• Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Class 175s to GWR

Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

The Prisoner

Member
Joined
22 Aug 2012
Messages
421
001/007 and 002 out for pretty much the full day today.

002 has already been to Penzance from Plymouth, is then returning to Par and Newquay 5Z21 0622 Plymouth to Newquay heading back to Plymouth 5Z22 1219 Newquay to Plymouth before revisiting Newquay 5Z23 1423 Plymouth to Par and heading back to Penzance from Par and finishing up at Plymouth 5Z24 1716 Par to Plymouth

001/007 out all day back and forth to Penzance with some short runs only as far as Par - started with 5Z12 0616 Plymouth to Par to Penzance and back as far as Par then back to Penzance and onto Plymouth 5Z13 0941 Par to Plymouth then onto Penzance and back to Par 5Z14 1401 Plymouth to Par before heading back to Penzance and finally Plymouth 5Z15 1809 Par to Plymouth

In a show of skills all three units (allegedly) being coupled together for the goodnight trip to Laira 5Z16 2135 Plymouth to Laira T.& R.S.M.D

All seems to be running to plan so far.

Would 001/007 allow for double crew training? How long does a crew have to work on these before they are signed off?

Hopefully making some serious progress to getting more of these in service very soon.
 

fgwrich

Established Member
Joined
15 Apr 2009
Messages
10,629
Location
Hampshire
001/007 and 002 out for pretty much the full day today.

002 has already been to Penzance from Plymouth, is then returning to Par and Newquay 5Z21 0622 Plymouth to Newquay heading back to Plymouth 5Z22 1219 Newquay to Plymouth before revisiting Newquay 5Z23 1423 Plymouth to Par and heading back to Penzance from Par and finishing up at Plymouth 5Z24 1716 Par to Plymouth

001/007 out all day back and forth to Penzance with some short runs only as far as Par - started with 5Z12 0616 Plymouth to Par to Penzance and back as far as Par then back to Penzance and onto Plymouth 5Z13 0941 Par to Plymouth then onto Penzance and back to Par 5Z14 1401 Plymouth to Par before heading back to Penzance and finally Plymouth 5Z15 1809 Par to Plymouth

In a show of skills all three units (allegedly) being coupled together for the goodnight trip to Laira 5Z16 2135 Plymouth to Laira T.& R.S.M.D

All seems to be running to plan so far.

Would 001/007 allow for double crew training? How long does a crew have to work on these before they are signed off?

Hopefully making some serious progress to getting more of these in service very soon.
They better be careful which end 002 is coupled to then, as one end had a Non-Multi sticker in the cab window yesterday (presumably after the Liskeard incident).

Presumably with the Plymouth - Totnes blockade on, the 1338 and return are being worked with IETs this week as today’s turn has been allocated to 802022.
 

VP185

Member
Joined
13 Feb 2010
Messages
401
They may be diagrammed but it doesn’t haopen.

5Z16 will not be formed of all three coupled together either, it has been tried, and they’ve failed on all but one occasion.
 

REVUpminster

Established Member
Joined
3 Jan 2021
Messages
1,249
Location
Paignton
5Z15 arrives at 2125 platform 5, 5Z24 2130 at platform 5, although expected 2040 at platform 5. 5Z16 to Laira from platform 5 so I suppose it was planned for the three units to go together.
 

VP185

Member
Joined
13 Feb 2010
Messages
401
5Z24 will form a 5Z25 21:40 to Laira.

You can drive three 175’s in multiple out to Laira without issue, the problem arises when you key out at Laira and change ends, then the computer just says No!
 

FGW_DID

Established Member
Joined
23 Jun 2011
Messages
3,035
Location
81D & 81E
They may be diagrammed but it doesn’t haopen.

5Z16 will not be formed of all three coupled together either, it has been tried, and they’ve failed on all but one occasion.

Ah, the joys of traction diagrams vs reality! :lol: :lol:
 

REVUpminster

Established Member
Joined
3 Jan 2021
Messages
1,249
Location
Paignton
5Z24 will form a 5Z25 21:40 to Laira.

You can drive three 175’s in multiple out to Laira without issue, the problem arises when you key out at Laira and change ends, then the computer just says No!
So two units can do it, but not three? 5Z24 has gone to Laira as 5Z25.

An afterthought next morning; could they just uncouple the units at the platform at Friary Junction?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

This is good. Maybe they are coupled up before reversing in Laira.
 
Last edited:

BillStampy

Established Member
Joined
6 Jan 2024
Messages
1,586
Location
Llanharan

northernbelle

Member
Joined
10 Oct 2018
Messages
768
Just realised that some of these training runs are headed to Newquay this week, is this a first?
It is - the Newquay branch benefits from having already been gauge cleared for 175s, presumably as a result of the original Class 180 gauge clearance activity in the early 2000s.

Other routes, including Barnstaple and Okehampton, will need to be gauge cleared (if they haven't been already).
 

The exile

Established Member
Joined
31 Mar 2010
Messages
9,356
Location
Somerset
It is - the Newquay branch benefits from having already been gauge cleared for 175s, presumably as a result of the original Class 180 gauge clearance activity in the early 2000s.
And with the new infrastructure there are presumably spare paths easily available.
 

brad465

Veteran Member
Joined
11 Aug 2010
Messages
11,433
Location
Taunton or Kent
There's an item in RAIL this week about the 175's delayed entry. It highlights the issues that have arisen from long term storage, but also has optimism, including their lengthy presence at Laira with issues is helping train up various staff more quickly, while a TfW engineer has visited Laira to assist, along with collaboration with Alstom.
 

The Prisoner

Member
Joined
22 Aug 2012
Messages
421
003/011 and 009 out on the training turns today. These runs seem to have run without hitch over the last week or so? 001/002/003/007/009 and 011 seem to be performing OK, but I think 007 hasn't had the mods at Wolverton?

Anyway....hopefully with all these training runs and gained knowledge we can see more than 1 turn per day very soon.
 

XFeed

Member
Joined
25 Nov 2025
Messages
277
Location
Chester
003/011 and 009 out on the training turns today. These runs seem to have run without hitch over the last week or so? 001/002/003/007/009 and 011 seem to be performing OK, but I think 007 hasn't had the mods at Wolverton?

Anyway....hopefully with all these training runs and gained knowledge we can see more than 1 turn per day very soon.

Glad to see reliability has improved.

As a side note about post #2539 and this is by no means meant to be critical or disrespectful of the Tfw engineer who visited Laira to assist but TfW engineers at Canton and outstations only had general basic knowledge of 175`s and their fault finding/repairs were mostly advised by Chester Technicians.
 
Last edited:

Anonymous10

Established Member
Joined
19 Dec 2019
Messages
2,631
Location
wales
Glad to see reliability has improved.

As a side note about post #2539 and this is by no means meant to be critical of the Tfw engineer who visited Laira to assist but TfW engineers at Canton and outstations only had general basic knowledge of 175`s and their fault finding/repairs were mostly advised by Chester Technicians.
May be an ex chester engineer who has transfered? Or an engineer from chester and some wires got crossed.
 

XFeed

Member
Joined
25 Nov 2025
Messages
277
Location
Chester
May be an ex chester engineer who has transfered? Or an engineer from chester and some wires got crossed.

Possible but I think unlikely as all shop floor staff transferred to CAF in June 2022 including day and shift Technicians but its a guess on my part now as I`m not at Chester depot now.

But some time in sunny Devon and Cornwall could be quite appealing :D
 

Anonymous10

Established Member
Joined
19 Dec 2019
Messages
2,631
Location
wales
Possible but I think unlikely as all shop floor staff transferred to CAF in June 2022 including day and shift Technicians but its a guess on my part now as I`m not at Chester depot now.

But some time in sunny Devon and Cornwall could be quite appealing :D
Who is to say like you they havent moved on from chester?
 

XFeed

Member
Joined
25 Nov 2025
Messages
277
Location
Chester
Who is to say like you they havent moved on from chester?

That is a possibility, I agree, but there were only 7 day and shift 175 Technicians on the shop floor.

1 attached to each of the 5 shift teams, 1 cover Tech for annual leave and sickness and 1 repair bay Tech.
 
Last edited:

Bringback309s

Member
Joined
22 Aug 2013
Messages
379
Possible but I think unlikely as all shop floor staff transferred to CAF in June 2022 including day and shift Technicians but its a guess on my part now as I`m not at Chester depot now.

But some time in sunny Devon and Cornwall could be quite appealing :D
Sunny? o_O
 

GoneSouth

Established Member
Joined
17 Dec 2018
Messages
1,476
"Sunny"

Maybe that was an exaggeration on my part as I believe the weather down there has been pretty rubbish for a while.
57 consecutive days of rain this year isn’t rubbish, but the 60 days of consecutive rain 5 years ago is 8-)
 

BillStampy

Established Member
Joined
6 Jan 2024
Messages
1,586
Location
Llanharan
175006 is allocated to be out tomorrow for the first time under GWR on training duties, 175002 on the passenger run.
 

Top