Rolling stock provision for LNWR long distance services

[185]

Moderator note - split from:

London NorthWestern Railway Class 350/2 withdrawal

Hi all, With a handful of the 350/2s looking like they are going off for storage soon, I thought it would be a good idea to track their progress. Does anyone know when the last 350/2 is likely to operate for LNwR? Thanks!

www.railforums.co.uk

Assuming the seats on the Express 730s are identical to the horrors seen on the local 730 version albeit with arm rests, they really don't belong on long distance work... send them to Greater Angular.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Assuming the seats on the Express 730s are identical to the horrors seen on the local 730 version albeit with arm rests, they really don't belong on long distance work... send them to Greater Angular.

The 730/2s, I believe have larger spaces between seats, but it should also be added that London Northwestern Railway do not do "long distance work," and even if they did, I'd argue that 2+2 seating, armrests, tables, plugs and seat covers that aren't falling apart are much better for longer journeys than trains without any of those.

 

[RUK]

Assuming the seats on the Express 730s are identical to the horrors seen on the local 730 version albeit with arm rests, they really don't belong on long distance work... send them to Greater Angular.

Why send them to Greater Anglia? They already have an excess of Aventras.

 

[185]

London Northwestern Railway do not do "long distance work"

I'm sure many passengers would disagree...

2 hours 5 mins London Birmingham
2 hours 15 London Crewe
1 hour 45 Birmingham Liverpool

...are longer journeys than many passengers experience in a Pendolino.

Tatty or not, seat comfort is a priority. Makes me giggle at passengers and staff who were desperately unhappy with the 319s now saying ...all's forgiven, please come back.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I'm sure many passengers would disagree...

2 hours 5 mins London Birmingham
2 hours 15 London Crewe
1 hour 45 Birmingham Liverpool

...are longer journeys than many passengers experience in a Pendolino.

Aventras aren't due to work London Birmingham, and London to Crewe, or indeed MKC, Rugby, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Lichfield and Stafford is served at least hourly by Avanti anyway. Birmingham Liverpool I'll let you have

 

[778]

Aventras aren't due to work London Birmingham, and London to Crewe, or indeed MKC, Rugby, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Lichfield and Stafford is served at least hourly by Avanti anyway. Birmingham Liverpool I'll let you have

Are you sure that they are not doing London - Crewe?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Oct 2024 ==

Assuming the seats on the Express 730s are identical to the horrors seen on the local 730 version albeit with arm rests, they really don't belong on long distance work... send them to Greater Angular.

The seats on the Express 730s will be 45cm wide. The Local 730s have seats that are 43.5cm wide. Yesterday I overheard a guard on a LNWR service saying he did not like the new trains.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Are you sure that they are not doing London - Crewe?

No they are. I should have made more distinction between the subordinate and independent clauses, hang on.

Aventras aren't due to work London Birmingham.

and London to Crewe, or indeed MKC, Rugby, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Lichfield and Stafford is served at least hourly by Avanti anyway. Birmingham Liverpool I'll let you have

There we go

 

[AJDesiro]

Assuming the seats on the Express 730s are identical to the horrors seen on the local 730 version albeit with arm rests, they really don't belong on long distance work... send them to Greater Angular.

If you don't like the Kiel seats in standard on the 730/2s, despite them being wider, with spacers and armrests, then there is always the area that was intended to be first class, with similar seats to the 197s - which has been left on the trains, but without 1st class markings.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Unfortunately no sign of them being withdrawn here in the North West.

Both the 1G40 Liverpool - Birmingham and the 1U20 Crewe - Euston are 350/2's, so thats three sets! Thank goodness for the declassified first class section.

Putting a 'double' 350/2 on any Crewe - Euston is shameless!

There will only be 350s on that route for some time, and will be a mix of the individual classes as has always been.

I agree that double /2s should not happen on any route!

 

[778]

There will only be 350s on that route for some time, and will be a mix of the individual classes as has always been.

Were 350/2s only used on the WCML local services when they were first introduced or have they always been used on the longer distance services?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Were 350/2s only used on the WCML local services when they were first introduced or have they always been used on the longer distance services?

It has mostly been seemingly random. Though when the /1s had been converted to 110 they were rare on Crewes as they lost time.

They aren't unpopular on the Crewes as families like the bay seating, and the route is heavily biased to leisure passengers.

 

[Russel]

Aventras aren't due to work London Birmingham, and London to Crewe, or indeed MKC, Rugby, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Lichfield and Stafford is served at least hourly by Avanti anyway. Birmingham Liverpool I'll let you have

Tamworth and Lichfield aren't served hourly by Avanti.

It's a couple of early morning services into Euston and a couple of return journeys in the evening.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Tamworth and Lichfield aren't served hourly by Avanti.

It's a couple of early morning services into Euston and a couple of return journeys in the evening.

From next year they will have an hourly Liverpool service.

 

[Russel]

From next year they will have an hourly Liverpool service.

Is that confirmed as happening?

It'll be nice, considering it was first proposed before Covid.

 

[yorksrob]

I'm sure many passengers would disagree...

2 hours 5 mins London Birmingham
2 hours 15 London Crewe
1 hour 45 Birmingham Liverpool

...are longer journeys than many passengers experience in a Pendolino.

Tatty or not, seat comfort is a priority. Makes me giggle at passengers and staff who were desperately unhappy with the 319s now saying ...all's forgiven, please come back.

The lure of the "shiny shiny new". People are always taken in - until they have to sit on the new

 

[Travelmonkey]

Is that confirmed as happening?

It'll be nice, considering it was first proposed before Covid.

Checking RTT from LTV the other night in Jan & Feb there is 4 extra avanti calls, not quite hourly, although seems the 1015 Evero from Chester will be a Pendalino from Liverpool,

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Oct 2024 ==

*photos showing the extra avanti services on the 6.1.25 & 24.2.25*

Realtime Trains | Departures from Lichfield Trent Valley all day on 06/01/2025

Train information at Lichfield Trent Valley all day on 06/01/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

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Realtime Trains | Departures from Lichfield Trent Valley all day on 24/02/2025

Train information at Lichfield Trent Valley all day on 24/02/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Bletchleyite]

The lure of the "shiny shiny new". People are always taken in - until they have to sit on the new

Not everyone dislikes hard seats. I'm quite looking forward to the 730/2 - I actually do like the 730/0 seats, they're just a bit narrow. I only really dislike the Fainsa Sophia because they actually aren't hard enough so you can feel that stupid supporting bar thing through the cushion.

 

[yorksrob]

Not everyone dislikes hard seats. I'm quite looking forward to the 730/2 - I actually do like the 730/0 seats, they're just a bit narrow. I only really dislike the Fainsa Sophia because they actually aren't hard enough so you can feel that stupid supporting bar thing through the cushion.

I consider that to be a design flaw of the seat base, rather than a fault of generous cushioning.

 

[Travelmonkey]

Not everyone dislikes hard seats. I'm quite looking forward to the 730/2 - I actually do like the 730/0 seats, they're just a bit narrow. I only really dislike the Fainsa Sophia because they actually aren't hard enough so you can feel that stupid supporting bar thing through the cushion.

Indeed I feel that with the 80x class of trains especially the Evero on the same route & Hull trains' examples, I do think with them though nostalgia goggles played a part. The HSTs with EMR always seemed a bit dated to me the 222s are long in the tooth now but we shall see how the 810s get on in time.

Back to the topic at hand I will be glad to see the 350/2s removed and replaced, as a regular out of LTV the bloke in the ticket office will be glad of the 730s as the ramp is easier to work with although we have a CrossCountry situation now, shortforms till replacement,