Vivarail's 'D Train' - 'D' stock reborn

To counter that, if every time you go in, there's a yellow cone. Then they're is obviously a floor grip issue which they're not resolving. Therefore they are liable!

Now that the services are supposed to have been enhanced, etc., I was looking to go to the Isle of Wight to sample their Vivarail trains.

But I've had difficulty booking tickets - now I realise why. The line is closed - full bus substitution - to resolve flooding issues.

Thanks for the info, but I am now in a quandary - because I saw a report somewhere else (Twitter I think) saying that an ITV TV News report (yesterday 15th March) had informed viewers that the tests had proven satisfactory and the train enters service this coming Monday.

So guess where I was planning to go on Monday?! My camcorder battery is being charged 'right now' as I type this.

GWR announced on Twitter/X that the trial begins on Monday 18 March (tomorrow), which may be where the idea about entering passenger service came from.

However, I think their definition of “trial” may be, in my own words: we’ve finished some initial tests to confirm that the train won’t scrape the platform edge or go bang. Now we can run it up and down the branch to clock up miles for approval.

According to another rail forum (shock horror I’ve been reading another forum  ) the train won’t carry passengers until GWR’s drivers are trained on it

spsmiler - I’ve checked Real Time Trains and the 230 was actually moved back to Reading traincare depot on Friday 15 March. It is undergoing “interior finishing”, according to someone who works for the project on that other forum. So unfortunately, the social media launch of the trial does not coincide with the actual train being on the ground! 

Thanks - and sorry, my last post had a mistake. The train has not yet moved back to Reading and what I saw was a GWR mainline stock move.

I can’t reveal the day it will be moved on here because of forum rules, but it is moving to Reading quite soon. It can either charge in the West Ealing platform, or from slow chargers at West Ealing depot. If the latter, it’s unlikely to be on test next week as it needs to be charged slowly.

Realtime Trains shows the West Ealing to Greenford public service was operated today by unit 165124.

There does not appear to be any non-passenger service trips by the battery train.

Nice video! Regarding the BBC video’s statement that some people think there should be electrification instead of battery trains: I suppose yes, it would be ideal to electrify everything, but the cost of that would be enormous. I don’t imagine funding for that would be available any time soon… and it would still take decades to electrify many lines. Speaking as an enthusiast (not a transport professional), I feel like the battery train is a great idea.

230 001 arrived at Reading Traincare depot at 10:00 this morning, and will be there for a few weeks.

The "inside London" video presenter suggests that " passengers may get a chance to ride the battery train "probably in the autumn".

I guess the need to rack up proving mileage and complete driver training and obtain acceptance for its use from the unions is what will take most of that time.

Fundamentally the Class 230 are reworked District Line train shells - and when it comes down to it an electric motor really does not care where/how the power comes from so long as it receives enough of the right sort of electricity.

As for where else they might be deployed I assume there is some desire to provide the greatest environmental benefit to the greatest number of people. Hence they are only likely to deploy battery trains where there is no prospect of OHLE installation starting any time soon, so basically on minor routes in heavily built up areas. My bet is Thames Valley area minor routes might see the technology before more remote routes in the South West.

What is not clear is whether the fast charge technology will now be picked up by one of the major major railway works, and offer some sort of better battery train. Some are now struggling to fill order books! However new stuff is not always better - what passengers want most is reliability. Certainly the Merseyrail trial using a battery train extension to their route has proved to be nightmare so far.

Greenford is THE trial fast charging. This trial is funded by DfT. DfT approves and controls all new main line train orders. DfT is unlikely to sanction a battery train scheme based on fast charging until its own funded trial is complete.

So no-one else is going to order new trains with this technology until the trial is over, and is successful. The 12 mo trial period has just started; IMHO it will be at least 12 mo before any orders for anything like a squadron fleet of anything occur.

It may well be another trial, using 230s, or something else, might happen, but we are a long long way yet from any sort of new train build that would succeed in filling a makers struggling order book. And you can be sure if someone made a small order for a small scale scheme, at least Litchurch Lane works - the only significant GB builder - will whinge as it always does that small orders are not worth it as they always do no matter who owned it after BREL i.e. ADTranz, Bombardier - and now while it is Alstom the same whinings continue to sound from Derby. Which then leaves only non GB based builders.

Not really in my domain and probably others better placed to answer, but, if we are talking about the trains only, these already run into two 25 kV main line stations - Stratford and Ealing Broadway*** - and a possible 3rd location if include Central passing under GWML west of Old Oak Common counts. I would take a punt at this and say no issue as either the trains are already immunised or have no need for it. But this is a guess. And alomost certain to be tested. OTH I would not not like to say the same for Greenford LU signalling infrastructure that may require some local attention. Even then I would suspect LU would demand NR to deliver a 'no impact' solution. Ditto guess. Should 25 kV come ever happen it'll be a known unknown.


*** and maybe the reverse is true at those locations at the present time with 92TS CLIP retraction to VVVF drives might need at least immunisation testing if not work; but that is a subject for another thread.

Perhaps more mildly reworked D78 stock using most of the original equipment, overhauled, would have done the trick for longer after all. Wouldn't have got into trouble with now unsupported traction equipment etc. Just the wheels to puzzle over!

It isn't just SWR on the Isle of White. Many operators are having problems sourcing wheel sets, I have heard a colleague assert that a factory in Ukraine was previously a major supplier. However, I don't think this can refer to the Luhansk locomotive works located in Eastern Ukraine (which built many of the Soviet Union's locomotives) as I think this ceased operations some years ago in the earlier phase of the Ukraine conflict, shortly after the annexation of Crimea.

In trawling other forums in search of 230/484 gen, it is alleged elsewhere TfW 230s are soon to get both a battery upgrade (to mitigate overheating problems) and diesel engine radiator upgrades (yes, you guessed it, to mitigate overheating problems)..............

iwobserver.co.uk/5-trains-have-become-4-and-swr-are-buying-wheels-from-a-scrapyard/
From the tone of the above article, it would seem that the wrong decision was made after all.

Closure would have been the better option.