IETs into passenger service from 16 Oct 2017 and subsequent performance issues

[whole diary]

[patch38]

So, in a nutshell, what you are saying is that the driver phoned the Hitachi helpline and was told, "Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

Oh dear...

[GBM]

So, in a nutshell, what you are saying is that the driver phoned the Hitachi helpline and was told, "Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

Oh dear...

That is First Kernow bus support line stock reply to all problems when a driver calls in.
"Do a master reset, but leave it off for around 30 seconds before turning it back on"   

[IndustryInsider]

So, in a nutshell, what you are saying is that the driver phoned the Hitachi helpline and was told, "Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

Oh dear...

Any faults above the very minor and it's straight on to Hitachi Maintenance Control via the GSM-R^▸ (Global System for Mobile communications - Railway.) or a mobile phone.  They don't like any serious fault finding by drivers, even when it's a fault the driver is quite comfortable they could resolve themselves.  Hopefully that will change over time, as it does add to the delay sometimes.

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Mrs GTBE was on this train too.  She was impressed and interested by the Driver's announcements. Anything is better than being stopped where you shouldn't be -just out of Padd - and being told nothing.  In fact she phoned me specially to tell me, and to seek some er.. clarification .. of what was wrong with the train

[IndustryInsider]

Lots of shortforms already today, all 5 instead of 9/10;

06:03 Bristol Temple Meads to Weston-Super-Mare due 06:34
06:48 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington due 09:12
10:00 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 11:43
12:30 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 14:14
14:45 London Paddington to Swansea due 17:42
18:29 Swansea to London Paddington due 21:31

06:05 Frome to London Paddington due 08:08

07:30 Carmarthen to London Paddington due 11:32
13:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central due 15:23
15:56 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 18:03
18:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare due 20:54
22:15 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 00:14

I've re-organised that ... looks like 2 (out of around 40?) full diagrams plus a single extra working.

Lots more than there should be (and by now there should be 3 x Bedwyn diagrams running) but still very much a minority of trains

Again journeycheck is wrong as I've just witnessed 9-car 802112 working 1A17, 12:30 BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains).  Meaning the following are/were also 9-car:

1C09, 10:00 PAD-BRI
1B46, 14:45 PAD-SWA^» (Swansea - next trains)
1L92, 18:29 SWA-PAD
1C33, 22:15 PAD-BRI

[Incider]

Some problems on the 17.07 to Frome yesterday. Not technical enough to know what they were but the driver was keeping us fully informed with details like 'on the phone to Hitachi', I found it interesting although not sure my fellow passengers agreed. The solution was to rest the motors (aka turn it off and on).

Thought it was good that drivers could get straight through to what was presumably  Hitachi 3rd line support though.

Driver error, but it was good team work between Hitachi Control, the Driver and the Train Manager, which rectified the problem with minimal delay.

[Incider]

Lots of shortforms already today, all 5 instead of 9/10;

06:03 Bristol Temple Meads to Weston-Super-Mare due 06:34
06:48 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington due 09:12
10:00 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 11:43
12:30 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 14:14
14:45 London Paddington to Swansea due 17:42
18:29 Swansea to London Paddington due 21:31

06:05 Frome to London Paddington due 08:08

07:30 Carmarthen to London Paddington due 11:32
13:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central due 15:23
15:56 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 18:03
18:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare due 20:54
22:15 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 00:14

I've re-organised that ... looks like 2 (out of around 40?) full diagrams plus a single extra working.

Lots more than there should be (and by now there should be 3 x Bedwyn diagrams running) but still very much a minority of trains

Again journeycheck is wrong as I've just witnessed 9-car 802112 working 1A17, 12:30 BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains).  Meaning the following are/were also 9-car:

1C09, 10:00 PAD-BRI
1B46, 14:45 PAD-SWA^» (Swansea - next trains)
1L92, 18:29 SWA-PAD
1C33, 22:15 PAD-BRI

As far as I am aware, there were no actual short forms, several 2x5 diagrams were covered by 9 cars, so incorrectly formed, but the seating difference is minimal.

[Rob on the hill]

The Swindon Tiger display is currently showing one 5 coach service, 1U28 1912 Paddington to Bristol. It earlier worked 1L80 Cheltenham Spa to Paddington.

Edit: now also showing on Journeycheck.

19:12 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 20:47 

Facilities on the 19:12 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 20:47.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9.

[IndustryInsider]

More evidence that journeycheck isn’t being updated properly, as the 08:21 Paddington to Hereford and return 12:09 Hereford to Paddington are listed as 5-car vice 9, but are definitely formed of 9-car, 800302.

[Bob_Blakey]

(Couldn't find a more suitable home for this)

Out on the bike just south of EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) yesterday spied a fairly large batch of Mk3 stock being hauled north by a couple of Class 47's.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K91795/2019/04/11/advanced

[Kernowman]

Did the 07.30 Pad - Pz throughout yesterday (Sat 13th April), the trolley didn't turn up until Swindon due to a stock take? Regarding the 'stock', it had no sandwiches only crisps and biscuits and tea/coffee. Fortunately another trolley turned up just after Plymouth (by which time I was about to eat the table) and did have sandwiches (and tea and coffee until the boiler packed up) however I'd been on the service for nearly four hours by then and would have liked to have witnessed this (sandwiches etc) much earlier.
Perhaps of just as much importance, the carriage I was in (Carriage H, the fourth carriage of the first five car set) became full of a very overpowering sewage swell which stayed for the rest of the journey. The train manager (or whatever we call them these days) said that the smell has happened before and always in the same coach. Has anyone else come across this smell that seems to affect certain IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) units and coaches?

KM

[IndustryInsider]

I’ve never noticed any smells that could be discerned from outside the toilets on IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train). 

A good example why keeping the buffet on the longest distance GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services would have been the more customer friendly option over the trolley which IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) remains the most sensible option for journeys of less than 2.5 hours.

[Timmer]

I’ve never noticed any smells that could be discerned from outside the toilets on IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train). 

A good example why keeping the buffet on the longest distance GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services would have been the more customer friendly option over the trolley which IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) remains the most sensible option for journeys of less than 2.5 hours.

Cue Broadgage but I agree the WoE fleet and possibly Swansea too would have been ideal routes for maintaining a buffet. Of course not so simple diagramming sets with buffets to specific routes.

[tomL]

I had my first “long haul” 802 journey on Saturday 13th, Penzance to Swindon around the houses due to the Bath closure. It was formed of 2x5 with my reservation in coach B (second from the rear).

Some observations:

The electronic reservations were working with the coach lit up like a Christmas tree and kept track and updated throughout the journey.
After Penzance the first station to platform the whole train was Plymouth.
The trolley appeared every hour or so and seemed well stocked.
One of the toilets seemed to be locked out of use but luckily managed to find another one nearby.
The Diesel engine mounting seems to need some attention, it didn’t sound healthy when turning.
The seats seem to be the “newer” ones and my back survived the 5 and a half hour journey intact.
The sets seemed more than capable of keeping time and didn’t seem to struggle at all.
To top it all off we even changed over to electric “in flight” while passing through Bristol parkway.

Very impressed overall, still work to perfect them but no doubt they’ll be fine in the long term.

For reference: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C57646/2019/04/13/advanced

[Celestial]

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/great-western-railway-bring-back-the-buffet

A petition that some people may wish to sign. Not sure it will have any effect, but at least someone is trying to keep interest going in the subject.