Great Western Coffee Shop

Can anyone explain why FGW had:
* Former Wessex Trains 158s
* Former Central Trains 158s (subleased from Northern)

Then a number of those 158s went to Northern for use in the Yorkshire area, while the former TP Express ones went to FGW.  Wouldn't it have made more sense to not send units all around the country?

The ex Wessex had a different engine type I think, so we got the much better 350bhp Cummins variety all with original seats thank god!

158815 to 158862 were built with 350 hp Perkins Engines also think that all FGW 158 Units
may possibly be leased from the same ROSCO

I believe one ROSCO was offering better terms than the other. The third ROSCO doesn't deal in 2nd generation DMMU's.

The FGW fleet is now all standardised as regards the engines, all of ours are now the 350bhp Cummins. Wessex was trying to run all three variants. And not with any great degree of success either. The Perkins 2006TWH engined ones (158815-7/55) that were sent away last December aren't missed, rattling piles of junk. I certainly hope Reading depot does a better job with the same engines which are also fitted to 165 / 166 units.

a number of reasons one being the perkins are rubbish as are the 400hp cummins fitted to 863-872.

finally all the 158's lost were angel trains and they were not as flexible with the lease terms as porterbrook are.

majority of the fleet are now porterbrook,the only remaining angel sets are 121 & 127 along with most of the 153's from memory 329,361 and 369 are the porterbrook ones,easy way to tell is by the otmr.  arrowvale is fitted to porterbrook and qtron to angel

Also FGW wanted to standardise the 158 fleet as all we have now are 158/7's which all have the same engines.

Was it not 855 that was fitted with those horrendous pink seats!!!!!!!

no that had ex central interior.

747,748,749 and 751 had the pink seats

Stand to be corrected but didn't they come from Virgin and lasted about 2 weeks before wessex had to give them a good looking at, although we enjoyed the 'First class' for a while.

One of the Virgin 158s stayed in it's original livery and interior right up until it was sent to Wabtec by FGW for refurb.

This thing was a odd ball, the seats were so uncomfortable and when it left it was dreadfull

750 i believe went to TPE from virgin before we got it,although TPE did change seat covers and carpets to improve it slightly

I think most of the TP Express 158s had blue and red seats with red carpets.  The one's used on the Manchester Airport to Cleethorphes service had grey seats though. 

There weren't enough TP Express branded 158s to run all the TP Express routes so West Yorkshire Metro branded 158s and 156s turned up on services under Northern Spirirt and Arriva, while North Western Trains branded 158s turned up on TP Express under First, until they sub-leased some 158s from Central Trains.

If you were to publish all these threads on rolling stock and the mess the railways are in you could probably enter it for the Booker prize because everyone would think it's fiction.

Definitely a case of real life being stranger than fiction.

lmao. (just had to use that one)  ;D ;D ;D

I didnt know Virgin refurbished any 158s....  When did that happen? 

lmao.  ???

they didn't wessex did 4 and the 5th one was done by fgw this year (750) although as previously mentioned TPE changed carpet and seat covers to improve slightly