New trains please

[robert2000]

I travelled on the mid cheshire line from chester to manchester recently to watch man city play. The train was rattley and noisy, and purple .

What is the news on Northern getting some decent rolling stock, i know they are trying their best with what they have got.

I like the mid cheshire line, but The trains let it down.

cheers, rob

 

[devon_metro]

New trains (172s) are going to London Midland for services around Birmingham and London Overground for services on the GOBLIN, with the displaced 150/1s going to First Great Western & Northern.

 

[Failed Unit]

New trains (172s) are going to London Midland for services around Birmingham and London Overground for services on the GOBLIN, with the displaced 150/1s going to First Great Western & Northern.

But not a single pacer will be retired as a result so some poor people in the North will need to continue suffering with them!

 

[ailsa]

Rather than scrap pacers, let's send them to Trowbridge. Then we might have somewhere to stand, and if we are really lucky, a seat!

Better still, build us something new with eight wheels per coach

 

[starrymarkb]

Who is in Trowbridge then, though until recently the 143s worked through Trowbridge to Westbury - they were banned south of there

 

[Dennis]

It's very rare to see a pacer in Trowbridge now; need to travel to Bristol to find one :cry:

 

[tbtc]

But not a single pacer will be retired as a result so some poor people in the North will need to continue suffering with them!

...but with longer Pacers, so at least there'll be more chance of a seat.

Not ideal, of course, but there's no point scrapping trains when they can be used for capacity. The Pacers aren't fantastic, but they do a functional job on some lines - I wouldn't want to be on a crowded one, but hopefully with them doubling up that'll happen less.

(would be nice to have a brand new trainset round these parts, of course, but I accept that just won't happen, and we'll have to rely on a mixture of cascades and a handful of newer EMUs)

 

[ailsa]

Who is in Trowbridge then

Me

though until recently the 143s worked through Trowbridge to Westbury - they were banned south of there

That's interesting and has completely passed me by I've never seen one here!

 

[Drsatan]

But not a single pacer will be retired as a result so some poor people in the North will need to continue suffering with them!

And because the 7 class 142s used around Exeter will probably be replaced by 7 150s, there will be no net increase in passenger capacity! Daft isn't it . I've read stories of passengers on the Exmouth branch being left behind because a single pacer can't cope (although that's probably the exception rather than the rule).

And, we'll have to put up with the 150s for another 10 years at least. Wouldn't it be nice if the good people of Devon actually had some new trains? :roll:

 

[jopsuk]

How does a 30m long Pacer mange to have the same capacity as a 40m long Sprinter? Sounds, um, cosy?

 

[devon_metro]

They don't which is why a 2 car pacer operating in Devon is a nightmare if it ventures onto the Paignton/Exmouth sections of line at any time other than late at night (and Barnstaple at peak times)

 

[ukrob]

And because the 7 class 142s used around Exeter will probably be replaced by 7 150s, there will be no net increase in passenger capacity! Daft isn't it . I've read stories of passengers on the Exmouth branch being left behind because a single pacer can't cope (although that's probably the exception rather than the rule).

And, we'll have to put up with the 150s for another 10 years at least. Wouldn't it be nice if the good people of Devon actually had some new trains? :roll:

That is a daily occurrence in the north west - be glad you have only read about it

 

[poshbakerloo]

And because the 7 class 142s used around Exeter will probably be replaced by 7 150s, there will be no net increase in passenger capacity! Daft isn't it .

It will be an increase in capacity. The 150s are longer and have more standing room. You could fit like an extra 20-30 people?

 

[tbtc]

That is a daily occurrence in the north west - be glad you have only read about it

I had it happen to me at least once a week when I lived in Leeds and commuted by train

 

[poshbakerloo]

I had it happen to me at least once a week when I lived in Leeds and commuted by train

Its happened to me a few times from Leeds-Manchester TPE

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Its happened to me a few times from Leeds-Manchester TPE

I was working the 1600 York - Manchester this afternoon and left about 30 folk behind at York, about 100 at Leeds and about 25 at Dewsbury. Normal Friday afternoon hoards trying to squeeze onto too small trains. And the one behind was only 2 cars!

 

[Drsatan]

It will be an increase in capacity. The 150s are longer and have more standing room. You could fit like an extra 20-30 people?

That's extra standing capacity, not seating capacity. People (usually) prefer to sit rather than stand.

 

[4SRKT]

Not another bl**dy pacer thread!!

 

[Vulcan]

Not another bl**dy pacer thread!!

I just thought the same thing...




...we love 'em really

 

[poshbakerloo]

That's extra standing capacity, not seating capacity. People (usually) prefer to sit rather than stand.

For everyone to have a seat, 99% of trains would need to be double their current length...sometimes more

 

[ailsa]

For everyone to have a seat, 99% of trains would need to be double their current length...sometimes more

That's a very accurate statistic - what's your source?

 

[poshbakerloo]

That's a very accurate statistic - what's your source?

Poshbakerloo's magical mystical train book!

 

[ailsa]

Poshbakerloo's magical mystical train book!

Is that an Ian Allen publication

 

[Lampshade]

What's going to be happening with the 3 car 150s? The prototypes are fixed formation so I guess they can't be changed but what about the ex-LM hybrids?

 

[poshbakerloo]

What's going to be happening with the 3 car 150s? The prototypes are fixed formation so I guess they can't be changed but what about the ex-LM hybrids?

Do they actually run 3 car 150s anywhere? I've never seen em before, I guess they would be better on crowded routes! I think the 150s could be very nice trains just given a lot of TLC!

 

[starrymarkb]

The two prototype sets are 3 car as built, other lm 3 cars are hybrids, a 150/2 dms inserted into a class 150/1 with the cab locked out, much like fgw's 158s

 

[Ivo]

It's very rare to see a pacer in Trowbridge now; need to travel to Bristol to find one :cry:

Aww, boo-hoo. What a shame!

You know how much I like seeing the occasional Pacer "towed" [it may as well be! ] along the viaduct immediately west of Bath Spa? I almost want an HST to "accidentally" ram into it! (At least the HST would be well-built enough to withstand said collision! :roll

 

[yorksrob]

Not another bl**dy pacer thread!!

I thought you loved Pacer threads

 

[northwichcat]

The original post didn't actually mention Pacer. Some ex-ATN 150s fit the original description - old, purple and rattly.

The amount of Pacers on the line has decreased slightly recently - probably partly as Northern are using pairs of 142s to fill in for a 323 shortage. However, 142s do appear on some Sunday Chester-Manchester-Southport services - a total journey time of about 2.5 hours and overall the quality of rolling stock on the line is worse than in FNW days when the occasional 158 and 175 ran services on the line.

 

[poshbakerloo]

142s do appear on some Sunday Chester-Manchester-Southport services - a total journey time of about 2.5 hours

O.M.G Thats like Macclesfield-Oxford with XC! I don't get why they would run such a train on a service that long!