Climate control in modern stock

[Egg Centric]

Generally speaking, are the climate control settings* in modern stock adjustable by the on board crew, both technically and in line with company procedure. And why or why not?

I see good arguments for every possibility so wonder which has won the day.


*I'm implicitly assuming there is climate control, by which I mean a "target temperature" and heating/cooling controlled automatically by a system to try to maintain it, as opposed to something else. Is this corrrect?

 

[driver9000]

Generally saloon HVAC temperature is set around 22°c to maintain a comfortable environment throughout the year and can't be altered by the crew. It saves arguments breaking out among passengers when someone wants it at 18, another wants 24 and the crew suddenly become a target it also keeps the HVAC units operating consistently through the train.

 

[superkev]

Giving anyone control over the temp controls is a recipe for conflictvas everyone wants different.
I dont think any trains have climate control which usually implies control of both temperature and humidity.
Often people also use "Air Conditioning" incorrectly as full Air conditioning controls both temp and humidity.
I dont believe any trains have humidity control often just what is known in the building trade as "comfort cooling" which just chills the air hence the common term "comfort cooled offices" .
K

 

[Bletchleyite]

Generally saloon HVAC temperature is set around 22°c to maintain a comfortable environment throughout the year and can't be altered by the crew. It saves arguments breaking out among passengers when someone wants it at 18, another wants 24 and the crew suddenly become a target it also keeps the HVAC units operating consistently through the train.

I believe it is (or at least was) crew controllable on Pendolinos, but they are the exception.

 

[800301]

There is generally no control over the climate control in the carriages, in some stock you have the option of turning off the HVAC but it will restart after a preset time period.

Generally there is a set point temperature with allowances either side, it moves normally 2-4c depending on the season, slightly cooler in summer and slightly warmer in winter.

There are various things that can affect it, on some stock, if any of the smoke detectors are faulty or detect smoke, it will shut off the HVAC in that carriage, if the actual temperature sensor is faulty and not giving an accurate reading, if the train has been stabled in the sun for most of the day sometimes the HVAC system gets confused as the amount of cooling required is above normal parameters and therefore may need to be reset before being able to provide adequate cooling, if the train is absolutely rammed, it will take a lot longer for the train cool down and in some situations the heating providing during this is too much.

There is no point giving a driver control over it as some people would just abuse it or set it to their liking which wouldn’t suit everyone on board, but I do feel for sorry at times for passengers when I have to pass on a train and it either a lot hotter or cooler than it should be

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Giving anyone control over the temp controls is a recipe for conflictvas everyone wants different.
I dont think any trains have climate control which usually implies control of both temperature and humidity.
Often people also use "Air Conditioning" incorrectly as full Air conditioning controls both temp and humidity.
I dont believe any trains have humidity control often just what is known in the building trade as "comfort cooling" which just chills the air hence the common term "comfort cooled offices" .
K

And yet modern trains generate just as much noise from their internal circulation fans in winter as in summer. I had the impression that this was due to the need to extract excess moisture from the air that has been brought onto trains by passengers during wet weather. And it would make sense for that to happen in order to avoid damp related damage to interior furnishings, especially seat covers. What am I missing?

 

[Bletchleyite]

And yet modern trains generate just as much noise from their internal circulation fans in winter as in summer. I had the impression that this was due to the need to extract excess moisture from the air that has been brought onto trains by passengers during wet weather. And it would make sense for that to happen in order to avoid damp related damage to interior furnishings, especially seat covers. What am I missing?

Most forms of "comfort cooling" still remove excess moisture, that's the natural effect of cooling air (unless by evaporative cooling, but I'm not aware of any train HVAC systems using that as it's very much an inferior technology and requires a ready water supply). It just isn't controlled to an exact value like with true air conditioning.

 

[karlbbb]

Generally there is a set point temperature with allowances either side, it moves normally 2-4c depending on the season, slightly cooler in summer and slightly warmer in winter.

Shouldn't that be the other way around? In winter people stay wrapped up so a cooler cabin is more acceptable; in summer, people wear less and so a warmer temperature is more acceptable.