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

[whole diary]

[YouKnowNothing]

Half term seemed as a good time to take carriages off the tracks to perform “upgrades”?.. Does anyone have an updated programme for when we should expect to see all the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) delivered?

[CMRail]

Half term seemed as a good time to take carriages off the tracks to perform “upgrades”?.. Does anyone have an updated programme for when we should expect to see all the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) delivered?

Last HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) to leave Paddington is expected at around spring time now and the last remaining diagrams will be on the Berks and Hants.

19/11/18 all Cheltenham-Paddington services will be operated by Class 800s.
10/12/18 Wales will see very few HST operated services. From that date there will be just 13 active HST diagrams.

November is going to be a busy month as many IETs are expected to be introduced including many nine car units.

[patch38]

It is being reported on another forum that all 800s and 802s are currently (no pun intended) restricted to diesel traction only, due to an issue with vacuum circuit breakers.

[Incider]

By the time you posted this, the diesel only restriction had been lifted.

[patch38]

Sorry I was slow. I was running on diesel. 

[SandTEngineer]

  https://youtu.be/v9zU2ujgurE

[YouKnowNothing]

Can I ask where you get this information from? I would love to be able to source it.

Half term seemed as a good time to take carriages off the tracks to perform “upgrades”?.. Does anyone have an updated programme for when we should expect to see all the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) delivered?

Last HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) to leave Paddington is expected at around spring time now and the last remaining diagrams will be on the Berks and Hants.

19/11/18 all Cheltenham-Paddington services will be operated by Class 800s.
10/12/18 Wales will see very few HST operated services. From that date there will be just 13 active HST diagrams.

November is going to be a busy month as many IETs are expected to be introduced including many nine car units.

[CMRail]

Can I ask where you get this information from? I would love to be able to source it.

Half term seemed as a good time to take carriages off the tracks to perform “upgrades”?.. Does anyone have an updated programme for when we should expect to see all the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) delivered?

Last HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) to leave Paddington is expected at around spring time now and the last remaining diagrams will be on the Berks and Hants.

19/11/18 all Cheltenham-Paddington services will be operated by Class 800s.
10/12/18 Wales will see very few HST operated services. From that date there will be just 13 active HST diagrams.

November is going to be a busy month as many IETs are expected to be introduced including many nine car units.

I get my information from drivers who work for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and have access to the STP diagrams. Some information is sourced on RailUK forums from various members of staff as well.

[SandTEngineer]

This was posted on the WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes) Forum earlier this morning (01/11/2018):

Urgent checks being undertaken following the discovery of a detached pan head on an 800 on test before delivery to LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about). Faulty weld on the Brecknell Willis pantograph identified as the cause. All 800s, 801s and 802s affected.

Whether this was found as a result of the 802016 mishap on the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line), or unconnected was not mentioned in the bulletin.

[JayMac]

Shall I pop over the road and ask the Brecknell Willis factory foreman if he knows what's going on? 

[BBM]

Interesting post this morning on Rail UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Forums regarding a possible solution to the issue of seat reservations being affected by last-minute rolling stock changes:

Hybrid Seat Reservation system is going to be introduced early December. This means that you will be given HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)), 9Car and 10Car reservations all on one reservation. Of course, as of current, 10car reservations won’t be offered on South and North Cotswolds.

No further information given as of yet but not too long until this issue will be resolved.

[chuffed]

Shall I pop over the road and ask the Brecknell Willis factory foreman if he knows what's going on? 
[/quote

Or Mr Freeman or Mr Hardy ? What a shame they didn't stick with making pipe organs.

[CMRail]

Interesting post this morning on Rail UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Forums regarding a possible solution to the issue of seat reservations being affected by last-minute rolling stock changes:

Hybrid Seat Reservation system is going to be introduced early December. This means that you will be given HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)), 9Car and 10Car reservations all on one reservation. Of course, as of current, 10car reservations won’t be offered on South and North Cotswolds.

No further information given as of yet but not too long until this issue will be resolved.

That was me   . The twitter te m have been replying things just like:

Glad to hear you're seated, we are introducing a hybrid reservation system from Christmas which will make the reservations much more reliable as they will fit both the old and new trains. -Andy

We are moving to a hybrid reservation system which will work for either the old or new trains, so an on the day change shouldn't affect it which is what's causing the issues at the moment as reservations don't match. -Andy

[SandTEngineer]

An interesting comment from a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Insider on the WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes) Forum....

If the passenger figures justify it there is already talk that the production line could be opened to extend the length of some 5 cars and do away with a proportion of the multiple working. My Hitachi contact informs me that it is a relatively simple job to insert two 'lightweight standards' (38t) into the 5 cars but that a completely standard fleet of nine cars is not justifiable at the moment.

[Clan Line]

If the passenger figures justify it there is already talk that the production line could be opened to extend the length of some 5 cars and do away with a proportion of the multiple working. My Hitachi contact informs me that it is a relatively simple job to insert two 'lightweight standards' (38t) into the 5 cars but that a completely standard fleet of nine cars is not justifiable at the moment.

Hang on a mo’ – let me get this right….

The original 125s weren’t long enough with 7 cars, so they lengthened them to 8. Then 8 cars weren’t long enough, so they bought new 10 car trains. Except that the new 10 car trains were actually two 5 car trains joined together. Now, apparently, the 5 car trains aren’t long enough, so they are going to extend them to 7 cars – but the previous 7 car trains weren’t long enough years ago.  If they now join two 5 (7) car trains together they will be way too long for the majority of platforms, so how/where will they be used ?  They do have a 9 car train available now but that appears to be too long !!!............... 

I do not claim copyright on the above statement – I could not possibly have made it up ……………..