Class 458 refresh and extra carriages

[hmp455]

Travelled on a class 458 (458010 to be exact) and noticed that the standard class seating had been refreshed (complete with some loose seat pads! ) Does anyone know whether or not there are any others done, or being done.

Also, when are they due to receive the extra ex-Gatwick carriages to lengthen them to 5-car, and will they re-classified (like the HC Desiros?)

 

[swt_passenger]

Also, when are they due to receive the extra ex-Gatwick carriages to lengthen them to 5-car, and will they re-classified (like the HC Desiros?)

Roger (Modern Railways) Ford's email preview had this to say today:

Finally, the original tender validities having expired while DfT vacillated, South West Trains has just submitted an updated bid for rolling stock to extend the 10-car railway. SWT was tight-lipped on the offer it submitted to DfT on 12 August, but Porterbrook, had been working flat out to refine its bid to merge the Class 458 and 460 fleets.

So no progress really.

However IF this 5 car 458/460 scheme does go ahead, as we've discussed in a couple of other recent threads, the trains couldn't remain on the Reading route, as it isn't part of the 10 car programme. I'd assume they'd end up on the standard class only services that the 450/5s cover, and the 450/5s would then be reverted to normal spec and be used on Readings.

But there are a number of other solutions possible, so I wouldn't assume it will definitely happen yet...

 

[MCR247]

There would be 28 5 car 458s, with the rest 4 car, and the 28 /5s would be converted back to /0s.

By the time you are doing this, adding some extra 450 trailers onto the 350/3 order won't be much more expensive, and it will be easier I guess?

 

[jopsuk]

Other sources suggest there would be more 458 5 car units than that- using the left over 460 cars.

There are:
30 4 car 458s formed
DM-PT-T-DM

(accomodation class is irrelvent)

8 Class 460 comprising:
8 x DM
8 x DML - unclear if these can become fully passenger carrying
24 x T
24 x M

Which cars will be inserted into the 458s? To make 28, either four trailers would have to get motors or four driving cars would have to become intermediates, assuming that adding a motor coach is preffered. Surely might as well make it six to make the whole fleet 5 car?
If six trailers were fitted with motors and the DMLs can become fully passenger carrying, that would leave 16 DMs and 18 Ts. Five more Ts fitted with motors would give a 35 unit fleet formed:
DM-(P)T-M-T-DM
plus three trailers left over for spares. Would be quite a lot of work and require a lot of motors- unless the third intermediate is to be a trailer, in which case there'd be a lot of spare motors. I doubt a mix of units with two or three motor coaches would work well. I've also seen mention that the work would include fitting a cab similar to the 450 to allow the classes to couple and work together if needed.

Is your 28 figure just based on there being 28 450/5s?

 

[swt_passenger]

I'd heard a suggestion (one of many) that half a dozen four car 458s would remain unaltered and become dedicated to the Ascot/Aldershot/Guildford run, releasing a couple of 450s.

I also understood the change of gangway design was more about allowing normal passenger access, and splitting and joining in service, rather than only in the depot as now.

I can't see them working in multiple in the normal course, the software is presumably totally incompatible as currently designed. However having a standardised Dellner/Scharfenberg type coupler retrofitted could be useful for rescue purposes - like SN's DMUs for instance.