Class 769 for London Gateway freight trial

[306024]

Hopefully they run at reasonable timings ie not 2 in the morning , wouldn't mind seeing these in action

Network Rail Engineering Access planners will agree with you.

 

[Taylorgb19]

Where would theses units be stabled and maintained

 

[fgwrich]

It certainly has a rather odd looking yellow panel. A bit of a shame that it's just a standard rectangle going against the face of the 319 than going with it (ala Northern purple). A very minor detail I know, but one I'm surprised ROG Hasn't designed out seeing as they do seem to tinker with their liveries.

Eastleigh Works class 319

Early morning shot of a repainted class 319. Probably 319373 in R.O.G. livery .Whitehaven on the destination blind so obviously an ex Northern unit.

www.flickr.com

 

[Bletchleyite]

Amused that Northern fitted a blind to a 319 that had Whitehaven on it! Or do they just have the same standard blind for all paper-blind-fitted units?

 

[AMD]

Amused that Northern fitted a blind to a 319 that had Whitehaven on it! Or do they just have the same standard blind for all paper-blind-fitted units?

It's a standard blind that all units received, as demonstrated by my optimism of getting the unit to Southport when we had it in use

 

[_toommm_]

It's a standard blind that all units received, as demonstrated by my optimism of getting the unit to Southport when we had it in use

Presumably these are the same blinds that used to be used on most of the Sprinters before they were redone with TrainFX?

 

[sjoh]

Interesting that they're already advertising further services from the likes of Plymouth and Glasgow... https://orion.railopsgroup.co.uk/

 

[ginge8991]

In 7 Hours no less!?

 

[wallan]

Interesting that they're already advertising further services from the likes of Plymouth and Glasgow... https://orion.railopsgroup.co.uk/

No call at Newcastle on The Plymouth - Glasgow Service , Doncaster / Leeds then Glasgow , is it going via the Settle & Carlisle

 

[4-SUB 4732]

No call at Newcastle on The Plymouth - Glasgow Service , Doncaster / Leeds then Glasgow , is it going via the Settle & Carlisle

Probably deliberate. If no demand exists on Tyneside, it can then go any way to Scotland (S&C, Tyne Valley, ECML) depending on engineering work.

 

[wallan]

Probably deliberate. If no demand exists on Tyneside, it can then go any way to Scotland (S&C, Tyne Valley, ECML) depending on engineering work.

Seems strange when the Glasgow - Doncaster - London Service calls at Newcastle

 

[Killingworth]

As the service doesn't launch until 2021 it's all going to depend on the volume of traffic offered, places actually needed, paths available to take it, and costs. Filling whole trains, even substantial parts of them, for significant distances and in both directions at the right times will be very challenging.

Yes, rail can beat road if both start from the same point at the same time and can end at exactly the same point to finish. It can't beat road for flexibilty of starting and end points and flexibilty of timings to start. It relies on final mile transfers by road vehicles, probably requiring two time consuming reloadings between start and finish points.

I recall British Railways doing something similar to what appears to being prepared for using those wonderful Scammell Scarabs for collection and final deliveries - and they'd had decades of practice!

By using still untried 769s some might suggest reliabilty could be an issue on top of all else. I wish this brave project well.

 

[fgwrich]

I hope those windows are clamped shut!

Orion - Highspeed logistics

Rail operations Group newly converted Class 319, still without visible numbering gets an outing into Eastleigh Yard. 5 August 2020 martianphotography.smugmug.com/

www.flickr.com

 

[XCTurbostar]

I hope those windows are clamped shut!

Orion - Highspeed logistics

Rail operations Group newly converted Class 319, still without visible numbering gets an outing into Eastleigh Yard. 5 August 2020 martianphotography.smugmug.com/

www.flickr.com

Still no numbers on it. I’m guessing this is still 319373 since it doesn’t have an engine?

 

[158757]

Yes it is 373.

 

[SussexLad]

Random thought, would you be able run an old tube train full of parcels during the night to get them from one place to another?

Aware of the night tube, could fit in around that? Wouldn't use main passenger station, maybe sidings on the above ground levels to load and offload?

 

[jonesy3001]

Only 319/3 at northern that had a windy blind and no PRM mods done.

 

[hst43102]

Random thought, would you be able run an old tube train full of parcels during the night to get them from one place to another?

Aware of the night tube, could fit in around that? Wouldn't use main passenger station, maybe sidings on the above ground levels to load and offload?

Could be a good topic for the speculative ideas subforum?

 

[Bald Rick]

Random thought, would you be able run an old tube train full of parcels during the night to get them from one place to another?

Aware of the night tube, could fit in around that? Wouldn't use main passenger station, maybe sidings on the above ground levels to load and offload?

It would be a right pain to get the parcels down and up, and get in the way of maintenance. Far better would be to run them round in an electric vehicle at ground level.

 

[SussexLad]

It would be a right pain to get the parcels down and up, and get in the way of maintenance. Far better would be to run them round in an electric vehicle at ground level.

There are sections of the tube above groud, could you not just build a speacial loading station? I could imagine a service starting outside of the underground to connect a major sorting office to an airport or something. No idea how tho as the undergroùnd is not my expertise!

 

[markymark2000]

There are sections of the tube above groud, could you not just build a speacial loading station? I could imagine a service starting outside of the underground to connect a major sorting office to an airport or something. No idea how tho as the undergroùnd is not my expertise!

I think something could be looked into using the S7 stock perhaps on the District Line since the units are very big, plenty of space and you cover quite a good distance on them. It all depends on how you get the stuff in and out of the station or if there is a warehouse or delivery centre etc between the stations where a siding could easily be put.

 

[Puppetfinger]

Random thought, would you be able run an old tube train full of parcels during the night to get them from one place to another?

Reinstate Mail Rail instead?

 

[SussexLad]

Reinstate Mail Rail instead?

To me, that seems really expensive and quite restrictive because you wouldn't be able to travel outside of London. Imagine the Gatwick mail center being connected to Stansted. Would save quite a few lorries on the M25.

 

[Domh245]

There are sections of the tube above groud, could you not just build a speacial loading station? I could imagine a service starting outside of the underground to connect a major sorting office to an airport or something. No idea how tho as the undergroùnd is not my expertise!

Even the above ground bits are typically not at street level - they're either up on embankments/viaducts or in cuttings. However, @Bald Rick's point still stands and you'd be better just putting them in an electric van and driving them directly. The main advantage of the tube (during the day at least) is the speed relative to the heavily congested roads. During the night, traffic is pretty free flowing and there are zero benefits for sticking the parcels onto the tube compared to just driving them.

 

[K.o.R]

It certainly has a rather odd looking yellow panel. A bit of a shame that it's just a standard rectangle going against the face of the 319 than going with it (ala Northern purple). A very minor detail I know, but one I'm surprised ROG Hasn't designed out seeing as they do seem to tinker with their liveries.

Eastleigh Works class 319

Early morning shot of a repainted class 319. Probably 319373 in R.O.G. livery .Whitehaven on the destination blind so obviously an ex Northern unit.

www.flickr.com

Yes, very strange. It's not like they actually needed to paint any of the bit that was already yellow anyway!

 

[rebmcr]

Imagine the Gatwick mail center being connected to Stansted. Would save quite a few lorries on the M25.

That particular route could already be done via Thameslink and/or the West London Line.

While there are other possible origin/destination pairs for which your idea (or its corollary using Class 345s through the Crossrail core) would make sense, I don't think any of them have parcel flows between.

 

[Class 170101]

Random thought, would you be able run an old tube train full of parcels during the night to get them from one place to another?

Aware of the night tube, could fit in around that? Wouldn't use main passenger station, maybe sidings on the above ground levels to load and offload?

Seems rather pointless to transport them from Liverpool Street to Bond Street say on the tube it would be quicker by road, certainly by night. Upminster to Ealing Broadway might be a different matter. Depending on the line and the day of the week night running shouldn't impinge on maintenance as the line is already open for Night Tube, but other routes however....

 

[8stewartt]

Hats off to them for trying......

However, they are advertising a service which, is not even possible.

The route map lists nearly every container terminal in the country for starters, birch coppice, hams hall, east mids gateway, Grangemouth, London gateway, iport, daventry, Widnes etc but, they are not container trains, nor do ANY of these locations, including their first rumoured one, London gateway, have any facilities for loading/unloading caged parcels from a passenger unit. I was at gateway only a m th or so ago and no facilities have even been started to be built.

I also can’t see a 769 being loaded with a container

 

[PeterC]

Hats off to them for trying......

However, they are advertising a service which, is not even possible.

The route map lists nearly every container terminal in the country for starters, birch coppice, hams hall, east mids gateway, Grangemouth, London gateway, iport, daventry, Widnes etc but, they are not container trains, nor do ANY of these locations, including their first rumoured one, London gateway, have any facilities for loading/unloading caged parcels from a passenger unit. I was at gateway only a m th or so ago and no facilities have even been started to be built.

I also can’t see a 769 being loaded with a container

Creating a loading ramp would be a pretty basic bit of metal bashing but I wouln't like to be the person pushing loaded roll cages up it.

 

[8stewartt]

Sounds simple right?

but I’ve never heard of a shipping container coming off a ship, with roll cages pre loaded with individually wrapped boxes with address labels on, ready to load into a train via a loading platform. Nor can I see how a shipping container unloaded onto a train and unloaded onto a lorry in the centre of London is quicker than just moving the shipping container.