GWR Turbo cascade progress to Bristol region services

[FGW_DID]

If the 165’s retain 5 seats across and the 166’s are 4, then surely, once the public realise the difference they will head for the 166’s - especially if they have working air cooling? The problem could then be that the 166 section becomes full, the train moves off and the ‘overflow’ of passengers are not able to access the spare capacity in the 165 section of the train due to lack of through gangway. Perhaps at the next station, ‘overflow’ passengers will try and hop off and back into the 165 section?

165s are in the process of being fitted with 'Air Cooling' (165110 &165111 being the first, currently at Wolverton).

166s have 'Air Conditioning' which has always been troublesome.

Most people will ram into whichever part of the train has stopped closest to the platform access point :roll:

 

[virgintrain1]

Surely the on the Portsmouth routes the train should always be booked with 2+2 seating in order for rail goremt to provide their trolley service on it?

 

[IanXC]

This plan seems quite effective to me. Clearly a 166 with air conditioning is attractive, but if you are only travelling a few stops is a 165 with available seats and air cooling really that much less attractive?

 

[fgwrich]

165s are in the process of being fitted with 'Air Cooling' (165110 &165111 being the first, currently at Wolverton).

166s have 'Air Conditioning' which has always been troublesome.

Most people will ram into whichever part of the train has stopped closest to the platform access point :roll:

Interesting, will it be a similar style of system to the Chiltern units?

 

[FGW_DID]

Interesting, will it be a similar style of system to the Chiltern units?

Not really involved in the engineering side of the house so I'm not too au fait with the particular systems involved but have heard mention that it is along the lines of the Chiltern system.

 

[tsr]

Surely the on the Portsmouth routes the train should always be booked with 2+2 seating in order for rail goremt to provide their trolley service on it?

Trolleys can work with 3+2 seating. Southern services had catering trolleys for many years with very tight 3+2 seats, probably tighter than the GWR Turbos. More to the point, Turbos of all flavours can also end up on express services with trolleys on the North Downs Line.

 

[TEW]

Trolleys can work with 3+2 seating. Southern services had catering trolleys for many years with very tight 3+2 seats, probably tighter than the GWR Turbos. More to the point, Turbos of all flavours can also end up on express services with trolleys on the North Downs Line.

But at the moment Rail Gourmet Trolleys will not board 2+3 seated 150s on the Portsmouth-Cardiff route. They will join a 158 or 150 with 2+2 seating but if a 150 with 3+2 seating shows up, no trolley is available.

 

[tsr]

But at the moment Rail Gourmet Trolleys will not board 2+3 seated 150s on the Portsmouth-Cardiff route. They will join a 158 or 150 with 2+2 seating but if a 150 with 3+2 seating shows up, no trolley is available.

I don't go on 150s much - a few times a year, maximum - but I seem to remember that the layout on some of the 3+2 seats on those does, to be fair, seem more awkward to what I'm used to around the rest of the south! It could also be that a different design of trolleys is used.

It's also worth saying that the trolley hosts also seemed to be less confident in wheeling their kit through the train towards the end of their time on Southern, and they seem to be more likely to approach a "static" approach on the North Downs Line if it's busy.

 

[TEW]

I don't go on 150s much - a few times a year, maximum - but I seem to remember that the layout on some of the 3+2 seats on those does, to be fair, seem more awkward to what I'm used to around the rest of the south! It could also be that a different design of trolleys is used.

It's also worth saying that the trolley hosts also seemed to be less confident in wheeling their kit through the train towards the end of their time on Southern, and they seem to be more likely to approach a "static" approach on the North Downs Line if it's busy.

It's worse than that on the Portsmouth to Cardiff route though. Not even a static trolley will be provided on a 3+2 seated 150, the Trolley will not board the train whatsoever.

 

[Parallel]

It's worse than that on the Portsmouth to Cardiff route though. Not even a static trolley will be provided on a 3+2 seated 150, the Trolley will not board the train whatsoever.

Is it something to do with not being able to provide hot drinks if there are no tables or fold down tables present?

 

[Michael.Y]

Is it something to do with not being able to provide hot drinks if there are no tables or fold down tables present?

Exactly this. Hence why, when a Pacer works a Fishguard service (as it has done from time to time) there is no Arriva catering.

 

[Thatcham Xing]

More to the point, Turbos of all flavours can also end up on express services with trolleys on the North Downs Line.

And on the semi-fast Bedwyn's, which have trolley service also (currently).

 

[jimm]

Surely the on the Portsmouth routes the train should always be booked with 2+2 seating in order for rail goremt to provide their trolley service on it?

Trolleys have been provided on Oxford and Cotswold Line services worked by Turbos with 3+2 seats for many years - and is offered on other GWR routes as noted above.

Is it something to do with not being able to provide hot drinks if there are no tables or fold down tables present?

Exactly this. Hence why, when a Pacer works a Fishguard service (as it has done from time to time) there is no Arriva catering.

While there are some tables in Turbos, the tiny fold-down shelves (which were pretty useless frankly) on the backs of other seats were removed a long time ago but the sale of hot drinks on board has continued.

 

[BestWestern]

Trolleys have been provided on Oxford and Cotswold Line services worked by Turbos with 3+2 seats for many years - and is offered on other GWR routes as noted above.

While there are some tables in Turbos, the tiny fold-down shelves (which were pretty useless frankly) on the backs of other seats were removed a long time ago but the sale of hot drinks on board has continued.

"Hot" drinks tends to be less of an issue where a trolley is involved (urn, moderately warm) than it is when an HST boiler emitting nuclear-hot, scalding water is involved! Lid on cup, job done!

 

[hassaanhc]

The 165s will retain 3+2 seats - only the 166s are being converted to 2+2 - and are going to be fitted with air cooling kit like the Chiltern 165s.

While a howling gale at 90mph may be okay on a very hot summer day, most of the year having those long hopper windows open - whether because someone insists on having 'fresh air' with added diesel fumes or the window catch is broken - is a complete pain and downright unpleasant in winter. The sooner air cooling is fitted and the windows are replaced with sealed units, the better.

And they definitely are noisy if you're sat near the engine with the windows open. Definitely as loud as the 150s and 153s (and they have louder engines in idle than 150/153 stock). I recommend people try Maidenhead to Twyford (or one of the non-stop or one-stop services between Paddington and Reading if you're brave :P ). Given how worked up people on here get about much quieter air conditioned DMUs, it is surprising that they want one with open windows (unless you actually prefer more noise on a DMU, like me )

 

[TEW]

Is it something to do with not being able to provide hot drinks if there are no tables or fold down tables present?

If that was the issue, presumably the solution would just be to not serve hot drinks rather than to provide no catering at all.

 

[swt_passenger]

It's worse than that on the Portsmouth to Cardiff route though. Not even a static trolley will be provided on a 3+2 seated 150, the Trolley will not board the train whatsoever.

It's possible that the trollies available for use on the route don't physically fit. On routes where catering is provided routinely on 2+3 carriages then maybe the catering contractor has been told to provide the right number of narrower trollies?

 

[Sprinter153]

The Turbos which receive the Ride Height Modification will receive a yellow triangle icon below the Driver's Assistant side windscreen as a reminder of the modification like so:

The brief indicates they will be restricted to North Downs Line and Basingstoke services for the time being, excluding Empty Coaching Stock or 'special workings', with strict instructions to report any RHM-modified Turbos on other routes to the Senior Controller.

 

[AnthonyRail]

Are there turbos in Bristol now? On the Severn line?

 

[PHILIPE]

Are there turbos in Bristol now? On the Severn line?

There are Turbos in Bristol for training purposes and should appear on Severn Beach Line in July

 

[PHILIPE]

I'm not sure how many operational Turbos will be at Bristol at the start of July, but the Severn Beach line would require just 2.

 

[D1009]

There are Turbos in Bristol for training purposes and should appear on Severn Beach Line in July

As GWR are already advertising on posters in the area.

 

[PHILIPE]

As GWR are already advertising on posters in the area.

Have just read item on GWR Website and it states that with the introduction of these additional trains on the Severn Beach route, it will enable other units to be utilised to increase on other routes. If 3 x 150/1s have to go to Northern, which I believe is due to happen, these transfers would cancel out this extra capacity. Is it just spin ?

 

[superalbs]

Have just read item on GWR Website and it states that with the introduction of these additional trains on the Severn Beach route, it will enable other units to be utilised to increase on other routes. If 3 x 150/1s have to go to Northern, which I believe is due to happen, these transfers would cancel out this extra capacity. Is it just spin ?

Pretty sure that a Networker Turbo in either two or three car formation would seat more people than a Class 150/1.

 

[BestWestern]

Pretty sure that a Networker Turbo in either two or three car formation would seat more people than a Class 150/1.

I think the question was not so much about the capacity of the units, but whether the arriving Turbo sets are in fact additional trains into the West fleet or are merely replacing sets which are due to depart for another TOC.

 

[D1009]

Have just read item on GWR Website and it states that with the introduction of these additional trains on the Severn Beach route, it will enable other units to be utilised to increase on other routes. If 3 x 150/1s have to go to Northern, which I believe is due to happen, these transfers would cancel out this extra capacity. Is it just spin ?

To be fair to GWR they are saying the trains to be deployed on the Severn Beach route will be the 3 car variety of Turbo. Whether this is the case in practice remains to be seen.

 

[JN114]

To be fair to GWR they are saying the trains to be deployed on the Severn Beach route will be the 3 car variety of Turbo. Whether this is the case in practice remains to be seen.

It will be 3 car 166s on the Beach in July. Whether that changes when the larger cascades that take place in the months and years to come remains to be seen.

 

[adrock1976]

Has it been decided which Class 166s are specially dedicated for the Avonmouth/Severn Beach services, or will it be at random?

Also, will they be permanently based at Bristol, or will it be similar to the Barrow in Furness/Blackpool North/Windermere - Manchester Airport via Bolton where the Class 185s on hire from Transpennine Express to Northern Rail are rotated around with different units daily?

 

[dmncf]

The Turbos which receive the Ride Height Modification will receive a yellow triangle icon below the Driver's Assistant side windscreen as a reminder of the modification like so:

The brief indicates they will be restricted to North Downs Line and Basingstoke services for the time being, excluding Empty Coaching Stock or 'special workings', with strict instructions to report any RHM-modified Turbos on other routes to the Senior Controller.

Sorry if I've overlooked this in an earlier post, but can I please ask what this Ride Height Modification is all about?

 

[Kite159]

I guess when they start to operate on the Beach Line they will operate like Turbos do on non-DOO routes within the Thames Valley (North Downs, Readingstokes, Cotswold etc) with the driver controlling the doors, closing when given the signal by the guard who will have to stay in the rear cab area due to the short distance between some of the stations?