GCRE Onllwyn. Class 360's Arrive.

[ajay1071]

Does anybody have information on when and how the class 360's arrived at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence in Onllwyn.

 

[Foggycorner]

Maybe they were airlifted in by Idris the dragon

 

[Adrian Barr]

This photo answers the question - a low loader move in action from the Dean Forest Railway at the beginning of April: https://www.flickr.com/photos/146083184@N02/53632370614/

A couple of photos of 360 movements to the Dean Forest Railway with Class 37 haulage:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/191731185@N06/53627838425/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevekingd1015/53635400565/

 

[ajay1071]

This photo answers the question - a low loader move in action from the Dean Forest Railway at the beginning of April: https://www.flickr.com/photos/146083184@N02/53632370614/

A couple of photos of 360 movements to the Dean Forest Railway with Class 37 haulage:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/191731185@N06/53627838425/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevekingd1015/53635400565/

Thanks for the information, I suspected they arrived by road.

 

[scottie]

Are these units visible to view at all even from a distance as I didn't manage to see them whilst in service?
Many thanks.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Not via Neath N&B Junction clearly!

 

[ajay1071]

Are these units visible to view at all even from a distance as I didn't manage to see them whilst in service?
Many thanks.

Unfortunately they are not visible from the public roads, you need to drive at least half a mile into the complex and obviously there's no access to the public.

 

[scottie]

Thanks for your replies. It will save me a trip as I'm not local.

 

[Northerngirl]

Is anything actually happening at the rather pompously name site, I'm sure emr's customers would rather have them in service than rusting in a field

 

[Royston Vasey]

Is anything actually happening at the rather pompously name site, I'm sure emr's customers would rather have them in service than rusting in a field

They're 5 car ex Heathrow units. Largely considered kaput as well as being too long for EMR

 

[357]

Is anything actually happening at the rather pompously name site, I'm sure emr's customers would rather have them in service than rusting in a field

Who is going to pay to fit them the correct signalling systems?
Who's going to pay the lease on them?
Who's going to pay to fix all the issues that were ignored on the GW?

 

[Razorblades]

I'm sure emr would rather have them

There, fixed that for you!

 

[Doomotron]

I'm sure emr's customers would rather have them in service than rusting in a field

However, as others have pointed out, in reality the ex-Heathrow units were effectively useless for anything other than Heathrow services, and no sane company would try to refurbish them. They're the British equivalent of the DB Metropolitan coaches.

 

[43096]

Who is going to pay to fit them the correct signalling systems?

What correct signalling system is that?

 

[D365]

Who is going to pay to fit them the correct signalling systems?
Who's going to pay the lease on them?
Who's going to pay to fix all the issues that were ignored on the GW?

However, as others have pointed out, in reality the ex-Heathrow units were effectively useless for anything other than Heathrow services, and no sane company would try to refurbish them. They're the British equivalent of the DB Metropolitan coaches.

I feel some wires might be getting crossed. Is that the former 332s that you each are referring to, or the surviving 360/2s?

 

[fgwrich]

However, as others have pointed out, in reality the ex-Heathrow units were effectively useless for anything other than Heathrow services, and no sane company would try to refurbish them. They're the British equivalent of the DB Metropolitan coaches.

A bit of a shame really considering how well regarded the Desiro's are, but their non standard nature sadly goes somewhat against them, and when BAA put them up for sale the noticeable black of interest from the ROSCOs was known. Of course the only way ROG picked them up was to boost their books - it was incredibly unlikely that the parcels idea was ever going to be pulled off, just look at how Onion has fared with all it's 319 / 769 derivates in storage while Varamis have made something of a success of it.

 

[cjmillsnun]

What correct signalling system is that?

I don’t think they’re TPWS fitted. Only AWS and APT.

 

[43096]

I don’t think they’re TPWS fitted. Only AWS and APT.

The 332s only had AWS and ATP. The 360s have TPWS as well as I understand it.

 

[Northerngirl]

However, as others have pointed out, in reality the ex-Heathrow units were effectively useless for anything other than Heathrow services, and no sane company would try to refurbish them. They're the British equivalent of the DB Metropolitan coaches.

That's a shame

 

[D365]

The 332s only had AWS and ATP. The 360s have TPWS as well as I understand it.

Indeed - given the timescales of the Desiro UK, it wouldn’t have been possible for Siemens to acquire an AWS only onboard for the Class 350 / 360 fleets!

 

[Doomotron]

I feel some wires might be getting crossed. Is that the former 332s that you each are referring to, or the surviving 360/2s?

I was indeed talking about the 360s. Ironically, and at risk of taking the thread off-topic, the 332s would have been marginally more useful as a result of the fleet size being larger, and the potential to combine them with the 333 fleet - although to be clear the 332s would still have been pretty useless away from Heathrow for much of the same reasons as the 360/2s.

 

[Russel]

Apart from the extra coach, what are the main differences between these 360's and the batch that ERM use that render them so incompatible?

 

[liamf656]

Apart from the extra coach, what are the main differences between these 360's and the batch that ERM use that render them so incompatible?

Don't the 360/2s have ATP rather than TPWS the same as the 332, making them useless anywhere in the network?

 

[43096]

Don't the 360/2s have ATP rather than TPWS the same as the 332, making them useless anywhere in the network?

Read above.

 

[43096]

Indeed - given the timescales of the Desiro UK, it wouldn’t have been possible for Siemens to acquire an AWS only onboard for the Class 350 / 360 fleets!

That thought went through my head as well.

 

[anthony263]

Apart from the extra coach, what are the main differences between these 360's and the batch that ERM use that render them so incompatible?

I believe 360201 was in fact the prototype class 350/450

 

[liamf656]

Read above.

My bad - info was there in plain sight!