How do you enable tilting on the 221s - external infrastructure?
Class 390s use external balises for tilt, I think 221s are the same.
That was my thinking. No-one's going to pay for the external infrastructure for trains that will be displaced in a few years anywhere. Whereas the 802s can take advatage of electrification as soon as its energised.
I don't know what's scarier, the post, or the possibility that DaFT would actually implement it.....
Its not a good idea, just completely random speculation on a way to reduce the headline Leeds-Manchester journey time given that almost the entire Huudersfield line (apart from Standedge) has pretty strong curves. The solution for the 802s is to have them maintained at Doncaster more with less of the near empty Newcastle-Edinbrugh shuttles. Reston station is a ridiculous waste of money, I know someone who lives in the area and has never used it, given both Dunbar and Berwick have far better service. The MK5s should be withdrawn and double 185s should be used instead as they (MK5s) would be great for GWR and loco hauled is just as bad for lack of SP and MU differentials. XC are the only reasonable place for extra 221s, possibly with the end coaches reformed into 2 coach regional express units but the lack of capacity would be horrific compared to 158s so the idea is unworkable.
To be fair (and this is just about the only sensible aspect of the suggestion) tilting trains have been suggested for the Standedge route many times over the years due to the curvature in the core section between Leeds and Manchester. Realistically though tilting technology seems to have fallen out of favour. This is probably a good thing outside of a few niche applications, as it further restricts our already limited loading gauge.
They were/are regional units.
How many more times does it need to be said that there is already a plan being implemented to replace GWR’s HSTs?
Plus said poster also believes that 185’s are ideal for these inter-regional services but then they aren’t apparently suitable for the same type of services in the north. Talk about going around in circles and trapping themselves.
You might, if you like hanging around Huddersfield for an hourly service to Halifax. It's 30 minutes to Hudds plus 22 minutes to Halifax, plus a minimum of 6 minutes between trains - if the TPE service is on time. It wasn't today, so you'd have had to add 60 minutes onto that, or stay on the train and change at Leeds (40 minutes to Halifax, plus the transfer time). Man Vic to Halifax is 45 minutes.
Yes it is. It connects a few regions.
Is it? I think you’ll find a hell of a lot of people make journeys the full length of the route thanks to good advance fares.
Make a 185 SC only and they aren’t much different from a 195. 2+2 seating with a mix of table and airline, doors at 3rds, good acceleration plus the 185’s are route cleared. Lovely.
True, but see my point above about people using the Northern service on AP tickets.
Utter garbage. Your use of the word ‘probably’ proves you’re grasping at straws to ‘prove’ your point rather than using facts. Unless you don’t want to use quicker direct services of course!
Agreed. Would prefer a battery bi-mode though.
They did those services by default as FTPE had no other stock at the time.
What experience? Can you categorically tell us that people prefer to go Manchester - Bradford via Leeds taking up to an hour and a half rather than the 1 hour with a maximum of 6 intermediate stops and 4 on the fast.
The words ‘I would say’ are yet again just you grasping at straws. Absolutely no basis for what you say.
You could say that for quite a few 'inter-city' spec trains to be fair, by removing the FC. There are currently no plans to remove FC from 185s but there is a chance they'll be leaving TPE within the next few years, so we're assuming at this point that the FC section will stay; would it be cost effective spending the money to convert the FC area to standard?
Well no there are no plans to do it but isn’t this the speculative section? You could just declassify what’s already there as per the Northern 170’s (a class also previously used on TPE so are these Inter-city units?).
Around 10 years ago since they started so that makes your ‘experience’ a bit outdated don’t you think?
No they're not; it's being handled by surplus IETs.
Or drop one engine and replace it with batteries.
They don't have traction motors so adding batteries wouldn't be that easy.
Indeed - and the 168 hybrid demonstrator doesn't appear to be progressing particularly quickly.
The Desiro classic is a fundamentally heavy design. A 3 car class 380 weighs 149t to the 185's 170t so lighter engines and bogies would remove a few tons, barely 2% less weight. The trains are sturdy (and feel it when riding them) and that won't change. That's why the Desiro City was built to be lighter from the drawing board.
The micro fleet approach (68+Mk5 & 397) that TPE took has to incur additional costs and complications, but the issue becomes what to do with them. The operator that is stuck with them when the music stops has the same issues as TPE, driver knowledge, extra training etc.