Class 172 Reliability

[centraltrains]

I'm hoping the answer is just ignorance on my behalf.

I've been commuting on the Snow Hill lines daily for around 6 years.
Pretty consistently, during winter - short formations (& cancellations pre-covid when higher frequencies) get incredibly common. 5 coach trains substituted for 2 aren't exactly comfortable, even post-covid.
Anecdotally, it also appears really common for them to be running with an engine out - would feel unusual if two weeks went by without going on one with an engine out (although has been 3 in the last week).

Is it a similar story around the rest of the country or is this specific to 172s?

 

[trundlewagon]

I think a lot of the short-forms recently are due to the 196s (still) having issues, which means 172s are covering for them on Herefords.

You're right about a lot of them running around with engines isolated, mind you. At the moment it seems to be a toss up between getting a short form or a 5 car with an engine out.

Seems to go in waves. Can go for months without seeing one with an engine out and then all of a sudden every other unit seems to have one isolated for a few weeks. Seems quite common for Voyagers to have engines isolated too but never really noticed it too much on other fleets.

 

[P156KWJ]

Quite a few more times recently I've noticed 172s working New Street to Hereford vice 196s as mentioned above.