Not sure how correct the information is but I am told that Kevin Gale is now fairly high up in the National Express coach business.

Having just had a quick look at LinkedIn, it seems he is now operations director at National Express.

You mean This ITV News item?
 

I suspect some of the safety related ones will creep back in, I'm sure someone will claim against the company for not being told to mind the gap, don't eat the soap in the toilets, etc.

Problem is no-one has defined what sort of secondary services these notional new trains are for. If your using them on things like Devon Metro local services end doors is the last thing you want. Slows the boarding / alighting times down big style. Wherever you have doors, your not going to have seats, please define 'Dead Space'. My definition is space within the body used for equipment that should be below solebar level. Such as the equipment rack behind the emergency equipment cupboard next to the toilet on class 153.

Irrespective of whether you want to run the trains multied up or not you require the means to do so in case you ever want to cater for greater than expected loadings. You also need the means to tow the unit dead with full brake continuity at full normal speeds with another suitable train if your train fails. Unless your going to move the train by road from its route to the depot / workshop. You won't get many pathways for low speed unbraked moves on today's railway.

The BSI^▸ (British Standards Institute) couplings and electrical boxes on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)'s are perfectly reliable if maintained properly and this appears to be the case with the FGW units. So I'm not sure quite why your not supporting the ability to multi the trains together.

The problem with articulation being one of axle loading on the intermediate bogies. Remember that whatever you build has to meet the relevant end loading and crash resistance requirements, which adds to the weight. You also loose the ability to rapidly remove cars from the set for repair while leaving the rest of the set in service. As is done with the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) 158/9 fleet.

Latterday version of class 150 retaining the virtues of simplicity and light weight is what's required....

Only problem with that is (apart from all the kit you need to somehow find space for under the coach floor and the sheer weight of the thing) is the fact single cars obviously need a driving cab on each end. Therefore when you multi them up you now have loads of dead space within the train in the form of unused driving cabs. I can't see a whole string of single car EDMU's running along with their pantographs up going down too well with the OHLE people either.

It took quite a bit of doing to get 153's cleared for various South West rural routes and they are still banned beyond Southampton. and that's with 76 foot coaches. How much longer were you thinking of making them and how much less internal width do you think the passengers will accept in order to get the extra length?

Which is because the trains were effectively three and a half coaches long, one coach having a brake end. Replicate that seating layout on a two coach train with a cab on the end of each coach and you'll be lucky if you have 100 seats. Still the passengers will have somewhere comfortable to stand.

For Mk2^▸ (Mark 2 coach) coach think more in terms of Inverness based 158's with bays of seats round tables. You'll then catch my drift.

You could have more vehicles of course but somebody then has to stump up the leasing costs for the extra vehicles....

Which will probably have rusted out before it arrives off the boat in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom). I keep hearing people going on about these Chinese trains, no-ones ordered any yet for UK use I notice...

What you actually need to do is go back to first principles and come up with a latter day version of class 150. Simple, light (by today's standards) robust no thrills reliable branch line transport. You could of course electrify the various interrurban routes and reallocate the 150's currently being used on them on rural routes. Rather than trying to build some sort of crap tram train thing for rural lines.

Ideally what you do is upgrade them with new engines and transmissions for greater fuel economy, although the current driveline certainly is reliable enough as it is.

So what do you use for heat if the engine has been started from cold or has been idling / coasting for some time and isn't putting much heat into the coolant then?

Single glazed windows increase condensation problems on cold wet days and have to have additional anti spall films added on the inside to prevent the window ending up on the passengers laps if rocks / stones are thrown at the train. Better off with double glazed windows with laminated glass on the inner layer.

There isn't one at Weston Super Mare anymore. It has been removed fairly recently. The panel was located in the chargmans office in the station buildings on the up side. There was I believe some dispute between Network Rail and the Bristol Panel signallers about sending them down there on Sundays to operate it occasionally to retain familiarality with it so out it came.....

Correct. In fact after the accident at Mexico Crossing (far end of Long Rock) propelling the sleepers to and from the station is frowned upon.

The 08 has been out of action for a couple of months, looks like its back again.

They have had problems with the Seawall down by Colonade Viaduct and the Ice cream hut last week. Was 5mph on the down but now normal speed again. Much work including putting some more concrete round the walkway / ice cream hut / breakwater...

For 'Railway Rule Book' read 'Highway Code'. Motorists do not operate to the Railway Rule Book. They supposedly work to the Highway Code and whatever signage is provided at the crossing for their guidance, especially if it is suspected the AHB has failed safe in the 'closed' position.

AHB appears to have operated when the signaller cleared E93 signal (last Exeter controlled signal on the Up Athelney). The OTM having previously run over the Strike In point as it travelled 'bang road' back to the possession limits and crossover road at Cogload Jn. Where 1A73 was when signal E93 was cleared isn't yet known.

Will be an interesting read when it's published.