SWT Class 455 refurb

[455driver]

455s are lovely, although I might be a bit biased!

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Oh yes and don't forget one ended up going to Brighton recently (I think it's happened twice?) with a 456, and one ended up on the Gatwick Express too! The latter I'd liked to have been on!

 

[southern442]

True they are normally not fast but there are two non-stop Waterloo to Surbiton services each evening. One that carries on to Guildford via Cobham and the other terminates at Surbiton. Occasionally you will get one which isn't being delayed by something in front and they certainly go fast. If you are standing and it isn't being delayed by something you really notice the poor ride especially between Earlsfield and Raynes Park that you won't notice in a 450. In fact you notice it if you are sitting too.

The non-stop from Surbiton to Waterloo in the morning doesn't feel as fast.

The southern 455's on the other hand regularly get up to speed, either between stops on longer distance trains (e.g. Boxhill-Dorking or Waddon-Wallington) or between London and East croydon on Tattenham corner outer suburban services.

Having been on both going at quite a speed, I can confirm the ride quality is better on a southern 455, possibly even comparable to that of a 377 or 450, and whilst you don't hear the motors that well, you get that brilliant high speed scream that you hear on other mainline units.

However I must say that the 456's at speed were terrible.
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Oh yes and don't forget one ended up going to Brighton recently (I think it's happened twice?) with a 456, and one ended up on the Gatwick Express too! The latter I'd liked to have been on!

455's on Gatwick express are common replacements for 442's. Not that they need to be replaced in service that often.

Didn't SWT used to use 455's on the coastway line, on the short haul services?

 

[arty762]

The re-painting, door improvement work and final DDA mods is a completely separate contract to the re-tractioning. The former is being done 'in-house' by SWT at Bournemouth, although under contract to Porterbrook:

http://www.porterbrook.co.uk/pages/corp2012.html
(Scroll down to September 2012 entry)

...and the latter, planned to start full series production in May, will be done at Eastleigh by Vossloh Kiepe:

http://www.vossloh-kiepe.com/news/press-releases/grossauftrag-fuer-vossloh-kiepe-uk

The latter project is supposed to be underway on the first trial units at Wimbledon, but I've no idea if this is happening or not.

Re tractioning has not started yet, havent even got the parts in yet , don't think it will start till the bogie drop is finished as it is to be done on what is currently the lift roads.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Sorry to bump the thread but is related about the post about fast 455 services.

I took a video on board 1J91 to experience a non-stop run in a 455. Whilst not exactly loud, it was great to bomb through Wimbledon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZctI5m5PXZs&list=UUbhkpaTbWJE3R7k6wAm9r_w

 

[southern442]

Sorry to bump the thread but is related about the post about fast 455 services.

I took a video on board 1J91 to experience a non-stop run in a 455. Whilst not exactly loud, it was great to bomb through Wimbledon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZctI5m5PXZs&list=UUbhkpaTbWJE3R7k6wAm9r_w

Was this a Woking train?

 

[455driver]

1J91 is the 1923 Waterloo to Surbiton which runs non stop, it is basically a crowd buster.

 

[hassaanhc]

The refurb is slowly progressing, seeing an increase in the number of units done.
Two of them being 5714 and 5904:

 

[wimbledonpete]

455s are lovely, although I might be a bit biased!

I think the SWT ones have been refurbished brilliantly and are great for the job they do. Only thing I find really bad about them is the lack of ventilation. Some hoppers only open a very little way - looking at the picture of the pre-refurb unit above it seems like the used to open further? Or is that my imagination?

 

[embers25]

Sorry to bump the thread but is related about the post about fast 455 services.

I took a video on board 1J91 to experience a non-stop run in a 455. Whilst not exactly loud, it was great to bomb through Wimbledon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZctI5m5PXZs&list=UUbhkpaTbWJE3R7k6wAm9r_w

The first Guildford to Waterloo is non-stop Woking to Surbiton and that gets up to max speed. I also had a delayed one the other week that instead of stopping everywhere ran non-stop from Woking plat 2 to Waterloo which was very fun!

 

[hassaanhc]

I think the SWT ones have been refurbished brilliantly and are great for the job they do. Only thing I find really bad about them is the lack of ventilation. Some hoppers only open a very little way - looking at the picture of the pre-refurb unit above it seems like the used to open further? Or is that my imagination?

That is the issue I have with them as well, they are unbearable in warm weather. Another thing that annoys me is the low volume on the PA system, it seems the guard has to shout to make sure they are heard by the passengers as speaking at a normal volume comes out as whispering!

 

[swt_passenger]

I think the SWT ones have been refurbished brilliantly and are great for the job they do. Only thing I find really bad about them is the lack of ventilation. Some hoppers only open a very little way - looking at the picture of the pre-refurb unit above it seems like the used to open further? Or is that my imagination?

Weren't the hopper windows restricted at some stage due to vandalism, i.e. people were throwing seat cushions out or something - or am I thinking of a different area?

 

[hassaanhc]

The first Guildford to Waterloo is non-stop Woking to Surbiton and that gets up to max speed. I also had a delayed one the other week that instead of stopping everywhere ran non-stop from Woking plat 2 to Waterloo which was very fun!

I took the 1923 non stop the other day, yeah it was fun despite it showing how poor the ride quality at speed is compared to more modern units like a 450 :P

 

[455driver]

Weren't the hopper windows restricted at some stage due to vandalism, i.e. people were throwing seat cushions out or something - or am I thinking of a different area?

Yes they were, it doesnt help ventilation though, why they cant fit some bigger fans (with a switch in the cab to turn them off when not needed) to blow ambient air into the saloon I dont know.
There is no point fitting air conditioning (there isnt enough power out the Motor Generator anyway) simply because of the amount of time the doors are open when they stop.

 

[arty762]

Current units at Bournemouth are 5720 (arr date 10/03/14) C64
5716 ( arr date 24/03/14) C64
5851 for a CA overhaul (arr date 17/03/14

 

[JB25]

The southern 455's on the other hand regularly get up to speed, either between stops on longer distance trains (e.g. Boxhill-Dorking or Waddon-Wallington) or between London and East croydon on Tattenham corner outer suburban services.

Having been on both going at quite a speed, I can confirm the ride quality is better on a southern 455, possibly even comparable to that of a 377 or 450, and whilst you don't hear the motors that well, you get that brilliant high speed scream that you hear on other mainline units.

However I must say that the 456's at speed were terrible.
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455's on Gatwick express are common replacements for 442's. Not that they need to be replaced in service that often.

Didn't SWT used to use 455's on the coastway line, on the short haul services?

It's bloody hard to get a 455 up to it's top speed of 75mph. The only place really is between Norwood Jct and London Bridge going up. Even between Selhurst and Balham on the UBF it is almost impossible to reach 70. Going down from Vic to East Croydon on the Fast you can reach that 70 in no time in a 377. It struggles to get much above 50 in a 455 sometimes.

 

[TEW]

Bit of an update on the 455 refurb. Yesterday (Saturday) I saw 455731 in service. This must be one of the first units to have the complete PRM-TSI modifications. I only had a brief look but it had rather loud, high-pitched external door opening sounds and some proper internal door handles, much better than the original BR design. Presumably the modifications to the wheelchair spaces have also been completed.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

It's bloody hard to get a 455 up to it's top speed of 75mph. The only place really is between Norwood Jct and London Bridge going up. Even between Selhurst and Balham on the UBF it is almost impossible to reach 70. Going down from Vic to East Croydon on the Fast you can reach that 70 in no time in a 377. It struggles to get much above 50 in a 455 sometimes.

Can't remember if the traction motors are being replaced separately but if they are will they be installing some variant of the ones used in the Desiros?

 

[Domh245]

They are being remotored, but it's something separate to the internal refurb (AFAIK). The first retractioning unit (5732) is in Wimbledon Park depot. The motors and control systems are being supplied by ABB, so the only similarity between them and the desiros is that there will be an AC motor

 

[455driver]

It's bloody hard to get a 455 up to it's top speed of 75mph. The only place really is between Norwood Jct and London Bridge going up. Even between Selhurst and Balham on the UBF it is almost impossible to reach 70. Going down from Vic to East Croydon on the Fast you can reach that 70 in no time in a 377. It struggles to get much above 50 in a 455 sometimes.

No problem getting 455s up to 75 (and a bit ) on the SWT network.

 

[59CosG95]

They are being remotored, but it's something separate to the internal refurb (AFAIK). The first retractioning unit (5732) is in Wimbledon Park depot. The motors and control systems are being supplied by ABB, so the only similarity between them and the desiros is that there will be an AC motor

ABB? I thought Vossloh Kiepe were providing the motors. Unless there's something I've missed here...

 

[Nym]

ABB? I thought Vossloh Kiepe were providing the motors. Unless there's something I've missed here...

They are coming from Vossloh Kiepe....

 

[Domh245]

My bad. That'll teach me to mix homework about robots and reading railway articles...

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Bit of an update on the 455 refurb. Yesterday (Saturday) I saw 455731 in service. This must be one of the first units to have the complete PRM-TSI modifications. I only had a brief look but it had rather loud, high-pitched external door opening sounds and some proper internal door handles, much better than the original BR design. Presumably the modifications to the wheelchair spaces have also been completed.

455 731 passed my garden a couple of hours ago; it looked like you might need to don sunglasses upon boarding it...

 

[TEW]

That would probably be a good idea! It's certainly rather bright inside at the moment.

 

[hassaanhc]

455 731 passed my garden a couple of hours ago; it looked like you might need to don sunglasses upon boarding it...

That would probably be a good idea! It's certainly rather bright inside at the moment.

They did replace the florescent tubes and they are slightly brighter:

1. The old ones were the T12 40W 4000K ones in 4ft length (the fat ones now discontinued), now replaced by the current standard T8 36W 4000K in the same length. Despite the lower wattage the T8's are slightly brighter than the equivalent T12 due to having slightly higher lumens. The 4000K refers to the colour temperature, which is "cool white" (in comparison, the Desiro ones are 3000K which is a more warmer colour)
2. At the same time it appears they replaced the old magnetic ballast, which runs at up to 2x mains frequency (100Hz), with an electronic one, which runs at several thousand KHz. If you looked at the old tubes from the corner of your eye you might notice all of them flickering slightly, which is absent from the new ones.

 

[Goldfish62]

Bit of an update on the 455 refurb. Yesterday (Saturday) I saw 455731 in service. This must be one of the first units to have the complete PRM-TSI modifications. I only had a brief look but it had rather loud, high-pitched external door opening sounds and some proper internal door handles, much better than the original BR design. Presumably the modifications to the wheelchair spaces have also been completed.

Perhaps they've fitted the door sounders from 458/0s undergoing refurb. Prepare for sonic eardrum surgery.

 

[hassaanhc]

Perhaps they've fitted the door sounders from 458/0s undergoing refurb. Prepare for sonic eardrum surgery.

That is indeed the case
http://youtu.be/6UvtXflIgUU

Door handles and the external speaker:

 

[WarrenTManager]

Although 5731 and 5741 had the new PRM compliant sounders, but still lack the call for aid kit for the wheelchair positions.

 

[southern442]

That is indeed the case
http://youtu.be/6UvtXflIgUU

Door handles and the external speaker:

Very similar to the 315s, 320's and 994's (Tyne & Wear Metro)...

EDIT: for comparison, here they are:

455:http://youtu.be/6UvtXflIgUU?t=19s

320:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFsllgDl2vQ

315:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARn3YXLN_5Q

994:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exGr489fW_Y

the doors opening beeps also sound quite similar.
What was wrong with the original door closing beeps? I quite liked them.