Class 466
Established Member
156419 coming out to cover for an unwell 448 this afternoon
769424 played up yesterday on departure from Manchester Victoria, with no traction in electric mode.424 AN,
Sat 11/4
4 out today 431/34/56/58. 1 x 4 car 150 DMU and 1 x 2 car 150 DMU covering, both off SP.
424 AN, 442 & 450 at Brodies, 448 SP? (failed pm at Wigan 10/4)
Presume that 450 went to avoid the WCML block (on until 18 April) so until 442 comes back its 6 769's for 6 diagrams!! Madness.
Work to a contracted specification.424 has only just returned from Brodie's. What do they actually do up there?
Door work & corrosion repairs, some have c4 as well (only 2 so far)424 has only just returned from Brodie's. What do they actually do up there?
Where have they been borrowed from? What should they have been doing?
This should have been allocated to a 4-car peak am Clitheroe to Rochdale; instead the 2-car service picked up delays due to severe overcrowding.and failed (usually ECS to Man. Vic). This was replaced at Man Vic by a 2 car 150 purloined from a NH ECS.
Typically anything off Newton Heath depot, so mostly either the booked 150/156 Southport, Rochdale - Clitheroe/Blackburn, or Headbolt Lane services.Where have they been borrowed from?
On the West side we have eight 769's (for six diagrams), plus 41 150/1's, plus 150225, plus 32 156's, plus seven "loan" Heaton 156's to cover five Cumbrian Coast turns due to the tunnel closure.How many units are there in the fleet that are nominally operable with Northern?
It really is quite staggering when you stop and wonder. Presumably the 769/9s would be "newer" and there are more of them, but would they be more complex in use with the 750V gear to deal with.This thread is approaching 10 years old and it wasn't until Monday, 17th May, 2021 that the first units ran in regular service when I sampled 769434. It seemed an excellent old train.
Since then users of the line have experienced a lottery of a service and many must have been totally deterred from rail travel. There seems no end to the woes, killing the route by breakdowns.
It's an awful situation for users to/from Southport and also for Northern managers apparently stuck with these unreliable trains for another 5 years of pain. But it's not just Southport line users. 4 diagrams are being covered by other DMUs today. Where have they been borrowed from? What should they have been doing?
Users from Ashington to Edale are unable to board even as sardines on busy days. More serviceable trains are needed all round so 769's woes are knocking on across the network. 5 years so far to get them working, 5 more years to go. What a nightmare.
There's a lot more complexity to the 769/9 than just the "Tri Mode" capability. All sorts of things that GWR wanted adding into the units like air con and Driver Only Operation CCTV only add to the complexity.It really is quite staggering when you stop and wonder. Presumably the 769/9s would be "newer" and there are more of them, but would they be more complex in use with the 750V gear to deal with.
The question that begs is - do the customers on the Southport - Manchester axis recognise the poor trains as 769s as distinct from 150s which are quite similar in terms of vehicles ?
A shiny 769 trundled through Bolton around 1715 out of service and running on its engine. Couldn't see the number so likely 442 then?Tues 5/5
4 start the day 424/42/48/56. 1 x 2car 150 DMU (yes 150138 for the 9th day in a row) and 1 x 2 car 156 DMU (156421 for the 5th day in a row) covering, both off SP.
However 442 (on its 3rd day in traffic following 11 weeks at Brodies) has pulled up lame, looks like had a hissy fit when changing over to diesel at Ince early this morning, and has been replaced (having got to Southport and back to Wigan) by a 150 DMU, itself split (again) from a Stalybridge-Southport (so 2 more short forms)
Of the others 431/34/58 all at AN since 23/4, 1/5 & 18/4 respectively, 450 at Brodies.
Wed 6/5
5 start the day 424/34/48/56/58. Note 458 1st day in traffic since 18/4.
1 x 2 car 150 DMU covering off SP. Yes, 150138 for the 10th day in a row on a 769 diagram (albeit a 10th day shortform in a row!)
Thurs 7/5
5 start the day 424/34/42/56/58. 1 x 2 car 156 DMU covering off AN.
Some changes this morning with 424/34 swapping diagrams, whilst 150138, after 10 days on a 769 diagram, obviously caught a 769 'cold' yesterday and had to be replaced mid-way through the day by a 150 (itself from a 4 car split)
Fri 8/5
5 start the day as per 7/5. 1 x 2 car 150 DMU covering off AN.
Sat 9/5
5 start the day 434/42/48/56/58. 1 x 2 car 156 DMU covering off NH.
Mon 11/5
6 (as diagrammed) start the day for the first time since 10 April. 424/34/42/48/56/58.
Of the others 431 at AN since 23/4, 450 at Brodies since 10/4.
Tues 12/5
6 start the day (same as Mon 11/5). Second time since 10 April.
Couple of points from yesterday. Despite completing the day, 458 had problems changing modes at Ince, whilst 442 caused problems at Man Vic losing power on electric, carried on diesel for the rest of the day later finishing at SP not AN (possibly needing fuel) whilst 448 went to AN instead of SP.
Both platform 1 and 3 are occupied at that time.Curious that on DIAGRAM: AN 292 SX 769/4 LTP the 769 starts the day by moving from Spring Branch to Wallgate vs starting at North Western bay platform and keeping the pan up for the first run to Stalybridge