Northern Unit Refurbishments and depot allocations.

[Llama]

Northern CAF stuff looking like end of June at the very earliest before carrying passengers, from current reliable sources.

 

[Llama]

The new stock is planned to be in service well before December, probably early summer so let's hope the air conditioning is reliable. Training is due to recommence next week for drivers who will be working 195 & 331 units on (probably) Airport/Piccadilly-Blackpool/Barrow/Windermere trains. Training will be done on very restricted routes until the coupler issue is sorted, this ultimately needs new components to be designed, fabricated, fitted and tested. Until the 195s enter service more 158s will be used in the north west, especially the three car sets on routes north of Preston. When the CAF sets do initially enter service, it is likely to be only a few diagrams rather than a big bang (similar to when the 319s were first in service in 2015). It's just not possible to train enough drivers in a short enough space of time to have them all ready to work the new sets and also to have been trained recently enough that they retain full traction competency (it's no good training drivers say six months before they will touch the units as their competence will lapse and they will need retraining).

Leeds/Yorks based drivers will initially be trained on 331 units and not 195s. I don't know what routes they will be used on first, it's hard enough to keep up with what's going on locally never mind over the hills. As far as I know that training hasn't started yet.

Apologies for the thread drift, this should probably be in the relevant thread, I am not sure how it affects refurbs of current stock, I suspect that more 158s will be needed in service over the next few months than would've been foreseen a few months ago.

 

[Class455]

Saw a logoless 150133 at Crewe today, think it's just been refurbished at Crewe works?

 

[jonesy3001]

Saw a logoless 150133 at Crewe today, think it's just been refurbished at Crewe works?

on it's way for refurb.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K01652/2019/04/06/advanced

 

[Class455]

on it's way for refurb.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K01652/2019/04/06/advanced

Strange as it was logoless in the new Northern livery. Was it only partially completed?

 

[jonesy3001]

Strange as it was logoless in the new Northern livery. Was it only partially completed?

they get the mods done at doncaster then refurb and decals done at crewe.

 

[Harvey B]

As soon as enough crew have been trained the 331s will be introduced into service same as the 170s were.
The first crews will be Leeds and Doncaster, followed by Skipton in the east for the 331s but training runs will be between Doncaster and York

Thats weird, wouldn't it make more sense to train them on the lines they'll likely be used for

 

[AMD]

Thats weird, wouldn't it make more sense to train them on the lines they'll likely be used for

The training runs for traction training take place where there's the best capacity to add additional trains in without affecting the existing train plan. On the west side this is usually Carnforth - Warrington BQ corridor, albeit they will actually be seen between Golborne Jct and Carnforth once in service.

 

[clagmonster]

Couldn't a 333 just replace that 170, I think its pointless to run a DMU on a service that runs on electric wires all the way

They struggle for 333s as it is to work the triangle. I also suspect that very few, if any, Donny crews sign 333s.

 

[northernchris]

Until the 195s enter service more 158s will be used in the north west, especially the three car sets on routes north of Preston.

Not good for the Calder Valley then, hope the route becomes a priority for the cascaded stock from the Bolton corridor

 

[Class455]

I've noticed that, despite them being repainted in the new Northern livery, the Class 319's have a variety of moquettes. While most have the new Northern moquette, some have the old Northern Electrics moquette and even some still have the Thameslink/First Capital Connect moquette!

Does anyone know what 319's in the northern fleet still have TL/FCC moquette and when will the rest of the 319 fleet have their seats refurbished?

 

[Harvey B]

@Llama fits both of your criteria.

Hmmmm although @Llama isnt based in Leeds though

 

[theblackwatch]

Please note there is a separate thread for discussion of 331s at https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/northern-class-331-construction-introduction-updates.160120/ . I have had to move/delete a number of posts.

 

[DanielTheEMid]

150137 returned today from Crewe LNWR with new livery and what looked like redone inside with new seating fabric and recoloured handles (Yellow!) seen passing through Victoria enroute to Newton Heath.

Apologies for the blur it was travelling non-stop through Victoria.


Northern 150137 by Mike McNiven, on Flickr

Northern 150137 by Mike McNiven, on Flickr

I have been on 150137 from Meadowhall Interchange to Lincoln

 

[Bletchleyite]

That livery really has grown on me - I like it now. Shame about the rest of the TOC...

 

[Harvey B]

That livery really has grown on me - I like it now. Shame about the rest of the TOC...

what do you mean by 'the rest of the TOC'? Do you mean the trains that aren't in the new livery yet

 

[507021]

what do you mean by 'the rest of the TOC'? Do you mean the trains that aren't in the new livery yet

I'd imagine it means he likes the livery, but not the TOC itself.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'd imagine it means he likes the livery, but not the TOC itself.

Yep. Nice livery, shame about the gross managerial incompetence.

 

[Harvey B]

Can anyone that's ridden a Northern train in the past week confirm if the automated announcements have changed on their trains (excluding 333 units and 321s/322s) from the female voice to a male voice.?
This video appears to confirm it: https://twitter.com/VT390010/status/1105879600444465152

 

[Mathew S]

Can anyone that's ridden a Northern train in the past week confirm if the automated announcements have changed on their trains (excluding 333 units and 321s/322s) from the female voice to a male voice.?
This video appears to confirm it: https://twitter.com/VT390010/status/1105879600444465152

Some are the new, male voice; some are a new, female voice. The announcements are less accurate in terms of station pronunciation than they used to be (e.g. mis-pronouncing Kirkby).

 

[Killingworth]

They pronounce Manchester Pick very well!

 

[Harvey B]

Some are the new, male voice; some are a new, female voice. The announcements are less accurate in terms of station pronunciation than they used to be (e.g. mis-pronouncing Kirkby).

I get it, so there are three PIS voices on Northern's trains (i've included the 333 voices as part of that if you're asking where the third PIS voice comes in). I always though there were two which were the female voice and the 333 voice. I never knew about the third PIS voice until now. As for the female PIS voice you were on about, is it the same female voice as heard on the already existing Northern units with PRM mods or different voice?

 

[M1544]

Does anyone know if the refurbished 333s now actually audibly announce Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge which the original male recorded auto announcements couldn’t do and were silent when the trains arrived at these new stations?

 

[Class455]

Can anyone that's ridden a Northern train in the past week confirm if the automated announcements have changed on their trains (excluding 333 units and 321s/322s) from the female voice to a male voice.?
This video appears to confirm it: https://twitter.com/VT390010/status/1105879600444465152

I had several Class 319's last week, all of which had the original female voice

 

[Ant158]

Have noticed the auto announcer on the Clitheroe line pronounces Whalley wrong. (Pronounced locally as ‘Wall E’ but mispronounced as ‘Wh A ly’)

 

[Harvey B]

Does anyone know if the refurbished 333s now actually audibly announce Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge which the original male recorded auto announcements couldn’t do and were silent when the trains arrived at these new stations?

The refurbished 333s still have their original announcements so for the time being they can't announce those station audibly. I've seen a video where you can hear the original announcements on on announcing 'The Next Station is Shipley'.

 

[Harvey B]

I had several Class 319's last week, all of which had the original female voice

I should have really included 319s since they were one of the first Units to have automated announcements, but I thought that since they're staying a few of them might have had their automated announcements switched. May I also mention there are no 319s where I live so that's why I didn't include them either.
As for the train Classes I mentioned, it doesn't make sense for the 321s and 322s to have their announcements changed since they'll be withdrawn when the 331s arrive.
As for the 333s, well they have a completely different PIS voice to the other two voices (the female voice and the other male voice) and the 333s that have been refurbished so far have came back with the same PIS voice they had before they went in for a refurbishment. I don't see these units having their automated announcements changed until the whole PIS system has been replaced with a GPS and door release based one as opposed to the current system which is only based on the door release as it's no good the system announcing 'we will shortly be arriving at Leeds' as soon as it leaves either Guiseley or Shipley.

 

[Mathew S]

As for the female PIS voice you were on about, is it the same female voice as heard on the already existing Northern units with PRM mods or different voice?

Definitely a new voice. Also heard her at some stations (Pemberton & Wigan Wallgate being examples), replacing the old announcements there too. She sounds much more 'posh', and has a much more southern accent than the old announcements.

 

[northernchris]

Definitely a new voice. Also heard her at some stations (Pemberton & Wigan Wallgate being examples), replacing the old announcements there too. She sounds much more 'posh', and has a much more southern accent than the old announcements.

Hope it isn't the same woman Northern use at many of their stations already. I can't bear the way she pronounces Todmorden, Bradford Forster Square or Keighley!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Hope it isn't the same woman Northern use at many of their stations already. I can't bear the way she pronounces Todmorden, Bradford Forster Square or Keighley!

She's defiinitely Northern - it's that kind of "soft BBC generic Northern" type voice - a bit Victoria Wood-esque.