Recent content by Mikey C

I was on a very squeaky 465/9 yesterday. Nice to be in the comfortable first class seats though. The Greenwich line could do with 12 car trains for many of the services, especially with all the new flats being built along the river.

I was evacuated from a Southeastern 376 last winter, and had to walk for 10 minutes along the track. I think we were told not to walk on the sleepers, though can't remember. I do remember that it was pretty uncomfortable walking along the ballast in thin soled shoes...

It's massively naïve to think that orders aren't placed politically. There's always a way to favour/protect one supplier. Can you imagine Transport for Wales giving their entire order from a few years ago to Stadler (and say Alstom) with nothing for the CAF Newport factory? It would have been...

They're quite a bit older than the 345s and 710s, the S8s entering service in 2010, 16 years ago. They're older than the 387s for example.

I'd be staggered if Derby doesn't get this. Especially now you "can't blame the private operators" any more, and with the volume of carriages being talked about. Siemens could do it in their European factories, but that won't happen this time.

I'm not sure that's a fair comparison, as at City Thameslink (and London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farrington, STP) people can spread themselves out down the platform BEFORE boarding. And once they board, they'll generally stay close to that door/carriage. People don't get on the 3rd carriage, then...

12 car services would be even better, with selective door opening for the few stations not expensively extended 15? years ago.

The current arrangement works fine, it's akin to InterCity type services from Euston picking up passengers at Watford Junction, but not allowing Euston to Watford journeys. If you really want to pay the premium, fine, but it's not a journey that should be encouraged, as it would slow down HS1...

On another thread, as a wild idea I suggested taking a trailer car out of the 707s, to lengthen a few of the 8 car 700s, seeing that the Southeastern network works better with 4 car units, rather than 5 cars one...

I would assume that on long distance services, the sleeping accommodation is the core of the business, rather than seated passengers. The observation car is upstairs too.

Won't that be a significant drop in capacity?

It has been taken to ridiculous lengths though. An extra inch added to the gap from the sidewall, and 2 inches between the seats would "cost" just 6 inches from the aisle, leaving it still wide enough for loads of standees, but make the seating more human sized. As it is, the inhabitants of the...

Not now. I regularly change trains between the new Bank entrance and Cannon Street NR on Saturdays, and there are loads of people milling around, sightseeing and drinking in the City. Even in the winter, it's no longer deserted.

BR didn't seem to have a standardised moquette. Just within commuter trains I remember the vertical stripes of the EPBs (415 etc), but with the newer EMUs the 455 had a jazzy green moquette. the 313s an orangey brown one.

I don't mind OT. Trent Bridge is a fine ground, but a bit small for the biggest series. Giving The Rose Bowl an Ashes Test is the problem, a soulless, hard to access (by public transport) ground, distorting the geographical balance. London correctly has 2 Ashes Tests, both because of the...