Class 175s to GWR

[REVUpminster]

Another drag from Ely-Wolverton is currently scheduled for this Wednesday:

Realtime Trains | 7H70 0820 Ely Mlf Papworth Sidings to Wolverton Centre Sidings | 08/04/2026

Real-time train running information for 7H70 0820 departure from Ely Mlf Papworth Sidings to Wolverton Centre Sidings on 08/04/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

175005/008, 175104/109 I think is what's left. 008 not likely to be moved.

 

[XFeed]

The obfuscation of blue and white 'status' indicators sounds like a net benefit in so far as reducing night time glare.

The blue status indicators that you mention I assume that they would be the door interlock LED`s which I agree were a little bright especially during night time but they also had to be bright enough during daytime to confirm door interlock, as without it you weren`t going anywhere. There was a FMI implemented (Factory Modification Instruction) to replace the door interlock full aspect blue lenses with "Halo" blue lenses to obscure the centre of the lens so no light was visible except for around the outer edge, which appeared favourable when talking to train crew.

I didn`t find the safety systems healthy LED`s particularly bright but I didn`t drive them.

 

[BillStampy]

175114 is out on the training run today alongside 175009.

009 does the passenger service whilst 114 continues on training for the rest of the day.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Apr 2026 ==

I've just noticed, there's now 5Z paths from Long Rock depot in Penzance. I'm unsure of what state 175010 is in currently but could Laira send a few units down for the purpose of training up Penzance drivers and guards?

 

[alexross42]

I didn't catch the number but a 175 unit failed just outside of Plymouth this afternoon, blocking all lines west for around 30 minutes, leading to some cancellations and all the passengers on our 5-car IET being moved into another 5-car IET that was already fairly full with passengers.

However, they did managed to revive the unit and reverse it back into the station - it had a 5Z headcode so probably 175114?

 

[BillStampy]

I didn't catch the number but a 175 unit failed just outside of Plymouth this afternoon, blocking all lines west for around 30 minutes, leading to some cancellations and all the passengers on our 5-car IET being moved into another 5-car IET that was already fairly full with passengers.

However, they did managed to revive the unit and reverse it back into the station - it had a 5Z headcode so probably 175114?

2C26 was completely binned so probably whatever was running that, then the other 175 might've had to go pick it up. I'm not sure though!

 

[Jrocks]

175009 failed on the Down Main at the West end of Plymouth whilst shunting out of the way of 175114 which was pencilled in for 2C26

 

[BillStampy]

175009 failed on the Down Main at the West end of Plymouth whilst shunting out of the way of 175114 which was pencilled in for 2C26

Oh, that'll explain it.

Will 175114 see proper usage then?

 

[Jrocks]

Oh, that'll explain it.

Will 175114 see proper usage then?

Quite possibly - if it is fit for traffic (as we found out the other week ) then there's nothing stopping us from using it in traffic again... especially if it saves cancellations!

I will add, should have been the 2 car in passenger traffic today but due to an unrelated fault before it sitting down on the mainline, it was decided to swap it for 114

 

[REVUpminster]

Another drag from Ely-Wolverton is currently scheduled for this Wednesday:

Realtime Trains | 7H70 0820 Ely Mlf Papworth Sidings to Wolverton Centre Sidings | 08/04/2026

Real-time train running information for 7H70 0820 departure from Ely Mlf Papworth Sidings to Wolverton Centre Sidings on 08/04/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Now cancelled.

 

[XFeed]

If I remember rightly, they also asked for the drivers seat to be replaced with one with a headrest, and I think also for the AWS sunflower to be moved to be in a more visible location - though the latter issue would probably need sorting anyway if they've put other things on top of the centre console.

Come across a recent post on LinkedIn and it shows quite well the the cab modifications, drivers seat headrest, handsets repositioned onto top of centre desk console with a nice little touch to store the defect book behind them plus the sunflower is now angled at 45 degrees towards the driver in its original position. Along with a picture of 011 in Laira.



== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Apr 2026 ==

175009 failed on the Down Main at the West end of Plymouth whilst shunting out of the way of 175114 which was pencilled in for 2C26

Is there any information as to the nature of the failure regarding 009 ?

 

[tfw756rider]

Come across a recent post on LinkedIn and it shows quite well the the cab modifications, drivers seat headrest, handsets repositioned onto top of centre desk console with a nice little touch to store the defect book behind them plus the sunflower is now angled at 45 degrees towards the driver in its original position.

View attachment 201916

Thanks for sharing! Do you have / know of any photos of the cab before the modifications for comparison?

 

[brad465]

Now cancelled.

The loco(s) didn't make the journey yesterday by the looks of things. Currently no rescheduled drag this week.

 

[RPI]

175009 failed on the Down Main at the West end of Plymouth whilst shunting out of the way of 175114 which was pencilled in for 2C26

Apparently an egress handle was the guilty party!

 

[XFeed]

Thanks for sharing! Do you have / know of any photos of the cab before the modifications for comparison?

Apologies for the poor quality picture but its a screenshot from a video but it does show the original position of the handsets besides the drivers leg and the sunflower in its original position too.




== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Apr 2026 ==

Apparently an egress handle was the guilty party!

Thanks for the information. Historically green internal "egress" handles very rarely caused any issues but that can`t be said regarding green external "access" handles due to them being exposed to the elements and they do have a tendency to regularly stick and not reset correctly causing issues with the 2 micro switches within the handle.

I don`t always want to be critical of the train crew each time they have an issue but it is a basic error and I`m sure its something that they will get on top of in time, unless they was a genuine fault with the handle of course ?

Egress or Access handles not reset correctly or indeed a genuine fault can very quickly be identified in an active cab as the PA safety system heathy LED on the 2nd mans side will not be illuminated - PA Passenger Alarm - The picture attached shows a healthy PA safety system by the illuminated LED on the furthest right hand side.

 

[craigybagel]

Come across a recent post on LinkedIn and it shows quite well the the cab modifications, drivers seat headrest, handsets repositioned onto top of centre desk console with a nice little touch to store the defect book behind them plus the sunflower is now angled at 45 degrees towards the driver in its original position. Along with a picture of 011 in Laira.

View attachment 201916

Thanks for sharing this - as a long time former resident of class 175 cabs it's fascinating to see the changes. Small changes on paper but big improvements for traincrew.

Although the biggest shock - and no disrespect to their former maintenance staff here - is how clean and shiny everything looks! It's almost good as new.

 

[XFeed]

Thanks for sharing this - as a long time former resident of class 175 cabs it's fascinating to see the changes. Small changes on paper but big improvements for traincrew.

Although the biggest shock - and no disrespect to their former maintenance staff here - is how clean and shiny everything looks! It's almost good as new.

Same here also "as a long time former resident of class 175 cab`s" but in a different capacity. Hope the changes are liked by GWR Traincrew.

I too am impressed how "clean, shiny", new and fresh the cab looks compared to my recent posted pictures. I was always critical of 175 cleanliness and appearance compared to other fleets but having said that train presentation had always carried out by a 3rd party at Chester on 175`s and nightly audits had a lot to be desired. There were mitigating circumstances every night due to pressure to meet availability each each day around cleaning. Two and more often 3 units arrived on depot after 1am and then had to be back in service prior to 6am defects rectified and cleaned, these later arrivals were usually units that had been away from depot for a considerable time and inevitably returned with numerous defects. Chester depot isn`t the easiest to move units around due to its design namely retrieving units off reception, getting them through the system and into the maintenance shed or cleaning roads.

 

[craigybagel]

Same here also "as a long time former resident of class 175 cab`s" but in a different capacity. Hope the changes are liked by GWR Traincrew.

I too am impressed how "clean, shiny", new and fresh the cab looks compared to my recent posted pictures. I was always critical of 175 cleanliness and appearance compared to other fleets but having said that train presentation had always carried out by a 3rd party at Chester on 175`s and nightly audits had a lot to be desired. There were mitigating circumstances every night due to pressure to meet availability each each day around cleaning. Two and more often 3 units arrived on depot after 1am and then had to be back in service prior to 6am defects rectified and cleaned, these later arrivals were usually units that had been away from depot for a considerable time and inevitably returned with numerous defects. Chester depot isn`t the easiest to move units around due to its design namely retrieving units off reception, getting them through the system and into the maintenance shed or cleaning roads.

If it's any comfort, the cab of a 175 seemed as clean as a hospital surgery compared to the 67s a lot of their former drivers are now working
For all their challenges, Chester did a pretty fine job keeping a somewhat difficult fleet going for so long. In 10 years of having them as my core traction I only had one failure! Hopefully that knowledge will get passed down to Laira.

 

[RPI]

Apologies for the poor quality picture but its a screenshot from a video but it does show the original position of the handsets besides the drivers leg and the sunflower in its original position too.


View attachment 201970

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Apr 2026 ==




Egress or Access handles not reset correctly or indeed a genuine fault can very quickly be identified in an active cab as the PA safety system heathy LED on the 2nd mans side will not be illuminated - PA Passenger Alarm - The picture attached shows a healthy PA safety system by the illuminated LED on the furthest right hand side.

Apologies, it was the access handle on the outside - not the egress handle.

 

[XFeed]

If it's any comfort, the cab of a 175 seemed as clean as a hospital surgery compared to the 67s a lot of their former drivers are now working
For all their challenges, Chester did a pretty fine job keeping a somewhat difficult fleet going for so long. In 10 years of having them as my core traction I only had one failure! Hopefully that knowledge will get passed down to Laira.

That`s a pretty good record over 10 years and hope the one failure didn`t cause you too many issues at the time.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Apr 2026 ==

Apologies, it was the access handle on the outside - not the egress handle.

Thanks for the clarification that it was an Access handle and not an Egress handle, I was wondering if that was the case.

Forgot to mention in yesterdays post that if an Access or Egress handle is not set correctly the bodyside Hazard light will also be illuminated on the affected car or cars and this gives the traincrew a clue as to which car the problem lies. Having said that there are also 6 or 7 faults in total, including when doors are armed, that will also illuminate a bodyside Hazard light on a particular car to help.

 

[VP185]

Thanks for the clarification that it was an Access handle and not an Egress handle, I was wondering if that was the case.

Forgot to mention in yesterdays post that if an Access or Egress handle is not set correctly the bodyside Hazard light will also be illuminated on the affected car or cars and this gives the traincrew a clue as to which car the problem lies. Having said that there are also 6 or 7 faults in total, including when doors are armed, that will also illuminate a bodyside Hazard light on a particular car to help.

Surely if it was an external egress handle they wouldn't have been able to get a brake release and drive the unit out of the West End of Plymouth Station?? As I understand it, the fault only occurred once the driver had changed ends in which case, the egress handle would not have been operated.

 

[BillStampy]

Realtime Trains | 5V84 1154 Wolverton Centre Sidings to Laira T.& R.S.M.D. | 13/04/2026

Real-time train running information for 5V84 1154 departure from Wolverton Centre Sidings to Laira T.& R.S.M.D. on 13/04/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

A change in delivery pattern!

5V84 to Laira on Monday

 

[XFeed]

Surely if it was an external egress handle they wouldn't have been able to get a brake release and drive the unit out of the West End of Plymouth Station?? As I understand it, the fault only occurred once the driver had changed ends in which case, the egress handle would not have been operated.

Could RPI have been supplied with the incorrect failure reason when he reported that it was an Access handle that caused the issue and that we are not aware of the real reason for the failure ?

Not knowing the full circumstances of the issue I do agree with you that all handles must have been set for the unit to carry out the first part of its shunt move out of the station and then the driver would have walked through the train to the other cab to then complete the move and he would not have needed to exit the unit and even if he did he would have used the button and T key switch to exit and return to the other cab.

So with the problem only arising after changing ends are we assuming or know that they could not achieve brake release from the new cab ? If this is the case and we don`t know for sure as yet that brake release was the problem ?

Drivers can experience no brake release problems after changing ends at times and the common ones often occur with the driver leaving the PBC - Power Brake Controller - in the incorrect position in the cab he has left, if the PBC is not left in high brake position the brakes will not release from the other cab, also it has been known that if one of the two emergency brake push buttons have been accidently pressed in the cab as the driver gets their things together. Another common reason is that if one or more of the gearboxes doesn`t change direction from the other cab causing a brake continuity fault.

All of this is reported to the TMS for the driver to see plus if GWR have been given access to Alstom`s Traintracer software that remotely downloads data from the TMS to depot laptops all of this information can be seen in very nearly real time and Technicians can then assist the traincrew by phone.

 

[Jrocks]

Could RPI have been supplied with the incorrect failure reason when he reported that it was an Access handle that caused the issue and that we are not aware of the real reason for the failure ?

Nope, RPI has got the correct reason!

Egress/Access handle at fault, can't go into it any more than that.

 

[Express380]

112 Looks to be coming out to play tomorrow. Another one for the in service list.

 

[Jrocks]

112 Looks to be coming out to play tomorrow. Another one for the in service list.

Both 112 and 114 should be out playing tomorrow (or today even!)

 

[BillStampy]

112 Looks to be coming out to play tomorrow. Another one for the in service list.

Beat me to it!
Good to see a roll out of some 3-car units, with 112 taking one of the 2-car diagrams today.

 

[Rich McLean]

Hopefully they can get a unit up in the Exeter area soon for crew training.

 

[RPI]

Hopefully they can get a unit up in the Exeter area soon for crew training.

Exeter guards are learning them most days, 2C20 is an Exeter Train Manager job to, I think, Pa (may be Plymouth)

 

[The_Train]

Both 112 and 114 should be out playing tomorrow (or today even!)

175112 is on https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:P23006/2026-04-10/detailed but I can't see any allocation for 114

 

[BillStampy]

175112 is on https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:P23006/2026-04-10/detailed but I can't see any allocation for 114

175114 is on the training runs, 5Z13 at the time of posting with 175011.