Favourite train class

[HOOVER29]

Past: class 87 with mk 3’s on,the best riding coach ever made coupled with one of the best locos out. Give me 7 over a Deltic any day.

Present: EMT class 158, rides nicely even at 90 mph plus it’s comfy with none of the rock hard seat rubbish & more than enough leg room for a lanky 6ft 5 midlander like me.
Or a class 395 Javelin.
Or a class 222 unit simply because they’re miles better than a class 220/221

Future: quickly forgetting the IEP
I suppose it’s looking forward to the mk 5 coaches

 

[Juniper Driver]

Too many to mention some from what I have worked on and Class 20's from my visits to derbyshire in the last 70's.In bold are what I have worked on.

Class 20/31/37/47
Class 315/444/450/455/458/707/482/487/158/159
HST's.

 

[swt class 450]

I forgot to mention that the 334/458/460 are also very good trains. It was a huge mistake for GTR to get rid of their 460 trains.

 

[LOL The Irony]

I forgot to mention that the 334/458/460 are also very good trains. It was a huge mistake for GTR to get rid of their 460 trains.

IIRC they didn't have a choice in it.

 

[anamyd]

quietest diesel engines

which is amazing considering they're 21 litre V12s you'd think would rumble away!

 

[anamyd]

<---------- Errrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmm.........


XD

Your username and avatar are above the text on mobile devices

 

[anamyd]

Valenta HST's, I dispatched them for a few years.

...and you're still alive...?

 

[Parallel]

Of the units I've used, probably 158s as they offer a comfortable environment and a fairly good ride quality. ATW units are my favourites but I also like the red/blue/orange SWT ones and Scotrail's Inverness based ones. For novelty value, I like the 313s too.

 

[Harbornite]

One that turns up on time after work...

 

[Harbornite]

I forgot to mention that the 334/458/460 are also very good trains. It was a huge mistake for GTR to get rid of their 460 trains.

Not sure why you're blaming GTR as that company didn't exist at the time.

 

[Strat-tastic]

HST because of the nose-cone effect of the Class 43 power cars - Birmingham New Street is my favourite station to experience this!

What is this nosecone effect of which you speak? And why better at New Street?

 

[class387]

All time favourite is probably D78 stock - they were the trains that got me into railways as a three year old. For that reason I am looking forward to the 230s.

Other favourites include Class 365s, 387s, 465s, 345s, HSTs and I am very excited for the 755s.

 

[dazzler]

Past favourites:
Deltic on Mk2 d/e/f on the ECML from York (North or South Bound!)
Class 31 on 5 x Mk1 between Norwich and Peterborough on the Norwich - Birmingham route late 70s/early 80s (We lived in Norfolk at this time and used both of these to visit the Grandparents in Leeds!)

Current:
Class 185 (especially on a fast service on the ECML)
Class 37 on anything!

Future:
Looking forward to the Class 68 on Mk5a on Transpennine.

 

[BantamMenace]

Past: BR Standard Class 4 tank although long before my time. Also liked watching the white regional railways liveried 158s and Midland Mainline liveried HSTs at Leeds when I was a child.

Current: Class 175 interiors and Chiltern Mk3s amongst the best interiors around today.

Future: Looking forward to what the LNER IEPs can deliver as part of the expanded routes (Harrogate, Huddersfield, Bradford, Skipton, Middlesbrough, etc.). Class 331 operating in 6-car formation on the Airedale lines as well.

 

[yorksrob]

Past - EPB

Present - EMT HST

Future - Hmm I guess whatever displaces the 142's !

 

[Swanny200]

Past would be the EPB (first trains I had regular use of and had character) loco wise would be the Deltic

Present (just) the 91's, sat in a cab of one when they first came out at a depot day, about 4 years later travelled on one up to Edinburgh.

Future I'm looking forward to seeing the new Transpennine stock and seeing how they fare.

 

[Alex62319]

Present: HST/153/156/319/321/350

Future: I guess the 720/745.

 

[CM]

I forgot to mention that the 334/458/460 are also very good trains. It was a huge mistake for GTR to get rid of their 460 trains.

The 334s are in no way very good, too many rattles, squeaks and jolts for a modern unit. Half of them sound like the bogies are about to fall off. Much prefer travelling on 318s and 320s.

 

[Ken H]

Talk of Trans Pennine reminds me of the old class 124 'Trans Pennine' DMU's
Well comfy. Ran as 6 car units complete with buffet.
Maintained at Botanic Gardens, Hull.

TP was hourly then, with loco hauled Liverpool-Newcastle trains and Class 124 Liverpool - Hull trains. But I used 124's between Leeds and York.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Past: BR Standard Class 4 tank although long before my time. Also liked watching the white regional railways liveried 158s and Midland Mainline liveried HSTs at Leeds when I was a child.

Current: Class 175 interiors and Chiltern Mk3s amongst the best interiors around today.

Future: Looking forward to what the LNER IEPs can deliver as part of the expanded routes (Harrogate, Huddersfield, Bradford, Skipton, Middlesbrough, etc.). Class 331 operating in 6-car formation on the Airedale lines as well.

Don't wish to divert the topic, but apparently it'll now be 4-car 331s in Yorkshire.

 

[66Yorks]

Past: Class 20 & 101
Present: Class 66
Future: Class 68

 

[Metal_gee_man]

Past (soon to be): Class 43 HSTs & MK3s (slam door)
Present: Class 390 Pendalinos just beat the Class 395s
Future: If well utilised the Class 755s Bi Mode is the future of many franchises running old knackered diesels under wires/over 3rd rail, I hope Abellio don't mess them up, they'll be the catalyst for the other franchises (EMT/CrossCountry/GWR) to take the plunge

 

[700007]

Past: 313s, 315s, 321s, HSTs
Present: 350s, 379s, 444s
Future: 700s (what it says on the tin), looking forward to 230s the most out of incoming new trains

 

[FGW_DID]

Past: 40s, 25s in a very close second place, 50s (03s get a Mention in Dispatches) HST gets the lifetime achievement award

Present: 68s, 60s, 387s

Future: Well, who knows, it’s the future! But looking forward to seeing what the 80x units can really do, once the flaws / teething troubles are sorted and electrification is complete(ish).

 

[Mikey C]

Past: Underground A stock, Eurostar 373s (original interior)

Present: 4 abreast 350s and 444s for EMUs, 168s, 175s and 222s for DMUs. The 95 and S7 Underground stock. And HSTs

Future: The 397s hopefully

 

[ComUtoR]

Past - should remain buried

Present - Maglev, 700s

Future - Whatever I get to drive next.

 

[swt class 450]

I also forgot to mention the 165 and 166 trains which are also very nice. They are well designed trains and nice to travel on.

On the London Underground network the C stock trains were always one of my favourites as well. I always liked travelling on them.

As for past trains i always liked the class 450 trains in Northern Ireland (not to be confused with the class 450 trains we have on SWT which i also really like).

 

[Ex31Rigger]

Past best - Steam heat cl 37 and compartment stock on the West Highland or Large Logo cl 50 anywhere.
Past worst - cl 86 on WCML (Groundhog day at Rugby)
Current best - cl 395, smart livery, very stylish, sweet performance, whats not to like.
Current worst - cl 390, looks ok from outside but how anyone can design an interior where you can get a seat with no adjacent window is beyond me.

Also, for the record, any train/unit etc that has a white livery.......nightmare to keep clean, gets tatty very quickly, what were they thinking when they proposed white as a valid colour scheme???

 

[Photohunter71]

Past 37's 55's 58's 56's 47's

Current 60's 68's 70's 92's

Future Let's see what we get in the way of locomotives before passing judgement.

 

[colchesterken]

Class 306 as it was my first commuter train, 309 s in original state they had a pretty front end..
And anything that runs on coal and water !!!