Hot trains

[whole diary]

[Alan Pettitt]

Well, I did say that I wouldn't moan about the air conditioning failures after getting my free ice cream today, BUT, something doesn't seem quite right. There have been many complaints on Twitter this week concerning the problem and it's made me think; I have made 11 journeys on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Class 158 trains this week, and the air conditioning was only working on one of them (the 1840 from Salisbury today on which I travelled to Westbury). I have also made 8 journeys on SWT^▸ (South West Trains) Class 159 trains in the same period and the aircon was working on all of them. There is also obviously a similar problem on the HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), from reading the tweets. Do the different operators have different priorities?

[a-driver]

Well, I did say that I wouldn't moan about the air conditioning failures after getting my free ice cream today, BUT, something doesn't seem quite right. There have been many complaints on Twitter this week concerning the problem and it's made me think; I have made 11 journeys on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Class 158 trains this week, and the air conditioning was only working on one of them (the 1840 from Salisbury today on which I travelled to Westbury). I have also made 8 journeys on SWT^▸ (South West Trains) Class 159 trains in the same period and the aircon was working on all of them. There is also obviously a similar problem on the HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), from reading the tweets. Do the different operators have different priorities?

The FGW 158s are intensively used compared to the SWT 159s so yes, there are different priorities albeit forced onto FGW and that is to keep as many trains in service as possible.
There's also three different types of air con fitted to the 158s known Temperature, Ebac or Liebherr.  The FGW fleet is a mixture of Temperature and Liebherr.  There are drawbacks to each system, Temperature for example uses extensive amount of pipe work and connections which increases the risks of leaks and ultimately a loss of refrigerant.

HSTs again comes down to ensuring maximum availability of carriages although I believe its only Laira depot that handles major work to the air con units
The problem with the HST air con units is their design.  Due to the age they exhaust hot air out underneath the carriage (whereas more modern stock exhausts hot air through the roof of the train). Therefore, when the train sits in a platform with little air flow underneath the train the air con units basically start running hot and eventually trip out to prevent damage.  This can only be reset at a maintenance depot. The air con units are modular but obviously they can only be removed if there's a replacement to go back in. 

Turbos, air con modules are still under warranty.  They were fitted under an 'install and maintain' contract.  There were "issues" raised last under regards the "maintain" part of that contract (or so we heard). Modifications were made over the winter to these units which included replacing evap and condenser units as well as trying to increase air flow.  They already take a considerable amount of power off the engine but it's not powerful enough to overcome and cool an overcrowded vehicle.

[trainer]

I had to ask for the windows to be unlocked on Wednesday morning on a 158 from Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager) travelling down to Salisbury.  It was after Westbury before a staff member walked through the train.  Fine on the way back at 18:40.  (Won't identify the first train and therefore staff member).

[johoare]

I've never quite worked out how to get the windows unlocked by a member of staff on a Driver only turbo..

[a-driver]

I've never quite worked out how to get the windows unlocked by a member of staff on a Driver only turbo..

I know, clever that!!  I have had station staff jump on and unlock the windows if they can do so without causing a delay. 

Even at scheduled stops on a DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) train, very few people who get off the train even tells us the air con has failed. If no one tells us we can't unlock the windows during a turnaround, or at the very least, it gets reported. 

[johoare]

I've never quite worked out how to get the windows unlocked by a member of staff on a Driver only turbo..

I know, clever that!!  I have had station staff jump on and unlock the windows if they can do so without causing a delay. 

Even at scheduled stops on a DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) train, very few people who get off the train even tells us the air con has failed. If no one tells us we can't unlock the windows during a turnaround, or at the very least, it gets reported. 

Yeah it's not ideal.. I posted about it at the time but I was on a very hot train one Sunday last summer that made me feel quite ill in the end. I could have got off at Slough to ask the member of staff there who was shoe horning people onto an already overcrowded train if he could do so but a) he wouldn't have been able to get to the windows and b) I'd have lost my seat and most likely my place on the train too..

[anthony215]

Mind  you it could be worse you could be stuck travelling on an optare solo which are terrible in the hot weather

[JayMac]

The NBfL^▸ (New Bus for London) (New Bus for London, aka Boris Bus) I travelled on today appeared to have a consumptive gerbil coughing out the aircon.

It was a warm, damp and barely noticeable airflow.

[IndustryInsider]

Roughly a third of Class 166 carriages have air-con working at the moment.  About the same as this time last summer.  Disappointing.  Though better than the 0% that were working before the system was replaced.

[paul7575]

The NBfL^▸ (New Bus for London) (New Bus for London, aka Boris Bus) I travelled on today appeared to have a consumptive gerbil coughing out the aircon.

Isn't that how the aircon worked in the 'Flintstones'?

Paul

[Network SouthEast]

New Bus 4 London doesn't have air conditioning,  so finding any would have been some fete!

[BBM]

New Bus 4 London doesn't have air conditioning,  so finding any would have been some fete!

I thought it did have air-conditioning as there are no opening windows but as it happens yesterday I travelled from White City to Victoria on one such bus on the 148 route and I was definitely sweating by the end of the journey, so I undertook a little research. It seems that this type of bus has an 'air-cooling' system supplied by the Dutch firm Heavac. There's some discussion about this on the Boriswatch site from last week:

http://www.boriswatch.co.uk/2014/07/16/the-new-routemaster-still-unable-to-cope-with-london-summers/

[JayMac]

New Bus 4 London doesn't have air conditioning,  so finding any would have been some fete!

That's not fayre! 

Point taken though. Air cooling system rather than air conditioning. Whatever it is, it was still little better than having a tuberculosis addled wheezing weasel breathing on you.

[johoare]

That would explain why the conductors are always hanging out the back door of these buses when it is hot then!

[Alan Pettitt]

Should any forum members be on the 1852 BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) to Westbury at the moment and are feeling chilly the heating is on in the rear coach specially for you!