GWR Class 800

[PudseyBearHST]

Not massively. May have got busier post Bristol Parkway though. It's 10 coaches too.

Thanks. I'm on it now and got a four seater to myself. Going to Paddington and then coming back towards Slough. An extremely productive day for me I'll have been on 5 different GWR trains in one day (HST, class 800, adelante, turbo and the other suburban electric train) as well 8 hours at University.

 

[jimm]

Falsely certified material made it's way into the wheel-sets of a batch of bullet trains - I've not seen mention of what happened, but the original report indicated that they were deemed unsafe, and were taken out of service.

This is a developing story - the vendor was not aware of the problem and was still investigating. From news yesterday, it was reported that other vendors may also have problems. Yesterday's count stood at 500+ customer manufactures affected.

Really doesn't sound half as exciting when it comes to trains as you keep trying to make out.

Japanese high speed operators Central Japan Railway and West Japan Railway and the train manufacturer Hitachi have all used the substandard parts, though they were quick to reveal there was no risk to public safety. “Products used met safety standards, but they did not meet the specifications that were agreed between us and Kobe Steel,” a Hitachi spokesman said. The three companies intend to replace the metals during routine maintenance.

https://www.smartrailworld.com/kobe-steel-admits-improper-conduct-over-substandard-metal-scandal

Hitachi said its new trains in Britain used Kobe Steel but had all passed rigorous tests.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41585742

And IET wheel sets are all made in Manchester, not Japan.

 

[jimm]

60-second stops at intermediate station lasted a lot longer than 1976; the allowance at Newport where I worked for a few months in 1987 was still 60-seconds and I think they lasted into the 1990s until the general slowdown of GW HST services.

I'm not sure of the relevance or accuracy of the luggage comment. When I first worked at Paddington (December 1978) we had luggage attendants (who worked from a little office 'under the clock' on platform one) whose sole job was to weigh and excess passengers' luggage. They lasted until the mid-1980s by which time the revenue they brought in didn't pay their wages. This was after PLA (Luggage in Advance) had been abolished in the early 1980s after we got out of C&D Parcels. In any event London to Bristol is predominately a long-distance commuter operation (like London to Birmingham or Waterloo to Bournemouth) and I suspect the number of people with heavy luggage on either the 0700 or 1900 from Paddn yesterday was minimal.

Virgin regularly achieves station stops of less than 75 seconds with its 390s and pairs of 221s on its West Midland services at stations such as Rugby, Coventry and International, and it ought to be possible for GWR to achieve the same on its Bristol and South Wales services with IEPs. Getting to 125 mph a bit quicker (Hayes instead of West Drayton) won't achieve the journey times promised when electrification is completed.

I wasn't talking about 1976 or 1987 - I was talking about now.

There are 88 seats in a TSO on these trains, that's 16 more people than a 1970s or 80s HST, and we don't all move like Usain Bolt when getting on and off trains.

I see plenty of people struggling on and off trains across GWR-land and in other places at all times of the day with cases that are almost as big as them and probably weigh more.

In addition, yesterday was day one of these trains operating in the real world and no matter how much familiarisation staff have had, it's never going to be the same as regular operations. Give them - and the passengers - a chance for pity's sake.

I'm glad you've got the time to stopwatch Virgin's dispatch processes, but frankly two minutes is rather nearer the mark in my experience, especially at Coventry.

 

[D1009]

I might be joining at Reading for the final leg

How busy is the train?

I was on it yesterday, and I reckon the busiest stretch was between Cardiff and Bristol Parkway. I'd go for coach A at the rear, which is off some of the platforms.

 

[route:oxford]

More hard seats??? When is someone gonna take a stand on this? When is a customer group gonna study and review this? We need independent research to make sure train seats are comfortable for all shapes and sizes for a variety of distances....

"Hard seat"? Or is it simply saggy bottoms?

Speak to a personal trainer about enhancing your glutes.

 

[MCR247]

More hard seats??? When is someone gonna take a stand on this? When is a customer group gonna study and review this? We need independent research to make sure train seats are comfortable for all shapes and sizes for a variety of distances....

I think expecting everyone to like the same seat is a bit optimistic if I'm honest

 

[physics34]

"Hard seat"? Or is it simply saggy bottoms?

Speak to a personal trainer about enhancing your glutes.

ha ha yeh they may need some work, but 2 inches of sponge still isnt good enough for a 3 hour journey......especially as old HST seats were sprung.

 

[PudseyBearHST]

I was on it yesterday, and I reckon the busiest stretch was between Cardiff and Bristol Parkway. I'd go for coach A at the rear, which is off some of the platforms.

Thanks mate. I was standing about halfway and then saw the first few coaches go past which looked fairly quiet and then gradually it looked busier and busier so I quickly went towards the front.

 

[PudseyBearHST]

I am not sure if this has been talked about but what does everyone think of the doorbell? It did bring a smile to some passengers' faces and I like it too. It is loud and imposing yet at the same time, it is catchy and amusing. In many ways, it is quite a bizarre sound especially on the Great Western network where door bells on the long distance trains are virtually non-existent (apart from the Adelantes); if you listen carefully on the HSTs, you can hear the sound of the doors being unlocked to which the "Door Unlocked" sign becomes illuminated so this is definitely very strange for a lot of people.

 

[simple simon]

On the first Monday I went on the 11:45 Paddington - Swansea. But only as far as Reading.

I was in the front 5 car unit, there did not seem to be very many toilets and at first the disabled toilet was locked out of use, although later the train staff reopened it, saying that there had been an issue with the door.

I thought that the First class interior was nicer than the standard class, but I suppose that this is to be expected.

Despite the high number of seats Standard class did not seem that cramped, although I suppose that it helped that the train was not full. With Japan also being a well-populated nation with many crowded cities the Japanese are of course masters in building high-density trains, even for longer distance routes.

Below is a film I made showing this train.

btw something that I decided to not include in my film was my getting a finger caught in the internal door when it fully opened after the lady walked through it.

Simon

edit to add: a few errors crept into my first version of this film so it has been replaced with a second edit.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

I am not sure if this has been talked about but what does everyone think of the doorbell? It did bring a smile to some passengers' faces and I like it too. It is loud and imposing yet at the same time, it is catchy and amusing. In many ways, it is quite a bizarre sound especially on the Great Western network where door bells on the long distance trains are virtually non-existent (apart from the Adelantes); if you listen carefully on the HSTs, you can hear the sound of the doors being unlocked to which the "Door Unlocked" sign becomes illuminated so this is definitely very strange for a lot of people.

If you listen to that clip of it, it reminds me of the sound that might be made by a child's toy police car. (Skip to about 4:48)

 

[Kite159]

I designed to ditch my idea of hunting them down yesterday as I didn't quite fancy the probable crowded 19:00 Paddington - Bristol from Reading to Didcot. I've got a rough idea to intercept that 15:29 Swansea - Paddington service at Reading, although it will require luck in running a couple minutes late to give me a better connection from the 18:00 arrival from Basingstoke.

 

[wils180]

does anyone know what the dispatch procedure on these trains is? is it driver open guard close?

 

[plymothian]

Feature from All the Stations

 

[Thunderer]

Took my first ride on the IET today 1st class between Swansea and Cardiff. 800008+800009. I was pleasantly surprised. The seats were comfortable, the journey was quiet and very smooth and the staff on board couldn't do enough for me with regards to information and refreshments. It is very sad to see the slow dissapearance of the legendary HST, but I think these trains have been under estimated. I think they will settle in to be very popular with passengers and reliable on a day to day basis. I did suggest to the GWR PR team that a bit more branding and colour (more of theGWR Logo in the coaches and on the headrests) would be well received, as the interior is a little sterile and could do with more colour and branding. Overall 9/10 for the First Class experience. ⭐️

 

[ChrisHogan]

I wasn't talking about 1976 or 1987 - I was talking about now.

There are 88 seats in a TSO on these trains, that's 16 more people than a 1970s or 80s HST, and we don't all move like Usain Bolt when getting on and off trains.

An HST TGS has 76 seats and only has a passenger door at one end of the coach, and I never considered that a problem for passenger entry/egress.

I'm glad you've got the time to stopwatch Virgin's dispatch processes, but frankly two minutes is rather nearer the mark in my experience, especially at Coventry.

No need to be sarcastic - if you are sitting in a train with a digital clock on the platform on the CIS screen then looking at the time is quite easy. The reason that most Coventry stops are 2 minutes is because that is the booked station allowance.

 

[jimm]

does anyone know what the dispatch procedure on these trains is? is it driver open guard close?

Yes.

 

[Filton Bank]

does anyone know what the dispatch procedure on these trains is? is it driver open guard close?

Yes. The trains are designed for DOO, DGO-D (driver opens, guard closes), or DGO-G (guard opens & closes), but are being operated as DGO-D.

Even when operated as DGO-G, the driver has to pass door control to the guard before the guard can release the doors (the idea being that the driver checks that the train is stopped at the correct point and the SDO system has configured correctly before the guard releases the doors).

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Yes, I like, no love, the doorbell. Much better than just the boring three bings of a desiro.

 

[Filton Bank]

I am not sure if this has been talked about but what does everyone think of the doorbell? It did bring a smile to some passengers' faces and I like it too. It is loud and imposing yet at the same time, it is catchy and amusing. In many ways, it is quite a bizarre sound especially on the Great Western network where door bells on the long distance trains are virtually non-existent (apart from the Adelantes); if you listen carefully on the HSTs, you can hear the sound of the doors being unlocked to which the "Door Unlocked" sign becomes illuminated so this is definitely very strange for a lot of people.

Have you tried the universal toilet? That makes an interesting sound when you close the door...

 

[Sprinter153]

does anyone know what the dispatch procedure on these trains is? is it driver open guard close?

Yes.
The Guard is not required to energise a panel upon station arrival (but is required to be alert and able to lock the doors in case of incorrect door release).
The driver releases the doors after checking the stopping position and checking that the TMS shows the correct SDO release (if required). They then transfer control of the doors to the Guard.

The Guard then keys the appropriate panel to 'On' and ensures they have control of the doors (the red Door Release buttons illuminate) then dispatches as normal. However once the local door is closed and the interlock light is illuminated the Guard no longer has any control over the doors and must contact the driver if they require re-release or access to the local door function for whatever reason.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

The local door is the one closed by the guard isn't it?

 

[8089]

What are the confirmed names for the GWR 800 units so far?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Victoria
Isambard Kingdom Brunel

and a few more

 

[Filton Bank]

Yes.
The Guard is not required to energise a panel upon station arrival (but is required to be alert and able to lock the doors in case of incorrect door release).
The driver releases the doors after checking the stopping position and checking that the TMS shows the correct SDO release (if required). They then transfer control of the doors to the Guard..

Door control transfers to the guard when the driver presses the door release buttons, i.e., it's not a separate action (if that's what you meant). But only if the guard activates a panel, otherwise it stays with the driver.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Sir Daniel Gooch is another.

 

[Domh245]

What are the confirmed names for the GWR 800 units so far?

Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Victoria
Isambard Kingdom Brunel

and a few more

Ish. 800003 is Queen Elizabeth II on one end, and Queen Victoria on the other. 800004 is Ismbard Kingdom Brunel on one end, and Sir Daniel Gooch on the other, but those are the only named ones so far.

 

[jimm]

An HST TGS has 76 seats and only has a passenger door at one end of the coach, and I never considered that a problem for passenger entry/egress.

Come to Oxford and observe people trying to get out of and into coach A on peak HSTs to and from the Cotswolds when the train is reverse rake (ie door under station canopy, not at the quieter country end) or in and out of coach A and E on a Class 180 at 10.00 on a weekday morning when the 08.26 from Worcester arrives, and then tell me a single door is not a problem when it comes to achieving swift station stops.

PS: The duffers at GWR seem to have managed one-minute dwells on the 11.45 to Swansea at Reading and Port Talbot and 90 seconds at Bridgend today, plus one and three-quarters at Newport and two minutes at Bristol Parkway and Cardiff. Swindon let the side down with a four-minute wait.

Port Talbot managed 75 seconds on the return 15.29 and Bristol Parkway achieved another one-minute dwell, while Swindon had improved to two minutes, which helped the driver to recover from a nine-minute stop at Cardiff to just two minutes late at Maidenhead, before signal problems in London spoiled all the hard work.

So perhaps you might have waited before wading in with your size-12s after just one day in operation...

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Are the HSTs to the Cotswolds often busy then? They always seem empty to me, but then again I've only been on weekends.

 

[sd0733]

Had a trip on 800008 from Swindon to Reading this evening. Have to say I was pretty impressed. There's a bit of engine noise under acceleration but once upto speed they seem incredibly quiet.
The seats are firm and upright but pretty comfortable with decent legroom. I like the double power socket at each seat and the retractable coat hooks are good idea.
The cis is pretty good and the clock is a good feature.
The lighting whilst bright I quite liked as with no exposed lighting the harshness of the white light is toned down.
All in all very impressed and as much as I've enjoyed my HST travels over the years these seem a worthy successor.
The connection at Reading was a Voyager which in comparison is dingy, cluttered, noisy and Ratly with much less leg room and less comfortable seating.....maybe shows that we have moved forward and not all Ic DMUs need be bad.