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thetrout
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« Reply #30 on: July 22, 2014, 16:34:37 » |
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My understanding with the 158s is that the suppliers of parts for the AC Units have run into financial trouble. Also some of the relays and other parts FGW▸ sourced were of poor quality and keep failing after installation. From a passenger viewpoint. It is entirely FGWs fault and they can do no right. However if the suppliers have let FGW down then this has a knock-on effect all the way round the vicious circle. Currently there is one Class 158 Unit I am aware of where everything works. But that is easily the best 158 FGW have in the fleet and I have a feeling this one receives a little more attention than the rest. Opening the windows is all very well and good IMHO▸ . But when the train is sat in a stationary siding then it does cause things to get a bit warm. But those who open the windows on the trains where there is clearly Air Conditioning working are probably the same type that would pull a PASSCOM whilst the train is in a tunnel and they have discovered a small fire...  |
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phile
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« Reply #31 on: July 22, 2014, 17:52:50 » |
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Is it 158798 by any chance ? This is a unique one so far as FGW▸ is concerned as it is a true 3 Car Set and has a different history, perhaps.
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a-driver
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« Reply #32 on: July 22, 2014, 19:00:26 » |
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Is it 158798 by any chance ? This is a unique one so far as FGW▸ is concerned as it is a true 3 Car Set and has a different history, perhaps.
158798 is the only FGW 158 with the Ebac air con system |
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onthecushions
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« Reply #33 on: July 22, 2014, 19:08:48 » |
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My sympathy to those passengers and staff that are having to put up with needless high temperatures and humidities while travelling.
An old fashioned mark 1 with sliding vent windows - a design dating from the 1920's - well that's excusable but not stock (even from 1992) with AC built in.
Refrigeration was one of my little life-skills with which I earned a crust or two. The technology ought to be very reliable and 50 year old units are often still in operation. Unfortunately systems are now bought (by non-technical people in suits) on first-cost only, without specifying reliability and economy. In addition about 75% of technician apprenticeships went in the early '90's. Thus, there are now very few competent designers, installers or maintainers.
In my experience, Mark 3 AC failures were rare, wheras a 166 with working AC was more an idea coined in a sweating, overheated cerebellum. True, there's not a lot of power for the compressors/fans (they need about 10kW/15HP) but a depot has all year to get ready for our short hot spells.
LUL▸ has taken this seriously with the TCP (tube cooling program), with AC on surface stock and likely on new tube stock, better tunnel vent and ground-water derived cooling, all being progessively implemented.
OTC
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patch38
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« Reply #34 on: July 23, 2014, 09:43:13 » |
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Last night's 20:45 PAD» - BRI» suffered some issues. Only one power car was running and coach E seemed to have no air-con. Guess where I was sitting? Full marks, however, to the Train Manager: she apologized and, after the departure of the hordes at RDG‡, announced where cooler seats were available. After that she came through with bottled water and further personal apologies. Great service under challenging conditions.
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #35 on: July 23, 2014, 10:19:38 » |
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"Prolonged hot spell"? It's been two weeks of seasonally warm weather with a few "hot" days at the most!!! I'd describe the weather over the summer so far as a prolonged hot spell, yes. The temperature has been over 25 degrees virtually every day for a few weeks now (and no sign of an immediate end). I wouldn't describe it as a heatwave though as temperatures haven't hit over 30 on a frequent basis, but over 25 degrees and the air-con will be working constantly throughout the day, so therefore stressing the system more than you might usually expect from the British summer. |
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To view my GWML▸ Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/ |
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ChrisB
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« Reply #36 on: July 23, 2014, 10:45:19 » |
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #37 on: July 23, 2014, 10:48:53 » |
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In point of fact there have only been 10 days this month where temperatures have got over 25 degrees in London. |
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lordgoata
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« Reply #38 on: July 23, 2014, 10:59:45 » |
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Yet in RG8 the 2m average temperature has been over 25C every day for the past week, except for 27th July, when it only reached 24.5C.
The July 2014 CET▸ average for the UK▸ (measured over an area of cental england) is currently 18.16^C.
Its all a moot point, it depends where you are, what readings you are looking at and who is doing the measurements.
My weather station (which I purposely position in the sun, as I want to know how hot it is when I am sitting in the sun) has read over 30C for the past week - given a large chunk of railway is in open space and direct sun, I doubt II's 25C is far off.
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Super Guard
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« Reply #39 on: July 23, 2014, 11:01:57 » |
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Perhaps it was the forum hot air IndustryInsider was getting readings from?   |
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Any opinions made on this forum are purely personal and my own. I am in no way speaking for, or offering the views of First Great Western or First Group.
If my employer feels I have broken any aspect of the Social Media Policy, please PM me immediately, so I can rectify without delay.
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ChrisB
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« Reply #40 on: July 23, 2014, 11:33:24 » |
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Yet in RG8 the 2m average temperature has been over 25C every day for the past week, except for 27th July, when it only reached 24.5C. Typo? My weather station (which I purposely position in the sun, as I want to know how hot it is when I am sitting in the sun) has read over 30C for the past week - given a large chunk of railway is in open space and direct sun, I doubt II's 25C is far off. Firstly, we're discussing max temps, not 30c generally all day? Also, trains are tin cans agreed, and internal temps could exceed max. And there's the cooling effect of running at 125mph....One guessing door windows are generally open, reducing temps inside....yes, there are a lot of things affecting temperatures. But II made no reference, so one gathers he's referring to generally accepted max recorded official temps, which are shade temps. |
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Alan Pettitt
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« Reply #41 on: July 23, 2014, 12:22:30 » |
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Just asked the guard to open the door windows on this class 158, but she was having none of it |
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #42 on: July 23, 2014, 12:26:13 » |
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Yet in RG8 the 2m average temperature has been over 25C every day for the past week, except for 27th July, when it only reached 24.5C. Typo? My weather station (which I purposely position in the sun, as I want to know how hot it is when I am sitting in the sun) has read over 30C for the past week - given a large chunk of railway is in open space and direct sun, I doubt II's 25C is far off. Firstly, we're discussing max temps, not 30c generally all day? Also, trains are tin cans agreed, and internal temps could exceed max. And there's the cooling effect of running at 125mph....One guessing door windows are generally open, reducing temps inside....yes, there are a lot of things affecting temperatures. But II made no reference, so one gathers he's referring to generally accepted max recorded official temps, which are shade temps. .....and in any case it's a pretty poor aircon system that breaks down once the temperature rises.........it's the whole point of it, whether its 25 or 28 degrees.....it's sort of symptomatic of the lack of robustness and resilience of the railway industry as a whole, unreliable trains, signals, staff etc? |
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #43 on: July 23, 2014, 13:45:01 » |
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My statement was based on readings from my own weather station in Oxfordshire (currently reading 26.3 and shaded, of course). If you're going to quibble over a degree or two then so be it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the average temperature over the summer is one of the highest ever. Constant high temperatures stress systems.
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To view my GWML▸ Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/ |
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a-driver
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« Reply #44 on: July 23, 2014, 14:00:28 » |
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....and in any case it's a pretty poor aircon system that breaks down once the temperature rises.........it's the whole point of it, whether its 25 or 28 degrees.....it's sort of symptomatic of the lack of robustness and resilience of the railway industry as a whole, unreliable trains, signals, staff etc?
Air Con on HST▸ stock and Turbos will never be a reliable system because you're trying to fit a modern air con system into something that was designed 20+ years ago. You can't start cutting holes out of a train to fit a more reliable system because doing so weakens the structure of the train. You're also limited by clearances on the train and by the trains electrical supply. |
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