Відео

But with actual charge management hardware that the scooters never had installed… That stops the battery overheating…

We need a rolling program of electrification, with stuff like this filling in the gaps until the more important places are all electrified and branch lines can be done.

They are basically built ground up and the GWR livery is good at hiding age

they'll probably paint over it cause they think it's a DMU

But a splashy new Pollack paint job would probably look good on these!

We know safety is a major concern, but whenever regulatory bodies scent the opportunity to make a mountain out of any task they go to it with gusto. Introduction of new Stadler trains delayed by three years while rail inspectorate found every single issue under the sun to raise concerns about and then some. Last year trains from Kings Cross were halted because of “cracking” in the train chassis. Only of course the only “cracking” was in the imagination of the inspectors.

I think that the train is crewed by people from a different part of the railway industry - GWR train drivers have probably not even been trained to drive these. This alone would be enough to prevent passengers from being carried on this train - except perhaps as part of a special charter

Re: "The testing programs seem to take forever and a day." It didn't help that the British Government allowed Vivarail to go into administration, instead of nationalising the company and renaming it "British Rail Engineering".

@@Denis.Collins The Ladbrook Grove Disaster killed 31 passengers and injured another 417. There are no short cuts to safety. It's not pesky red tape. It stops people from getting killed. We are talking of large amounts of energy being rapidly pumped into batteries. That's something that has not been done before. It's probably safe, but people need to do lots of testing to make sure the batteries don't start to heat up and catch fire. The same sort of testing was done with Crossrail. The passengers who are going to be traveling on these trains deserve nothing less than a full test.

Reading, afaik. The battery packs they’re fitted with can hold enough charge to comfortably take it the distance between Reading and West Ealing at the start & end of the day

There was a time when the GWR did indeed do things its way - irrespective of what other railways did. Nowadays however everything is very heavily controlled by London civil servants so there is less scope for the individual train operating companies to make any decisions of their own.

We don’t want 710s on this line way too long to fit at all stops on the line maybe 3 car 378s instead or LU

@@SpongeBob2010-mw9xf Nothing stopping the platforms from being extended to allow for 4-Car Class 710s (which are only 34 meters longer than the units currently on trial) though.

@@MrSmith1984 If that is done this where is the 230s going to? Plus I Prefer the 230s Vs the 710s bc the 230s are like the D stock but Modded to go on railway line outside the 4th rail and they sound better like the D stock wish they did Modify the A and C stock trains before they were scrapped.

@@SpongeBob2010-mw9xf Well, they can either be converted to Class 484's (& sent to the Island Line) or be withdrawn altogether (they are 45 years old at this point). And regardless, the 710s are more suitable stock for this line than the 230s.

@@MrSmith1984 Maybe LO should get the 319s to operate on this line instead of the 710s so that the DC line gets more trains and how can the 710s get to it anyways?

I asked that question to one of the train drivers. He thought that an enthusiasts special might happen, but did not know when - if at all - this train will enter full passenger service.

As Ealing Broadway has better interchange options it would be better for the passengers if the shuttle trains returned to it, but now that a brand new dedicated bay platform has been built at West Ealing returning to Ealing Broadway seems unlikely.

@@CitytransportInfopluswell at least they reunited with the central line at Greenford, good to see the D and 1992 stock back together

Yes, that can happen, especially where the innovation comes from a start-up business which is not part of an established business. But please remember, Vivarail had issues with the diesel engine packs, otherwise things might have been different. Ideally if this trial is successful the TfW 230's will be converted to pure battery operation, perhaps with top-up charges en-route as well as at the termini.

I share your hopes, this would indeed be an excellent outcome.

It might have crossed some people's minds that these would end up on the Isle of Wight, especially as other UndergrounD trains were being used there. However, neither I nor anyone else would have thought that these trains would have been converted to battery power and given second lives on branch lines. As for making videos and placing them on UA-cam, back in the early 1990s we did not even have the Internet, so the concept of UA-cam would have been in the realms of Sci-fi. But we did have companies like Blockbuster who hired out video films and there were companies like Online Video making / selling videos of Underground trains.

Conductor rail electrification is forbidden to create. The only lines that get to have it are those that already had it.

That would be more expensive and disruptive. Besdies this is more of a proof of concept type thing.

The ORR/Network Rail had banned any forms of railway lines built/converted with third/fourth rail electrification since i believe 2016/2017 without any kind of protection which would be "costly" hence the battery trains came into existence

Yeah sounds like DC

Yes! Once I realised this I made sure that viewers would be able to hear it too.

there were many speakers along the length of the train, and in general they were out of sight, so sorry but I do not know exactly where.

I filmed everything you see here with my cameras - I am curious, why do you ask?

because i though you took them on the internet but i guess i have my answer

I suspect that the stylish lampshades were removed and not replaced, perhaps as a way to save money, the circular lights were the light bulbs from which came the illuminated.

1992 timeline

re: the photo at Chesham showing an A stock train in 'as built' condition, I cannot give an accurate date as this information was not recorded on the film but I think I got my first SLR camera in the early 1980s and this could have been filmed anytime after that - but before the trains were refurbished.

I think they were allowed if the front unit was a 165

@@CitytransportInfoplus That would make sense. Must still be a rare event! I lived around there for years and don't ever remember one in service. Although I tended to use LU more as I lived in Chesham.

Thank you - it shows things as they were (somewhat grotty stations in need of a lick of paint). btw, I listened with stereo headphones - its very atmospheric!

@@CitytransportInfoplus Yeah you're right. Lots of stations back then had paint all flaking off. I remember that a lot. Would love to go down to some of the disused stations around, they'd look just like this. Preserved in time and character

I did see one or two Leyland Nationals, but am not sure if it was in 1988 When I had a super 8 film camera) or 1991 (when I had a camcorder) I remember the orange livery.

probably on its way to Liverpool Street from Ilford depot

@@CitytransportInfoplus oh okay

yes, very possible but I'm sorry to say that the exact reason is lost in the mists of time.