is the epitome of luxury and comfort, but if you try and fit 27 people in one it'll be awful.

 

[Trainfan2019]

It's often for the working later in the day. Where there is a spare from maintance they do try to put it on Crewe as its a known capacity issue line and has been for some time, but they will also try to strengthen it for events. Sadly the reality is they often end up knowing they are too short for events like Uttoxeter Races and have buses on standby ready for the inevitable left behinds at Derby.

Ah thanks for the info there. I've seen them in 2s before but never 3 until this morning.

Similar bonus happened this afternoon. The delayed 15:07 from Crewe was 156 so 2 carriages instead of the usual overcrowded 1 carriage.

Smoking one side, non-smoking the other?

I also thought that about the dividers but wouldn't it have been easier to completely remove them? Unless the last refurbishment was done when smoking was still allowed I'm not sure when this was though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

They're just decorative from when they were 155s. The 156s have the same dividers too. Designed to break the cabin up a bit.

The 153s are fine when they are being used where they should be. Less fine when they substitute for something bigger, but that's same of anything really. A Rolls Royce is the epitome of luxury and comfort, but if you try and fit 27 people in one it'll be awful.

They work for "one man, bicycle and dog" rural services, but the need for an accessible bog pretty much writes off the concept of a single car DMU.

 

[Tetchytyke]

the need for an accessible bog pretty much writes off the concept of a single car DMU

The modern take on an accessible loo doesn't take up much more room than the 1987 take on an accessible loo, to be fair.

The 153s fall down when they're used on busy services. Trundling down the HoWL or the Cumbrian Coast they're great, much better than the 142s they replaced. On a peak train out of Derby, less good.

I always tried to avoid the dogbox when they were used to strengthen the S&C, but a ride on a dogbox was better than the old way of standing all the way from Settle to Carlisle because Northern had reserved half of the 2-carriage train for a bloody coach trip.

 

[Rick1984]

Also I don't know why the need the massive luggage rack in addition to the ex parcel locker

 

[MDB1images]

Many moons ago I used to stand at Llanduno Jn or Chester waiting to work a North Wales to Man Vic service on bank holidays and hoping the Class 153 was leading the Class158 as a guard!
It never was and it was always the 'small' cab right at the back to make matters worse!
Many years later took my lad for a spin Crewe to Derby on one and don't remember the seating in the saloon being as bad as it was on that one!
The are from a different era when they kept costs down and probably kept lines open, can't remember than failing all that often either!

 

[sw1ller]

That was the booked working for a 153

It was yes. But it’s a kick in the teeth when there’s a 150 and 158 stables in Shrewsbury all day eh!!

 

[yorksrob]

The modern take on an accessible loo doesn't take up much more room than the 1987 take on an accessible loo, to be fair.

The 153s fall down when they're used on busy services. Trundling down the HoWL or the Cumbrian Coast they're great, much better than the 142s they replaced. On a peak train out of Derby, less good.

I always tried to avoid the dogbox when they were used to strengthen the S&C, but a ride on a dogbox was better than the old way of standing all the way from Settle to Carlisle because Northern had reserved half of the 2-carriage train for a bloody coach trip.

I've been on an extremely overcrowded 153 around the Cumbrian coast before !

Agree about the S&C though - far better than just 2 carriages on the busiest trains.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The modern take on an accessible loo doesn't take up much more room than the 1987 take on an accessible loo, to be fair

Indeed not (see Class 156), but the 153 doesn't have an accessible bog, it has a small one.

 

[Chris217]

Not a fan at all of class 153s and
the 155s they were converted from.
Quite expected coming from Cardiff lol.
This is why I still need 2 thirds of them for haulage .

The 155s were awful when they entered service in South Wales with incidents of doors flying open when passing other trains at speed.
Regular set failures too.
Canton crews hated them from what I understood back in the day.
These also saw off the class 33 invasion in South Wales.
I remember when they were all withdrawn from service overnight.
This saw the re-introduction of loco hauled trains with 37s.
Some 156s from Inverness were also drafted in on loan.

I have never liked these trains since new.
And conversion to 153s should have been utilised better as set strengtheners rather than single car trains.
OK for Cardiff Bay and the like,but not at Nottingham waiting to go to Derby when one turns up already full and standing!

 

[class 9]

To be fair, most of those are to do with the intensive way they're used (although the whole railway is a lot worse off, since two toilets per carriage ceased to be the norm).

If the DfT had allowed TPE to order 4 carriage trains as intended, some of these problems would have been alleviated, but then TPE was only a service for us hicks in the sticks, so we got trains with less seating capacity than those they replaced.

Regarding extending them to 4 cars, I read somewhere that it wasn’t a case of the dft saying no, but first were wanting the dft to pay for them and that’s why it didn’t happen, similar to what happened with the voyagers being extended when virgin had XC.

 

[90sWereBetter]

I've lost count of the amount of times I've had a lovely journey on a hauled MK3 set between London and Norwich...and then have to change onto a single 153 to Lowestoft, which on a Friday/Saturday evening is always full of drunks. Utterly depressing, the rural FLIRTS cannot come soon enough!

 

[sw1ller]

I've lost count of the amount of times I've had a lovely journey on a hauled MK3 set between London and Norwich...and then have to change onto a single 153 to Lowestoft, which on a Friday/Saturday evening is always full of drunks. Utterly depressing, the rural FLIRTS cannot come soon enough!

That must be how the residents of Nantwich must feel. First class pendo from London, change at Crewe on to a crammed 153. Eww

 

[OrangeJuice]

Ah thanks for the info there. I've seen them in 2s before but never 3 until this morning.

Similar bonus happened this afternoon. The delayed 15:07 from Crewe was 156 so 2 carriages instead of the usual overcrowded 1 carriage.



I also thought that about the dividers but wouldn't it have been easier to completely remove them? Unless the last refurbishment was done when smoking was still allowed I'm not sure when this was though.

EMT were always good trying to get 2 of the 3 Crewe trains to be 2 car on Fridays so it was the best day to travel from Derby. I'm glad EMR are carrying this on and even improving it by deploying 3 153's!

 

[Trainfan2019]

EMT were always good trying to get 2 of the 3 Crewe trains to be 2 car on Fridays so it was the best day to travel from Derby. I'm glad EMR are carrying this on and even improving it by deploying 3 153's!

Even better than 3 153s on the 15:07 from Crewe today, as it's a 158.

 

[Qwerty133]

The 'solution' at EMR would be to remove all advance tickets and reservations from the Liverpool-Norwich service and reducing the vast majority of services to 3 coaches west of Nottingham (and quite possibly some of the off peak ones to 1 coach east of Nottingham). Further solutions would be stopping a handful of peak mainline services at Syston, Sileby, Barrow Upon Soar to allow Ivanhoe services to comfortably run as a single coach south of Nottingham and possibly running direct road coaches to Skegness on Saturdays (the journeytime is no greater by road if it goes direct) rather than using all of the capacity that could be used on other routes.

 

[dk1]

The 'solution' at EMR would be to remove all advance tickets and reservations from the Liverpool-Norwich service and reducing the vast majority of services to 3 coaches west of Nottingham (and quite possibly some of the off peak ones to 1 coach east of Nottingham). Further solutions would be stopping a handful of peak mainline services at Syston, Sileby, Barrow Upon Soar to allow Ivanhoe services to comfortably run as a single coach south of Nottingham and possibly running direct road coaches to Skegness on Saturdays (the journeytime is no greater by road if it goes direct) rather than using all of the capacity that could be used on other routes.

Are you seriously suggesting single 153 between Nottingham & Norwich?

 

[Jozhua]

Are you seriously suggesting single 153 between Nottingham & Norwich?

They've just suggested 3 cars between Nottingham and Liverpool, four isn't nearly enough as it is!

 

[dk1]

They've just suggested 3 cars between Nottingham and Liverpool, four isn't nearly enough as it is!

Give me strength.

 

[Edders23]

When quiet they're not bad at all. Had great fun not too long ago blasting across Lincolnshire from Sleaford to Peterborough via Spalding!

and was it standing room only after spalding ?

 

[Edders23]

they make a great racket when they have a wheel flat especially in tunnels !!

 

[Chris217]

Ha,I've seen 8 car Liverpool to Nottingham trains twice over the last few months.
Obviously a previous service was disrupted and joined up to the following service.

One here at the end of this video

 

[6026KingJohn]

Ha,I've seen 8 car Liverpool to Nottingham trains twice over the last few months.
Obviously a previous service was disrupted and joined up to the following service.

One here at the end of this video

Looks like the rear four coaches are empty (locked out of use?)

 

[Goldie]

Essential parts of the Class 153 travelling experience:

1. Sitting there thinking "Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! My knees!" and knowing that somewhere some medieval despot had a torture chamber configured like Class 153 airline seats; and
2. The feeling of utter hopelessness and desolation as the tail lamps of the 153 that you had hoped to board, but which was carrying three or four times the designed for number of passengers, slowly recede into the distance, leaving you alone on a damp platform. Yes, Sheffield -Lincoln line, I'm looking at you...

I would sort of like to buy one out of retirement and fit it out like a diesel powered, earthbound vesrion of Trump Force One (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Force_One), just to see what it feels like to order a cocktail on a 153.

 

[krus_aragon]

Trump Force One

That sounds like it should be on the Beaufort scale...

 

[LMS 4F]

Caught the 1518 Castleford to Knottingley today. 2 X 153 both clean with fairly new seats. Ideal for this sort of journey far better than a Pacer Anyday.
The one the other way passed at Glasshoughton was 2 X 158 which is a bit over the top for the time of day.