Worst (current) train interior

[starrymarkb]

IMHO for a good company image it shouldn't really be possible to easily tell the difference between trains of the same class (unless of course they are different subclasses which intentionally have clearly-visible differences eg different seating). For example, I know South West Trains have received 158s from various people over the years, but I could not tell you which one is which. They all have the same carpets, the same seat covers and the same highlights internally. If they all have been properly refurbished since the TOC last changed their style they should IMHO all look the same

Of course, there are always some visible differences. I wouldn't be surprised if someone listed some small details by which you can tell apart the SWT 158s (please do if you can; I would be interested ).

All the SWT 158s are ex-TPE - as are the 159/1s - it helped SWT that they all had their original seating as it's not possible to retrofit older design seats due to crash regs - (unless replacing Like for Like)

159/1s also have a different first class seat to the 158s and 159/0s...

 

[WillPS]

I can't believe most of these are coming up - I'm guessing from people who aren't too familiar with Pacers. Basically, they're all awful, worse than any of the commuter stock or Sprinters, Voyagers, Turbos.

Merseytravel 142s are far and away the worst, the ex-ATN 142s coming not far behind.

I had a ride on a couple of ATWs Pacers and they've fared much better thanks to their Valley Lines refit.

 

[Zoe]

the interior doors are heavy and keep sliding open

I've only ever seen an internal door open on a Voyager when the button has been pressed.

 

[Muzer]

Oddly, I disagree with you on that - I find them to be very comfortable, for either short or long journeys.

What I don't like are the older Scotrail refurb 158s. I find the seats to be pretty uncomfortable and they feel very dark and dreary inside. When I travelled between Edinburgh and Stirling, if one of them turned up I'd sometimes sit on one of the luggage racks (if they weren't needed for luggage) because I found it more comfortable than the seats.

Assuming these are the same 158s that FGW have split to convert their 2-car 158s into hybrid 3-cars, hear hear! Those seats are rock hard and too tightly-packed. I am fortunate though that with FGW we have a choice of seating (usually two cars of the original lovely seating and one of Scotrail)
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All the SWT 158s are ex-TPE - as are the 159/1s - it helped SWT that they all had their original seating as it's not possible to retrofit older design seats due to crash regs - (unless replacing Like for Like)

159/1s also have a different first class seat to the 158s and 159/0s...

Ah, I could have sworn some came from elsewhere - evidently I'm wrong.

That explains a lot about the seats, I wondered why FGW couldn't have just replaced the uncomfortable Scotrail ones with the originals.

 

[sprinterguy]

Assuming these are the same 158s that FGW have split to convert their 2-car 158s into hybrid 3-cars, hear hear! Those seats are rock hard and too tightly-packed. I am fortunate though that with FGW we have a choice of seating (usually two cars of the original lovely seating and one of Scotrail)

The units that have been split to create FGW's hybrid 3-car 158s are two former Scotrail units (Though they have been Wales & West/Wessex Trains units for over ten years now) and four former Crosscountry units. One carriage from each has been added to a 2-car ex-Transpennine unit to create the 3-car units.

 

[Muzer]

The ex-XC units, do they also have the horrible seating? Or is it those, and not the Scotrail ones, that do?

 

[TEW]

Before refurbishment the FGW 158s had a number of different seating styles.
158745/6 had the Wales & West Alphaline refurbishment with Chapman seating. They now have Richmond seating.
158747-49/51 had the Wessex refurbishment with Primarius seating. They now have Richmond seating.
158750 had basically the Intercity interior with 2+1 seating in First Class, the same as the 159s had. It now has original seating throughout.
158762/7 had the TPE interior. They now have Richmond seating.
158760/61/63-66/68/69/71/76/78 had the TPE interior and now have original seating throughout.

 

[northwichcat]

Merseytravel 142s followed by original interior 142s.
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Before refurbishment the FGW 158s had a number of different seating styles.
158745/6 had the Wales & West Alphaline refurbishment with Chapman seating. They now have Richmond seating.
158747-49/51 had the Wessex refurbishment with Primarius seating. They now have Richmond seating.
158750 had basically the Intercity interior with 2+1 seating in First Class, the same as the 159s had. It now has original seating throughout.
158762/7 had the TPE interior. They now have Richmond seating.
158760/61/63-66/68/69/71/76/78 had the TPE interior and now have original seating throughout.

FGW could have opted to keep a fleet of their own Alphaline 158s but they liked the ex-TPE and CT 158s more (that they secured on short term loans) so when they were told they couldn't keep them all they offloaded Alphaline ones.

 

[TEW]

The reason for doing so was to standardise on one engine type and one ROSCO. Previously they had all three types of 158 engine in the fleet but swapping the units around allowed to have all Chapman 350hp engines.

 

[317666]

Chapman 350hp engines.

I think you mean Cummins

As for everyone slagging off Pacer interiors - I don't think they're wonderfully comfortable, but honestly I would prefer any of them to 170, 172 or 379 interiors!

 

[TEW]

Yes I do, got Chapmans on the mind with all that talk of interiors.

 

[Statto]

I dislike the interior on the Northern Rail DMUs, could do with refurb & repaints.

 

[Temple Meads]

To be honest you can't get much worse than the original bus type interiors of the 142's there isn't anything to complain about in the interior because there's hardly anything there..

 

[fgwrich]

I've only ever seen an internal door open on a Voyager when the button has been pressed.

I have. Certainly over the south devon banks and South Western mainline through the new forest, they seem to have a habbit of sliding slightly open. Not as badly as the 165/166/168 & 170 Fleets though, which seem to have a circuit with a mind of its own.

 

[yorksrob]

To be honest you can't get much worse than the original bus type interiors of the 142's there isn't anything to complain about in the interior because there's hardly anything there..

As unluxurious as these are, they are a considerable improvement on the Mersey type seating.

 

[GospelOak117]

Anything with Longitudinal seating only, so at the moment that's only the 378's (excluding all LU stock). As somebody who likes to look out of a train window and watched the details of the world go by, not being able to do so infuriates me!

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Nothing wrong with the sprinters. The worst interior by a country mile is the Merseyrail 508 and 507's.

 

[BestWestern]

I just recently experienced my first journey on a 175, and I have to say that - whilst I accept they are not the worst interiors out there by any means - I was rather underwhelmed by the inside of both of the sets I rode on. Externally the units look good, and they seem to have impressive performance to match some of the long journeys they are used on. However, they are clearly overdue an internal refurbishment, with grubby side panels and mismatched pink/purple trim, which clashed enormously with the evidently newer green seat moquette (though of course ATW seem to think that pink and green goes well together on seats!). I also found the general design of much of the interior fittings to be a bit naff, in particular the 'hard edges' of the window surrounds and the crap-looking silvery finish to some of the fixtures around the bulkheads. All in all, the interior looked far older than the unit actually was, I was immediately reminded of a 153!

Of course, I appreciate there is far worse out there, it just seems a shame that such nice units have such naff interiors!

 

[Blindtraveler]

OK Looks like I have upret a few folk with yet another SR 170 rant. 90019 and Sprinterguy appologies though 90019 you are dead rite there, the NX Scotrail refurb of the 158s makes even Northerns grimmest examples seam luxury and BTW Not having a dig at Northern there!

317666 nice to have your support here although I like XCs current interior on the turbostars.

And finally for now WillPS I love all 14x units, even the bus benched Mursaytravel units

 

[yorksrob]

OK Looks like I have upret a few folk with yet another SR 170 rant. 90019 and Sprinterguy appologies though 90019 you are dead rite there, the NX Scotrail refurb of the 158s makes even Northerns grimmest examples seam luxury and BTW Not having a dig at Northern there!

317666 nice to have your support here although I like XCs current interior on the turbostars.

And finally for now WillPS I love all 14x units, even the bus benched Mursaytravel units

If but only they were bus benched, if but only they were!

 

[Blindtraveler]

oK Not the correct choice of wording but know the ones you mean.

 

[Trainspotter23]

I see your point on the EMT 153's, but I think the Crosscountry Trains HSTs are the worst. They are usually full, hot and sweaty. There is no room to move what so ever to go to the toilet or to get off at a stop. Some passengers have suitcases blocking the aisle, and are not asked or told to move it.

 

[CC 72100]

I see your point on the EMT 153's, but I think the Crosscountry Trains HSTs are the worst. They are usually full, hot and sweaty. There is no room to move what so ever to go to the toilet or to get off at a stop. Some passengers have suitcases blocking the aisle, and are not asked or told to move it.

I'm surprised at that, I honestly find the XC HSTs the nicest Mark 3 interior when compared to FGW. The table seats in the centre line up perfectly with the windows, good (or better than voyager) luggage space, cleaner than voyager interior. I may however be swayed by how empty they normally are West of Exeter! Just goes to show how different people can like different things!

Anyway, welcome to the forum!

 

[43021HST]

Class 350s and 450s, the seating is too firm, the seat backs are bolt upright, the airline style seating bits are too cramped, the seats are not wide enough to accommodate a person properly, this is coming from someone who is very long and skinny. The interiors are too garishly bright, and the automatic announcements never shut up.

I would moan about the 378s but someone has done that for me.

 

[BestWestern]

I'm surprised at that, I honestly find the XC HSTs the nicest Mark 3 interior when compared to FGW. The table seats in the centre line up perfectly with the windows, good (or better than voyager) luggage space, cleaner than voyager interior. I may however be swayed by how empty they normally are West of Exeter! Just goes to show how different people can like different things!

Anyway, welcome to the forum!

I agree, the XC MK3s are absolutely superb. They're a pleasure to travel in and as close to a brand new train as you're going to get with 1970s slam door stock.

I'm sure they do get very full, but that's not really a fault with the train, and a 7 coach XC HST has to be a better bet than a 4 or 5 car Voyager??!

 

[8J]

My Fav mk3 interior is/was the classic pretendolino or Greater Anglia.

Least fav interior is the FCC313's. Really scruffy imho

 

[gimmea50anyday]

I've only ever seen an internal door open on a Voyager when the button has been pressed.

The double leaf doors are fine, the single heavy doors. Bit of cant on the track where the cant speed is higher than what the train is actually doing, grind slam CLICK! Grind slam CLICK! Every 3-4 seconds! As the train attempts to close the door but the door fights back. And if the drive belt is slipping its even worse! If all of the doors were of the double leaf type the problem would be eliminated.
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As for the XC hst's they have 2 faults. 1, the loss of the centre luggage rack and 2, the servery. Could have easily been a mini buffet counter for the sake of 8 seats. Would be far more popular and offer a better range than an at seat trolley. As a former XC employee who used to work out of paddington I know the value of the Saturday morning buffet car used to take £500 up to Birmingham new street whereas the same train with a voyager managed barely £70!

Apart from that think only the chiltern mk3 with the plug doors have managed a better interior, although GC HST's are a close second.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Anything with Longitudinal seating only, so at the moment that's only the 378's (excluding all LU stock). As somebody who likes to look out of a train window and watched the details of the world go by, not being able to do so infuriates me!

Yes, but you have to think about the market that those trains serve, in which case they are proving to be an excellent design. While I would agree that there is plenty to see on the routes that the Class 378's serve, looking out the window is not a priority for the majority of customers.

 

[northwichcat]

Nothing wrong with the sprinters. The worst interior by a country mile is the Merseyrail 508 and 507's.

Apart from the seats being too firm for longer journeys like Chester/Ellesmere Port/Southport to Liverpool, I don't see what else is wrong with the 507/8s.
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Class 350s and 450s, the seating is too firm, the seat backs are bolt upright, the airline style seating bits are too cramped, the seats are not wide enough to accommodate a person properly, this is coming from someone who is very long and skinny. The interiors are too garishly bright, and the automatic announcements never shut up.

The 185s are just like the 350s but with louder diesel engines. Can't see anyone really wanting to do Man Airport to Edinburgh or Liverpool to Newcastle on one!

 

[sprinterguy]

To be honest you can't get much worse than the original bus type interiors of the 142's there isn't anything to complain about in the interior because there's hardly anything there..

The original interiors is basic but functional, the bus bench interiors offer more legroom than the Merseytravel seated examples as well as a marvellously unobstructed view on the scenic routes that they operate over.

Merseytravel 142s certainly get my vote for worst train interior, followed by 319s in second place.