New use for the class 442's

[Trainfan344]

Since the first of the 387/2 has headed down to Bletchley tonight, since there seem to be many uses for the class 442's remaining, let's use this topic to list any use for them be it serious or not.

I think they should be used as loco hauled stock on the Borders railway.

 

[185143]

TPE Manchester-Scotland services

 

[antharro]

Oh no. Here we go. :-\

Eh. Weymouth - Waterloo fasts.

 

[Northern Pacer]

Agreeing with 185143, and for Cleethorpes services to replace lost 170s

 

[Bletchleyite]

TPE Manchester-Scotland services

This, in 9 or 10-car formations with a 67 on the front.

 

[DarloRich]

Since the first of the 376/2 has headed down to Bletchley tonight, since there seem to be many uses for the class 442's remaining, let's use this topic to list any use for them be it serious or not.

I think they should be used as loco hauled stock on the Borders railway.

So that's what went past the window a little while ago! I shall keep an eye out for testing

 

[tbtc]

To be used as part of the sixty four trains an hour up the Lea Valley, as part of plans to finally give Brighton a Cross Country link to platform 3c at Preston - hauled by reconditioned Class 60s?

(more seriously... you'd have to spend so much on converting them, when dozens of Mk3s are going to be freed up by IEP in a couple of years... maybe they'd be suitable for railtours?)

 

[Trainfan344]

So that's what went past the widow a little while ago! I shall keep an eye out for testing

You should (hopefully) be able to see the video of the consist working through Oakham earlier on if you click the link below. It's 378 201 is the unit.


https://www.facebook.com/iain.wright.524596/videos/714211265381001/

66555 and load 6 coal hoppers and gatwick express brand new 387201 at oakham! on 7x33 derby to bletchley

 

[Jonny]

This, in 9 or 10-car formations with a 67 on the front.

It would need more power than that - at least two 67s - just to keep up with the 350s.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

(more seriously... you'd have to spend so much on converting them, when dozens of Mk3s are going to be freed up by IEP in a couple of years... maybe they'd be suitable for railtours?)

Except that they will be available sooner and are in better condition!

 

[DarloRich]

You should (hopefully) be able to see the video of the consist working through Oakham earlier on if you click the link below. It's 378 201 is the unit.


https://www.facebook.com/iain.wright.524596/videos/714211265381001/

oooooooooooooh a red one Need a pic of that!

 

[Trainfan344]

To be used as part of the sixty four trains an hour up the Lea Valley, as part of plans to finally give Brighton a Cross Country link to platform 3c at Preston - hauled by reconditioned Class 60s?

(more seriously... you'd have to spend so much on converting them, when dozens of Mk3s are going to be freed up by IEP in a couple of years... maybe they'd be suitable for railtours?)

Brighton to Preston via the Lea Valley? Sounds an interesting route!

 

[MK Tom]

Since the first of the 376/2 has headed down to Bletchley tonight, since there seem to be many uses for the class 442's remaining, let's use this topic to list any use for them be it serious or not.

I think they should be used as loco hauled stock on the Borders railway.

387/2 you mean.

This must be class 442 new use discussion number 442 by now.

 

[Trainfan344]

387/2 you mean.

This must be class 442 new use discussion number 442 by now.

Yes, it's late forgive me :P

Why don't we convert them to bar cars for use on the GEML? Serving a range of cider and ales, I'm sure that'd be an acceptable use for most forum members.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Defo want them on TPE! Have lined up 90 050, 45 015 and 46 009 for traction so far. The skoda while under the wires on the ECML and the peaks to go over the err..... peaks!

50 011 will act as thunderbird and based at Crewe.....

 

[Stats]

since there seem to be many uses for the class 442's remaining, let's use this topic to list any use for them be it serious or not.

Again? Really?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Brighton to Preston via the Lea Valley? Sounds an interesting route!

Anyone know what was the year of the last time was that the Manchester Piccadilly to Brighton services ran?

 

[RobShipway]

Anyone know what was the year of the last time was that the Manchester Piccadilly to Brighton services ran?

The Brighton services where cut as part of Operation Princess in September 2002.

However, I do not believe that there is any capacity available to be running any inter-city style service even if it is only once or twice a day.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Be turned into baked bean cans

 

[Nym]

This, in 9 or 10-car formations with a 67 on the front.

Won't fit, nor has anywhere to run around at Manchester Airport, and won't fit at Manchester Oxford Road.

 

[Townsend Hook]

Since the first of the 387/2 has headed down to Bletchley tonight, since there seem to be many uses for the class 442's remaining, let's use this topic to list any use for them be it serious or not.

I think they should be used as loco hauled stock on the Borders railway.

London Bridge - Uckfield services, attaching and detaching a Crompton at Oxted. I can dream..
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The Brighton services where cut as part of Operation Princess in September 2002.

However, I do not believe that there is any capacity available to be running any inter-city style service even if it is only once or twice a day.

2002? The last services ran under CrossCountry in December 2008.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Loco-hauled on the Marches so that 175s can be doubled up. (Dream on...)

 

[Bletchleyite]

Won't fit, nor has anywhere to run around at Manchester Airport, and won't fit at Manchester Oxford Road.

I'm not convinced either of those stations are as important as providing a proper InterCity level of capacity and quality. I think there is suppressed demand, put off by severe overcrowding and the use of regional EMUs, however nice a regional EMU there may be.

 

[TheNewNo2]

Hand them over to Google to install self-driving software in them, then release them all from Brighton and see where they end up.

 

[talldave]

You should (hopefully) be able to see the video of the consist working through Oakham earlier on if you click the link below. It's 378 201 is the unit.


https://www.facebook.com/iain.wright.524596/videos/714211265381001/

I'm surprised they didn't paint the 3rd class accommodation the same colour as the rest of the train

442s - same answer as always, baked bean "carriages".

 

[Polarbear]

My idea would be to use them with 90's on mid-distance workings such as LM's Euston -Crewe service & TPE from Manchester Airport to Scotland.

Ain't gonna happen though!

 

[A0]

Amazed nobody's suggested strengthening them with the spare class 321 trailers that are about to come free as Scotrail reduce the ex-LM 321s to 3 car.

That could allay the fears about loading times by introducing 1/3, 2/3 door carriages into the formations

 

[northwichcat]

TPE Manchester-Scotland services

It's been suggested that's not an option unless TPE services call at less stations north of Preston and Virgin call at more using 221s/390s.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Hand them over to Google to install self-driving software in them, then release them all from Brighton and see where they end up.

I like this idea. It's like the old LNER pigeon trains, except you're cutting out the middle man.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

The Brighton services where cut as part of Operation Princess in September 2002.

Brighton had an active traincrew depot until 2006. The brighton services were axed after Arriva took over the franchise and the map was redrawn to add stanstead-cardiff and removed the West coast work to a mix of virgin and TPE. Pompeii line services and Poole were axed upon introduction of operation flickup, err... Princess! Along with the Ramsgate and weymouth summer saturday trains. When the timetable couldnt be sustained thats when Liverpool was axed along with BPN-BHI workings and the HST's were handed over to Midland Mainline for project rio. Solihull a
So lost its station stop. It was also around this time BMH and west country-WCML scotland services were split at MAN in order to build robustness in the schedules. Ironically reliability improved meaning the terminator on 5-6 often got in with time to spare before the scottish service departed 14. Its this bit that TPE now run.

1O31 19:46ish LIV-GTW was never on time and was rarely less than an hour late bu the time it reached BHM (scheduled 21:33 departure) when the Reading based crew would take over with Brighton taking over at Reading for the stint to Gatwick often departing after midnight. The brighton crew passed from brighton to reading and waited for the back working on that late diagram. This service was eventually axed when Liverpool was given up leaving 1V96 16:04 GLC-PAD (d BHM 21:03) as the last thames valley service. Paddington was also subsequently axed as a destination but remained a traincrew boarding point for a couple of services (1M07 07:03 PAD-MAN still ran ecs from PAD to form 07:33 @RDG which required the train crew to book on at 04:30 for an all stations thames/FGW link turbo to PAD. That was a eye watering shift! 09:03 PAD-MAN reversed in PAD but traincrew boarded at RDG to form 1M11 @09:33. This was a HST, but utilised a west coast 8 car set on a Saturday but still stopped at Solihull until the HSTs were withdrawn hen it switched to a 4 car voyager)

 

[47802]

Can we ban all threads on 442's until there are real proposals as to what's actually happening with these trains