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Trivia: Failed onboard entertainment trials
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pdeaves
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The exterior was silver (see https://photos.smugmug.com/Misc/Rolling-Stock/i-pRXrqBF/1/a7ee9d45/M/volo-M.jpg). There wasn't much physical alteration (screens, paint) that couldn't be put back so it was, well, put back.
py_megapixel
Established Member
That's not quite what I meant (but someone else has cleared it up for me). What I came across was the Adelante Audio Carriage on the 180s, where headphone jacks were fitted next to the seats.
py_megapixel
Established Member
Wow, that colour scheme ooks incredibly out-of-place in an FGW consist!
hexagon789
Veteran Member
This was in about 2005 iirc, not sure the Pendolinos had WiFi then and it was more for the novelty than anything
As I recall it got fitted with replacement seats (which were removed later - I guess when the trial was decommissioned). By the time the 'production' ones were fitted the HSTs had new seats throughout, which it was possible to mount the screens on.
Galvanize
Member
I remember being told that Class 375 Electrostars had a CD player on the TMS/Mitrac system, but it was never used. Something about being able to play soothing music to the passengers during serious service disruption that causes the train to be held in the middle of nowhere for hours on end.
Sounds a guaranteed way to piss off passengers!
Recall it being Coach D too, always tried to sit in that carriage as never had a my own phone then, did seem to be always busy so was successful for a while
I only use to use the TVs to see how fast the train was going and where we were, never watched anything on it
I'm sure Deutsche Bahn experimented with seatback TVs on their ICE fleet?
py_megapixel
Established Member
Well nowadays the passenger information displays periodically show the current speed of the train which is probably entertainment enough for some!
Western Lord
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I seem to recall that the pre-war LNER (the real one) streamliners had a cinema carriage. It must have been like an early version of Sensurround on "lively" sections of track!
Great Western offered "four CD channels and three radio stations" in the Audio Carriage of their Adelantes according to an old copy of Reach. Meanwhile Virgin offered "Red Hot, Over Easy and Kidz channels, or you can tune into live BBC Radio 4" on Voyager services and "14 channels of great sounds offering everything from club classics to classical gems, as well as BBC Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4" on Pendolinos, according to Hotline.
I seem to remember British Rail running Mark 3 carriages with prototype refurbished interiors in the last years of InterCity, complete with audio jacks in the overhead luggage rack.
I seem to remember British Rail running Mark 3 carriages with prototype refurbished interiors in the last years of InterCity, complete with audio jacks in the overhead luggage rack.
py_megapixel
Established Member
What... so that suitcases didn't get bored....?
In all seriousness, that does sound rather inconvenient. Surely you would need headphones with a very long cable and a lot of faffing around to find where to plug it in, and then you'd have to put up with a wire above you...
What... so that suitcases didn't get bored....?
In all seriousness, that does sound rather inconvenient. Surely you would need headphones with a very long cable and a lot of faffing around to find where to plug it in, and then you'd have to put up with a wire above you...
I think they were in the underside of the overhead luggage rack, next to the reading lights in first class. Within reach of most headphone cables, I'd imagine. I may be misremembering - I only travelled on one of these carriages once, but have a dim recollection of thinking that having headphone sockets there was odd. I suppose it would be easier to retro-fit than wiring up every seat. They were also, as an aside, the first carriages I saw with scrolling information displays at the ends of the saloon.
Mikey C
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That sounds like the old interludes on TV when they had problems!
"We apologise that we seem to be having some technical problems with the picture, we will try to get back to The Good Life as soon as we can. In the meantime, here's some music"
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
The Red Hot pre-recorded mix was pretty good, I listened to it whenever the batteries in my Walkman died, or when I'd got bored of whatever CDs I had in my rucksack with me. I only stopped when I got my first iPod.
I'd say the iPod killed the systems off, way before smartphones. With 5 or 6 CDs you'd get bored, but with 100 CDs on an iPod you really wouldn't.
I only ever rode on the Volo carriage when a GWR set was leased out to GNER (I think, could be NXEC). Fun watching the map, I wouldn't have paid for it though. Which I suppose was the problem!
py_megapixel
Established Member
A few blogs/forums from the time suggest that in the dying days of the trial it was made free: http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=10871.0
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
I'd forgotten that but yes, that is true. I don't know if First were trying to impress at franchise time or were hoping to get ad revenue instead or what. Clearly people didn't pay for it. And IIRC you couldn't specifically reserve into the Volo carriage, so those who would have paid (families heading to Cornwall) may well not have been able to!
thenorthern
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The radios didn't really work on Virgin trains also the Beam system hasn't been that brilliant.
py_megapixel
Established Member
Oh is that the mobile app thing where the auto announcnements proclaim you can
READ GLOSSIES, WEEKLIES AND WATCH TV!!!!!!
I remember traveling on an IC125 from Bristol to Paddington on a strike day and sat in a carriage that had a scrolling LED screen at the end saying something like "Welcome to the future of Intercity". Had darkish tones inside like the night sleeper lounges. The luggage rack had electronic seat reservations and a 3.5mm jack for listening to BBC radio live. I distinctly remember the exterior was newly liveried with the Intercity swallow on silver by the door.
I spent the last few years before retirement repairing In Flight Entertainment equipment. Dozens of screens came in every day, but most of the time I repaired 8mm digital tape players. The passengers wrecked the screens, the cabin crew wrecked the tape players. Movies were booked in and out each flight, and if the tape stuck it was levered out. That meant it was damaged but went into the player on the next flight, breaking that too. This stuff was considered essential to keep the passengers quiet on long flights, so they put up with the cost. On trains it was less essential, so I guess when they discovered the maintenance cost they abandoned the idea!
Journeyman
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I used the radio once or twice for novelty value, but I don't tend to listen to stuff much when I'm travelling anyway. Prime entertainment on trains for me is either staring out of the window, or reading.
Galvanize
Member
GNER almost installed audio entertainment systems on the mk4 sets when they did the Project Mallard Refurbishments in 2003-5 but decided against it, telling RAIL magazine at the official press launch that they didn’t represent good value for money.
py_megapixel
Established Member
They were probably correct in the long run, now that the vast majority of passengers are carrying around smartphones.
And even before that, the take-up was pretty low. I travelled on the Voyagers quite a lot around the time they were new, and only ever noticed the occasional person using the system on them.
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Holy fudgecakes that is some serious nostalgia there!
I loved the Volo TV carriage, so much so it was a mandatory choice of carriage on the way home from a full day's bashing around South Wales or wherever I was at the time. I must admit I never did pay for the service though, so how I got to use it so often I'm not sure. It might just have been for the things like the map on some journeys. Bearing in mind I was still using my portable CD player back then, and power sockets on trains was not exactly a common sight back then.
Virgin's on-board radio, I used that on a fairly regular basis too when I was on a Voyager or Pendolino. I recall being disappointed when it was switched off, and when I'd been on 390s earlier this year the sight of the at-seat radio thing did trigger some nice memories. I'd reckon it must be close to 15 years since I last used it now, can't remember when that was for sure. Was it switched off at the same time on VXC Voyagers?
The one on 175/1s, it was indeed only in the middle coach. I hardly used that when it was still functional, which it was for a while after the 175s moved to ATW. That bit of nostalgia can wait for a future post on Instagram, but I remember using the at-seat radio on a 175 once on a leap from Cardiff to Hereford which made the journey so much better. I don't remember when that service stopped or using it terribly often.
Never used it on the 180s, indeed I don't remember ever even seeing it on the class. Although to be fair I avoided them like the plague whenever possible. Ooh, that triggers some weird amount of nostalgia on its own, such a shame the photos I want to flick through are at my Mum's and not here!
I liked the board games on the tables with Grand Central, although I didn't use them. I was too busy enjoying the racket from the HST power cars and the comfort of the declassified First Class carriage!
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