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Autumn refresh for GWR Class 165/166 Turbos

TT-ONR-NRN

TT-ONR-NRN

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TT-ONR-NRN said:
The 165/1s seem to have all of the cup holder/mini tables removed, and those sections are actually still used as First Class! Having said that, they were all falling off anyway. The lights overhead also generally do not work.
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Yes I know that two carriage ones don’t have them at all anymore, please don’t tell me that. :rolleyes::lol:
 
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cactustwirly

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TT-ONR-NRN said:
Yes I know that two carriage ones don’t have them at all anymore, please don’t tell me that. :rolleyes::lol:
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The first class bodge really annoys me on the 2 cars.

Why couldn't they install the luggage rack in the first class end?
 
TT-ONR-NRN

TT-ONR-NRN

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cactustwirly said:
The first class bodge really annoys me on the 2 cars.

Why couldn't they install the luggage rack in the first class end?
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What do you mean?
I think they did, only they took the first class seats out to do it. I don’t mind when they’re attached to 166s, but I see lots of double 165s out on Portsmouths, and as I do the entire fourish hour route every month as you know, I don’t want a Turbo turning up without those more comfortable seats.
 
cactustwirly

cactustwirly

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TT-ONR-NRN said:
What do you mean?
I think they did, only they took the first class seats out to do it. I don’t mind when they’re attached to 166s, but I see lots of double 165s out on Portsmouths, and as I do the entire fourish hour route every month as you know, I don’t want a Turbo turning up without those more comfortable seats.
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They took seats out of the std end, so one half of that has a luggage rack.
The ex first class end has been reseated but none of the seats align with the windows, so you have a view of a pillar...
 
TT-ONR-NRN

TT-ONR-NRN

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cactustwirly said:
They took seats out of the std end, so one half of that has a luggage rack.
The ex first class end has been reseated but none of the seats align with the windows, so you have a view of a pillar...
Click to expand...
I really hope they don't plan to do that to the 3-165 and 166s. There might not be a need for First Class accommodation, but a mixture of long distance and commuter seating is sensible. Sure, it's not a particularly equal balance with there being far more of the latter, especially in 165s, but it's better than nothing. They should fit proper tables into the ex first of the 165s too.

It's very amusing to me that there seems to be pot luck between a 2-165 with wholly 3+2 seating and not even pull down tables, and a 158 with long distance interiors, on routes such as Swindon - Westbury and Gloucester - Westbury/Weymouth, which seem to have rather random allocations. They don't stick to diagram very often it seems, and even if they do, only rail enthusiasts and staff know specific diagrams, whereas a member of the public stood at Maiden Newton has no idea whether they'll have a comfortable or significantly less comfortable train trundle up for their two hour journey to Bristol.
 
fgwrich

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cactustwirly said:
They took seats out of the std end, so one half of that has a luggage rack.
The ex first class end has been reseated but none of the seats align with the windows, so you have a view of a pillar...
Click to expand...

I can't remember the reason given for that, but I too found that to be absolutely ridiculous too. It would have been nice if some effort had been made to make the layout a little more user friendly at least! The standard of the work was pretty poorly done too, with the floor and wall panels not matching either (no doubt awaiting the long overdue refurbishment / refreshment).

As an aside, I did a trip up to Reading recently and had two different 3 car 165s. I noticed in both, that the large 166 luggage racks have now been installed in the saloons, somewhat amusingly, with new FGW Carpet.
 
cactustwirly

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fgwrich said:
I can't remember the reason given for that, but I too found that to be absolutely ridiculous too. It would have been nice if some effort had been made to make the layout a little more user friendly at least! The standard of the work was pretty poorly done too, with the floor and wall panels not matching either (no doubt awaiting the long overdue refurbishment / refreshment).

As an aside, I did a trip up to Reading recently and had two different 3 car 165s. I noticed in both, that the large 166 luggage racks have now been installed in the saloons, somewhat amusingly, with new FGW Carpet.
Click to expand...

Interesting, where are they located? I know they always had one in one carriage, even on the 2 cars
 
fgwrich

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cactustwirly said:
Interesting, where are they located? I know they always had one in one carriage, even on the 2 cars
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Coach with the FC compartment had it, with the large rack on the opposite side of the vestibule to the PRM robobog (which still look as scruffy as ever!). I'm sure they've appeared in the other vehicles now too.
 
FGW_DID

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Ashley Hill

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Travelled on 165122 last night. I can’t help wondering why this situation came about. I wouldn’t like to sit here for any length of time.
8AB19CE8-32AE-45CD-B8CE-3C89A030DF8B.jpeg
 
Vanmanyo

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387star said:
I Understand from a GWR newsletter that the internal refurbishment of the Turbos has been signed off with work due to start imminently.

This is great news because the 166s are a disgrace internally and possibly the shabbiest trains on the network. Most of the tables are covered in unsightly marks etchings or are sticky to the touch! Many hopper windows will not close and there is the wonderful clash of green carpet and pink and blue seats!

Hopefully the refurbishment will be up to standard ! I have no idea if new seats will be fitted.
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Are we looking at the (I believe) one and only GWR branded 165 or a smaller/larger refresh?
 
TT-ONR-NRN

TT-ONR-NRN

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Vanmanyo said:
Are we looking at the (I believe) one and only GWR branded 165 or a smaller/larger refresh?
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About ten 2 car 165s have now been done. They have very similar interiors to the 166205 Prototype, minus the first class sections and mini tables of course.
 
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Ashley Hill said:
Travelled on 165122 last night. I can’t help wondering why this situation came about. I wouldn’t like to sit here for any length of time.
View attachment 114787
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I could be completely wrong about this, but I heard that the luggage/bicycle storage was orignally built for LU (presumably the Picc?). This would explain why the profile of the racks don't match at all with the profile of the trains, why the rack itself is a bit too low to accomodate a significant proportion of bicycles, and possibly why they're an inconvenient length- too short to fit two bicycles wheel-to-wheel or take up the whole length of the carriage, too long to fit in a decent pair of seats, so we end up with these.
 
Mikey C

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JohnRegular said:
I could be completely wrong about this, but I heard that the luggage/bicycle storage was orignally built for LU (presumably the Picc?). This would explain why the profile of the racks don't match at all with the profile of the trains, why the rack itself is a bit too low to accomodate a significant proportion of bicycles, and possibly why they're an inconvenient length- too short to fit two bicycles wheel-to-wheel or take up the whole length of the carriage, too long to fit in a decent pair of seats, so we end up with these.
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Definitely not a Piccadilly Line one as it's far too big. Maybe it's been recovered from the scrapped Heathrow Express Class 332s?
 
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Mikey C said:
Definitely not a Piccadilly Line one as it's far too big. Maybe it's been recovered from the scrapped Heathrow Express Class 332s?
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No they’re completely different from Luggage Storage bays on HEx 332 units.
 
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Mikey C said:
Definitely not a Piccadilly Line one as it's far too big. Maybe it's been recovered from the scrapped Heathrow Express Class 332s?
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I presumed they were for/from the Picc because the profile of the racks is much closer to a tube train than any mainline train. I'll try and snag a picture next chance I get. Possibly built for the Picc and never installed because they were too big?
They have been in place since before the scrapping of the 332s, they are not part of the refurb.
 
Vanmanyo

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TT-ONR-NRN said:
About ten 2 car 165s have now been done. They have very similar interiors to the 166205 Prototype, minus the first class sections and mini tables of course.
Click to expand...
I didnt realize so many had been done, mostly because I never see them, I see other 165s...
The mini tables were nice but 3-2 seating always a negative but obviously it is a commuter train, just not on commuter routes all the time
 
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387star

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What were the dangling cables under the former 166 first class seats for ? Reading lights?
 
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387star said:
What were the dangling cables under the former 166 first class seats for ? Reading lights?
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The seats have / had an integral switch which allowed reading lights (built into the overhead lighting panel) to be controlled.
 
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