Any news about the Chiltern Power-door Mk3s yet?

[saltley 1394]

We had the gen set on 82304 running on the depot yesterday. Thats the first time ive evere heard one running. They are in fact very quiet.
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82302 is at Brush at the moment having the gen set fitted leaving 82303 as the only original one in the Chiltrrn fleet....

82305 is also at the Brush works at Loughbrough having its genset fitted, next one expected out towards the end of March.

 

[Surreyman]

Whats thinking got to do with anything. Access width into & around the coach is the DDA issue hence the MK3 modifications for use beyond the deadline.

Did I read somewhere that CET toilets were going to be fitted?
Anyone know if that has happened?

 

[dk1]

Did I read somewhere that CET toilets were going to be fitted?
Anyone know if that has happened?

Yes i have heard that. Not sure if it is part of the current work but you would think so. I do know that there is only 1 toilet per coach but was under the impression that that was due to power door equipment taking up some space along with wider access required.

 

[hick]

Yes i have heard that. Not sure if it is part of the current work but you would think so. I do know that there is only 1 toilet per coach but was under the impression that that was due to power door equipment taking up some space along with wider access required.

It's one toilet per coach so that more seats can be fitted in per carriage...

 

[RPM]

It's one toilet per coach so that more seats can be fitted in per carriage...

Well extra seats are needed. The silver trains get quite busy in the peaks. I think they really need to replace a few table bays with airline style seats too. The low density layout was fine for WSMR but is not ideal for Chiltern.

 

[jones_bangor]

It will be still doing the Chiltern Premier Service - why do you ask?

Just a feeling that they'll be resprayed and end up with ATW.........timings of the power door stock displacing the slam door stock convenient for DBs ATW and Chiltern operations.

We've seen comments above that the coaches aren't ideal for Chiltern operations - too many tables.......

It does seem strange that no contract award was made for the ATW tender for Mark 3 stock refurbishment last year - a quick light bulb moment? We're going to have this spare stock here in March 2012 and need it here for May....

 

[TDK]

Just a feeling that they'll be resprayed and end up with ATW.........timings of the power door stock displacing the slam door stock convenient for DBs ATW and Chiltern operations.

We've seen comments above that the coaches aren't ideal for Chiltern operations - too many tables.......

I think the ex WSMR stock is being fitted with the sliding doors also as Chiltern will need more sets for their new forthcoming timetable, if the ex WSMR stock was going to ATW they would have had them by now insted of having to fork out to have some renovated.

 

[Blindtraveler]

going back On topic internally how has the power dooring affected the layout? Im guessing perhaps new toilet and loss of a cupple of seats?

 

[anthony263]

Just a feeling that they'll be resprayed and end up with ATW.........timings of the power door stock displacing the slam door stock convenient for DBs ATW and Chiltern operations.

We've seen comments above that the coaches aren't ideal for Chiltern operations - too many tables.......

It does seem strange that no contract award was made for the ATW tender for Mark 3 stock refurbishment last year - a quick light bulb moment? We're going to have this spare stock here in March 2012 and need it here for May....

I suspect the MK3's for ATW will be those which DB purchsed from Cargo D recently.

 

[jones_bangor]

I suspect the MK3's for ATW will be those which DB purchsed from Cargo D recently.

I think I'm repeating earlier posts here, but it doesn't seem to make economic sense to take perfectly good ex-WSMR stock out of service for several weeks or months, modify and refurbish to Chiltern Mainline standard (primarily I refer to the major structural work of fitting power doors plus any interior modifications like adding more seats etc) whilst then spending several hundred thousand per carriage refurbishing other Mk 3 stock to the same standard as the WSMR stock that's just been pulled to bits....all within the same company (you couldn't make it up, but this is the private railways!)!!

Now that the power door design is finalised, why not just refurbish the unrefurbished Mk 3s to Chiltern Mainline standards......??? and then re-spray and send the the ex-WSMR stock to ATW as the power door stock come on line?

I suspect it is this that will happen.

if the ex WSMR stock was going to ATW they would have had them by now insted of having to fork out to have some renovated.

But have they forked out? There are no power doors in Chiltern service right now, but there will be in May.

Convenient timing all round??

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Some people from Chiltern went up again yesterday. Only going from what I heard in the mess room, but it seems half a dozen coaches actually have doors on now and there is talk from Doncaster that a test train might be ready in as little as a month, though the people I spoke too seem very cynical about that!

 

[RobShipway]

Some people from Chiltern went up again yesterday. Only going from what I heard in the mess room, but it seems half a dozen coaches actually have doors on now and there is talk from Doncaster that a test train might be ready in as little as a month, though the people I spoke too seem very cynical about that!

So if all goes well, the train will be ready for the May timetable changes then?

 

[js47604]

So if all goes well, the train will be ready for the May timetable changes then?

Possibly,but the internal view is that the staff training will not be completed by May.

There were supposed to be four sets in service from May but this has been deferred to December along with the use of Class 172 sets on some Stratford services.

 

[IanXC]

Over the last few days while passing through Doncaster I've become convinced there's 2 with new doors parked out in the yard.

Plus one with sheets covering one end and a GNER mark 3 with a motley collection of holes cut in the side!

 

[4SRKT]

In testing next month, so hopefully passenger service end March/early April - according to a recent Chiltern twitter session

Why 'hopefully'? No more leaning out of the window when these come in, so let's enjoy it while we can.

 

[Blindtraveler]

if they are all power doored this slowly then many will have been retired and replaced by IEP or god forbid Cascaded voyagers before they are done. Ok some with smaller fleats EG XC, GC and EC may get them done but theres so many at FGW that therel be a good few droplite seshes yet there!

 

[4SRKT]

if they are all power doored this slowly then many will have been retired and replaced by IEP or god forbid Cascaded voyagers before they are done. Ok some with smaller fleats EG XC, GC and EC may get them done but theres so many at FGW that therel be a good few droplite seshes yet there!

True, but I want to get droplight action on loco-hauled trains rather than HSTs, which are just jumped-up multiple units IMHO.

 

[Skimble19]

Over the last few days while passing through Doncaster I've become convinced there's 2 with new doors parked out in the yard.

Plus one with sheets covering one end and a GNER mark 3 with a motley collection of holes cut in the side!

Get some pics Oh, and that GNER MK3 has been there for years - not sure if its the one that had new windows fitted years back?

 

[IanXC]

Get some pics Oh, and that GNER MK3 has been there for years - not sure if its the one that had new windows fitted years back?

They've been badly obscured every day. Just a glipse from onboard a train otherwise I would have! The pics earlier in this thread are much much better than I could have got.

Ah not seen it before so thought it could have been involved!

They're inconveniently building a new shed in the way of lots of the view too.

 

[Blindtraveler]

True, but I want to get droplight action on loco-hauled trains rather than HSTs, which are just jumped-up multiple units IMHO.

agreed although stil better than pritty much most else. Try get some more m3tings in Scotland and bash some MK2 Sleaper seated cars, doing 2 nights in a row soon cant wate!
Wev also got that 67 Fiè Circle working which öw its warmer weather is a great one!

 

[dubscottie]

Pic of the coaches here..

http://railwayherald.com/imagingcentre/view/229949/TW

 

[aylesbury]

Did they not have to do a redesign as the origonal doors were to small?

 

[sprinterguy]

if they are all power doored this slowly then many will have been retired and replaced by IEP or god forbid Cascaded voyagers before they are done. Ok some with smaller fleats EG XC, GC and EC may get them done but theres so many at FGW that therel be a good few droplite seshes yet there!

I would think that there won't be much chance of the HSTs destined or likely for replacement this decade, by IEP or whatever, being fitted with power doors: It makes little economic sense from the TOCs point of view to invest in fitting power doors to a train fleet that is only going to be in service for a relatively short amount of time: I might even speculate that FGW may be the only operator to go down the road of power door fitted HST mark 3s, on its' HSTs that are to be retained after the introduction of IEP, given that they might be expected to continue in service for a while yet: East Coasts' HSTs will be replaced by IEP, Crosscountrys' small fleet of five trains could be replaced by cascaded Voyagers if the new West Coast operator feels inclined to replace the 221s after 2016, and depending on if MML electrification is confirmed then EMT may not be inclined to fit power doors to their fleet.
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Pic of the coaches here..

http://railwayherald.com/imagingcentre/view/229949/TW

The first set must surely be about ready to leave Wabtec by now? It certainly has been an incredibly protracted process in getting this first rake to the stage it is now at.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Last I heard (yesterday) is that there is still a problem when the DVT is attached to the rake, it seems to like arming the doors on both sides of the coach rather than just the one which is selected. Dunno how true that is, its just mess room gossip but from pretty good sources.

 

[The Planner]

Possibly true as the test runs keep getting knocked back as a few have been bid for STP.

 

[Rhydgaled]

Are there any pictures of the rest of the new power-door mark 3 carriage, there's only one end of it in the picture linked to above.

Other operators may decide not to fit power doors at all. I think I read in Modern Railways that a permissable alternative might be to fit much stronger central door locking systems to allow an internal door handle to be fitted, and presumably the exterior handle would have to be made easy for disabled passengers to operate too.

 

[YorkshireBear]

The first set must surely be about ready to leave Wabtec by now? It certainly has been an incredibly protracted process in getting this first rake to the stage it is now at.

Well its the first rake it will always take longer, theyve got to perfect everything the first time including checking the design it isnt just a rolling modification project yet.

 

[sprinterguy]

Well its the first rake it will always take longer, theyve got to perfect everything the first time including checking the design it isnt just a rolling modification project yet.

True, I would much rather they took the time to make sure that the design works and that any problems are ironed out rather than the set failing in service.

 

[theblackwatch]

The latest Rail Express details the identities of the newly converted coaches which have all been renumbered.

 

[IanXC]

Hmm if they have new numbers I wonder if they are now Mark 3Cs?