CrossCountry Voyagers: Due a refurbishment?

[thelongestroad]

Quite often pass on XC Voyagers and you can tell they don't give a crap... with seats that are bashed to buggery and clearly haven't ever been reupholstered (can only imagine what suspect fluids lurk within the fabric), dodgy lighting, stained carpets, grimey bashed up wall panels.

Always laugh when an XC Voyager passes and you can see the different shades of yellow where they ripped the Virgin logo off of the front of them.

The HSTs were given a very nice fitting out, shame they didn't do the same on the Voyagers.

 

[superalbs]

The HSTs were given a very nice fitting out, shame they didn't do the same on the Voyagers.

The only thing they did on Voyagers is paint the sides.

 

[cjmillsnun]

Quite often pass on XC Voyagers and you can tell they don't give a crap... with seats that are bashed to buggery and clearly haven't ever been reupholstered (can only imagine what suspect fluids lurk within the fabric), dodgy lighting, stained carpets, grimey bashed up wall panels.
.

They have had new seat covers since XC started using them. There were so many VT style covers used that they saved money and used them.

 

[RichmondCommu]

It's 250 in an XC 5 car set. As for running them in pairs, what stock would you use? HSTs? They'll be quite a few of them spare soon!

Ha, no chance! They'll soon be off to be cut up into tiny little pieces and come back as shiny new Hitachi trains for our Intercity routes

Personally I can't wait for the inevitable mass hysteria that will erupt on this forum when the first ones get cut up.

 

[The47Wanderer]

Ha, no chance! They'll soon be off to be cut up into tiny little pieces and come back as shiny new Hitachi trains for our Intercity routes

Personally I can't wait for the inevitable mass hysteria that will erupt on this forum when the first ones get cut up.

They're not getting cut up, they're going to live forever, right? :cry:

 

[507 001]

Last time I went on a voyager (2 years ago) it was tatty. The first one I was on was just dirty, the second was dirty and the aircon was broken, so half of every carriage was freezing, the other half absolutely baking!


In fact the EMT 158 I went on a couple of days later was a positive dream compared to it (quieter, comfier etc etc)

 

[yorksrob]

Fifteen years is a long time to a first refurb.

 

[class26]

Any refurb MUST include totally new seats. I went on one recently (hadn`t been on one for many years having moved to the east of England) and was horrified by how uncomfortable the seats were. My journey was only York to Doncaster I can`t imagine doing a journey of any length. I am sure it would be possible to make these trains more acceptable.

 

[Blaahh]

They are always at their worst at 2300 at basingstoke on a friday night, they are diesel rubbish bins at that point! Hsts on the south to north west route would work a treat if decanted post GWR.

 

[sng7]

They're not getting cut up, they're going to live forever, right? :cry:

Well a fair number are going up to scotland after a major refurb so the end isn't near yet

 

[rjholt]

I never thought I would see the day when a HST was train of preference but it is over a 220.

I think XC is a shocking franchise. They have done the absolute bare minimum since taking over from the bearded one.

 

[Carlisle]

In no way shape or form would they work well on TPE. Wrong layout and not enough capacity indeed they'd make just about everything worse.

That can't be entirely correct as they operated perfectly successfully for quite a few years on the Manchester to Scotland route before that was handed over to Trans Pennine and their tilt systems may be able to shave a few minutes off some routes

 

[MCR247]

That can't be entirely correct as they operated perfectly successfully for quite a few years on the Manchester to Scotland route before that was handed over to Trans Pennine and their tilt systems may be able to shave a few minutes off some routes

The WC route is barely TPE and the minutes you mention that tilting might save would be eaten up by the massive dwell times on routes like North TPE

 

[yorksrob]

Although, to be fair, 158's with end doors worked on the trans pennine core perfectly well for many years.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Although, to be fair, 158's with end doors worked on the trans pennine core perfectly well for many years.

Exactly, as is usually the case there just wasn't enough of them as passenger numbers increased.

 

[yorksrob]

Exactly, as is usually the case there just wasn't enough of them as passenger numbers increased.

Indeed. It's the overall capacity that's always been the key issue, rather than the door layout.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

They're not getting cut up, they're going to live forever, right? :cry:

The day when the last of the HST's go to the torch will be a hideous day for mankind that will live forever in infamy and be commemorated with the gnashing of teeth over our collective loss.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

They're not getting cut up, they're going to live forever, right? :cry:

The day when the last of the HST's go to the torch will be a hideous day for mankind that will live forever in infamy and be commemorated with the gnashing of teeth over our collective loss.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Send them to Transpennine Express! They'd work well on there.

Oh, god! Please no!!!

 

[thenorthern]

I agree with the OP that the sets need a refurbishment as the seats are becoming battered and dented and the fold down tray mechanisms are going which means that they are now folding to an obtuse angle rather than the 90 degree angle they should be at and I wish they would get rid of those damn seat radios.

 

[yorksrob]

I agree with the OP that the sets need a refurbishment as the seats are becoming battered and dented and the fold down tray mechanisms are going which means that they are now folding to an obtuse angle rather than the 90 degree angle they should be at and I wish they would get rid of those damn seat radios.

I plugged my earphones in them about five years ago, and there was no sound.

To be fair, a good idea, but not enough to override the basics, e.g. leg room,comfy cushion etc.

 

[ainsworth74]

I plugged my earphones in them about five years ago, and there was no sound.

They'd been dead for ages even then! I think possibly even as far back as Virgin XC!!

 

[yorksrob]

They'd been dead for ages even then! I think possibly even as far back as Virgin XC!!

To be fair, if they'd just found a way to route in Radio's 2 and 4, they'd be sorted - it would've worked.

 

[Ash Bridge]

They'd been dead for ages even then! I think possibly even as far back as Virgin XC!!

When we travelled to Cornwall back in June 2008 my memory tells me they were still working then although the following year the system was dead, can't remember when Arriva took over though.

To be fair, if they'd just found a way to route in Radio's 2 and 4, they'd be sorted - it would've worked.

I think on the above occasion it was only one BBC radio channel that was available and it could have been Radio 4, nothing else offered.

 

[edwin_m]

To be fair, if they'd just found a way to route in Radio's 2 and 4, they'd be sorted - it would've worked.

Anyone who wants to listen to music or radio today has their own device which will allow them to do this reliably. Built-in systems offering a limited number of stations are pretty pointless, and were probably a waste of money even at the time Voyagers were introduced.

 

[yorksrob]

Anyone who wants to listen to music or radio today has their own device which will allow them to do this reliably. Built-in systems offering a limited number of stations are pretty pointless, and were probably a waste of money even at the time Voyagers were introduced.

Well, it was 2001. I'm not sure smart phones were particularly prolific at the time. And I remember once trying to listen to the radio going from Leeds to London once on my own device, which was pretty hopeless.

 

[edwin_m]

Well, it was 2001. I'm not sure smart phones were particularly prolific at the time. And I remember once trying to listen to the radio going from Leeds to London once on my own device, which was pretty hopeless.

Was the built-in radio on the trains any better? I expect it would have lost signal in just the same places when passing through tunnels etc. Small portable radios and cassette/CD players were widespread 15 years ago.

Just checked and the iPod was introduced in 2001. Maybe Virgin were just a bit unlucky.

 

[yorksrob]

Was the built-in radio on the trains any better? I expect it would have lost signal in just the same places when passing through tunnels etc. Small portable radios and cassette/CD players were widespread 15 years ago.

Just checked and the iPod was introduced in 2001. Maybe Virgin were just a bit unlucky.

Not sure - never tried it when it was switched on

Perhaps I'm a bit of a laggard, but I don't think I got an mp3 player until about 2007.

 

[Skie]

The radio was mostly pre-recorded iirc so the quality was ok early on but I'm pretty sure they just stopped bothering with it over time and the quality dropped fast. Of course it was just a bunch of channels of utter tosh music anyway so you couldn't really tell

 

[ScotrailINV]

I plugged my earphones in them about five years ago, and there was no sound.

To be fair, a good idea, but not enough to override the basics, e.g. leg room,comfy cushion etc.

The internal gubbins for the at seat audio services were removed to permit the installation of WiFi, as with the Pendolinos, but the audio jacks and buttons were left in situ as I presume it would be too costly/unnecessary to remove or plate over them.

 

[satisnek]

They could always use them on the Stourbridge line.... OK, the door layout isn't ideal but think of the acceleration up Old Hill Bank......

Though personally I would vote for the washing machine/fridge-freezer option...

 

[thenorthern]

The radio's on the trains did have an advantage in that they had an external antenna as the coaches are like a Faraday Cage with radio signals, if they were brought back into use I would certainly use them but they won't ever be used again.