Seat Tables Class 158s

[whole diary]

[phile]

I have posted this thread on this Board as I find it difficult to decide where but put it here as a great proportion of their work is over this route and my discovery on this route.     Possible there have been earlier threads but so far back that I am unable to trace them at this stage.
I was under the impression that the drop down tables on the back of the seats had been re-instated but discovered they had not been on 52/57765 although they had on the "odd" coach from 747 (Set 955). Lo and behold, I returned on a similarly unfitted train but did not record the number.    I aprreciate that they would have to be taken out of service for the work to be done and thay and that the provision of sets and also of suitable type should take priority but I still yhink it is taking an excessive length of time to complete the job.    Does anybody have any updated info please.          May have been discussed  at Customer Panel Meetings as they have in the past but the Minutes are not published on-lin4, of course.                                                 

[the void]

some of the 158s were fitted with drop-down tables at refresh in '07/'08, while others were not (the units fitted with richmond seating all have drop-downs and some, but not all of the others also do). The original plan was to reto-fit the tables to the remaining vechicles, but this has never happened. When the 2-car units were spit up and 3-car hybrids created, they ended up with a mixture of some vehicles with drop-downs and some without. there does not appear to have been any effort made to add tables to the remaining vehicles.

[phile]

At Customer Panel Meeting in September 2010, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) stated that the outstanding work would commence on 08/10/10 and that it would be completed 6 weeks after that.   There was no mention made of the different types of seats and that these would prevent the completion of the work.

[tramway]

It's been an issue since the original refurb as stated by 'the void', some info here.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1683.0

I believe it had something to do with the lack of available Richmond seats and had to make do with the Chapmans without drop downs. It's of particular concern on Portsmouth/Cardiff due to the trolley and nowhere for customers to put food and hot cups of coffee.

[ChrisB]

Comment from the Customer Panel Chairman - West....

Yes, the 158 tables are still a problem.  Apparently they are having trouble getting them....but that seems odd because surely they would have been part of a big contract.  There's also a big problem with vandalism.  Units regularly come on depot with tables snapped off

[tramway]

Not a great deal of visibilty on the web with either Richmond or Chapman seating, with Richmond now Richmond Interior Supplies with their most recent takeover in 2009. It^s anyones guess if the fold down table is still available, even if they still have the moulds. Don^t expect ready replacement for vandalised ones very quickly is my guess.

Wrt to Chapman:

In 2001 the group that owned Chapman Seating went in to receivership and there was a management buyout which saw Chapman rise again as Chapman Transport Seating. Much investment went in the passenger seating side of the business and despite a very buoyant order book, Chapman went into administration due to massive over-commitment to contracts which were then subsequently delayed. (Corporate governance in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) at it^s best again anyone?)The rail driver and passenger seating side of the business was sold-off very quickly by the administrators, followed by the remainder of the driver seat business in January 2004 to OIC Partners Ltd who have since then traded as Chapman Driver Seating from their factory in Milton Keynes.

The much respected brand Chapman has now seen a new lease of life and the development of new products and improvements to some of the products dating back 50 years or more continues today. A concept of total focus on a limited range of products with an emphasis on service has seen the business rise again in the urban bus market. Whilst this market segment accounts for the largest proportion of the Chapman business, seats have been supplied for use in mining and military vehicles, lifeboats and cranes and a number of other applications.