159102 & 158763

[HamworthyGoods]

Thought so!
Presuming it's the same LeaseCo that owns the soon to be off lease trains as the ones that were damaged?

Either way it’s just not worth the financial cost fitting out a spare bodyshell of a train built with a 30 year expected life span and is already at/beyond that point. Basically you’re rebuilding a coach that is life expired. You’d do better to buy something new.

 

[craigybagel]

The issue isn't the software itself, but rather that the modifications to fit the units with ETCS left them with cabs completely different to those on other 158s, and therefore require additional traction training even for drivers who already sign 158s.

The training takes about 10 minutes. Or you can turn a switch that isolates ETCS, switches on the analogue speedometer, and turns it into any other 158.

TfW drivers are considered competent to drive any 158 - as shown only today where GWR loaned a 158 to TfW to provide extra capacity whilst GWR were on strike.

What is more likely to be an issue is that the TfW 158s aren't likely to be available for another year or two. They're supposed to be the last units in the fleet to be replaced by 197s - so if they are intended for GWR, they might need to wait a while and the loss of 158763 will have to be lived with.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

TfW drivers are considered competent to drive any 158 - as shown only today where GWR loaned a 158 to TfW to provide extra capacity whilst GWR were on strike.

TfW drivers have booked work on GWR 158s in the base timetable anyhow so wouldn’t have expected a problem there.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Either way it’s just not worth the financial cost fitting out a spare bodyshell of a train built with a 30 year expected life span and is already at/beyond that point. Basically you’re rebuilding a coach that is life expired. You’d do better to buy something new.

It probably didn't make economic sense to build replacement C-Stock cars after the 7/7 bombings, but replacements were built anyway and only saw a few years in service before being withdrawn.

In any case, wasn't a spare 158 bodyshell used in the early days after one suffered damage? Are there any 'spares' left at this point?

 

[HamworthyGoods]

It probably didn't make economic sense to build replacement C-Stock cars after the 7/7 bombings, but replacements were built anyway and only saw a few years in service before being withdrawn.

In any case, wasn't a spare 158 bodyshell used in the early days after one suffered damage? Are there any 'spares' left at this point?

One spare bodyshell is left.

 

[craigybagel]

TfW drivers have booked work on GWR 158s in the base timetable anyhow so wouldn’t have expected a problem there.

They lost the GWR work a few years ago, and even then it was only certain drivers at Cardiff whereas the GWR 158s that have been loaned have been driven by drivers from other depots who wouldn't normally have reason to touch them.

 

[sprinterguy]

Both vehicles of 158763 and at least one from 159102 appear to have arrived in the sidings north of Stoke-on-Trent station in the past week or so, alongside the increasingly eclectic collection of rolling stock that has been gathered there in recent times.

All the vehicles are partially sheeted over and an attempt has been made to screen them from view of the running lines, so I'm unable to offer any photos from passing trains as proof. Not sure what is intended to be done with them there, or any of the other stock that is on site for that matter. My first guess is that this is the next step towards their scrapping.

 

[DBS92042]

Both vehicles of 158763 and at least one from 159102 appear to have arrived in the sidings north of Stoke-on-Trent station in the past week or so, alongside the increasingly eclectic collection of rolling stock that has been gathered there in recent times. All the vehicles are partially sheeted over and an attempt has been made to screen them from view of the running lines, so I'm unable to offer any photos from passing trains as proof. Not sure what is intended to be done with them there, or any of the other stock that is on site for that matter. My first guess is that this is the next step towards their scrapping.

A photo I've seen on Flickr shows them pretty well (not mine): https://www.flickr.com/photos/robmcrorie/52259194310/

It does indeed look like the track has been piled up to hide them

 

[sprinterguy]

A photo I've seen on Flickr shows them pretty well (not mine): https://www.flickr.com/photos/robmcrorie/52259194310/

It does indeed look like the track has been piled up to hide them

Ah, yes an elevated viewpoint gives a much better idea of what's on site. Based on the date on that photo, they've been there a while longer than I realised.

 

[Towers]

From the very limited view availble beneath those tarps, it doesn't look as though much or any stripping of the units has taken place. Admittedly there's plenty not on display, but the GWR vehicle most visible looks as though it may well be untouched. I wonder whether they're off for component recovery somewhere, or straight for cutting?