Great Western Coffee Shop

Here is a photo of 158840 which has done been refurbished.

http://www.trackbasher-photos.co.uk/Trains/27-Years-of-Railway/16286561_GhY7E#1229366889_8i5n4

no shots of the interiors yet though.

Looks good. About time the 158s got some attention. I travelled on one last weekend and the carpet is the same as from the Wales and West days (mid 1990s?)

According to rail UK fourm - 158840 (refurbished) is supposed to be launched at Aberystwyth tommorow, departing at 09:30.

It is supposed to work to Birmingham then work a Birmingham - Holyhead working before returning from Holyhead   as far as shrewsbury where  another 158 is to be used to continue to Birmingham.

Is it just me... or does the link not display the picture?? When I click the link I get a smashing photo of 66431 at BPW :o :D

You're right, but when first followed that link shortly after the thread was started it definitely brought up a picture of a shiny ATW 158, I think running through cardiff Central. How odd.

The picture was taken down aparantly. it hass been seen today at shrewsbury so some photos may apear later today or tommorow

i cant even find a new picture on flickr, the other was possibly reported if posted to a profit making site as it was taken from a station?

Here is a photo take of 158840 today:

http://www.railwayherald.com/imaging.centre/showimage.php?image=187756&gallery=X2

Here are some more  including interior shots.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrivatrainswales158/sets/72157626379565363/with/5621873707/

i do admit this looks a lot better than the refurbishment of the class 175's

Does anyone else suffer from an irrational desire, rapidly turning into burning hatred of those ''Mickey Mouse ear' handgrips ? Every time I see them I want to do a supermarket sweep of the whole carriage. grabbing them all and dumping them out of the window at the end.....

Oooh, those seat backs and flip down tables look familiar. Now, where have I seen them before....?

Just missing a stylised 'f' in the circular insert......

No, it's just you ;)

Very smart design.

Power plugs on a 158 :o

Wow looks great. Looks like a proper refurbishment rather than the refresh the 175s had (just new seats covers and carpet)

Can't stand the Arriva colour scheme, so very drab and depressing.

I think the new color scheme looks very stylish, particularly outside.

Saw a refurb 158 on the Maesteg service today - it was 158840 - how many refurb 158's are now ready and are in service?

If you are talking about Arriva's standard scheme (as on the 150, 153, Pacer and 175 fleets) I completely agree. The 175s, with that livery coupled with their very bland front end design are in my opinion one of the most boring looking trains in the UK.

Of Arriva's current mix of 158 liveries I think I like the refurbished ones such as 158838 (http://www.railwayherald.co.uk/imaging.centre/showimage.php?image=191410&type=317&gallery=X8&cbcsection=sg_dmu|@type=317) the best, followed very closely by the blue and silver (http://www.railwayherald.co.uk/imaging.centre/showimage.php?image=184914&type=317&gallery=X8&cbcsection=sg_dmu|@type=317) sets, then much further behind is the plain turquoise livery with cream doors (http://www.railwayherald.co.uk/imaging.centre/showimage.php?image=190486&type=317&gallery=X8&cbcsection=sg_dmu|@type=317). The standard ATW livery as on 158829 (http://www.railwayherald.co.uk/imaging.centre/showimage.php?image=190690&type=317&gallery=X8&cbcsection=sg_dmu|@type=317) comes rock bottom. Consequentally I hope the 158s in ATW's standard livery are refurbished (and get the new, much smarter, livery) first. The blue and silver liveried 158s were really smart once, so that I would have prefered them to the new refurbished ATW livery, but without the Alphaline logos, the addition of Arriva's black logo and the amount of dirt they normally seem to be caked in they have slipped down the rankings slightly.

Just 158840 and 158838 I think, but judging by how long 838 took to refurb and comments that the rest are expected to be faster I'm guessing the 3rd unit should be out this week. Just guesswork based on what I've read on the web mind.

I'm not entirly sure what you mean by 'Mickey Mouse ear' handgrips, but if I'm thinking right I don't like them either. In fact, appearance wise, the only thing that I think is an improvment in the interior is the fabric design on the seats. Can't say which I'd prefer to travel on as I've not actually got inside a refurbished unit yet.

Isn't their less tables in them, which is good for commuters in south Wales but bad for people on the Cambrian, their mainstay.

Provided the legroom in the airline seats is wide enough, and the seats don't align to pillars rather than windows, it shouldn't be too bad for the Cambrian as it replaces the seats lost when ETRMS was installed.

Sorry I meant on the Cambrian coast. Where the view is a very large attraction, like the Devon Sea Wall.