GWR Class 800

[Bikeman78]

Deleted

 

[800001]

TRTS is to be pressed after a train has stopped at platform, incase any incident happens as train is arriving (eg person falling between platform and train).

Station I work at our trains have 2-5 minutes dwell time, and as long as it is safe to do so we press trts 2 minutes before departure time.

On the odd occasion it has been pressed as train is arriving, the signaller rings us to remind us it is a train ready to start, not a train ready to stop button.

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

GWR notices flying about stating that IET’s will not be able to operate DOO with the bodyside cameras to self-dispatch due to debris collecting over the lens.
Oxfords and Bedwyns out of the picture.

Can anyone confirm?

 

[Clarence Yard]

Confirmed but it only applies to the Bedwyns as the Oxfords are on station dispatch.

The problem is the unmanned stations on the B&H. So Turbos will now remain on the Bedwyns until Hitachi have sorted a fix.

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

So Turbos will now remain on the Bedwyns until Hitachi have sorted a fix.

Two different manufacturers obviously, but could Hitachi possibly retrofit deflectors like the 387’s do?

 

[coppercapped]

Confirmed but it only applies to the Bedwyns as the Oxfords are on station dispatch.

The problem is the unmanned stations on the B&H. So Turbos will now remain on the Bedwyns until Hitachi have sorted a fix.

How many years have these Hitachi trains now been running in the UK since the first one arrived? And this fault has only just now been identified?

I don't think I would get Hitachi to organise any sort of party in a brewery...

 

[43096]

Which makes no sense. In what way is a train ready to start when it's only just stopped? It could have a fault that the driver or guard needs to talk to control about. If they're going to give the road as soon as the train arrives then why not do it slightly earlier so that every train doesn't have to crawl up to a red signal?

It would make stuff all difference anyway as GWR driving policy has most of their drivers/gnomes driving like frightened old women. Then there is the ghost of the utterly inept Reading panel to deal with, which no doubt lives at TVSC now.

 

[mralexn]

This was posted today on Plymouth Live.

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/ne...engers-trapped-train-plymouth-because-2272390

Passengers were TRAPPED on a train at Plymouth this morning because salt water had apparently caused the doors to break.

Commuters on the 8.44am Exeter to Penzance service could not get off at Plymouth because salt water from the waves that battered the train damaged the doors, according to an announcement made by staff on board.

One passenger said they were stuck on the train for 10 minutes at the station, and the driver told them they did a 'CTRL ALT DELETE reset' on the train doors.

Another person on board said: "What happens if there's a fire on board", while another commented: "This is pretty bad because these are supposed to handle the Dawlish line."

A spokesperson for Great Western Railway said: "Unfortunately the service left Plymouth 11 minutes late because of a 50mph speed restriction on the line due to the present weather conditions; there has also been a tree come down near Barnstaple that is affecting services in the area.

 

[samuelmorris]

This, surely, is a daily occurrence on all sorts of stock, LU included. Just being made a big thing of here for a news article. (Not that it's acceptable!)

 

[TractiveEffort]

Another person on board said: "What happens if there's a fire on board",

Then you'd pull the emergency egress as in any other situation, on a Class 80X, even if the doors are LOOU, the emergency egress opens them.

 

[Reliablebeam]

Are these trains doing any electric operations at the minute? Sat on yet another one trundling away on diesel mode under the expensively supplied electric infrastructure; have not sat on one in electric mode for two weeks or so now. I dont give a hoot what that idiot grayling says about unmuzzled, every train I've got on this week has been late and got later due to the poor performance on diesel.

What has gone so wrong here, we've gone backwards in terms of electric ops?

 

[Mag_seven]

Are these trains doing any electric operations at the minute? Sat on yet another one trundling away on diesel mode under the expensively supplied electric infrastructure; have not sat on one in electric mode for two weeks or so now. I dont give a hoot what that idiot grayling says about unmuzzled, every train I've got on this week has been late and got later due to the poor performance on diesel.

What has gone so wrong here, we've gone backwards in terms of electric ops?

There are several sets kicking about that are not yet cleared for electric operation and some drivers are still only passed out on diesel. I guess you've just been unlucky with the trains you have caught.

 

[JN114]

Are these trains doing any electric operations at the minute? Sat on yet another one trundling away on diesel mode under the expensively supplied electric infrastructure; have not sat on one in electric mode for two weeks or so now. I dont give a hoot what that idiot grayling says about unmuzzled, every train I've got on this week has been late and got later due to the poor performance on diesel.

What has gone so wrong here, we've gone backwards in terms of electric ops?

Plenty of Electric running- suspect you’ve either just gotten unlucky finding yourself on units temporarily restricted to diesel operation, or you’ve mistakenly attributed slow running to running on diesel power when the train is on electric and losing time for other reasons - just because the engines are running/idling doesn’t mean the train isn’t on AC mode.

 

[Three-Nine]

A 10-car GWR Class 800 ran for the first time (as far as I'm aware) overnight on the West of England line between Yeovil Junction and Exeter on a guaging run, though I'm told that (possibly because of a train planning error) it didn't actually get as far as Exeter St. Davids.

 

[Reliablebeam]

Plenty of Electric running- suspect you’ve either just gotten unlucky finding yourself on units temporarily restricted to diesel operation, or you’ve mistakenly attributed slow running to running on diesel power when the train is on electric and losing time for other reasons - just because the engines are running/idling doesn’t mean the train isn’t on AC mode.

Thanks for the feedback, both. We arrived in Pad on diesel and interestingly there was quite a number of 80xs in the station, only one of which seemed to be pan up (may be mistaken..) Pretty ridiculous state of affairs but ho hum...

 

[TractiveEffort]

Thanks for the feedback, both. We arrived in Pad on diesel and interestingly there was quite a number of 80xs in the station, only one of which seemed to be pan up (may be mistaken..) Pretty ridiculous state of affairs but ho hum...

Today there at 6 of the IEP fleet in diesel only restrictions or 13% of the fleet, there are no diesel only restrictions on the WoE fleet.

As has been explained on many occasions, as yet, Stoke Gifford depot (and Maliphant, although not a main depot) have no OHL at the moment, so whilst they may well carry out pantograph servicing and repairs, it has to go to LNP for testing, this along with an occasional fault or even Driver issue is the reason.

 

[irish_rail]

Today there at 6 of the IEP fleet in diesel only restrictions or 13% of the fleet, there are no diesel only restrictions on the WoE fleet.

As has been explained on many occasions, as yet, Stoke Gifford depot (and Maliphant, although not a main depot) have no OHL at the moment, so whilst they may well carry out pantograph servicing and repairs, it has to go to LNP for testing, this along with an occasional fault or even Driver issue is the reason.

6?? Are you sure . Late notices says 12 diesel only. Yesterday was more like 16 iirc
Added to that it only takes a diesel only one to be paired with an electric ready one and the whole lot will still have to run diesel only further giving the impression very little is currently on electric...

 

[samuelmorris]

It sets an interesting precedent for the ECML - on the GW apart from Paddington to Reading it's not such a huge issue due to the lack of much electrification elsewhere on the route, shorter inter-station distances and general acceptance of slower diesel performance. The ECML is quite sensitive in terms of timetabling and electrification far more extensive - if a similar percentage of 800s are diesel-only after electrification (never mind that a diesel only 801 would be out of service entirely) that could create a real problem. Given that all LNER's units will be DfT-spec so even slower than GWR 802s on diesel, conceivably it will be a regular occurrence in the first couple of years to have a procession of 801s and 91s held up by a diesel-only 800 pootling along flat out at 110-115. Over the course of a non-stop Kings Cross to York that'd be about a 10 minute delay every time, with more further up the line to Edinburgh. Originally with the idea of switching to distributed traction and retiring less than reliable 91s and HSTs I was quite hopeful the IEP would present a fairly substantial performance benefit to Kings Cross but having seen the GWR implementation, I'm thinking now that the reverse is more likely. I don't wish to sound like a doom-monger, but ignoring the short-form problem of unit availability as well as 'diesel-only staff', the number of diesel-only units due to defects at GWR over a year after introduction seems considerable.

 

[Reliablebeam]

Thanks Irishrail I think it's something like this I keep experiencing. I've been a big fan of these trains but the seeming surge in diesel only ops on the high speed Thames valley sections is a bit worrying and means we're not getting maximum performance or envioronmental benefit. I had a feeling this was going to be the issue..

6?? Are you sure . Late notices says 12 diesel only. Yesterday was more like 16 iirc
Added to that it only takes a diesel only one to be paired with an electric ready one and the whole lot will still have to run diesel only further giving the impression very little is currently on electric...

 

[FGW_DID]

6?? Are you sure . Late notices says 12 diesel only. Yesterday was more like 16 iirc
...

Perhaps some late declarations by Hitachi. The list I saw on this mornings LN was generated at 05:17 and had 10x diesel only restriction.

 

[TractiveEffort]

6?? Are you sure . Late notices says 12 diesel only. Yesterday was more like 16 iirc
Added to that it only takes a diesel only one to be paired with an electric ready one and the whole lot will still have to run diesel only further giving the impression very little is currently on electric...

I was’t counting the coupled units, as they aren’t actually diesel only restricted, if they are on a splitting diagram, the one that was restricted by virtue of being coupled to a restricted uunit, can be put on OHL after uncoupling.

I was just going off the list sent out at 0500 this morning, it can and does change, I haven’t got the live list in front of me.

 

[Will Mitchell]

When are we going to have 10 coach services running reliably between Bristol and London? Both my journeys last week were of five coach formation and very overcrowded.

 

[JN114]

When are we going to have 10 coach services running reliably between Bristol and London? Both my journeys last week were of five coach formation and very overcrowded.

Define reliably?

 

[Rob F]

Define reliably?

That the train advertised is the train actually provided, at a frequency that makes failure to achieve this a VERY rare occurrence?

 

[JN114]

That the train advertised is the train actually provided, at a frequency that makes failure to achieve this a VERY rare occurrence?

Doesn’t define reliably.

 

[samuelmorris]

Define reliably?

Let's go with correct formation size 95% of the time. I think that seems fair.

 

[JN114]

Let's go with correct formation size 95% of the time. I think that seems fair.

So a cursory look at the past week alone - typically 1 or 2 diagrams uncovered per day (Tuesday was worse), that’s a little under 1 in 24 trains short formed, or about 96%

 

[JN114]

I’m being somewhat faecetious.

The question is too subjective to quantify. The QP perceived that short forms are common because they travelled on 2 trains short formed in a week. But there are hundreds of services operated by IETs per week. It’s not quantifiable from their posting alone whether short forms are common or not; there isn’t enough data to discern that.

To answer the question asked - as I’ve said several times on this thread - there are 10s operating services currently that will be 9s in future; only around half the 9 car fleet has been delivered. Once both fleets are fully delivered (800s and 802s) I expect short forms to become a rarity; because then the designed flexibility in the fleet will be available.

 

[samuelmorris]

I’m being somewhat faecetious.

The question is too subjective to quantify. The QP perceived that short forms are common because they travelled on 2 trains short formed in a week. But there are hundreds of services operated by IETs per week. It’s not quantifiable from their posting alone whether short forms are common or not; there isn’t enough data to discern that.

To answer the question asked - as I’ve said several times on this thread - there are 10s operating services currently that will be 9s in future; only around half the 9 car fleet has been delivered. Once both fleets are fully delivered (800s and 802s) I expect short forms to become a rarity; because then the designed flexibility in the fleet will be available.

Anecdotally, my experience is 50%, because I've been on two services, one shortformed and the other not!

Trying to be scientific about it though, I find it surprising that the figure is as low as that, from what's been reported on here I'd have thought 90% at best (plus, it may be the same services regularly chosen to be shortformed so some may be lower and others higher).

 

[swtandgw]

Are these trains doing any electric operations at the minute? Sat on yet another one trundling away on diesel mode under the expensively supplied electric infrastructure; have not sat on one in electric mode for two weeks or so now. I dont give a hoot what that idiot grayling says about unmuzzled, every train I've got on this week has been late and got later due to the poor performance on diesel.

What has gone so wrong here, we've gone backwards in terms of electric ops?

Been on 2 800s today between RDG-PAD, and both were running electric as I saw the pans up, and on the RDG-PAD service, due to the train being standing room-only, I stood directly below the pan in the vestibule area of the leading DTPS and heard the loud VCB thump passing the Maidenhead OHNS, so I definitely knew the service was running electric all the way. I also saw plenty of 800s/802s with pans up in PAD.