Class 142 refurbishment?

[SprinterMan]

Took me a while to find a picture, but find one I did:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20452054@N04/6884147819/in/photostream/

Oh god, we will be stuck with the bloody things for years then

 

[tom1649]

Oh god, we will be stuck with the bloody things for years then

To be honest if they'd not done anything with them for much longer they'd probably have been legally obliged to affix 'Biohazard' warning signs to the doors.

 

[156441]

From the Northern twitter feed this evening

" @northernrailorg: @KnutsTransport 142’s are having a refresh. New flooring, internal painting, seat covers, heater grill cleans, lighting improvements."

So there you have it from the horses mouth folks!

 

[jon0844]

Ah, so it is just a refresh and nothing to do with being able to keep them in service beyond 2020. Of course, seven years is still long enough to justify a refresh.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

From the Northern twitter feed this evening

" @northernrailorg: @KnutsTransport 142’s are having a refresh. New flooring, internal painting, seat covers, heater grill cleans, lighting improvements."

So there you have it from the horses mouth folks!

Indeed so, but it is a pity that a missive from the official Northern Rail Twitter account was not worded correctly in the first place.

 

[WatcherZero]

The refresh does look good when your used to the usual ingrained dirt, deep cleaned and with some replaced panels it looks almost new. My bugbear was they never replaced the ripped leather on the padded ends of the overhead luggage racks.

 

[yorksrob]

What would be a considerable improvement for the refresh, wpuld be if the missing overhead luggage racks on several of the 142's could be replaced.

 

[tom1649]

From the Northern twitter feed this evening

" @northernrailorg: @KnutsTransport 142’s are having a refresh. New flooring, internal painting, seat covers, heater grill cleans, lighting improvements."

So there you have it from the horses mouth folks!

As I suspected. Thank you. This follows everything Northern have done in the past, which I don't mind myself, just wish they'd used the correct terminology in the first place.

 

[Ron Grouted]

You'd call that a refurbishment then, not a refresh? Think carefully before you reply.

Welcome to the forum, by the way.

I did thanks. The question was asked if Northern had ever done a refurb, and I pointed out they had with the 323's.

 

[tom1649]

I did thanks. The question was asked if Northern had ever done a refurb, and I pointed out they had with the 323's.

Ok, fair enough.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

I was meaning the 156s have had the most extensive refurbishment. The 323s still retain the same seats and toilets. In fact the 323s have had a backward modification - replacing the destination displays with more archaic destination blinds.

That are being removed as some bright spark who decided to put them forgot the fact that they don't have. Hadfield, Glossop, Alderley Edge, MUFC, Stoke on Trent. They do have Mcr Airport, Crewe and Mcr Picc/Mcr Ocford Road only missing just over half of the usual 323 destinations lol

 

[Greybeard33]

In fact the 323s have had a backward modification - replacing the destination displays with more archaic destination blinds.

That are being removed as some bright spark who decided to put them forgot the fact that they don't have. Hadfield, Glossop, Alderley Edge, MUFC, Stoke on Trent. They do have Mcr Airport, Crewe and Mcr Picc/Mcr Ocford Road only missing just over half of the usual 323 destinations lol

At least they are reliable and legible. The electronic ones seldom have more than half the display lit up. Which is better - all of half the destinations or half of all the destinations?

 

[jon0844]

I can't see how any LED board can fail to work. LEDs last for ages and shouldn't fail, and it can only be a very cheap and dodgy construction that sees them stop working. It's not as if they're breaking due to vandalism (unlike, say, platform screens).

But boy do I see plenty that have failed on FCC, such as the end screens on a Class 365 and loads of 317s internally and externally that are totally messed up. Therefore, I have to conclude that these are all of a very lousy design (I am yet to see an internal screen on a 365, as also used on many other trains - including the Piccadilly Line and many more - that is faulty. They seem bullet proof).

Blinds can of course fail for other reasons, along with being limited by what is actually there to be selected.

 

[323235]

I did thanks. The question was asked if Northern had ever done a refurb, and I pointed out they had with the 323's.

Not all the 323s got the "full" treatment though. Later units got little more than a change of seat covers and retained the green handle grabs and original floor lino.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

That are being removed as some bright spark who decided to put them forgot the fact that they don't have. Hadfield, Glossop, Alderley Edge, MUFC, Stoke on Trent. They do have Mcr Airport, Crewe and Mcr Picc/Mcr Ocford Road only missing just over half of the usual 323 destinations lol

Would it have cost much in the way of the refurbishment package costings to have fully updated destination displays ?

 

[156441]

I was told yesterday that new '323' blinds (for the manual ones) are being rolled out to the fleet but they are a new type and require some sort of testing and certification before being fitted.

(Something to do with fire testing and the heated windscreens)

 

[Ron Grouted]

Not all the 323s got the "full" treatment though. Later units got little more than a change of seat covers and retained the green handle grabs and original floor lino.

There are 2 units yet to receive the refurb but they are in there now.
All others have had pretty much everything cosmetic replaced and most of the electrics has been renewed.

 

[yorksrob]

Came home today on an ex FGW 142 and put my shopping in the overhead luggage rack as you do - only to find that when I got to my stop, my chilled food was warm ! Who on earth decided that an overhead luggage rack would be the optimum place to put a heating pipe !

I might respond to any further posts if I've not been lain low with food poisoning.

 

[387star]

Hope your okay!!! Northern are pros at half finished jobs. This isnt bew news though the atn units have been undergoing a much needed refresh for a while delayed because they were looking into possibly installing new seats which didnt go ahead

 

[northwichcat]

There do seem to be conflicting posts on the official Northern account depending on who's posting them.

One employee posted yesterday about it costing too much to have more spare trains.

Another employee posted today about Northern needing more carriages and are due to get some extra (presumably cascaded EMUs next year?)

 

[yorksrob]

Hope your okay!!! Northern are pros at half finished jobs. This isnt bew news though the atn units have been undergoing a much needed refresh for a while delayed because they were looking into possibly installing new seats which didnt go ahead

Fortunately I survived my warmed up then cooled down frozen curry

 

[broadbander]

There are 2 units yet to receive the refurb but they are in there now.

Is this why I have seen doubled up 142s on the Stoke-on-Trent - Manchester at Cheadle Hulme recently? Usually the 07:35 departure from CHU. Usually the Stoke-MAN services are 323s, or on rare occasions 150 - I don't recall 142s on there before.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Is this why I have seen doubled up 142s on the Stoke-on-Trent - Manchester at Cheadle Hulme recently? Usually the 07:35 departure from CHU. Usually the Stoke-MAN services are 323s, or on rare occasions 150 - I don't recall 142s on there before.

You sure they were not the usual 2x142's from Macclesfield? I am pretty sure due to the lack of speed they are not allowed as far as Stoke (thats what a CTM once said)

 

[northwichcat]

Is this why I have seen doubled up 142s on the Stoke-on-Trent - Manchester at Cheadle Hulme recently? Usually the 07:35 departure from CHU. Usually the Stoke-MAN services are 323s, or on rare occasions 150 - I don't recall 142s on there before.

If you saw 2 x 142s on a Stoke-Manchester service opposed to the peak time extra Macclesfield-Manchester service then Northern will be in trouble as for 2 reasons:
1. They aren't allowed to use 75mph units south of Macclesfield and if they did they would delay Virgin or/and CrossCountry services. If they want to use 75mph units they would have to re-time the services to leave the origin station earlier like they did with a couple of Crewe/Alderley Edge services following the 323 Alderley Edge derailment and the Land Rover collision with another 323 at Congleton but I don't know if that would actually work with Stoke services.
2. 142s aren't cleared south of Macclesfield and apparently there is a clearance issue with 142s calling at stations between Macclesfield and Stoke and it's not just a case of clearance hasn't been applied for.

 

[323235]

You sure they were not the usual 2x142's from Macclesfield? I am pretty sure due to the lack of speed they are not allowed as far as Stoke (thats what a CTM once said)

Yep the only time I've seen a 142 on the Deansgate - Stoke it got terminated at Macclesfield for this reason. It had already lost quite a bit of time when it got their so would have caused chaos further south.

 

[northwichcat]

Some of the Northern Rail employees who do the Twitter feed really need better training. One has just given completely wrong ticketing information

MomentsOfTransition ‏@northernrailorg Is the £4 ticket Manchester Airport to ManchesterPiccadilly on 24/5/13 at the 14:00-14:20 time frame valid for any train?

Northern Rail ‏@northernrailorg 2h @momntstrans Can you send me a picture of the ticket?

MomentsOfTransition @northernrailorg It says Fri 24th May,14:03>14:18, 0h 15m Std Class Off-Peak Single £4.00. If I miss the :03, can I take the :06 and so on?

Northern Rail @momntstrans I would say no. The 14:03 arrives at 14:18. Advanced tickets have restrictions on them. that is why they are cheap.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

You sure they were not the usual 2x142's from Macclesfield? I am pretty sure due to the lack of speed they are not allowed as far as Stoke (thats what a CTM once said)

I am trying to bury my head in the sand and pretend that any viewing of Class 142 Pacers seen passing through Prestbury station in the morning peak period are just something caused by eating rich cheese at midnight....

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Next time I am doing the early morning double 142 from Mac to Picc I will give the horn a blast just so you know Paul lol

 

[broadbander]

You sure they were not the usual 2x142's from Macclesfield? I am pretty sure due to the lack of speed they are not allowed as far as Stoke (thats what a CTM once said)

They could be and probably (deffinitely) are I forgot about Macclesfield

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Next time I am doing the early morning double 142 from Mac to Picc I will give the horn a blast just so you know Paul lol

Anyone would think we are "snobbish" at Prestbury, but rumour has it that if the "double Pacer" is seen on the early morning service, there are some who will leave the station and hide outside with their backs to those information boards near to little post box in its brick pillar and tell any latecomers that Manchester Metrolink are running a "tram trial"...