Class 802s

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

We've already got a Castle Class, the shorter formed HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), GT1s

Yes I know, but it should be renamed the King Class.

Calling them ‘The Grange Class’ would have been a much more fitting name for the short formed HSTs IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion).

[martyjon]

We've already got a Castle Class, the shorter formed HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), GT1s

Yes I know, but it should be renamed the King Class.

Calling them ‘The Grange Class’ would have been a much more fitting name for the short formed HSTs IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion).

The original GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) had the King Class, The Castle Class, The Hall Class. The Manor Class, The Grange Class, The Saint Class, The Star Class, The Bulldog Class to name just a few, the new GWR IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) Expresses will have just four classes, the 800/0 class, the 800/3 class, the 802/0 class and the 802/1 class, lump them all together and call them the Uncomfortable Class.

[grahame]

We've already got a Castle Class, the shorter formed HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), GT1s

Yes I know, but it should be renamed the King Class.

Calling them ‘The Grange Class’ would have been a much more fitting name for the short formed HSTs IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion).

The original GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) had the King Class, The Castle Class, The Hall Class. The Manor Class, The Grange Class, The Saint Class, The Star Class, The Bulldog Class to name just a few, the new GWR IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) Expresses will have just four classes, the 800/0 class, the 800/3 class, the 802/0 class and the 802/1 class, lump them all together and call them the Uncomfortable Class.

The old name families for new trains worry me as they cast back to the days of empire and privilege ... but then we have so many historic names like "London North Easterrn Railway", "Great Western Railway" and "Castle Class" back with us already.

Seeing some of the celebration names of great people already in use on the driving car ends of IETs,  should we look for a consistency (or tendency) across classes, and noting all are bimode ... we need four sets, right?
1. Great People of the Thames Valley, South West and South Wales (in general)
2. Famous Railway managers one end, and union leaders on the other
3. Designer dogs - CockerPoo, Labradoodle, Lurcher ...
4. Daytime and nighttime venues in places served - The White Horse and Club Ice

[martyjon]

We've already got a Castle Class, the shorter formed HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), GT1s

Yes I know, but it should be renamed the King Class.

Calling them ‘The Grange Class’ would have been a much more fitting name for the short formed HSTs IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion).

The original GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) had the King Class, The Castle Class, The Hall Class. The Manor Class, The Grange Class, The Saint Class, The Star Class, The Bulldog Class to name just a few, the new GWR IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) Expresses will have just four classes, the 800/0 class, the 800/3 class, the 802/0 class and the 802/1 class, lump them all together and call them the Uncomfortable Class.

The old name families for new trains worry me as they cast back to the days of empire and privilege ... but then we have so many historic names like "London North Easterrn Railway", "Great Western Railway" and "Castle Class" back with us already.

Seeing some of the celebration names of great people already in use on the driving car ends of IETs,  should we look for a consistency (or tendency) across classes, and noting all are bimode ... we need four sets, right?
1. Great People of the Thames Valley, South West and South Wales (in general)
2. Famous Railway managers one end, and union leaders on the other
3. Designer dogs - CockerPoo, Labradoodle, Lurcher ...
4. Daytime and nighttime venues in places served - The White Horse and Club Ice

Perhaps they could name a pair of driving cars after a pair of comedians to commemorate the farce that the IETs are currently playing out at the present time, LAUREL and HARDY anyone.

[devonexpress]

We've already got a Castle Class, the shorter formed HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), GT1s

Yes I know, but it should be renamed the King Class.

Calling them ‘The Grange Class’ would have been a much more fitting name for the short formed HSTs IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion).

The original GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) had the King Class, The Castle Class, The Hall Class. The Manor Class, The Grange Class, The Saint Class, The Star Class, The Bulldog Class to name just a few, the new GWR IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) Expresses will have just four classes, the 800/0 class, the 800/3 class, the 802/0 class and the 802/1 class, lump them all together and call them the Uncomfortable Class.

They aren't that uncomfortable to be honest,  the seats are just a bit hard because the foam is new, give it a year or two it will be fine.  Happens every time with new seats, people moan there too hard, happened when FGW^▸ (First Great Western) put the first leather seats in, then when they changed to the GWR leather seats.  Same with bus seats.  To be honest they are a lot more comfortable than the FGW high backed seats.

[TaplowGreen]

We've already got a Castle Class, the shorter formed HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), GT1s

Yes I know, but it should be renamed the King Class.

Calling them ‘The Grange Class’ would have been a much more fitting name for the short formed HSTs IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion).

The original GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) had the King Class, The Castle Class, The Hall Class. The Manor Class, The Grange Class, The Saint Class, The Star Class, The Bulldog Class to name just a few, the new GWR IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) Expresses will have just four classes, the 800/0 class, the 800/3 class, the 802/0 class and the 802/1 class, lump them all together and call them the Uncomfortable Class.

The old name families for new trains worry me as they cast back to the days of empire and privilege ... but then we have so many historic names like "London North Easterrn Railway", "Great Western Railway" and "Castle Class" back with us already.

Seeing some of the celebration names of great people already in use on the driving car ends of IETs,  should we look for a consistency (or tendency) across classes, and noting all are bimode ... we need four sets, right?
1. Great People of the Thames Valley, South West and South Wales (in general)
2. Famous Railway managers one end, and union leaders on the other
3. Designer dogs - CockerPoo, Labradoodle, Lurcher ...
4. Daytime and nighttime venues in places served - The White Horse and Club Ice

I love the idea of Number 2 - Hopwood and Crow? 

As for the others - 1. Raleigh and Drake

I'm sure 3 & 4 aren't designed to be taken seriously!!! (Although for 4 Soho at one end and Union Street at the other conjures up some interesting images!!!)

[sikejsudjek3]

The IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train)'s certainly aren't a patch on the original MKIII's where the seats lined up with the windows. Nor are the seats as comfortable. They aren't terrible, they just don't feel the premium product they should be IMO^▸ (in my opinion). I really wouldn't want to be on them for a long journey.

[DidcotPunter]

The IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train)'s certainly aren't a patch on the original MKIII's where the seats lined up with the windows. Nor are the seats as comfortable. They aren't terrible, they just don't feel the premium product they should be IMO^▸ (in my opinion). I really wouldn't want to be on them for a long journey.

One of the complaints about the Mark 3s when originally introduced was that - in standard class at least - the seats didn't all line up with the windows. Unlike the Mark 1 and 2s, BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) used the same bodyshell for both first and standard class vehicles and aligned the windows for first. With the additional seats in standard, they didn't all line up.

That's when the rot set in, and most if not all new trains since then have perpetuated the issue.

Agree with your comments about the seats - they're OK for a Didcot to Padd run, but don't have an 'inter-city' train feel about them.

[devonexpress]

The IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train)'s certainly aren't a patch on the original MKIII's where the seats lined up with the windows. Nor are the seats as comfortable. They aren't terrible, they just don't feel the premium product they should be IMO^▸ (in my opinion). I really wouldn't want to be on them for a long journey.

One of the complaints about the Mark 3s when originally introduced was that - in standard class at least - the seats didn't all line up with the windows. Unlike the Mark 1 and 2s, BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) used the same bodyshell for both first and standard class vehicles and aligned the windows for first. With the additional seats in standard, they didn't all line up.

That's when the rot set in, and most if not all new trains since then have perpetuated the issue.

Agree with your comments about the seats - they're OK for a Didcot to Padd run, but don't have an 'inter-city' train feel about them.

There is nothing wrong with the seats! The foam is a bit hard because its new, same as brand new sofa, they are much more comfortable and don't vibrate like the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Mk3 seats.  As for not lining up with the windows, so don't the current FGW/GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) hst interiors, I wish people would stop finding fault with these new trains when actually there's very little different from the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s & Class 180s that have been serving for the last 18 years.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Comfort is in the posterior of the beholder.

(Mind you, there are other aspects to it. I find the arm and leg space on IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) very generous. It would be a shame to confuse posterior comfort with elbow-room.)

[IndustryInsider]

I took a trip with several friends who have little interest in trains a couple of months ago, which happened to be on a Class 800.  I deliberately didn't mention that it was a new train and there were no adverse comments from any of them regarding seat comfort, or anything else about the new trains.  There were no positive comments either it should be said, just a general level of ambivalence.  In fact, all of them were just interested in getting a drink, which prompted concerned looks when I said there was no buffet, but fortunately a well stocked trolley arrived shortly after.

[devonexpress]

I took a trip with several friends who have little interest in trains a couple of months ago, which happened to be on a Class 800.  I deliberately didn't mention that it was a new train and there were no adverse comments from any of them regarding seat comfort, or anything else about the new trains.  There were no positive comments either it should be said, just a general level of ambivalence.  In fact, all of them were just interested in getting a drink, which prompted concerned looks when I said there was no buffet, but fortunately a well stocked trolley arrived shortly after.

Its better than my first trip on them during their first week in service.  I had an elderly lady ask if it was ok to sit next to me as she didn't know if the seat was reserved, I said it was ok, then pointed out that the seat revervations where now above instead of on paper, she looks at me awkwardly, then said "well its reserved then", I pointed out it wasn't again.  We both sat next to each other for 10 tense minutes before the train pulled into its next stop and she got off.   Turns out she was from a German tourist group who had never been on a FGW^▸ (First Great Western)/GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) train before.

[stuving]

Having seen pairs of 802s not yet in service (or possibly the same pair?), and heard of them going into service only last month, I was not expecting the 9-car ones for at least a couple of months. However, today the 16:33 Paddington to Exeter (1C89) was formed of 802101, and it was on the juice as it ran into Reading (unlike 9-car 800s, which I've only seen using diesel). Mind you that train was the first of series, delivered from Japan for testing over a year ago, and it was promised into service in July - so it's still late.

[RailCornwall]

Would it have been too expensive to produce two versions of the configuration diagram poster for these trains so they mirrored the up and down configuration on the respective platforms that they are displayed on. The one displayed on down platforms is the 'wrong way around' and the reader needs to ' mentally mirror it' to reflect what appears when the train is on the platform.

[grahame]

Would it have been too expensive to produce two versions of the configuration diagram poster for these trains so they mirrored the up and down configuration on the respective platforms that they are displayed on. The one displayed on down platforms is the 'wrong way around' and the reader needs to ' mentally mirror it' to reflect what appears when the train is on the platform.

Here's our more local flavour



Seems to be something of a misconception in the diagrams that 5 car trains are taller and wider (OO^▸ ((Double O) - model railway, 4mm to 1 foot scale) size) whereas 9 cars are N gauge and 10 cars Z scale. Or perhaps it's a psychological trick to make us think they're all really very much the same size.

Noting "London end" ... are we headed very much for same-way-round consistency soon?   Sorting out A-B-C  v 1-2-3 or E-D-C v 1-2-3 ?