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It would need to be a loco capable of doing 125mph on electric and a high enough speed on diesel to not cause delay, and also fit within the UK loading gauge. At present, such a loco does not exist.
Rail 1023 in the post today suggests the move to Chiltern will involve nine rakes strengthened to 6 carriages each and that one set ( presumably still in the 5 car format ) will be sent over for testing purposes and crew familiarisation shortly.
So five driving coaches, four first class coaches, and three intermediate coaches have no further use, other than potentially one of the driving coaches being the 'bump' spare. That doesn't sound like a great deal.
So five driving coaches, four first class coaches, and three intermediate coaches have no further use, other than potentially one of the driving coaches being the 'bump' spare. That doesn't sound like a great deal.
Good grief! They're rough enough at 70 on the Scarborough line....or 90 on the Chat Moss line. I wouldn't want to be trying to drink a coffee or go to the loo on one at 125!
So five driving coaches, four first class coaches, and three intermediate coaches have no further use, other than potentially one of the driving coaches being the 'bump' spare. That doesn't sound like a great deal.
If that is the case then 12802 (the long term spare driving coach) has little chance of ever seeing action ?.
I am thinking the other four driving coaches have seen more recent action and have no (or less of a) problems compared to 12802.
Rail 1023 in the post today suggests the move to Chiltern will involve nine rakes strengthened to 6 carriages each and that one set ( presumably still in the 5 car format ) will be sent over for testing purposes and crew familiarisation shortly.
Looking at Friday 22/11/24 the first Birmingham off Marylebone is the 06:04 and this unit next left Marylebone at 11:00 for Birmingham. 8 trains. Leaves one set for maintenance unless of course the other vehicles not in the 9 are to be spares and we're committed from the press release for some reason.
Time will tell, I really hope this story is correct and it actually happens.
So five driving coaches, four first class coaches, and three intermediate coaches have no further use, other than potentially one of the driving coaches being the 'bump' spare. That doesn't sound like a great deal.
Driving coach each end, could have two 5TC (to use old Southern region terminology). Quite useful if want to run a charter or service where there are no run round facilities.
Alternatively with some more coaches, got good starting point for footex, cruise ship connections, and luxury charters.
All assuming can find suitable locos, class 67, 68, 93 etc
Informed posters have indicated that a viable case could never be made for brand new rolling stock to be used for that sort of operation.
Locomotive hauled rolling stock should never have been bought for TPE. Buying more just to find a use for some spare coaches would be the height of folly.
Any foreign markets interested in some nearly new rolling stock? Seems like it’s a thankless task trying to find any use for them in the UK unless Chiltern take them on (or maybe Scotrail?).
Any foreign markets interested in some nearly new rolling stock? Seems like it’s a thankless task trying to find any use for them in the UK unless Chiltern take them on (or maybe Scotrail?).
Any foreign markets interested in some nearly new rolling stock? Seems like it’s a thankless task trying to find any use for them in the UK unless Chiltern take them on (or maybe Scotrail?).
DRS's primary reason for existing will more or less dissapear inside the next decade, with a large portion (of the fraction that remains) gone in the next five years.
They bought an fleet of mixed traffic locomotives far in excess of their own requirements (indeed some MPVs would probably suffice for their requirements!), and then subleased a big chunk of them to TPE et al as a quasi ROSCO.
None of this is related to their actual business, and now the taxpayer is lumbered with this stock which has little future purpose.
Rail 1023 in the post today suggests the move to Chiltern will involve nine rakes strengthened to 6 carriages each and that one set ( presumably still in the 5 car format ) will be sent over for testing purposes and crew familiarisation shortly.
At some point it was reported that GWR would only be getting part of the 175 fleet, which now turns out that they will be getting the entire fleet.
It is still possible that Chiltern could end up with all of them, ultimately that Lease company will not want a few left over that nobody else would be interested in.
Would the MK5’s sets in their current 5 coach formations be enough capacity for what chiltern operate, or would they desperately need 6 coaches?
A look at RTT will show that Chiltern are using 68+Mk3 sets in six car formations and forming other Birmingham trains with six and seven car formations of 168s. Replacing those with fixed five car 68+Mk5 formations isn't likely to be ideal.
Rail 1023 in the post today suggests the move to Chiltern will involve nine rakes strengthened to 6 carriages each and that one set ( presumably still in the 5 car format ) will be sent over for testing purposes and crew familiarisation shortly.
Am I miscounting or will there be an odd one out added standard coach that has a PRM toilet? Will they take it out and add seats to make all the rakes the same?
A look at RTT will show that Chiltern are using 68+Mk3 sets in six car formations and forming other Birmingham trains with six and seven car formations of 168s. Replacing those with fixed five car 68+Mk5 formations isn't likely to be ideal.
Just looking, it seems that they run 5 + DVT.
I wonder if there is a big capacity difference between the MK3’s and the MK5’s.
Granted the MK5’s have a first class coach and the 5th coach has a section given up to the driving space, so perhaps that’s why they’re looking at having 6 coach MK5’ sets. Or maybe the services are busy enough they want to extra space for growth.
Either way, there are 52 normal coaches so it seems there should be enough for 10 6 coach formations, I wonder if the reason for 9 is to ensure consistency in the formation of coaches.
Either way, there are 52 normal coaches so it seems there should be enough for 10 6 coach formations, I wonder if the reason for 9 is to ensure consistency in the formation of coaches.
The first class coach doesn't have a gangway on the end which attaches to the locomotive. It is only the three middle coaches that can be yielded to formation changes.
So, actually 14 driving coaches, 13 first class coaches and 39 intermediate standard coaches. 39 divided by 4 allows only 9 sets to have 4 intermediate cars.
Presumably no one wants to pay to rebuild a first class coach into an intermediate car.
Well, assuming the Chiltern deal goes ahead... if they're sensible at the DfT ( yes, yes, I know...!! ) then Chiltern will take the entire fleet and use the vehicles which don't fit in the maths as active spares to provide maintenance cover.
Nine rakes for eight diagrams, if it's all the Birmingham services, is only one spare rake which doesn't really cover anything other than a planned routine day to day maintenance, and we all know that every so often a carriage needs rather more than just that - and it's likely to be the driving vehicles and the blank ended firsts with the locomotive connections fitted which would need more attention than the rest, so... it would make sense...
Looking at Friday 22/11/24 the first Birmingham off Marylebone is the 06:04 and this unit next left Marylebone at 11:00 for Birmingham. 8 trains. Leaves one set for maintenance unless of course the other vehicles not in the 9 are to be spares and we're committed from the press release for some reason.
Time will tell, I really hope this story is correct and it actually happens.
Well, assuming the Chiltern deal goes ahead... if they're sensible at the DfT ( yes, yes, I know...!! ) then Chiltern will take the entire fleet and use the vehicles which don't fit in the maths as active spares to provide maintenance cover.
Nine rakes for eight diagrams, if it's all the Birmingham services, is only one spare rake which doesn't really cover anything other than a planned routine day to day maintenance, and we all know that every so often a carriage needs rather more than just that - and it's likely to be the driving vehicles and the blank ended firsts with the locomotive connections fitted which would need more attention than the rest, so... it would make sense...
I doubt we'd see these sets running 2tph to Birmingham. It would involve a massive uplift in training - especially on the guards side, where I very much doubt Chiltern have enough guards on their books to staff 2 tph out of Marylebone all day long. I would expect something like the old timetable when the 67s first came in, with an hourly fast service and hourly semi fast, with 68s on the former and 168s the latter.
Unless a requirement for getting these in service is approval for DOO.....
It is 6 + DVT on the current Chiltern rakes (5 standard class coaches, the 'business' coach and a DVT).
The first class coach doesn't have a gangway on the end which attaches to the locomotive. It is only the three middle coaches that can be yielded to formation changes.
So, actually 14 driving coaches, 13 first class coaches and 39 intermediate standard coaches. 39 divided by 4 allows only 9 sets to have 4 intermediate cars.
Presumably no one wants to pay to rebuild a first class coach into an intermediate car.
Can’t remember which ones, but a check of Beacon Rail’s website confirms that they own 32 of the 34 68 fleet. Quite possibly they could be the last two as tag along orders, as the first batch was an order of 15.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
DRS's primary reason for existing will more or less dissapear inside the next decade, with a large portion (of the fraction that remains) gone in the next five years.
They bought an fleet of mixed traffic locomotives far in excess of their own requirements (indeed some MPVs would probably suffice for their requirements!), and then subleased a big chunk of them to TPE et al as a quasi ROSCO.
None of this is related to their actual business, and now the taxpayer is lumbered with this stock which has little future purpose.
Considering what DRS does in addition to the Nuclear work, you do post some
The core Nuclear traffic will continue for a number of years yet, unless the MOD stops utilising Nuclear Power for its Sub fleet, Power stations stop using Nuclear fuel and decommissioning of those sites stops outright? DRS also handles a number of other jobs such as infrastructure, intermodal, and autumn winter traffic such as the RHTTs. Sure, that work could be covered by other FOCs, but DB seems to be in a continual state of decline, and FL seems to be full to burst.
The 68s were ordered (and leased from Beacon Rail) to replace the aging the locomotives on its books at the time. Keeping an aging and increasingly unreliable and maintenance hungry fleet of 20/37/47 fleets on its books would have been worse for the tax payer and its finances, let alone reliability, pathing, green credentials etc. Likewise for the later addition of the 88 fleet. And the Mk5 fleet has nothing to do with DRS either. You can ask Beacon Rail / DfT & TPE for that. They just happen to chose 68s as a more modern (and more reliable than the GM Junk of DB).
And what is wrong with DRS subleasing locos out? DB has done it for years with the 67 fleet, GB has done it in the past. If it generates extra income and provides an extra services, what’s wrong about that?
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