Air Con Stock

[ainsworth74]

Windows that can only be opened by a trained fitter might be admissible

Not much use where the reason for the failure is due to the third rail being isolated or the wires coming down...

 

[Nym]

All I'd want is for ALL air-conditioned stock to have staff controlled opening windows for when the air conditioning inevitably breaks down.

How about just maintaining the equipment properly so it doesn't fail as often? (the same applies to many other things in the current state of affairs)

 

[JonathanH]

Not much use where the reason for the failure is due to the third rail being isolated or the wires coming down...

There are existing provisions involving the use of open doors and guards if that happens. Hopper windows aren't really going to help in that circumstance anyway.

 

[Nym]

I do have to wonder why BR trains aren't required to have 2 hours of pressure ventilation available on the batteries like LUL units are?

 

[hexagon789]

No Intercity didn’t, Mk1 coaches on Intercity Class 1 trains outlived BR and carried on into the Privatised Era - a small number of RMB mini-buffets, until 1999 on First Great Western and 2000 on Anglia.

I suspect BR were referring to seating vehicles and excluding catering and luggage vans.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

I suspect BR were referring to seating vehicles and excluding catering and luggage vans.

RMBs were mostly seats with small buffet counters and BSO/BFKs which also remained into the early 1990s were 50% seated.

 

[Ken H]

Certainly there were still Mk1 rakes in use on the WCML into 1990 - see this link, at roughly 11:45 mins in. A Manchester-Euston express at Stoke with MK1, 2 and 3 passenger vehicles - I’m advised that the MK1 TSOs were required to make up for the Mk2 and Mk3 vehicles lost in the Colwich accident and were sourced from the rake refurbished for MML use in the 1980s.

There was something about Mk1 vehicles being able to be adapted to 100mph+ operation while Mk2 could not. I dont know why. The MK1 BG's (Brake gangwayed) were part of WCML 100mph fleet for quite a while till the Driving Van Trailers arrived.
So maybe a couple of 110mph Mk 1's was better than slowing the train down by using Mk2's.
I dont know what changes were needed to a Mk1 to make it 110mph capable. I think Commonwealth bogies were necessary. Dont know if they needed disc brakes. (I think Mk1's were tread brakes when new)


Edit. What are the filters in train air con? Are they fine enough to filter out virus particles. Remember, viruses are far smaller than bacteria. Are the filters regarded as hazardous waste as they may be rammed with bacteria and virus.
Spose the same question could be asked of many aircon systems and their filters.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

There was something about Mk1 vehicles being able to be adapted to 100mph+ operation while Mk2 could not. I dont know why. The MK1 BG's (Brake gangwayed) were part of WCML 100mph fleet for quite a while till the Driving Van Trailers arrived.
So maybe a couple of 110mph Mk 1's was better than slowing the train down by using Mk2's.
I dont know what changes were needed to a Mk1 to make it 110mph capable. I think Commonwealth bogies were necessary. Dont know if they needed disc brakes. (I think Mk1's were tread brakes when new)


Edit. What are the filters in train air con? Are they fine enough to filter out virus particles. Remember, viruses are far smaller than bacteria. Are the filters regarded as hazardous waste as they may be rammed with bacteria and virus.
Spose the same question could be asked of many aircon systems and their filters.

I’m pretty sure the TSOs in that video are 100mph max - that simply required B4 or Commonwealth bogies being fitted. IIRC the 110mph capability of the BGs was simply that they required special additional maintenance regimes and that poor ride could be tolerated as they weren’t passenger carrying vehicles?

 

[hexagon789]

There was something about Mk1 vehicles being able to be adapted to 100mph+ operation while Mk2 could not. I dont know why. The MK1 BG's (Brake gangwayed) were part of WCML 100mph fleet for quite a while till the Driving Van Trailers arrived.
So maybe a couple of 110mph Mk 1's was better than slowing the train down by using Mk2's.
I dont know what changes were needed to a Mk1 to make it 110mph capable. I think Commonwealth bogies were necessary. Dont know if they needed disc brakes. (I think Mk1's were tread brakes when new)


Edit. What are the filters in train air con? Are they fine enough to filter out virus particles. Remember, viruses are far smaller than bacteria. Are the filters regarded as hazardous waste as they may be rammed with bacteria and virus.
Spose the same question could be asked of many aircon systems and their filters.

The 110mph NHS were B5 bogied, still with tread brakes. The only modification for 110mph running was increased (more frequent) maintenance to the running gear.

The rest of the train had to be Mk3s, and the distributors set for 9% braking (in 100mph days they were set for 7%) for 110mph operation. I assume Mk2s couldn't be "upgraded" as firstly they were tread brake, secondly their distributors couldn't be adjusted for a higher braking rate as on the Mk3s (I don't believe those on Mk2s are adjustable).

 

[Mikey C]

Modern air conditioning tends not to break down. Ignoring 158s and 166s it tends to be fairly reliable. The problem even with staff controlled opening windows is that they get opened before the air conditioning has actually malfunctioned. Windows that can only be opened by a trained fitter might be admissible.

While there must be failures, I never read on here about boiling Electrostars, Pendolinos, Desiros or even Underground S stock

 

[A0]

I would love return of fresh air stock particularly as someone who suffers from sinus problems and finds air conditioning unbearable at times. However, doubt many would agree with me.

And as a hayfever sufferer, I completely disagree with you. Aircon means dust and pollen filtration which is good for asthmatics and hayfever sufferers.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Air conditioning naturally dries air which does make some people uncomfortable. However, perhaps if it was fitted with humidification that would help with @Richard Scott's sinuses?

 

[Domh245]

Air conditioning naturally dries air which does make some people uncomfortable. However, perhaps if it was fitted with humidification that would help with @Richard Scott's sinuses?

Humidifiers in air handling plant are inevitably far more hassle than they're worth. It tends to only ever get justified (and installed) on humidity dependant things (IT equipment, museums, etc), and even then it'll require a lot of maintenance to keep the heating elements clean, before adding in the complexity of providing (ideally) deionised water to trains to keep them topped up

 

[The exile]

Strictly speaking the 2D and 2E are pressure ventilated as well but with an air-con system provided in addition; essentially what would've happened with the 2C if air-con had been retro-fitted.

Now, they really were headache inducing - especially when nicely recirculating the air from the smoking end throughout the carriage!