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Post by antharro on Nov 7, 2016 20:40:38 GMT
I'll be along. Me + 1. Will be good to see you, M, and AI.
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Post by antharro on Aug 17, 2016 22:12:49 GMT
Hello tsquare, welcome to the forum. Can I ask - when they are next due for a seat renewal, are there any plans to replace them with the hard seats that have made their way to the Jubilee and Northern fleets? The bouncy seats are part of the character of these trains and it would be a shame to lose them.
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Post by antharro on Jul 26, 2016 20:53:39 GMT
Fantastic bit of video, thanks for posting. Would I be right in thinking Broad Street was the last large station closure in London? Its capacity would be very useful these days...
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Post by antharro on Jul 14, 2016 21:03:00 GMT
Good to see. I found a video in my collection of the 38ts out and about, in which an A stock shot past on a fast service; reminded me I missed them!
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Post by antharro on Jul 4, 2016 17:38:28 GMT
Great photos, thanks for sharing.
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Post by antharro on Jun 3, 2016 22:30:00 GMT
Spotted 7018 at Wimbledon at about 1945. I've always enjoyed passing through Wimbledon on fast trains and seeing Cs and Ds lined up at the platforms or out on the tracks. Even saw our founder Dave on the front of a C stock once heading into Wimbledon in his I/Op role.
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Post by antharro on May 28, 2016 15:57:50 GMT
Nice to hear that classic D-stock sound will exist for a few more years yet!
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Post by antharro on Mar 26, 2016 19:45:35 GMT
How likely is it that there will be a definite split? I know it's been discussed a lot over the years, but is it a lot more likely now the extension is happening?
As a regular user of the Northern Line south of Kennington, it's a pain in the backside having no West End trains during the day and only a handful in the evening. I know it won't happen but I would love to have more West End trains.
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Post by antharro on Jan 8, 2016 23:51:46 GMT
Hopefully they're not making the seats rock hard and uncomfortable, as seems to be the current trend. Part of the stock's appeal is it still has its comfy seats!
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Post by antharro on Jan 1, 2016 1:55:21 GMT
Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all have a good 2016! spsmiler - your lack of detail is infuriating!
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Post by antharro on Dec 29, 2015 16:59:43 GMT
I'm a bit of an amateur mechanic on the side, so I'm quite familiar with the internal combustion engine. I was, incorrectly, assuming that norbitonflyer was referring to full submersion which would not work for reasons detailed. However as long as the exhaust and air intake are secured from water ingress then yes, the engine itself should be fine in wet conditions... including the line by Dawlish. How do you think they will compare to any Pacer? Favourably! They should ride a fair bit better, and they will actually be waterproof. They should also be quicker between stops on lines where the stations are close(ish) together. They will probably also have a nicer ambience than the pacers. I wonder how they'd compare with Porterbrook's refurbished Pacer... www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/porterbrook-unveils-pacer-dmu-life-extension-demonstrator.html
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Post by antharro on Dec 28, 2015 19:58:51 GMT
I doubt it would accelerate that fast with a full and standing passenger load! I recall our founder Dave telling me that there wasn't much difference in acceleration between an empty D-stock and a standing room only full D-stock. So I figure the train would draw more power to be able to maintain a similar acceleration profile. So as long as the generators in the 'D' Train are capable of providing enough power then I don't see there would be a problem. I would imagine a Ford Transit diesel would be no better and no worse than any other (as fans of Scrapheap Challenge will know, diesel engines, having no need of spark ignition, can even work when submerged), although newer ones with electronic fuel injection systems may need to be protected. How does that work then? Diesel engine + water = no oxygen, and worse, hydrolocked...?
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Post by antharro on Dec 28, 2015 19:48:39 GMT
Hope everyone's Christmas was good. Mine was also a quiet one which makes a change. Took some annual leave so I'm in the middle of four weeks off. Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!
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Post by antharro on Dec 28, 2015 19:45:05 GMT
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Post by antharro on Nov 1, 2015 0:10:55 GMT
There's also the issue of weight distribution. If you a single battery/diesel loco doing all the work, hauling a RAT behind it, all the power is going to be to the loco's bogies, so there's a much higher risk of wheelslip due to poor adhesion. Given the point of the RAT is to improve adhesion, having distributed power on the RAT itself means it'll be less prone to wheelslip and will be able to get itself moving much more easily.
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Post by antharro on Oct 2, 2015 21:26:50 GMT
Should be up for this.
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Post by antharro on Sept 5, 2015 13:55:26 GMT
I too have heard this. But I couldn't tell you where I'm afraid. :-\
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Post by antharro on Jul 4, 2015 2:26:54 GMT
Pencilled in. I would very much like to make this if other commitments allow.
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Post by antharro on May 21, 2015 22:00:40 GMT
Not working for me either, and I'm definitely logged into FB.
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Post by antharro on Mar 31, 2015 16:44:13 GMT
I wouldn't object to 150s being around for a while, and you're right in that we're short on DMUs. However there have been rumours that the government and NR are considering backtracking on their "no DMUs" line as there is such a need. I still think the HSTs + Mk3s will be around the longest in service, and possibly HSTs + Mk4s, but I don't doubt that there will be some DMUs still working away day in day out in quiet corners of the network - the West Country brances, for example. As long as they're refitted to meet disability regs etc etc. I am quite the fan of DMUs, especially BR DMUs and will be sad when the last ones leave service.
As for electric Mk3 stock, I quite like the 317s. I suspect they will be moved off the Liverpool Street lines as electrification spreads (which much complaining from the recipients about receiving second hand stock etc etc), but I think they will have a long innings. Third-rail, there's the 455s - SWTs have had a lot of work over the years and will certainly be around for a while once they've had their traction equipment replaced. As much as I would like to see my 442s stay in service somewhere, I can't see where that will be, unless the DfT forces them back on SWT. While they should last longer than any HST Mk3 (based on the build date), I think we'll see them withdrawn in the next few years. Southern won't want to keep them as they're getting new trains and they're not fit for use on the GatEx. I'd like to see them back on Weymouth fasts (with their original interior, but that will never happen), with 444s supplementing them and being used on Portsmouth fasts, freeing up more 450s for slows and train lengthening.
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Post by antharro on Mar 30, 2015 23:27:54 GMT
Given that a number of HSTs with Mk3 coaches will be snapped up by railtour companies once they're retired from frontline service, I expect them to be running for a very long time yet! If you mean in revenue service with a TOC, then I suspect the last ones will be in Scotland and the West Country, with the very last ones in Scotland, probably in the late 2020ies, maybe very early 2030ies.
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Post by antharro on Mar 4, 2015 12:32:57 GMT
The BBC News reports that Tubecrush.net, a UK site set up by four friends so that people can submit secretly taken photos of people on the tube, apparently receives a significant amount of traffic from China. This is because British men are considered to be "true gentlemen". m.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-31715459Regardless of the Chinese element of this story, the idea of the site seems a bit creepy to me. Taking illicit photos of random people on the tube and posting them online? Oy. I know it's legal to take photos of people in public places - but does that extend to the tube?
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Post by antharro on Feb 6, 2015 13:33:27 GMT
In the SSR Group Discussion board, here.
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Post by antharro on Jan 31, 2015 3:15:18 GMT
Hah. I remember that first meet well. I seem to recall the driver of the (district) train home recognized Dave on the platform and announced us as the "District Dave Mystery Tour" or something similar. I have some video of that meet somewhere and a load of photos. Good times.
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Post by antharro on Dec 25, 2014 1:05:44 GMT
Merry Christmas, everyone. Or Happy Yule, if you prefer. And yes, kudos if you are working today. Hope you get good time off or extra pay!
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Post by antharro on Oct 17, 2014 14:32:58 GMT
Yup. That's right about the time they were being sent off for refurbishment, so I guess that's where it's going. It's good to see it being moved on rails instead of on the back of a low-loader!
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Post by antharro on Oct 17, 2014 2:27:45 GMT
While browsing around YouTube, I came across a Fred Ivey video of Southall after the 1997 crash. At the end of his video was something you don't see on the mainline very often! Link to YouTube
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Post by antharro on Oct 16, 2014 21:55:09 GMT
I like them. There's just something about how they "feel" that I like. It's the motor sound, the way they ride. Plus they were built by BREL, which generally gets a thumbs up from me. Don't care for the current moquette though - doesn't suit them at all. I much preferred the previous red version. I know they have their build quality issues; I've always felt that all the R&D money was put into their technological capabilities and the build quality was an afterthought. It would be nice to see them a get a really thorough overhaul; a bit of a mainline HGR + C4 + C6X (heavy repair - chassis etc, underfloor equipment + repaint + seats etc, basically a full overhaul) at the same time, but given the amount of money TfL are spending at the moment on other stocks, I expect they'll get the minimum needed to keep them going and in reasonable condition.
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Post by antharro on Sept 19, 2014 11:32:56 GMT
Fantastic pictures. Did people observe the arrows on the metro platform, or were they ignored?
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Post by antharro on Sept 19, 2014 11:27:15 GMT
Curiosity, nothing more. Obviously it wouldn't be used in revenue service and the income generated from having it as a heritage train would not cover the costs of conversion in a reasonable timescale (if at all), so just curiosity.
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