Atomic Systems

Travelling home from Brighton last night in the first class of a Class 450 I discovered they have curtains in the first class section! Wow! Oh my God I thought these Desiros impress me more and more each time I set foot on them! I thought the idea of having curtains on a train was viewed as quaint and backwards these days and too much of a finacial burden in maintainance so it was nice to see them there! Alas only in first class.

I wasn't so impressed with the seating. To my horror the 450 first class seating was those horrible seats used on the Electrostars which bizarrely made the first class seating inferior to the standard seating (Standard IMHO disclaimer applies here.) Still, can't get everything your own way.

Are they a Gaudy orange colour? is there going to be a Buffet Car?

Dont take this post to seriously!

Unfortunatly, you no longer get proper curtains in 1st class any more, either fabric on polls attached to runner rails or our strange blinds we have on Voyagers. The curtains on mk2/3s are the best! Why did you travel first class may i ask, as it is hardly better then standerd, plus its in the middle of the train so people walk through all the time!

I am also very impressed with the new Desiros - I haven't travelled on the 444s or 450s but I have been exetremely greatfull for the 350s on the Crewe - Birmingham New Street run. I don't know if the seating is different, but they are far more comfortable than 170s, Pendos or Voygers.

Will be exetremely interested in the new 185s when they arrive, and it will also mean that all the 158s will finally be going from the North Wales Coast to be replaced by the 175s. These are pretty good, although I can't see the point of the 2 car versions, which allways get packed beyond comfortable levels.

I look forward to the day when my jounery home can be a 175, 350 and then a 168.

Bruce

The 175s are going to South Wales and the 158s are all moving North, and possibly bringing some Pacers with them - sorry Bruce!

Central Trains have a few units with curtains in the first class bits - Turbostars 397 and 398. The MML one's had curtains, but they've been removed now.

Why does the North constantly get the wrost deal as far as investment and new/refurbuished trains are concerned! We still have Northern 150's that haven't been refurbished fr years, ripped seat covers and grotty interiors. It's no wonder train travel is unpopualr with trains like that!

We have Central Trains Class 150s - I think that is a touche

allypally wrote:The 175s are going to South Wales and the 158s are all moving North, and possibly bringing some Pacers with them - sorry Bruce!

I don't know where you heard that...

Arriva Trains Wales are running a press train to Holyhead with the first of the 175 in ATW livery, and they are to remain unbranded to unable transfer to the North West and Trans-Pennine Pools... doesn't seem to fit with them going south.

Also with the 185s being delivered it makes more sense to transfer the 158s to the south, keep all the stock in one place.

And to top it all off, the 175s are maintained at Alstom Chester.

Bruce

I've heard on it on the grapevine - nice ditty eh? The 175s having been pushing south all the time, they were fairly common up here on Chester diagrams at one stage but now all the trains - including New St to Holyhead or Bangor - are booked 158s. Arriva as far as I can tell have been banging on a lot about running more 150s in the Valleys, and have been 'inferring' that that will mean since they don't have many new 150s, that some Pacers will be coming north. As far as I can tell 175s are due to be concentrated on Manchester - Shrewsbury - Cardiff/Carmarthen services, with 158s taking on Manchester to Llandudno turns, with 175s also being booked on some South Wales turns.

All 175s will eventually be going to cardiff and cardiffs ATW fleet will go to chester, transpennine wont want 175s after the final 195 is released and FNW look like theyve lost alot to northern anyway and the 175's track record in the Northwest is one greeted by the locals to get rid of them. please bring the coradias south i love then well except that annoying staion display dot matrix display inside.

175s are passed for the Rhymney branch from cardiff hence why "Times are changing" in Arriva

salopiangrowler wrote:All 175s will eventually be going to cardiff and cardiffs ATW fleet will go to chester, transpennine wont want 175s after the final 195 is released and FNW look like theyve lost alot to northern anyway and the 175's track record in the Northwest is one greeted by the locals to get rid of them. please bring the coradias south i love then well except that annoying staion display dot matrix display inside.

Pardon?

1) AFAIK, the Desiro build for FKTPE has been cut by 5 meaning that the Windermere/Barrow services will remain 175 operated - apparently (anyone know the SRA plan for this week?)
2) I don't know of any passengers who wish to get rid of the "nice trains"* that operate alongside the rest of the tat that masquerades as rolling stock on the Northern network. Managers, technicians and drivers maybe, but I think the passengers are quite happy with the 175's thank you very much.
3) What have fNW got to do with anything?

* Overheard last week on a Coradia operated service ("Oooh, this is a nice train. Much better than the little blue ones", etc)

Slip

slipdigby wrote:

salopiangrowler wrote:All 175s will eventually be going to cardiff and cardiffs ATW fleet will go to chester, transpennine wont want 175s after the final 195 is released and FNW look like theyve lost alot to northern anyway and the 175's track record in the Northwest is one greeted by the locals to get rid of them. please bring the coradias south i love then well except that annoying staion display dot matrix display inside.

Pardon?

1) AFAIK, the Desiro build for FKTPE has been cut by 5 meaning that the Windermere/Barrow services will remain 175 operated - apparently (anyone know the SRA plan for this week?)
2) I don't know of any passengers who wish to get rid of the "nice trains"* that operate alongside the rest of the tat that masquerades as rolling stock on the Northern network. Managers, technicians and drivers maybe, but I think the passengers are quite happy with the 175's thank you very much.
3) What have fNW got to do with anything?

* Overheard last week on a Coradia operated service ("Oooh, this is a nice train. Much better than the little blue ones", etc)

Slip

Cardiff have 62 158's 31 of them are ATW we need 29 to run our services and cardiffs too far down shrewsburys got no facilities and chesters the right area and easily reachable on all lines.

so cardiff only need 31 175's leave enough for the windy branch.

martinhodgson wrote:Why does the North constantly get the wrost deal as far as investment and new/refurbuished trains are concerned! We still have Northern 150's that haven't been refurbished fr years, ripped seat covers and grotty interiors. It's no wonder train travel is unpopualr with trains like that!

1 Word .......Money

Nortern got the franchise on the condition they use the old stock but i do have to admit they are have more ideas and are better to work for than firstgroup ever were

salopiangrowler wrote:All 175s will eventually be going to cardiff and cardiffs ATW fleet will go to chester, transpennine wont want 175s after the final 195 is released and FNW look like theyve lost alot to northern anyway and the 175's track record in the Northwest is one greeted by the locals to get rid of them. please bring the coradias south i love then well except that annoying staion display dot matrix display inside.

175s are passed for the Rhymney branch from cardiff hence why "Times are changing" in Arriva

Some 175s are definately moving to Cardiff - currently there is the odd Manchester - Cardiff service worked by 175s to give the crews some more experience. I've taken a couple between MCR and Crewe.

They are confirmed as working the Holyhead - Cardiff service with 158s filling in some of the other diagrams (probably Crewe turnbacks).

FNW haven't existed for a good year at least. This has been mentionned before in a thread(!)

175s are probably passed for a lot of the ATW network. But thats not why "times are changing" - the slogan refers to the fact that ATW are moving to a clockface timetable.

hey you had me going there i thought SWT had shut down !