BillStampy
Established Member
Looks like today's run went the smoothest so far, almost no delay at all to and from. Hopefully we'll get that 2nd unit running sooner or later!
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Class 175s to GWR
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With the niggling in service faults 001 and 003 appeared to have suffered recently, which seem reasonably minor as the units are available again for service pretty quickly albeit requiring depot attention, I wonder why GWR are not utilising experienced 175 Tech riders to travel with the units to annalise and rectify any minor issues that the units develop or train crew 175 unfamiliarity brings which would then keep them in service ?
With a Technician on board assisting the train crew, giving them confidence, with any issues that they are experiencing or answering any questions that they may have when they experience problems or just not sure of a particular procedure on the unit as at the end of the day 175s are a new fleet to all GWR staff.
Over the years I have found train crew very appreciative of any technical support on board as at the end of the day they are striving to provide the best service possible.
Bornin1980s
Member
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- 720
Maybe they never budgeted for tech riders.
Or maybe they never considered it especially with the 175 being a pretty niche fleet with its little foibles than can stop them if train crew and maintenance staff are unaware of them.
43096
On Moderation
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Where are GWR going to get experienced 175 tech riders from? They are new to all GWR staff and those experienced 175 tech riders aren’t exactly local to Plymouth!
REVUpminster
Established Member
and the third and fourth refurbished units. Maybe the four unrefurbished units will go to Long Rock if they do a good job on 175010.
Snow1964
Established Member
Is it GWRs responsibility to employ them. They signed a £ multi million contract for tech support with Alstom. So surely Alstom should have either trained up some locals, or relocated some staff short term.
43096
On Moderation
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There is a big difference between training and experience.
My understanding of the support that GWR have procured from Alstom is that it is very limited in its scope.
A full technical support package was offered initially and declined by GWR.
My comment about "experienced" 175 Tech riders was probably not the best way to explain the point I was trying to make, this being having a local GWR maintenance technician on board units during the initial role out of the fleet, those that have now gained some experience and gaining more and more as the weeks go by with 175s during the short period of time that they have been at GWR and can rectify minor faults in service to prevent a unit having to be returned to the depot for attention.
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I totally agree.
BillStampy
Established Member
Not looking to be a great day today, 2C26's diagram is allocated to a 150 as of right now with 175001 and 009 returning to Plymouth early on it's training run earlier. 5V84 to Laira doesn't seem to be running either!
Snow1964
Established Member
Not looking good,Realtime Trains | 5V84 1145 Wolverton Centre Sidings to Laira T.& R.S.M.D. | 16/01/2026
Real-time train running information for 5V84 1145 departure from Wolverton Centre Sidings to Laira T.& R.S.M.D. on 16/01/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.www.realtimetrains.co.uk
5V84 Wolverton - Laira attempt 2 this Friday, 3 car unit(s?) on the way, hopefully.
auto activated exactly one hour before departure,
but no actual times, and should have set off nearly hour ago
adelante_burns
Member
Indeed, 175001’s windscreen cracked on departure from St. Germans whilst working 5Z13.
brad465
Veteran Member
There is another loco move from Derby on Monday, which could be off to pickup another 175 (not yet in schedule):
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
Realtime Trains | 0L46 1055 Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) to Ely Mlf Papworth Sidings | 19/01/2026
Real-time train running information for 0L46 1055 departure from Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) to Ely Mlf Papworth Sidings on 19/01/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
Jacob Porrett
Established Member
These 175s seen like more problems than they are actually worth using/running for.
Probably cheaper to make something new at this rate rather then trying to fix the 175s.
Probably cheaper to make something new at this rate rather then trying to fix the 175s.
REVUpminster
Established Member
Still not cancelled yet. Maybe gone to get some cello tape or they discovered the tides in at Dawlish.
BillStampy
Established Member
Considering the units have been in storage for around 2 years they're bound to be a bit funny when suddenly being utilised again. 001 only started really being used about two months ago when it first moved under its own power from Wolverton to Laira. I'd give it time to see if it's really being more of a hassle to GWR. They weren't this bad with TfW, if I remember correctly anyway.
testertrev
Member
- Joined
- 17 Nov 2016
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- 19
Cancelled due to signal failure!
Did the owning group start them up and keep them regularly maintained while in storage for 2 years?
Happy to be corrected.....
But I don't recall the 175s under TfW's stewardship, when supported by Alstom or latterly by CAF, doing anything notable at the annual Golden Spanner awards for fleet reliability.
BillStampy
Established Member
I'm also happy to be corrected, I can't remember if all too well myself! You might as well be right.
As the 175 fleet is recommissioned. My hope is that GWR do take on the learning from the issues in early 2023 with the three fires and execute the maintenance requirements fully and correctly.
The 175s have the potential to be ideally suited to service in the South West.
Whilst there are certainly flaws in their design, the knowledge from their prior operation and that from its sister fleet, the 180s, needs to be consolidated and built on by all the stakeholders.
FrodshamJnct
Established Member
Significant difference when CAF took Chester depot…
Perhaps a similar scenario at Chester with the 175s as that currently seen with Hitachi at Etches Park with the 222s.
With 001`s windscreen cracking during which I assume were training runs while attached to 009 I wonder why the decision wasn`t made to then "bury" 001`s affected cab within the pair and then being able to continue with its training schedule ? Unless it was not practical to do so at any point.
This would then give the depot time to call out PSV glass or whoever replaces their windscreens then to be present when the unit returns after training and thus giving the windscreen the required time to cure and ready for the following days service.
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Unsure if any Golden Spanner awards were gained but I do recall for the majority of service days 24/27 units were available for service barring last minute failures prior to service, this figure also included "allowables" which could include tree/animal/debris strikes repairs or fatality testing and repairs.
Fleet reliability did suffer once Alstom lost control.
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I'm sure if GWR could have popped down to Trains R Us and bought twenty-five brand new units "off the shelf" they would have been delighted to do so. Today's problem - a cracked windscreen - is not really in the "these units are unreliable" category. Although this is speculation, I would imagine that quite a lot of the more minor issues are down to relative unfamiliarity with the units - whether that's inadvertently causing a problem or erring on the side of excessive caution when something goes slightly awry (obviously less likely in these hi-tech days - but the equivalent of the trainer or the manual saying, " if this warning buzzer sounds, it needs fitters' attention" because that's what the manufacturer says; whereas an experienced person in the field might know that a gentle tap in exactly the right place with your lunch box will fix the problem enough to see out the day 90% of the time - it only needs the fitters the other 10% of the time.
Well made points
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Prior to the units being withdrawn from service and in readiness for storage Alstom produced a pretty comprehensive VMI document "Cold Storage" detailing all checks and procedures required on a pre determined basis while in storage.
Whether this was carried out to the letter on the units I don`t know or who would have been responsible for the procedures while stored ?
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REVUpminster
Established Member
What is wrong with 175003/006/011 that they could not substitute for 175001?
Apart from being a quarter of a century old barn find fleet?
There was a contractual reliability figure with ATW/Angel & TfW which in general Alstom met, if your contracted to deliver X thousand miles per failure your project manager doesn't waste the companies money chasing Golden Spanners. The units have designed in/legacy issues which would require significant money to rectify so they will never deliver 185 levels of reliability but once GWR get more experience on them they should match or better the 158's which will be adequate as a stop gap fleet.