Pendolino lengthening

[IanXC]

The loco of a 225 is labelled A. For some reason. And the DVT is labelled P (skipping N).

Isn't the storage area of the DVT labelled N with a bike symbol? I think EC do something similar with the TGS on an HST set.

 

[Eagle]

Isn't the storage area of the DVT labelled N with a bike symbol? I think EC do something similar with the TGS on an HST set.

The one I was on recently was definitely P.

 

[ainsworth74]

Isn't the storage area of the DVT labelled N with a bike symbol? I think EC do something similar with the TGS on an HST set.

The DVT is P whilst the Guards part of the TGS is A (the actual public area is B).

 

[IanXC]

The one I was on recently was definitely P.

The DVT is P whilst the Guards part of the TGS is A (the actual public area is B).

Ooops! DVT is absolutely P, I must have confused it with the guards part of the TGS being A.

 

[Dreadnought]

I'm sure that when I saw 390054 on 11 car test at Rugby the standard coaches were labelled A-B-C-D-E-F-G with no letters on the 1st class coaches so obviously there has been a change of plan on the lettering since this one was delivered like this.

 

[Simon Poole]

Alstom have also confirmed that the 11-car Pendos will be renumbered into 3901xx. Still no clue how they are being done though, ie top or bottom up.

I heard something different to this from someone i know from Virgin Trains mentioned that the 11 car Pendos would be reclassified as 3910xx Class 391 and the Pendolinos with the Highest Milage would get first choice of the extra coaches when they go for their overhaul in April

so i wouldn't be suprised if 390022 Penny The Pendolino goes from 9 Coaches to 11 coaches becuase i think it was last year in a magazine it had the highest milage than all the other Pendolinos

The reason for adding the one is to tell the staff for Virgin which one are 9 and 11 coach trains

 

[Crossover]

I heard something different to this from someone i know from Virgin Trains mentioned that the 11 car Pendos would be reclassified as 3910xx Class 391 and the Pendolinos with the Highest Milage would get first choice of the extra coaches when they go for their overhaul in April

so i wouldn't be suprised if 390022 Penny The Pendolino goes from 9 Coaches to 11 coaches becuase i think it was last year in a magazine it had the highest milage than all the other Pendolinos

The reason for adding the one is to tell the staff for Virgin which one are 9 and 11 coach trains

I don't think they will be reclassified into a completely different TOPS class to be honest. Reclassifying into a different sub-division does make sense and as I'm sure you know happens on a lot of units

 

[ukrob]

The reason for adding the one is to tell the staff for Virgin which one are 9 and 11 coach trains

Exactly the same as adding 100 to the unit number would do then...

 

[OxtedL]

I heard something different to this from someone i know from Virgin Trains mentioned that the 11 car Pendos would be reclassified as 3910xx Class 391 and the Pendolinos with the Highest Milage would get first choice of the extra coaches when they go for their overhaul in April

so i wouldn't be suprised if 390022 Penny The Pendolino goes from 9 Coaches to 11 coaches becuase i think it was last year in a magazine it had the highest milage than all the other Pendolinos

A pendolino having the highest mileage of the fleet will most likely be an almost random effect, and not a deliberate thing. From an operational point of view it will be just another 390, so choosing to extend this one in particular solely because it's been used a lot in the past doesn't make sense.

I can understand 390022 possibly getting extended first if it's high mileage meant it was in the works first, but otherwise I can't see how you would justify choosing to lengthen a train on the basis of essentially random, higher-than-normal mileage.

 

[western Champion]

A pendolino having the highest mileage of the fleet will most likely be an almost random effect, and not a deliberate thing. From an operational point of view it will be just another 390, so choosing to extend this one in particular solely because it's been used a lot in the past doesn't make sense.

I can understand 390022 possibly getting extended first if it's high mileage meant it was in the works first, but otherwise I can't see how you would justify choosing to lengthen a train on the basis of essentially random, higher-than-normal mileage.

My post No 15 within this thread, taken from the VT intranet, explains how the process will happen.

 

[OxtedL]

I read it a while ago, I wondered where I was going with what I wrote...

Sorry, when reading Simon's post something didn't feel quite right so I wrote a slightly unnecessary response.

 

[RobShipway]

My post No 15 within this thread, taken from the VT intranet, explains how the process will happen.

Other than the fact of identifying what Pendolinos are 11 car trains, I do not see the point of going to 3901 numbers as not all Pendolino's will be extended so you are going to have some missing 3901 and 3900 numbers when this change takes place.

Surely, the station staff can see which Pendolinos are 11 car trains or details could be sent of the GPS tracking of each Pendolino prior to coming into any station to the stations masters office as to how long the train is anyway?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The differing number sequence would, however, aid diagramming wouldn't it? After all, the blokes allocating the workings in advance are likely to be doing it from a computer screen without sight of the actual units.

 

[Crossover]

Other than the fact of identifying what Pendolinos are 11 car trains, I do not see the point of going to 3901 numbers as not all Pendolino's will be extended so you are going to have some missing 3901 and 3900 numbers when this change takes place.

Surely, the station staff can see which Pendolinos are 11 car trains or details could be sent of the GPS tracking of each Pendolino prior to coming into any station to the stations masters office as to how long the train is anyway?

The differeing number sequence would, however, aid diagramming wouldn't it? After all, the blokes allocating the workings in advance are likely to be doing it from a computer screen without sight of the actual units.

Yeah, I rather suspect it is for diagramming purposes. Of course, the majority of people can count the number of coaches a train has (some may get my reference here...:P) but automated computer systems for sure probably won't and so there needs to ideally be an easy way to determine which set is what length, which the subclasses probably allow (whether it works remains to be seen, however)

 

[Pumbaa]

Vaguely related - VT and Alstom have been conducting 18-car tests on southern WCML last night and next week. Apparently would be useful to allow running doubled up Pendos when things go wrong/the railway gets sliced capacity sliced in half. Involves running with both pans up.

22-car testing next anyone?

 

[tnxrail]

I've seen at Birmingham international sings for 9/11 car class 390 stopping point, don't no if means running soon just thought I'd share.

 

[Crossforth]

I've seen at Birmingham international sings for 9/11 car class 390 stopping point, don't no if means running soon just thought I'd share.

I've also seen them at Preston

 

[The Planner]

They are at most stations now on the WCML and it is quite fun watching commuters having to alter their normal standing point on the platforms when the train stops further down the platform...

 

[Pumbaa]

390056 has completed most of its testing and runs, still in Alstom branding rather than Virgin. Will enter service April 1st in 11 car formation.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Presumably numbered as 390 156, then?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Virgin probably won't bother naming the 4 new Pendolinos before the result of the franchise competition is known, but if they are still interested in "City" names, a new one has just joined the WCML sphere of interest:
City of St Asaph/Dinas Llanelwy.
For anybody not familiar it's in the Vale of Clwyd just a few miles inland from Rhyl.

City of Perth should also really be a new WCML name, but the ECML has stolen it temporarily.
One day (when the Scottish wires get that far) it may return!

Somebody else can have City of Chelmsford.

 

[Eagle]

Somebody else can have City of Chelmsford.

I'd put money on a GA 90 getting this name.

 

[Peter Sarf]

390 057 may be getting delivered this Friday, probably at the crack of dawn.

Then the extra cars for other 390s start arriving within a few weeks of that I think !.

 

[BRX]

8 new Pendolino coaches currently being taken from Dollands Moor to Longsight.

Video here of the train passing through South London:

http://youtu.be/xSMQpE3ZABs

 

[tcm1106]

I've just passed what I assume is 390057 being delivered. It was on the down slow at 9.10 just north of Cheddington.

 

[swt_passenger]

8 new Pendolino coaches currently being taken from Dollands Moor to Longsight.

Video here of the train passing through South London:

http://youtu.be/xSMQpE3ZABs

Wow -has it got four pans? :roll:

Edit: Nearly 4 hours later, I'm strangely reassured that no one took the bait...

 

[western Champion]

057 is due to be delivered in the first week of April to enter service at the beginning of June, the next four pairs of extra vehicles are due in around three weeks time.

 

[AlanFry1]

May I ask that if HS2 falls though and we still need to expand capacity would it be posibble to further extend the Class 390s beyond 11 cars, I have heard that the HS2 plan to rebuild Euston will give it 400 meter platforms, that would be enough for 16 car Class 390s, but what about other stations?

 

[HSTEd]

Apparently the TMS built into the Cl390s is designed for 11 carriages and no more.
But HS2 won't fail, too much political capital has been commited by all involved.

 

[AlanFry1]

Apparently the TMS built into the Cl390s is designed for 11 carriages and no more.
But HS2 won't fail, too much political capital has been commited by all involved.

So there is no chance whasoever of Class 390s being longer than 11 car?

I hope HS2 will be built, but until they start building it, it not 100% that it will be built