Autumn refresh for GWR Class 165/166 Turbos

[fgwrich]

It’s one way to save on the power used by the perennially useless air con I guess. Plug Sockets or asthmatic air con!

 

[JonathanH]

Hopefully they'll do that with extra power sockets fitted.

Haven't they already got power sockets fitted to the wall adjacent to all seats? How many more power sockets could be fitted?

 

[Anonymous10]

Haven't they already got power sockets fitted to the wall adjacent to all seats? How many more power sockets could be fitted?

I think it was 1 standard 3 pin plug for 3 seats where as tfw 150s etc have 1 3 pin plug and 2 usb sockets could this not be done with little expenditure to give a minor positive to passengers

 

[Parallel]

I think it was 1 standard 3 pin plug for 3 seats where as tfw 150s etc have 1 3 pin plug and 2 usb sockets could this not be done with little expenditure to give a minor positive to passengers

GWR have one three-pin socket and two USB ports per row of seats on their Turbos, 158s and 150s. I think that’s pretty good! Certainly better than CrossCountry who just supply 1 three-pin socket per pair of seats.

 

[JohnRegular]

For all of the issues with the turbos, supply of charging outlets isn't really one of them.

There's hardly a huge uptake in their use, partly because there are only a handful of proper tables per 166 at which anyone is likely to use a laptop.

 

[WarrenTManager]

Doubt they’ll be any more sockets on a 166 they are already quite sluggish trains without diverting more power away from actually powering the train.

If the 166s don't have LED lighting already, a change to that will help in a couple of ways, primarily reducing the power overhead of the lighting freeing up some volts for something else and heading off the path to the abyss of lighting tubes not being available post 2024. When the 165s first had at seat power I liked the look of the plug socket with double USB and pointed colleagues to them. They are almost always broken now when I try to use them. Hopefully future refreshes have more luck.

 

[Anonymous10]

If the 166s don't have LED lighting already, a change to that will help in a couple of ways, primarily reducing the power overhead of the lighting freeing up some volts for something else and heading off the path to the abyss of lighting tubes not being available post 2024. When the 165s first had at seat power I liked the look of the plug socket with double USB and pointed colleagues to them. They are almost always broken now when I try to use them. Hopefully future refreshes have more luck.

And to be fair I would imagine if its only a fuse or the plug not wiring it's a quick cheap and simple item to do on a refresh given the routes they work. Hopefully the 166s get their refresh soon

 

[Snow1964]

I think it was 1 standard 3 pin plug for 3 seats where as tfw 150s etc have 1 3 pin plug and 2 usb sockets could this not be done with little expenditure to give a minor positive to passengers

On 166s the sockets are daftly positioned, so that if train is busy (which on services like Portsmouth-Cardiff that 166s operate on, they often are), anyone in an aisle seat has to have their charging cable over the knees of the two adjacent passengers. Not surprisingly they don't get used much.

How anyone looked at a 166, imagined 10 people in + 3+2 bay and decided that sockets where knees of window seat passengers would be was a great idea is mystery to me.

 

[FenMan]

It’s one way to save on the power used by the perennially useless air con I guess. Plug Sockets or asthmatic air con!

The air cooling fitted to the refurbished 165s on the North Downs works just fine.

 

[WarrenTManager]

On 166s the sockets are daftly positioned, so that if train is busy (which on services like Portsmouth-Cardiff that 166s operate on, they often are), anyone in an aisle seat has to have their charging cable over the knees of the two adjacent passengers. Not surprisingly they don't get used much.

How anyone looked at a 166, imagined 10 people in + 3+2 bay and decided that sockets where knees of window seat passengers would be was a great idea is mystery to me.

There were complaints where the sockets were positioned on the 444/450 Desiros during their refresh. On the Desiro, that was where the wire was running where the sockets had to tap into. It may be the same case on the 16x

 

[RPI]

The air cooling fitted to the refurbished 165s on the North Downs works just fine.

I think they were referring to the knackered system in the 166's

 

[fgwrich]

I think they were referring to the knackered system in the 166's

I was. The 165 system works fine 95% of the time. The 166 system has always been rubbish, and the best thing that could happen to it is ripping it out and starting again.

 

[RPI]

I was. The 165 system works fine 95% of the time. The 166 system has always been rubbish, and the best thing that could happen to it is ripping it out and starting again.

Absolutely, during last summers hottest period the 165's were lovely! I've seen it posted before though that either the DfT or GWR see retrofitting the air cooling into the 166's as a downgrade (im not sure on what planet) so they won't do it

 

[Class172]

DfT or GWR see retrofitting the air cooling into the 166's as a downgrade (im not sure on what planet) so they won't do it

I feel that asking “what planet are the DfT on” could be applied to a number of issues these days.

 

[FGW_DID]

Next 165 rotation on Tuesday 11/04

5Q74 09:44 Wolverton - Reading TCD (165114)

Realtime Trains | 5Q74 0944 Wolverton Centre Sidings to Reading Traincare Depot | 11/04/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Q74 0944 departure from Wolverton Centre Sidings to Reading Traincare Depot on 11/04/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

5Q70 14:42 Reading TCD - Wolverton (165105)

Realtime Trains | 5Q70 1442 Reading Traincare Depot to Wolverton Centre Sidings | 11/04/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Q70 1442 departure from Reading Traincare Depot to Wolverton Centre Sidings on 11/04/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Deepgreen]

I travelled on two hugely contrasting 165s on the North Downs line today - 165116 (refurbished) had full first class labelling, anti-macassars, etc., and actually had the spotlights working (albeit one switch in my set of four seats was wired the wrong way round) - I never expected to see those working again! The return journey was on 165103, unrefurbished and with nothing showing first class whatsoever inside - needless to say it was treated as standard class by passengers from Reading and the guard chose to do ticket checks only after Guildford, when it had emptied out! With such a shoddy lack of labelling on board I don't blame the guard for not trying to enforce first class (legally probably not possible). It is really poor that GWR have abandoned the unrefurbished units like this - I suspect the staff have no idea whether first class is in operation on the route or not - the outward journey saw the guard walking through several times but with no ticket checks, despite it being only moderately busy. Again, even though the first class labelling was fine on 116, the staff just can't know what is going on with such a mixture of quality on the route. This shambles would never have been allowed on BR, where it was sacrosanct that first class was properly labelled on any train put into service (some refurbished 165 units were put back into use after refurbishment with no labelling in place for weeks). BTW, I saw 165104 arriving at Dorking Deepdene with an appendage on the cab roof - is this a track-recording camera or similar (sorry if I've missed this earlier in the thread)?

 

[FGW_DID]

BTW, I saw 165104 arriving at Dorking Deepdene with an appendage on the cab roof - is this a track-recording camera or similar (sorry if I've missed this earlier in the thread)?

It’s a LiDAR unit, used to monitor lineside infrastructure. One of the 2 car 165 (124 rings a bell) has the system fitted as well.

LiDAR = Light Detection And Ranging.

LiDAR supports higher-precision mapping of UK’s rail infrastructure

Network Rail is looking for a more accurate and efficient way to measure Britain’s network. Swedish engineering company Hexagon will support this intention with its solutions that use LiDAR data and artificial intelligence. A disruptive research project will be soon conducted on Britain’s...

www.railtech.com

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I’m assuming 103 has to be the only blue interior left in service?

 

[Snow1964]

I’m assuming 103 has to be the only blue interior left in service?

There are a few 166s that are still in blue and pink paint scheme with words FirstGreatWestern.co.uk in white on sides, which was replaced by current green nearly 8 years ago in September 2015.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

There are a few 166s that are still in blue and pink paint scheme with words FirstGreatWestern.co.uk in white on sides, which was replaced by current green nearly 8 years ago in September 2015.

I know that; I’m saying 103 has to be the last unrefurbished 165 by now surely? They’ve been sending them for ages.

 

[Siemens Staines]

165110 and 165112 have not been refreshed yet so retain the blue interiors.

 

[FGW_DID]

165110 is next in line, that will leave 103 & 112 to do. Once the penultimate 165 is released, the first of the 166s will commence their refresh.

 

[LUYMun]

the guard chose to do ticket checks only after Guildford, when it had emptied out!

Considering that Guildford has ticket barriers at either exits with staff members beside them, I don't think this would've been too much of a concern for those thinking about fare dodging. Mind you, it's the smaller, unmanned stations that I'd be more concerned that have a reputation for fare dodging.

 

[Deepgreen]

Considering that Guildford has ticket barriers at either exits with staff members beside them, I don't think this would've been too much of a concern for those thinking about fare dodging. Mind you, it's the smaller, unmanned stations that I'd be more concerned that have a reputation for fare dodging.

No, not fare dodging per se, but travelling in 'first' with a standard ticket, which ticket barriers will not pick up, obviously. My point was that because there was no labelling the guard could not have enforced it anyway (and I feel sorry for the guards on this route who have been messed about by GWR's ongoing labelling failure for ages now), but for those with first class tickets it's a shambles and money spent for no benefit at all, just because they happened to be on an unrefurbished unit which GWR have abandoned (why can't they even put anti-macassars out to carry the first class signing?).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Apr 2023 ==

There are a few 166s that are still in blue and pink paint scheme with words FirstGreatWestern.co.uk in white on sides, which was replaced by current green nearly 8 years ago in September 2015.

I do wonder if this is a record for old livery survival! Starting in 1967, BR maroon was replaced gradually by blue and grey but I'm not sure if any maroons survived for eight years!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Apr 2023 ==

It’s a LiDAR unit, used to monitor lineside infrastructure. One of the 2 car 165 (124 rings a bell) has the system fitted as well.

LiDAR = Light Detection And Ranging.

LiDAR supports higher-precision mapping of UK’s rail infrastructure

Network Rail is looking for a more accurate and efficient way to measure Britain’s network. Swedish engineering company Hexagon will support this intention with its solutions that use LiDAR data and artificial intelligence. A disruptive research project will be soon conducted on Britain’s...

www.railtech.com

Thanks - I assumed something like that.

 

[LiftFan]

I do wonder if this is a record for old livery survival! Starting in 1967, BR maroon was replaced gradually by blue and grey but I'm not sure if any maroons survived for eight years!

If I remember correctly there was a 153 still running about in Regional Railways livery in 2008 although I may be wrong. I think some of the Networkers retained their Network SouthEast livery for a while too...

 

[LowLevel]

If I remember correctly there was a 153 still running about in Regional Railways livery in 2008 although I may be wrong. I think some of the Networkers retained their Network SouthEast livery for a while too...

153311 was still in Regional Railways colours in 2008.

 

[Snow1964]

If I remember correctly there was a 153 still running about in Regional Railways livery in 2008 although I may be wrong. I think some of the Networkers retained their Network SouthEast livery for a while too...

There were nearly brand new units that included a paint warranty, so was reluctance to repaint these during warranty period.

The 166s were repainted not long before brand changed, but the repaint has had to last almost 8 years (and will no doubt be around many more months)

 

[LUYMun]

153311 was still in Regional Railways colours in 2008.

153326 as well

153326, Barnetby, 29/05/2008

Explore Lee37427Stratford30A's 45587 photos on Flickr!

flic.kr

 

[GWVillager]

I’m sure this has been covered before, so sorry, but will the 166s have their former first class area removed during the refresh? And if it’s staying, will they be in the leather or moquette styling?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I’m sure this has been covered before, so sorry, but will the 166s have their former first class area removed during the refresh? And if it’s staying, will they be in the leather or moquette styling?

No leather I can tell you that with 110% confidence.