GWR IET ride differences

[heathrowrail]

Mods please move if necessary.

Has anyone else noticed the differences in ride quality depending on the GWR IET unit you're on? Some are really comfortable seating, suspension, ride quality wise. Others are absolutely awful, you can either feel the crash bars in the seats or the suspension is too bouncy or you get another unit which has a loud "bang" constantly over the bogies as if something has broken.
It doesn't seem be any difference between the 800s or 802s both are very much mixed only the 802s are about 2 years younger.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The seat base cushions collapse over time. The worst ones were replaced less recently.

 

[irish_rail]

Where you sit in the carriage has an effect. The line you are on makes a difference (b and h much worse than GWML) . Whether the driver is hitting linespeed or not makes a difference and I suspect there probably also are some slight suspension differences between sets.

 

[800301]

Quite a few units are having new bogies fitted which may make a difference

 

[superalbs]

Quite a few units are having new bogies fitted which may make a difference

A new design, or just replacing like-for-like?

 

[800301]

A new design, or just replacing like-for-like?

Like for like I believe, everything in the same place but noticeable when they’ve been done as they aren’t caked in dirt and look freshly painted in Black which really stands out if the rest of the train hasn’t been cleaned

 

[heathrowrail]

Quite a few units are having new bogies fitted which may make a difference

Possibly. I travel frequently between Newbury and Hungerford or Newbury to Paddington. I've noticed the original 800s and 5 car 802s both ride very rough. However the 800/802s in 9 car sets seem to ride a bit smoother.

 

[GWVillager]

Quite a few units are having new bogies fitted which may make a difference

Is this to deal with the ride issues or would it be standard procedure anyway?

 

[GC class B1]

I expect the highest mileage units have reached the bogie overhaul mileage.

 

[800301]

I expect the highest mileage units have reached the bogie overhaul mileage.

Seeing as it’s the whole train receiving them, I’m going with overhaul mileage

 

[Pete_uk]

Is there any consensus as to whether the non powered inside frame bogies of the 9 car units are any better or worse?

 

[GWVillager]

Is there any consensus as to whether the non powered inside frame bogies of the 9 car units are any better or worse?

In my experience, I would say that there is no noticeable difference. I suppose the inside coach is ‘held down’ by the outside ones either side of it.

 

[Pete_uk]

I had 800027 this morning and it was quite smooth.

They certainly are varied in their ride comfort!

 

[GWVillager]

Likewise, I had 800306 yesterday and it rode fantastically, better than even some 390s.

 

[150249]

I've found that all the 802/1s, some 800/3s and some 5 coach units are good for ride quality. Best ones I've been on recently are 802114 and 802019. Worst are 800313 and 800010. 802114 is my favourite iet so there might be some bias there but it's been good every time I've been on it.

 

[GWVillager]

Perhaps we should collate a list of all the known ‘good’ and ‘bad’ units?

 

[superalbs]

Perhaps we should collate a list of all the known ‘good’ and ‘bad’ units?

802017 is by far the worst I've had.

 

[GWVillager]

List of ‘good’/‘bad’ GWR IETs for ride quality - to be updated


Good
800/0
800005
800027
800028

800/3
800306

802/0
802019

802/1
802114


Bad
800/0
800010

800/3
800313

802/0
802017

802/1
802109

 

[150249]

This sounds fun. I'm on 802109 at the moment. Just left Exeter St Davids for Plymouth. It's not looking good so far

 

[GC class B1]

I have travelled on quite a few IET sets on both the ECML and GWML and not one has been good riding. All suffer from quite bad bogie hunting and lateral jerks on P&C (points and crossings).

 

[GWVillager]

This sounds fun. I'm on 802109 at the moment. Just left Exeter St Davids for Plymouth. It's not looking good so far

Even at that low speed? That seems relatively certain.

 

[150249]

Even at that low speed? That seems relatively certain.

When I said just left Exeter I meant that I was almost at Starcross. It was very bumpy until Teignmouth when it started getting smoother.

 

[smithy_37688]

I had 800028 from Highbridge & Burnham - Bristol Temple Meads yesterday morning. I have travelled on them previously & it’s been hit and miss. But was impressed with this one, very clean inside, seats were comfortable and very smooth ride.

 

[fandroid]

I'm on a GWR class 800 unit to Carmarthen. The ride is what I'm used to but the seats are horrendously lumpy. I've been on many of them before and not noticed this. No, I haven't lost weight, although I'm normally fairly skinny!

 

[GWVillager]

I'm on a GWR class 800 unit to Carmarthen. The ride is what I'm used to but the seats are horrendously lumpy. I've been on many of them before and not noticed this. No, I haven't lost weight, although I'm normally fairly skinny!

Is it a sort of horizontal bar? This has become quite common with collapsed cushions.

 

[Amlag]

Yesterday 9/8/23 I was in Coach B ( second from rear) of 1339 Nqy/1518 Par to Paddington formed of Unit 802102.
On the still several miles of jointed track on the Newquay ‘Forest’ railway the ride (with a max permitted speed of 50 mph) was excellent, BUT going round the sharp curves east of Totnes the ride was often rough, particularly at Dawlish Warren, where the bogies could not take the curve smoothly but instead rather alarmignly wiggled and squirmed !

 

[irish_rail]

Yesterday 9/8/23 I was in Coach B ( second from rear) of 1339 Nqy/1518 Par to Paddington formed of Unit 802102.
On the still several miles of jointed track on the Newquay ‘Forest’ railway the ride (with a max permitted speed of 50 mph) was excellent, BUT going round the sharp curves east of Totnes the ride was often rough, particularly at Dawlish Warren, where the bogies could not take the curve smoothly but instead rather alarmignly wiggled and squirmed !

That curve at the Warren is bad if taken at linespeed on all IETs full stop.

 

[GWVillager]

Yesterday 9/8/23 I was in Coach B ( second from rear) of 1339 Nqy/1518 Par to Paddington formed of Unit 802102.
On the still several miles of jointed track on the Newquay ‘Forest’ railway the ride (with a max permitted speed of 50 mph) was excellent, BUT going round the sharp curves east of Totnes the ride was often rough, particularly at Dawlish Warren, where the bogies could not take the curve smoothly but instead rather alarmignly wiggled and squirmed !

Hmm. So does 802102 fall under the ‘good’ category or not?

 

[henryb]

Not exactly a ride quality issue but I note from Twitter/real time trains that the 1103 from PAD-PLY apparently had a part fall off today that the conductor had to go and retrieve. Anyone got anymore information?

Realtime Trains | 1C78 1103 London Paddington to Plymouth | 14/08/2023

Real-time train running information for 1C78 1103 departure from London Paddington to Plymouth on 14/08/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Melancholia]

Not exactly a ride quality issue but I note from Twitter/real time trains that the 1103 from PAD-PLY apparently had a part fall off today that the conductor had to go and retrieve. Anyone got anymore information?

Realtime Trains | 1C78 1103 London Paddington to Plymouth | 14/08/2023

Real-time train running information for 1C78 1103 departure from London Paddington to Plymouth on 14/08/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Rear pantograph failed to lower after Newbury where the overhead wires end, and hit Bonemill Lane Bridge. Unit had a set swap at Westbury to continue in service.