Bevan Price
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- 22 Apr 2010
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170.201 (on its own) was on 10:51 Liverpool / Norwich today (29 February)
Yes, the worst seats have been recovered on the 170/4 including the first class compartments.I saw it this morning still white. I believe 207/208 are also white
I'm not sure if this is mentioned but on 170419 I noticed that the former first class seats have been reupholstered using the same purple fabric as the other (standard class) seats. It may be the same on the other ex Scotrail units
Some information finally available on refurb spec - new Fisa seats in the 170/5s which makes up about half the fleet, repaired, repadded and recovered seats in the /2s and /4s, 5G WiFi, new carpets, refreshes of pretty much everything else, more luggage stacks, new PIS, CCTV and forward facing CCTV fitting and various other background improvements.
Not a complete rebuild, but not too bad either.
158s will get seat covers and foams, new table tops, USB sockets where not already fitted, some repainting of panels etc and an upgrade to the PIS to work from Darwin with the expectation that the fleet will be life expired in the early 2030s.
They're 33-35 years old, realistically they'll probably get to 40, maybe 45 before the majority of examples are taken out of service.158s are good - I hope they'll go another 15-20 years yet.
You might wonder if new seats in 170s will be thinner, thereby giving more seats.Some information finally available on refurb spec - new Fisa seats in the 170/5s which makes up about half the fleet, repaired, repadded and recovered seats in the /2s and /4s, 5G WiFi, new carpets, refreshes of pretty much everything else, more luggage stacks, new PIS, CCTV and forward facing CCTV fitting and various other background improvements.
Not a complete rebuild, but not too bad either.
158s will get seat covers and foams, new table tops, USB sockets where not already fitted, some repainting of panels etc and an upgrade to the PIS to work from Darwin with the expectation that the fleet will be life expired in the early 2030s.
Sounds good. Any idea why the difference in seat application between the 170 sub-classes?Some information finally available on refurb spec - new Fisa seats in the 170/5s which makes up about half the fleet, repaired, repadded and recovered seats in the /2s and /4s, 5G WiFi, new carpets, refreshes of pretty much everything else, more luggage stacks, new PIS, CCTV and forward facing CCTV fitting and various other background improvements.
Not a complete rebuild, but not too bad either.
158s will get seat covers and foams, new table tops, USB sockets where not already fitted, some repainting of panels etc and an upgrade to the PIS to work from Darwin with the expectation that the fleet will be life expired in the early 2030s.
The Class 170/5s are fitted with the dreadful Lazzerini seats as ordered by Central Trains and Midland Mainline, whereas the other subclasses have the much more well designed Chapman seats as ordered by Southern and Scotrail.Sounds good. Any idea why the difference in seat application between the 170 sub-classes?
As ever that is your subjective opinion on those particular seats, I personally find them some of the most comfortable on the network but I wouldn't espouse them to be qualitatively the best. As far as I'd be concerned is that seat-window alignment is retained as it is currently excellent on the 170/5s.The Class 170/5s are fitted with the dreadful Lazzerini seats as ordered by Central Trains and Midland Mainline, whereas the other subclasses have the much more well designed Chapman seats as ordered by Southern and Scotrail.
I certainly like the 170 seats.As ever that is your subjective opinion on those particular seats, I personally find them some of the most comfortable on the network but I wouldn't espouse them to be qualitatively the best. As far as I'd be concerned is that seat-window alignment is retained as it is currently excellent on the 170/5s.
Ah, ok, TY. I have to say though that l used the 170s in the Central Trains, London Midland and West Midlands Trains eras and never had issues with the seats (unlike on many other trains). I guess that shows how subjective the whole thing is.The Class 170/5s are fitted with the dreadful Lazzerini seats as ordered by Central Trains and Midland Mainline, whereas the other subclasses have the much more well designed Chapman seats as ordered by Southern and Scotrail.
The aesthetics and comfort of the Chapman and modified Fisa Lean seats are pretty similar so will provide a pretty similar experience.
They're like armchairs, definitely some of the best seats post-privatization, well-shaped with tonnes of padding. They did get a little bit worse for wear by the end of their tenure in the West Midlands though, presumably, this seat replacement reflects that.Ah, ok, TY. I have to say though that l used the 170s in the Central Trains, London Midland and West Midlands Trains eras and never had issues with the seats (unlike on many other trains). I guess that shows how subjective the whole thing is.
Your last para is very true. I had similar thoughts when sampling the seats in 196s and refurbished 350/1s yesterday....They're like armchairs, definitely some of the best seats post-privatization, well-shaped with tonnes of padding. They did get a little bit worse for wear by the end of their tenure in the West Midlands though, presumably, this seat replacement reflects that.
The FISA LEAN isn't too bad, indeed the bases will wear in and provide decent levels of comfort, and the EMR variant may be the best one yet (I've only tried the 196 and 745/755 variants) at least, it should be, given all of the hype EMR have made about it.
One thing I must say about new train seats from the last few years is that they're much cleaner, with fold-down tables/armrests having much less space for dirt to accumulate. Tray tables on the LEAN are brilliant for this reason.
Only thing I can think of is the different leasing companies (at least in the case of the /4s) - not sure why the same seats aren’t being used for the /2sSounds good. Any idea why the difference in seat application between the 170 sub-classes?
Could it be because the /2s were refurbished only a few years ago hence no need to give them a full makeover? I have it in my head that they were refurbed in 2019 when with GA (but I stand to be corrected!).Only thing I can think of is the different leasing companies (at least in the case of the /4s) - not sure why the same seats aren’t being used for the /2s
I the original idea was that all the 158s would be replaced with Liverpool to Norwich worked by other operators. And that never happened. We have 158773/774 in interim livery. Not sure any more are planned.Any knowledge if the EMR 158s are to be put into the purple livery same as the 170s? Thanks
Tel
Any knowledge if the EMR 158s are to be put into the purple livery same as the 170s? Thanks
Tel
I the original idea was that all the 158s would be replaced with Liverpool to Norwich worked by other operators. And that never happened. We have 158773/774 in interim livery. Not sure any more are planned.
Probably to prepare for vinyl application - everything else seems to have been done bar that. Strange how the 170/2s are the only ones not to be repainted, does anyone know why?170208 is out today, still in GA livery but with the lower valance part now painted in EMR purple for some reason.
Presumably they are not due repaint.Strange how the 170/2s are the only ones not to be repainted, does anyone know why?
If ex TFW and GA I believe they received a full refurb in 2019 , may be the paint is still under warranty.Probably to prepare for vinyl application - everything else seems to have been done bar that. Strange how the 170/2s are the only ones not to be repainted, does anyone know why?
I thought that was 2016/17? Anyway, yes I guess that could most likely be the case regardless.If ex TFW and GA I believe they received a full refurb in 2019 , may be the paint is still under warranty.