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Class 230 units training/introduction on the Borderlands line: updates

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wobman

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I have written off any expectation of riding one in September now.
TFW are aiming for September & are training as many drivers as possible, at the same time running services aswell as catching up with a huge training backlog.
The management are trying their best, but the ongoing 230 testing is still bringing up more and more issues. Then the testing and training has to stop until the issues are resolved, this has caused a lot of delays as a result.
 
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Peter Mugridge

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Yes 010 doing a shuttle on battery from Honeyborne. Rail is tweeting details.
That's only available to show attendees, though - and show attendance is only available to those who work in the rail industry and are pre-registered with a recognised rail industry e-address.

It won't be possible to get a ride on it just by turning up.
 

LNW-GW Joint

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An article in Railway Gazette on TfW's changed rolling stock strategy, and a interview with TfW's new MD.
It seems they are expecting 230s to transform the Wrexham-Bidston service.

Welsh rolling stock strategy evolves as three-phase post-pandemic recovery envisaged | Rail Business UK | Railway Gazette International
In North Wales meanwhile, crew training continues on the Vivarail Class 230 diesel-battery multiple-units which are due to take over the Wrexham Central to Bidston service later this year.
Three of the three-car sets, converted from ex-London Underground D78 cars, have now been delivered and the full fleet of five sets will enable the frequency on the route to be doubled to half-hourly.

‘The trains are a good match between what they can deliver and what the market demands’, says Chaudhry-van der Velde. ‘I think that corridor is hugely underutilised throughout, with all those industrial units and Deeside and so on. From what I can see very few people use the train to get to their workplaces, so I think there is a big market to go at there once we can enhance the service.’
 
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southern442

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Wow, that's quite different from how the original layout (and I think many of us were expecting it to be retained in some form), I quite like it!
 

Brissle Girl

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It looks great. I really do think these would be a great option to decarbonise the shorter branch lines in Devon and Cornwall with charging at one or both ends.
 

wobman

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It looks great. I really do think these would be a great option to decarbonise the shorter branch lines in Devon and Cornwall with charging at one or both ends.
The TFW 230's are DEMU's with a ford ranger diesel engine running constantly to charge the battery packs, the engine gen sets create the electrical charge for the battery packs. TFW have completed battery only runs but they are opting to run the services with gen sets running, due to the nature of the borderlands line. To decarbonise they need the shoes and a 3rd rail charging point on the line, I think that's the plan with merseyrail 777 units battery trials in the future.
 

Bob Price

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It looks great. I really do think these would be a great option to decarbonise the shorter branch lines in Devon and Cornwall with charging at one or both ends.
Once the East West rail line is open the LNWR ones may need a new home so this is not out of the question.
 

D365

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Once the East West rail line is open the LNWR ones may need a new home so this is not out of the question.
Once Bletchley-Bedford is done, the LNWR 230s may well be closer to the end of their 15 year design lifespan!
 

mmh

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I eat my hat! They look far better inside than I feared they would.
 

Meerkat

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Wide gangways between coaches but the gangway between the grabrails in the coaches doesn’t look very wide!
 

LNW-GW Joint

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Old and new on display at Penyffordd today.
230 009 was on a Chester-Bidston training run (5T01), calling at all Borderlands stations.
150 229 was on the regular service (2J57).

20210624_230009.jpg 20210624_penyffordd.jpg

The 230 was scrolling "Wales & Borders" on its external display.
Rather spidery text and hard to see in half-sunny conditions.
 
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Bob Price

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Interesting watching Gareth Dennis's Railnatter last night and seeing the inside of one of them. They do look good, better imho than the LNWR ones
 

sw1ller

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Apparently, training train has gone up in smoke at Wrexham. Don’t know if it’s a 230 but my guess it is.
 

Bob Price

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That's annoying for all concerned seeing as they were so close to getting their training and milage done, this could set the whole project back.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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That's annoying for all concerned seeing as they were so close to getting their training and milage done, this could set the whole project back.
Better that it happened when it did. This is now the second Vivarail train, albeit differently powered, that has been affected by a fire since they began train marketing of refurbished ex LU units.
 

krus_aragon

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Better that it happened when it did. This is now the second Vivarail train, albeit differently powered, that has been affected by a fire since they began train marketing of refurbished ex LU units.
There's no need for the 230s to start copying the 175s in that regard. ;)
 

wobman

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Better that it happened when it did. This is now the second Vivarail train, albeit differently powered, that has been affected by a fire since they began train marketing of refurbished ex LU units.
What engines do the other 230's use ? TFW 230's have the ford ranger 3.2 diesel engines as traction motors, they are struggling with the heat / pollen etc causing overheating
 

mmh

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Was this a disaster waiting to happen?

Class 230s have long been a disaster. It's telling that even their defenders and apologists on the forum no longer defend or apologise for them. Unfortunately it's a project which has failed. Give it five years and the few which manage to hobble into service will probably be quietly and unceremoniously disposed of.
 

Deepgreen

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Even I have to admit it is bright and cheerful, with not a sight of any longditudinal seating on view.
Did anyone expect longitudinal seating, which is generally used only where high proportions of standees are expected?

The railway seems to be plagued by projects to re-purpose rolling stock which take an age to bring to any sort of fruition, a significant proportion of which then end up as failures. 769s - yet to be seen, but deadly slow to come on stream. 442s - expensive refurbs, only to be ditched. SWT 455s - re-tractioned, only to be dispensed with relatively shortly after. 230s - extremely slow development, and seemingly riddled with problems. Am I being too negative?
 
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wobman

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They will be in service in September & half hourly in December....
 
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