156 or 323

allypally · Post by **allypally** » Sat Aug 31, 2002 12:21 pm

in responce to ian: wot is a 153 but half a 155 anyway and the 156's are falling to pieces and the 158's are ok but tend to lose their soundproofing:P most of my activitys wud probably use the Turbostar anyway and even that spends more time breaking down than it duz actually driving

madmardy · Post by **madmardy** » Sat Aug 31, 2002 7:49 pm

i'm using the philidelphia station for now as new street but i can cuz the route is fictional. I think what you have to remember is that MSTS can't handle a lot of whats out there anyway
as rob has found out on his GNER route, so we have to simplify things a bit

madmardy · Post by **madmardy** » Sun Sep 01, 2002 10:12 am

ianjp wrote:allypally: It would tie up nicely to the Fictional WCML (if it ever gets out of Watford... Sorry madmardy! ) .

been giving the route a break for a couple of weeks as it got me stressed out, just started back working on it ,almost finished the <b>Watford</b>
to st albans branch and starting to head north towards err.. somewhere,
hemel hempstead i think

ianjp · Post by **ianjp** » Sun Sep 01, 2002 5:23 pm

allypally wrote:in responce to ian: wot is a 153 but half a 155 anyway and the 156's are falling to pieces and the 158's are ok but tend to lose their soundproofing:P most of my activitys wud probably use the Turbostar anyway and even that spends more time breaking down than it duz actually driving

You evidently don't spend a lot of time on 158s then sir!

The best habit they have is the air conditioning... Turn it on, with a stationary train on a warm day, and listen to everything shut down within a couple of minutes. Wait for everything to cool, then you can start it up again. Otherwise, find a fitter. I have spent many unhappy times on BNS waiting to see which happens first...

Incidentally, speaking to staff at New Street, they have more broken 158s than any other unit. The most reliable? The really tatty old 150s! The guy I was speaking to couldn't remember the last time he'd seen one fail!!!

madmardy: Doesn't look like I'll ever get out of Buildwas on mine - I'm seriously thinking of scrapping it as a bad joke and doing somewhere fictional.

megatron · Post by **megatron** » Tue Sep 03, 2002 12:03 pm

well the 175 is almost done so im going to be shortly turning my attention to a couple of new projects.
The vote is pretty close! 12 to 10 in favour of the 156!
To be honest i want to do the 156. But i may do both at the same time.
Im also going to have a tinker doing a Class 90 but that will just be there to give me a change from the norm!
Thanks for all of your commetns folks
Cheers
Guy

ianjp · Post by **ianjp** » Tue Sep 03, 2002 5:51 pm

megatron: Well, if it is any consolation, according to the Birmingham Evening Mail earlier (lunchtime edition), the Centro/Central Trains 323s are currently being withdrawn to be checked for potentially dangerous cracks in something to do with the vicinity of the engines... Not so helpful, really!!!

Maybe you ought to get on with the 156...

megatron · Post by **megatron** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 10:59 am

yeah i read about that too!
SOmething to do with cracks in the underframe!
Wonder if it will affect the FNW ones too...?
Might make a start on the 156 today, depending on if i can find any pics or plans to my satisfaction!
Got some a nice plan in a book i have but i dont have a scanner.....
well untill i go bully my brothers off him

markw · Post by **markw** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 11:11 am

Oh, the good 'ole Evening Snail. Makes the Beano seem intellectual...

Some of the Class 323 units have indeed been found to have some minor cracking to the underframes. But what engines? Trust the Snail to think they are diesels.

Apparently, as I've heard it, they are fatigue-type cracks caused by the poor state of the track (and as a former X-City commuter I can vouch for that - LMS bullhead rail north of Blake St where BR were going to single the track at one time, and how the units stayed on track I'll never know) and that it seems to have affected the four units leased directly by Centro (which were the last four delivered) first, although they may have found more since. However, as the units were due a refurb anyway (and those interiors look dreadful) CT is running short formations on some services to get both jobs done at once.

ianjp · Post by **ianjp** » Wed Sep 04, 2002 6:53 pm

markw: They're certainly going in for refurb... They're coming out with the grafitti removed and yellow doors!

Engines, electric motors, sheesh, what do you expect from the British press? Accuracy or something?

Hymek · Post by **Hymek** » Fri Sep 06, 2002 8:14 pm

The central trains 156 that runs through kidderminster is a very clean comfy and reliable train (its thoughs bloody Class 150s that are the pain, They smell, go wrong quite frequentley, Only today one broke down outside worcester and blocked the line and are also filthy)

Infact bring back the Class 108s

But i cant see central trains running anything more reliable tham the 150

apart from the sole 156

Infact we need more CT stuff so can you pleez do them both!!!!

ianjp · Post by **ianjp** » Sun Sep 08, 2002 2:27 pm

Hymek: There are CT (Centro) 150s and "real" CT 158s and 170s on here already... Half of the 156s in real life are still in RR livery anyway! At least W&B repainted theirs (or pinched all CTs' repainted ones... ;o) when they were formed!

Is it just me or has the 323 made a sudden spurt towards parity up on that poll?

crosscountry · Post by **crosscountry** » Sun Sep 08, 2002 9:28 pm

ianjp wrote:markw: They're certainly going in for refurb... They're coming out with the grafitti removed and yellow doors!

Engines, electric motors, sheesh, what do you expect from the British press? Accuracy or something?

hey hey, I know you lot like to have a good go at the press, but please, there's journo's on here. I know that most wouldn't know a brake pipe from an ETS cable but don't knock us all.
and...err...no...before anyone asks me to start identifying cables...neither can I (but I know the difference between good old cummins power and a traction motor that sounds like a Zanussi washer/dryer)

markw · Post by **markw** » Sun Sep 08, 2002 10:37 pm

The Evening Snail is opinionated and right up itself. And it couldn't predict what day it will be tomorrow, so accuracy is expecting too much.

Any newspaper that can give Ed Doolan column space deserves to be hung up inside a lavatory as poo wrap. That man spouts his self important merde in this country because he knows that no-one in his native Australia would stand for it. They'd deck him and give him a right kicking.

I much preferred the Wolve Express and Star, despite it's reputation for being the Daily Death, Disaster, and Coroner's Chronicle.

ianjp · Post by **ianjp** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 7:02 pm

crosscountry wrote: hey hey, I know you lot like to have a good go at the press, but please, there's journo's on here. I know that most wouldn't know a brake pipe from an ETS cable but don't knock us all.

I'd actually say it has a lot more to do with selling newspapers than lack of knowledge on occasion. No-one is interested to read that minor cracking has been found in some units before anything serious happens, so corrective action is being taken. The story that sells newspapers to commuters is "RAIL CHAOS EXPECTED AS 'POTENTIALLY FATAL' CRACKING FOUND". People want sensationalism, regardless of how accurate or true the story is. Why is beyond me, but as a private pilots license holder who works in the railway industry, I see and hear far too much of it on both fronts!

Anyway... I think this thread has disappeared totally off on a tangent from its original aim - maybe we should move this conversation to somewhere more suitable?

russnp · Post by **russnp** » Wed Sep 25, 2002 6:23 pm

Can you make the 156 so when you open the cab window the desk moves and the cab door slams open possibly trapping your hand against the gangway side window! On a more serious note if you require any info or cab shots please get in touch as I reluctently drive these things for a living!

Cheers

Russ

Atomic Systems

156 or 323

What do people want the most?

Class 156