GWR IEP exterior cleaning

[whole diary]

[Mark A]

It's a lot better than it was, but whatever Hitachi is using to clean the trains is still struggling.

Using Twitter as an image repository here: this photo from the other week shows that the train washer's somewhat cleaned above and below the windows but done a far worse job at window height, and for the length of the train.

https://twitter.com/markannand/status/1531206337568419843

It's causing me to wonder how this is approached industry wide. GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have picked a livery that to some extent hides dirt. Other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) less so - e.g. LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about). Also, how many use e.g. hydrophobic coatings for glass? Functionally that would be good for both windscreens and carriage windows.

Mark

[Clan Line]

Who decides the cleaning regime for the rolling stock ?  I have long thought that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have paid less attention to the exterior of their trains than, say, SWR^» (South Western Railway - about)/T. Here in Warminster the exteriors of the 158s and 159s passing through bear no comparison, whereas the interiors were fairly similar. I seem to recollect making a comment in an earlier thread that perhaps SWT^▸ (South West Trains) could put GWR's rolling stock through the carriage wash at Salisbury as they passed through ! I would say that both the light coloured liveries of SWR and SWT showed the dirt more easily than that of GWR, but GWR's rarely looked really clean.

[IndustryInsider]

Could it be something very simple?  SWR^» (South Western Railway - about)’s diesel fleet don’t encounter as many other  dirty diesel trains passing by them or stood next to them in station platforms and therefore the dirt and grime don’t build up quite as quickly?

Can’t say I’ve noticed too much of a problem with GWRs^▸ (Great Western Railway) external cleaning recently though.

[infoman]

I presume that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) would have to pay SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) to use the washer plant?

[Bmblbzzz]

https://twitter.com/markannand/status/1531206337568419843

1. Bath Spa

Oh sorry, wrong thread!

Seriously, I can see a sort of stripe at window height but at that resolution it's hard to tell what it is. Interesting about the pollen clogging the filters though.

[Mark A]

Can’t say I’ve noticed too much of a problem with GWRs^▸ (Great Western Railway) external cleaning recently though.

They're a *Lot* better than they were, but when first introduced I think there was a period when Hitachi had a safety related issue with the carriage washers that took some time to sort out, so, not much exterior cleaning went on at all. Now, the washers are up and running but look to have quality issues.  Also, something in the lives of those trains throws black sticky specks on the windows, which then survive the carriage washers. There's still the matter of whether a glass surface treatment would greatly improve things.

Mark

[Mark A]

Who decides the cleaning regime for the rolling stock ?

Presuming Hitachi hand the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) sets to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) at the start of the day with the contract specifiying 'Drive it but don't touch anything and give it back to us by **specified time**' so we can make it lovely again. Hence the issue with the aircon, when on a horrible cold wet summer evening when passengers board the train looking for a bit of additional heat on board, the driver isn't permitted to tweak the fixed point on the often chilly air con temperature.

Mark

[IndustryInsider]

Hence the issue with the aircon, when on a horrible cold wet summer evening when passengers board the train looking for a bit of additional heat on board, the driver isn't permitted to tweak the fixed point on the often chilly air con temperature.

Initially there was a 'Don't touch this without phoning Hitachi' policy.  That has relaxed considerably over the last couple of years.

Lots of Train Managers have been shown how to change the saloon temperatures, and they are permitted to do so.  The ones that haven't can always ring in and ask to be run through the procedure.  The temperature is usually set to 21.5 degrees IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) which is a much more sensible temperature than, for example, the Class 180s were set at, which couldn't be changed by the crew - now that was chilly!

[Mark A]

On the first up train out of Bath Spa. The carriage washer must have been out in sympathy yesterday. But, solidarity. .

Oh , and, musical chairs in Box tunnel as the seat reservations appeared.

Mark