Turbo refresh started.

[whole diary]

[broadgage]

Chiltern Units don't have air conditioning but air chillers. Makes them easier and quicker to replace when the go wrong.

There may be some subtle difference, but for all practical purposes they are the same thing.
All use electric or other power to reduce air temperatures to significantly below the outside air temperature.

Some types are much more readily repaired or replaced than others.

[lordgoata]

166206 has had all the hopper windows locked shut.

I was on this last night, and it was a hell of a lot better than before - definitely made an improvement, although it wasn't exactly hot yesterday!

And I believe I was on this tonight - and it was dreadful. The windows were locked shut and the air con was not working (or more accurately not coping). Thankfully Ollie stepped up on Twitter after my complaint and got someone to open the windows at Didcot - slightly too late for me, but I am sure everyone else appreciated it, seeing as many seemed to be trying to open them!

Many thanks (again!) for your help Ollie - that has to be one of my best experiences with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) in any capacity!

[Ollie]

And I believe I was on this tonight - and it was dreadful. The windows were locked shut and the air con was not working (or more accurately not coping). Thankfully Ollie stepped up on Twitter after my complaint and got someone to open the windows at Didcot - slightly too late for me, but I am sure everyone else appreciated it, seeing as many seemed to be trying to open them!

Many thanks (again!) for your help Ollie - that has to be one of my best experiences with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) in any capacity!

Happy to help, sorry that I couldn't get them opened earlier

[IndustryInsider]

The annoying thing is, not mentioning it for the first time in this thread, the new air-con system is much better and would work the majority of the time if windows were kept shut.  However, with passenger opened windows it is usually rendered useless as soon as someone decides to open one of them.  The best air-conditioning in the world would struggle to keep a Turbo carriage cool with 8 windows wide open, and it seems that prolonged running with the windows open makes the system give up, so that even if you close the windows you have to reboot the system for it to start cooling properly again. 

Hence the suggestion that what is being done on 166206 might be at least trialled for the rest of the fleet to see if the passengers prefer it, and not prove that the system does work to make sure the manufacturers receive their pay check.

I'm reliably informed that, once the red tape has been cut through, ALL of the Class 166 fleet will get their window locked shut - with the ability to open them using a 'T' Key by either the TM^‡(resolve) or Driver.

[IndustryInsider]

I'd be interested to hear what regular Turbo passengers think of the new 'APIS' information system installed since the refresh.

It's now a year since most of the fleet was installed.  Sadly, from speaking to many drivers and my own observations, the system is still proving very unreliable, and drivers are starting to lose patience with it quickly.  Recent software updates seem to correct a few faults, but introduce others, and I would say that the number of instances where it performs correctly throughout a whole journey is probably around the 50% mark.  Compare that with 99.9% with the older system.

The good news is that we are promised further software updates which will hopefully correct these issues, but I'm starting to become concerned that we're going to be faced with a system that simply doesn't do what it's supposed to do reliably enough.

The latest software update has gone some way to addressing many of the faults with the APIS system.  It seems the biggest problem of the system suddenly failing to update and then out-of-date information hanging in the system until the engines were switched off or the system rebooted has largely been solved.

A welcome addition is that announcements listing the full calling points of the train are now given after stopping at the larger stations (Ealing Broadway, Slough, Reading, Oxford, Worcester Foregate Street).  Connections at Slough/Maidenhead/Twyford are now announced with the correct inflection in the voice, which is a minor point but used to annoy me!

There's still the odd issue to correct, but a marked improvement on where we were before the last update.

[adc82140]

It still gets its knickers in a twist at Farnborough North going towards Reading, announcing it as North Camp (well actually as "Northcm"- that still needs to be sorted).

They really need to include the crossing safety warning for Farnborough North as well- it would save the guard having to do it manually each time.

[CLPGMS]

I thought that the new information system on Turbos was GPS based.  However, I no longer think this is the case.

A couple of weeks ago, I was travelling on a local train to Oxford.  It thought Didcot Parkway was Radley and then announced the next calling point as Oxford.  When we were slowing down for Radley, the system told us that we were approaching the final destination of Oxford and advised passengers to have their tickets ready for inspection.  This is the first time I have seen the system getting ahead of itself, although quite often, it announces that the next calling point is one which we have already passed.

Also, on several occasions, I have seen the screen displaying the train's destination, for example, as "Great Malvern", when we have been heading in the opposite direction towards Oxford.  Presumably, this is because the driver has forgotten to reset the system.

[IndustryInsider]

I thought that the new information system on Turbos was GPS based.  However, I no longer think this is the case.

A couple of weeks ago, I was travelling on a local train to Oxford.  It thought Didcot Parkway was Radley and then announced the next calling point as Oxford.  When we were slowing down for Radley, the system told us that we were approaching the final destination of Oxford and advised passengers to have their tickets ready for inspection.  This is the first time I have seen the system getting ahead of itself, although quite often, it announces that the next calling point is one which we have already passed.

Also, on several occasions, I have seen the screen displaying the train's destination, for example, as "Great Malvern", when we have been heading in the opposite direction towards Oxford.  Presumably, this is because the driver has forgotten to reset the system.

It is GPS based, but it doesn't always work particularly well.  A good way of knowing if the GPS is working is if it announces the station stop as the train is arriving at the station.  Whether GPS is working or not, before the software update, the system sometimes got a station behind itself or stopped working completely for no obvious reason - that appears to have been largely solved now. 

The system getting a station ahead of itself was a result of the driver having to reopen the doors at a station en-route.  The GPS didn't seem to recognise that fact and assumed the train had stopped at the next station.  Not sure how successful the software update was in solving that issue.

The wrong destination showing is a result of the system not terminating the route correctly when Great Malvern (or wherever) was reached.  That often means a new route can't be entered until each circuit breaker is reset on the train (one in each carriage) or all the engines are switched off.  Depending on who the driver/guard is, some can't be bothered to do that.  Again though, since the software update this seems to happen much less frequently.

So, still a few niggles, but much better than before.

[bobm]

There is a piece in the new issue of RAIL (715) - available to subscribers now and in the shops on Wednesday 6th Feb - that the 165 and 166 fleets are to get another refurb with disabled toilets fitted.

(As an aside the same issue also has a feature on the Night Rivieria sleepers)

[Southern Stag]

Is that an immediate refurbishment? It does seem a little strange to refurbish them again now when they are likely to be refurbished again when they move from the Thames Valley with electrification. It could be that the refurbishment is simply fitting the disabled toilet, and possibly two disabled spaces as well, which is what is required. It won't do any good for the seating capacity though.

[IndustryInsider]

It could be that the refurbishment is simply fitting the disabled toilet, and possibly two disabled spaces as well, which is what is required. It won't do any good for the seating capacity though.

I'd guess that would be the case, I reckon about 8 seats will be lost with a fully accessible disabled toilet and possibly a couple more with disabled spaces near it - though if they use the same excellent design of disabled spaces that Chiltern installed when the refurbished their Class 165s a few years back then with the use of tip-up seats only a further couple of spaces are lost (if the disabled space remains unoccupied).

[Southern Stag]

8 seats will be a lot on the 2-cars in particular, seems odd the work couldn't be done at the same time as transfer away from the Thames Valley, but then I guess it would be getting tight for the 2019 deadline, especially since so much other stock also needs modifying.

[ChrisB]

Is that an immediate refurbishment? It does seem a little strange to refurbish them again now when they are likely to be refurbished again when they move from the Thames Valley with electrification. It could be that the refurbishment is simply fitting the disabled toilet, and possibly two disabled spaces as well, which is what is required. It won't do any good for the seating capacity though.

Includes modification to the gangway entrances from the vestibules as they aren't wide enough....presumably just into wherever the disabled seating is being provided.

[IndustryInsider]

I'm reliably informed that, once the red tape has been cut through, ALL of the Class 166 fleet will get their window locked shut - with the ability to open them using a 'T' Key by either the TM^‡(resolve) or Driver.

I'm not sure if they've all been done yet, but a fleet modification is currently underway with the passenger operated window handles being removed from the Class 166 fleet.  This should give the air-con a better chance of operating properly, and I'll be watching closely whe if the warmer weather arrives!

[Southern Stag]

I have noticed recently that all the 166s I've been on have had the window handles removed, and even though it isn't the greatest test of the air-con's effectiveness at the moment, they did all seem to be cool.