Spares donor 87014 Poduyane Works, Sofia

[yummy125]

Does anyone know why 87 014 is a "spares" as it did not last long in service:

 

[Schnellzug]

i suppose it makes more sense to have a source of spares to hand than having them shipped from the UK whenever they need a bearing or something.

 

[rail-britain]

It probably has a cracked bogie, which appears to be the death knell of these locos (the 86/1, 87, and 90)
Rather basic spares have been stripped from it, even the pantograph still appears to be in place and this is usually one of the first spares to be removed if a loco cannot be repaired

This would suggest they are only removing basic spares in the event another loco suffers a cracked bogie, a decision can then be made on which loco to repair and return to service

 

[captainbigun]

It probably has a cracked bogie, which appears to be the death knell of these locos (the 86/1, 87, and 90)
Rather basic spares have been stripped from it, even the pantograph still appears to be in place and this is usually one of the first spares to be removed if a loco cannot be repaired

This would suggest they are only removing basic spares in the event another loco suffers a cracked bogie, a decision can then be made on which loco to repair and return to service

Not sure why you think the BP9 is prone to cracking, it isn't.

87014 never entered traffic in Bulgaria, it just happened to become the Christmas tree. If BRC have a requirement for the loco they'll put it back together, they are not shy of manafacturing or repairing large, expensive or complex items. They are able to undertake repairs at a fraction of the cost of UK Plc with a level of quality we could only dream of.

 

[Barrett M95]

They are able to undertake repairs at a fraction of the cost of UK Plc with a level of quality we could only dream of.

Who do you mean by "we"? The UK in general or your particular company?

 

[Nym]

There are plenty of quality products made here in the UK, just look at the AS-50 that Accuracy International make, or the Challenger II?

 

[Barrett M95]

There are plenty of quality products made here in the UK, just look at the AS-50 that Accuracy International make, or the Challenger II?

I prefer the Barrett M95... oddly enough, but yes Accuracy Int make some fantastically engineered equipment. Really top drawer stuff.

 

[87015]

87008, 87013 and 87022 are also all out of traffic in Bulgaria and have been for some time. They are in a line at Pirdop, 008 and 013 are almost definately long term OOU, 022 has appeared there since May (and is between 008 and 013) whilst 034 has returned to traffic since then.

I believe 014 has given up its transformer to 010, but could be wrong. 008 is said to have been stripped of copper, looks a total mess and will, IMO, probably never work again unless BZK have a massive upsurge in traffic and need every loco they can get.

I'll get some phots up from this trip within a few days hopefully, saw eleven 87s at Pirdop on Wednesday and viewed 004/014 and (probably) 029 from the plane on Poduyane from the flight back this morning!

 

[rail-britain]

Not sure why you think the BP9 is prone to cracking, it isn't

Many Class 87 locos had to have replacement bogies when with InterCity, at least three were disposed of due to cracking
87012 suffered at least one, it ended up in the works twice due to this

Virgin Trains also took several Class 87 locos out of service due to premature bogie failure, primarily due to lack of maintenance and there being no point returning them to service

 

[captainbigun]

Not sure what you mean by bogie failure. None of the Porterbrook fleet had issues with their bogies. The wheels may have been scrap, but there was no issue with the frames.

At least two of the original 6 frames are still in existance.
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I believe 014 has given up its transformer to 010, but could be wrong.

87010's transformer has been repaired.
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Who do you mean by "we"? The UK in general or your particular company?

A.n.other UK OEM agent. We're talking railway here, not defence or anything else.

The Bulgarian's, and a number of other Eastern European countries, still have pride in their work.

With respect to the 87s in Bulgaria, the financial penalty of loco failure is such that failure is not an option. That's why their locos have roof hatches for the drivers' use.

 

[ainsworth74]

They are able to undertake repairs at a fraction of the cost of UK Plc with a level of quality we could only dream of.

Good job they can do it on the cheap really seeing as they've had a fleet of trains repossessed by a bank recently. Not sure if that's something that we should be dreaming of really...

 

[captainbigun]

Good job they can do it on the cheap really seeing as they've had a fleet of trains repossessed by a bank recently. Not sure if that's something that we should be dreaming of really...

Not quite sure what the connection is between quality of workmanship and ability to repay a loan!

 

[Barrett M95]

A.n.other UK OEM agent. We're talking railway here, not defence or anything else.

The Bulgarian's, and a number of other Eastern European countries, still have pride in their work.

My (railway) experience of UK contractors/sub-contractors is that quality varies as much as anywhere, but the best are about the best there are in Europe.

I think a lot depends on the procurement and quality departments in UK companies and what they source more than the actual quality available.

I won't disagree with you on the price aspect, but engineering wise - the UK is at the top of the pile - IF you pay for it. I work for SNCF where most things are kept in house, but I have worked with UK rail companies (mostly in Derby) and speak very highly of them.

 

[captainbigun]

I don't disagree at all, certainly wouldn't tar everyone with the same brush.

Take a simple item like a brake valve. The number that arrive, are fitted, then removed, red tagged and sent back isn't right. Some look as though they've been painted and that's about it!

 

[Barrett M95]

Happens in France too captainbigun - we have sent valves and in fact, whole panels back before that were clearly not pressure tested prior to shipping. Basic basic mistakes that are easily fixed, but that itself begs the question: if it is that simple - why is it not done first?

At least we have competent staff that check for such things before they're bolted to a train in service.

 

[87015]

The state of 008 can be seen here for your judgment - I'm no engineer in the slightest! http://87015aewn.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/bulgarian-87s-october-2011/dscf8537/

With the others we saw at Pirdop and 006 on railtour duty here http://87015aewn.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/bulgarian-87s-october-2011/

Good news about '010s transformer captainbigun, hopefully the LCGB are going back for that one next year

 

[captainbigun]

Good job they can do it on the cheap really seeing as they've had a fleet of trains repossessed by a bank recently. Not sure if that's something that we should be dreaming of really...

Point of order on this one, it's the state owned railway that has financial difficulty, not BRC.

 

[ainsworth74]

Point of order on this one, it's the state owned railway that has financial difficulty, not BRC.

Apologies, my knowledge of Bulgarian train operations is admittedly rather limited

*Goes away and does some reading*

 

[captainbigun]

No problem It's easily done!