Class 387

[cactustwirly]

They are running hourly instead of half hourly from D Parkway

Amended Saturday timetable with only 2tph west of Reading.
Looks like there's some engineering works or something.
From journey check:

Between London Paddington and Oxford/Didcot Parkway via Maidenhead and Reading

Planned engineering work will take place between London Paddington and Oxford/Didcot Parkway via Maidenhead and Reading from 04:00, Saturday 06 January 2018 to 02:00, Sunday 07 January 2018.
Additional Information
Saturday All day, a revised service will run between London Paddington, Slough, Maidenhead, Reading and Oxford.

 

[TheAdelante]

Amended Saturday timetable with only 2tph west of Reading.
Looks like there's some engineering works or something.

Yeah, 1 of those 2tph are Turbos

 

[TheAdelante]

And it’s very irritating especially as almost all of the 165/1s are duds for me

 

[dp21]

Could said engineering work be to do with the issues that the 800s have been experiencing with clashes with the axle counters?

 

[cactustwirly]

Could said engineering work be to do with the issues that the 800s have been experiencing with clashes with the axle counters?

Most likely, I think everything else would have been done over Xmas

 

[D365]

As per my posting in the Class 800 discussion, said axle counter issues are soon set to be resolved. Presumably those engineering works will be related then.

 

[Domh245]

I thought that the cable had been replaced at some point yesterday. One of the insiders posted to that effect and that the tests all seemed positive.

 

[FenMan]

I had my first ride on a GWR 387 yesterday, from Reading to Maidenhead. As mentioned by others, the onboard ambience is very good and the seats, although hard, encourage you to sit correctly rather than slouch.

I do have one gripe - the ride quality was poor. The train felt very fidgety, to the extent that several interior panels starting vibrating in Voyager fashion. In contrast the ride quality from Reading back to Blackwater on a 166 was dramatically better. I hope this can be fixed by revisiting the damper settings and not something we have to endure for the life of the train.

 

[hwl]

I had my first ride on a GWR 387 yesterday, from Reading to Maidenhead. As mentioned by others, the onboard ambience is very good and the seats, although hard, encourage you to sit correctly rather than slouch.

I do have one gripe - the ride quality was poor. The train felt very fidgety, to the extent that several interior panels starting vibrating in Voyager fashion. In contrast the ride quality from Reading back to Blackwater on a 166 was dramatically better. I hope this can be fixed by revisiting the damper settings and not something we have to endure for the life of the train.

Dampers set for 110mph...

 

[jimm]

You can tinker around with dampers all you like, but that can only do so much if the condition of track is less than perfect.

The track on the up relief line east of Reading takes a pounding from the loaded aggregates trains from Westbury. Even between Didcot and Reading, where most of the freight is container trains, there are places where the ride on the reliefs can be 'lively' on an HST at 100mph.

 

[hwl]

You can tinker around with dampers all you like, but that can only do so much if the condition of track is less than perfect.

The track on the up relief line east of Reading takes a pounding from the loaded aggregates trains from Westbury. Even between Didcot and Reading, where most of the freight is container trains, there are places where the ride on the reliefs can be 'lively' on an HST at 100mph.

Agreed but the damper set up accentuates the situation.

 

[samuelmorris]

Might be a bit of an obvious question but I haven't seen anything specifically - is there a link to somewhere detailing which routes will officially use what type of rolling stock by a given date? I'm a bit out of the loop on the Great Western side with the electrification cutbacks regarding what stays as 165/166, what will be 387 or 800/802. I have a fair idea when the 800s will all be introduced and that almost all the 387s are now ready for service, but it's a bit confusing to work out which routes will be served by what moving forward.

 

[JN114]

Under currently confirmed electrification plans -

Virtually everything that’s presently an HST will be an 800/802; plus vast majority of Padd - Oxford (and beyond) services and Padd - Bedwyn fast services.

Turbos in the east will be confined to Greenford, Windsor, Marlow and Henley branches; Gatwick Line; Basingstoke; and a half-hourly Didcot-Oxford/Banbury shuttle. Some may turn up on Fast Padd a Oxford services, but plans are for vast majority to be IET operated.

387s will then operate most other Thames Valley services - Padd to Reading/Didcot stopping, semi-fast and fast services; Reading to Newbury stopping services.

 

[jimm]

Under currently confirmed electrification plans -

Virtually everything that’s presently an HST will be an 800/802; plus vast majority of Padd - Oxford (and beyond) services and Padd - Bedwyn fast services.

Turbos in the east will be confined to Greenford, Windsor, Marlow and Henley branches; Gatwick Line; Basingstoke; and a half-hourly Didcot-Oxford/Banbury shuttle. Some may turn up on Fast Padd a Oxford services, but plans are for vast majority to be IET operated.

387s will then operate most other Thames Valley services - Padd to Reading/Didcot stopping, semi-fast and fast services; Reading to Newbury stopping services.

Once the full IET fleet is available, the entire Oxford/Cotswold Line fast service will be provided by 800s and 802s.

The only Cotswold Line Turbo working looking like having a long-term future is the morning stopping train from Worcester to Oxford and Didcot - depending on what the timetable change brings for 2019, the 2-car set for this might do a bit more work on the Cotswold Line, otherwise will presumably be helping the rest of the day on Didcot diesel shuttles.

 

[TheAdelante]

I had my first ride on a GWR 387 yesterday, from Reading to Maidenhead. As mentioned by others, the onboard ambience is very good and the seats, although hard, encourage you to sit correctly rather than slouch.

I do have one gripe - the ride quality was poor. The train felt very fidgety, to the extent that several interior panels starting vibrating in Voyager fashion. In contrast the ride quality from Reading back to Blackwater on a 166 was dramatically better. I hope this can be fixed by revisiting the damper settings and not something we have to endure for the life of the train.

What a coincidence, I did 387 bashing on Saturday too and likewise ended the day at Blackwater! I was on the 1804 off Reading though, that was a 165 not a 166.

 

[samuelmorris]

Under currently confirmed electrification plans -

Virtually everything that’s presently an HST will be an 800/802; plus vast majority of Padd - Oxford (and beyond) services and Padd - Bedwyn fast services.

Turbos in the east will be confined to Greenford, Windsor, Marlow and Henley branches; Gatwick Line; Basingstoke; and a half-hourly Didcot-Oxford/Banbury shuttle. Some may turn up on Fast Padd a Oxford services, but plans are for vast majority to be IET operated.

387s will then operate most other Thames Valley services - Padd to Reading/Didcot stopping, semi-fast and fast services; Reading to Newbury stopping services.

Thanks that's helpful. It just seemed difficult to see why there were so many units (387s) for what seemed rather few routes compared to the 800s.

 

[Malcolmffc]

Thanks that's helpful. It just seemed difficult to see why there were so many units (387s) for what seemed rather few routes compared to the 800s.

Don’t forget many of the inner suburban workings will be replaced by Crossrail 345s from 2019

 

[JN114]

Thanks that's helpful. It just seemed difficult to see why there were so many units (387s) for what seemed rather few routes compared to the 800s.

The idea is to deliver a step-change in capacity. 8 car Railway where it was previously 3; 12 where it was previously 5/6. Full benefits won’t be realised until Crossrail takes the lions share of inner Thames Valley services.

 

[ATW158Xpress]

Looked in GWR Jouney Check this morning and there’s a 2x3 165/166 standing in for a 8 car 387 on Didcot - Paddington service.

 

[FGW_DID]

Looked in GWR Jouney Check this morning and there’s a 2x3 165/166 standing in for a 8 car 387 on Didcot - Paddington service.

A couple of 387 on Exam and a couple stopped for repairs.

 

[IanXC]

A couple of 387 on Exam and a couple stopped for repairs.

Seems surprising that availability is that tight - what proportion of the fleet is now accepted for into traffic?

 

[reddragon]

Looked in GWR Jouney Check this morning and there’s a 2x3 165/166 standing in for a 8 car 387 on Didcot - Paddington service.

And it was running very late too! Next 387 had almost caught it up.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Don't really believe that I'm afraid. The Coastway is designed for three car units and the 387's 110mph capability would be wasted on the stopping services. Could be good for some GN passengers though...

The only way the GN 387s might get to Southern is if that caused a cascade of the 377/3 (i.e. 3-car) onto the coastway line, thus dispensing with 313s. But that really is conjecture - just as likely the 387s would go into er store.

We really do need some more electric routes don't we !.

 

[FGW_DID]

Seems surprising that availability is that tight - what proportion of the fleet is now accepted for into traffic?

Still waiting for two to arrive (160 & 174). I’ll plead the fifth on anything else and keep my thoughts to myself.

 

[Pete_uk]

What's with the small low light on the drivers right (left as you look at it)?

 

[JN114]

What's with the small low light on the drivers right (left as you look at it)?

3rd Rail Cam Light

 

[dp21]

3rd Rail Cam Light

It's a track-facing camera for track monitoring much like the pan-cams. They're used on all later-build E*s as the 379s have them too and they're 25kV units.

From experience they're quite handy too as sometimes things aren't picked up from the Forward Facing CCTV appear on them. I've seen footage of a near miss on a level crossing which shows a car immediately in front of the train and you can see the reflection of the unit in the windows of the car however the FFCCTV didn't pick it up!

I can only speak from what I have experienced however they appear to be used more on a more reactionary basis rather than proactively monitoring infrastructure. FFCCTV, however, can and is being used by some operators like c2c in a machine vision context.

Slightly off-piste I know but hopefully sets the scene.

 

[spark001uk]

3rd Rail Cam Light

The 3rd rail switches sides though. Isn't it more for track in general?

 

[317 forever]

Over Easter there will still be a half-hourly Paddington - Didcot stopping service, but no extra Paddington - Reading shuttles. This is due to engineering works around Paddington. I just hope these Didcot services are most if not all 387s.

 

[JonathanH]

Over Easter there will still be a half-hourly Paddington - Didcot stopping service, but no extra Paddington - Reading shuttles. This is due to engineering works around Paddington. I just hope these Didcot services are most if not all 387s.

There simply aren't enough Turbos at Reading for the Didcot Parkway services you refer to not to be 387s.

Thinning of service on Good Friday looks like its due to two track railway through Twyford and Maidenhead (reliefs open, mains shut).