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I can imagine something like a 3rd rail capable 755 working as a good 158 replacement, if it had more diesel range, but yeah SWR's 158s are pretty well suited. Exception being on the Southampton circle. Due to their tiny end doors they can get ridiculously full and have pretty poor dwell times...

I second the 700s. Especially the 8 car variants on the Sutton-St Albans/Luton services. And even doing London - Bedford on one isn't too bad. They were always gonna be a bit of a compromise, but I do think they do quite well. I have to say I'd rather do the journey on a 700 than a 387!

Yeah I think it's just that the fairing isn't fitted. A few of the SWR Aventras have been running around with their bits on show too. Given its cosmetic I assume there was just no real hurry to put it on

I was gonna say, that seems to be a running theme with the Mk3 units. Almost everyone gets some view (unless you're in that weird cubby row of seats on a 317/1), but you're always sitting in front of a column. I have to say Electrostars have been both among the best and worst riding units I've...

Yes, the Desiro UK range is an example of a good looking gangwayed unit. The 360s look kind of weird in comparison (though the 185s less so. I suppose the different light clusters do a lot to make it look less like a 350 that someone's pinched the gangway off of). Honestly, based on the look of...

I agree that gangways don't automatically make a unit ugly (look at 350/444/450 vs 360, or 376 vs 377), but I much prefer the more angular design of the 195s, to the sort of 'gloopy' rounded stuff the designers seem to be trending towards. If the 196 had had the same angular design as the 195...

I'd say the 458s as built looked "quirky". The 458s after refurb look "unfinished". Personally, I quite like the Desiro City design, I think it's probably tied with the flirts for best design of the "new age" units. I can't help but think the flatter fronted Aventras look angry, and the...

I mean the amount of recline on the IC70 seats was rivalled only by a deckchair, so that's not really saying much. But I will say, I have a much better time the more upright the seats. IC70s cause me physical pain after a short while, and whichever ones are in the majority of Chiltern's 168s (I...

I'm gonna call "it depends". I thought pretty much all electrostars (and dellner fitted turbostars) are mechanically compatible, but there are a lot of combinations that aren't allowed to actually operate like that outside of an emergency. 377/4 and 377/6 springs to mind. Whether that's a...

I agree. I remember having a journey from St Pancras to Leicester on one of the EMT HSTs with IC70s. I can honestly say I'd have rather done the journey on a 700.

And as for the keeping to time, Voyagers are incredibly overbuilt it seems. I've been on a 5 car 222 that kept to time with 2 engines out!

Quite. Chiltern's Mk3 refurbishment was excellent apart from the retaining of IC70s, which took it from "fantastic" to "Avoid, if at all possible" in one fell swoop. In the spirit of the "Ironing Boards", I've taken to calling IC70s "deckchairs", since their seating position is somewhat...

I'm guessing that the thinking is it going too slow and annoying fast readers is better than it going too fast and being unreadable to slow readers. Still, at least it's not as bad as the ones on the 465s

I went for 357, because it's the only one I've used a fair amount and haven't had a bad experience with. They always seem to do their job, with minimal fuss 375 - have barely ever used one 376 - not used many, but they were okay, I guess 377 - would be good, if they weren't falling apart. Also...

I'd say the main flaw of the 170s is that their acceleration is measured on a geological timescale. Fine when they're used on longer distance services with limited stops, but they so often aren't

I mean, they went from Siemens units to CAF ones. Not sure what else they could have been expecting to be honest...

Brake resistors notwithstanding, Voyagers/Meridians seem to be incredibly overbuilt. Probably a combination of the train and the timetable, but several years ago I was on a 5 car 222 that managed to make up time despite only having 3 engines!

For the exterior, pretty much anything heading for ScotRail! It's almost like the manufacturers are using ScotRail contracts as a competition to see how ugly they can get away with making a train... Alstom made a strong first play with the 334, Siemens countered by taking a 350, melting the...

I was gonna say, I'd have thought 68s take the crown for that. You can feel it in your chest when one of those goes past. I'm not sure if they're actually the loudest, but they feel it, due to the frequency of the noise, Vossloh seem to have picked the only engine in existance that runs at the...

In my experience, Electrostars seem to ride well at low speeds, but they can get a bit violent when they go fast enough. My main experience is 377/5s and 387s on the MML, which seemed to ride worse than both 319s and 700s Also Southern's 377s down the Arun Valley line seem to lurch and bounce...