At the moment, you get an extra 36 seats, but also more toilets, a buffet, more space, more luggage/bike storage and high quality catering. As sd0733, says, though, the extra standard class coach will provide a 76 seat gain.
That's HD08 minus the TOE and DVT which have been used as barriers for recent TO moves to/from Crewe.
Ah, it’s the fabled HD08. Something has to happen with it, it can’t take up the (rather limited) space at Bristol forever.
Indeed, it looked absolutely vile. I doubt it could enter service without a repaint.
Mk4's, 170's and 197s are not cleared via the VOG.
That'll need to change soon for the 197s then...
Possibly a cardiff west shuttle of sprinters for this weekend?
There's still quite a few Manchester services that are Sprinters on Sundays anyway.
I find this incredible. What does it take to clear a type of train for a certain line - just an empty run-through each way with a platform check at any likely calling points?
That's the basics of it but there's also PRM compliance, stepping distances, signal sightings, stopping positions, risks etc. All the platform data then has to be compiled to Grade each platform. Depending on the grade it scores mitigations have to be put in place. All this has to then be manually submitted to RSSB. Stations can be skipped, for example Mk4s aren't passed to call at the likes of Valley and until the 5 car runs took place couldn't call at Shotton but now can as all the necessary work and documentation took place during the 5 car runs.
Many thanks for your quick response.
A lot of it is extremely similar. Certain things do show unexpected results but the vast majority are as expected.
They do have automated announcements (they're the same as on the 197s, though less frequent), but it's certainly not uncommon for them to be made manually by the guard.
They're less frequent but longer. The 197s don't go through every station except at the origin. The 67+MK4s do very regularly; they did at every stop but might have had it toned back since.
I'd much rather that than the borderline announcement "spam" of the 197s. They usually skip most stops, anyway.
HD01-06 do have auto announcer but HD07 isn't as somewhere along the lines it's not fully in "the system" so it can't have them uploaded.
The thought of a nice long journey on a MK4 with no announcements sounds blissful, so perhaps I’ll keep an eye out for those sets when I go to Shrewsbury/Wrexham
I found out recently the 197s are very much live as well - in that Doris started announcing a different terminating station before I got the phone call from the guard telling me we were turning back early
Never knew that about 197s I was always told they weren't able to do that, obviously they can then!I found out recently the 197s are very much live as well - in that Doris started announcing a different terminating station before I got the phone call from the guard telling me we were turning back early
Not long after the MKIVs first came into service I had to bring a failed set onto the depot, swap the failed loco for a working one, then sit with it whilst I waited for a guard to come down so it could be prepped ready to go back into service. This was when I discovered that there's no easy way to turn off the PIS system onboard - which still thought it was on its original journey, and was making announcements every few minutes apologising for the delay!
Yes, I'd had my suspicions as I once passed a late running unit going the other way that had Wilmslow showing as the destination - with nothing booked to terminate there the was clearly a change on the day that control were able to input. Very happy to have it confirmed, it's an impressive tool and much better than just having to switch the PIS system off altogether as we had to with the older stock
I'm guessing there's an MCB somewhere that'll do the trick but if there is it's also it's a DFT unless someone tells us officiallyYes, there's no easy way! I've been sat on the depot on one, the Welsh of "we are now approaching Llandudno Junction" suddenly coming over the PA
Badly needed. Would certainly look very smart in the white with red doors as per the rest of the fleet, and then everything would look uniform.
I'd guess there's an average of one train a day which terminates at Wilmslow now - Stockport can't really be used because the signalling won't allow an easy reversal, but Wilmslow is simple and there's a choice of platforms depending on what else is around.
From what I’ve heard, it’s no longer going ahead. Vinyl might still be on the table, though.
It will be at some point at least for the LNER liveried sets. They're already due as part of the normal maintenance cycle so Paint can't be put off forever.
I hope there's enough sets to cover while repaints are in progress. We don't need any more reasons for Sprinter substitution
