GWR Class 769 information. (Units no longer with GWR - Off Lease March 23)

[Deepgreen]

Saw it on my morning walk heading up to Redhill - couldn't hear the engines so may have been on third rail (expect not though as it is a long descent) and then again at Reigate on return

There is, at least, one rear light showing there! Is there a serious electrical issue here? Obviously, unreliable rear lights are a major safety problem.

 

[Minstral25]

There is, at least, one rear light showing there! Is there a serious electrical issue here? Obviously, unreliable rear lights are a major safety problem.

I think it is just because of the angle - on other photos I took it is not visible. Probably only visible if you are directly behind train.

 

[skyhigh]

There is, at least, one rear light showing there! Is there a serious electrical issue here? Obviously, unreliable rear lights are a major safety problem.

It's clearly just the way the camera has captured it. There's no way they'd be allowed out with 'unreliable rear lights'

 

[FenMan]

A short video of the unit passing Blackwater northbound. Sorry about the thumb!

 

[reddragon]

This video

Sounds like its on the DC 3rd rail

That or the motors are very quiet!

 

[XAM2175]

There is, at least, one rear light showing there! Is there a serious electrical issue here? Obviously, unreliable rear lights are a major safety problem.

I think it is just because of the angle - on other photos I took it is not visible. Probably only visible if you are directly behind train.

It's clearly just the way the camera has captured it. There's no way they'd be allowed out with 'unreliable rear lights'

@skyhigh has it: digital cameras and LEDs are known for not playing well with each other. You'll see a similar thing in photos of LED destination displays, and sometimes in videos of trains with LED headlights that look like they're blinking.

 

[northernbelle]

Today's test run. 769943 appeared to be running without tail-lights, at least on the outbound run, with both legs of the working seen here near Betchworth.

View attachment 98152View attachment 98153

Are you sure it isn't just a trick of the camera not having picked up the frequency of the LED lights? I notice in another photo that one light appears to be lit. It's a common issue with Class 68 photographs and destination displays on the front of buses as well!

 

[Minstral25]

This video

Sounds like its on the DC 3rd rail

That of the motors are very quiet!

As it passed me in the cutting towards Redhill it did sound very quiet from the motors that I suspected it on third rail too, but lack of any flashes suggests that it could be the engines are quiet. Would be interesting to know. I did a short Video as well but don't have an online account to post here.

It did stand outside Reigate for a long time as there was a Southern unit in the platform (see pic), which would have enabled time to fire up engines which were audible as it passed under the Footbridge at Reigate.

 

[Bob Price]

I have seen them on non electrified rails on the Valley Lines and the diesels on those are very distinct. Have a look at my YouTube video of one leaving Aber to see what I mean.

 

[43102EMR]

Today's test run. 769943 appeared to be running without tail-lights, at least on the outbound run, with both legs of the working seen here near Betchworth.

View attachment 98152View attachment 98153

Surely that would’ve been due to the harsh sunlight? I’ve found the newer-style LEDs make it harder to see.

 

[3973EXL]

STP 14/06

5Q98 57305 769922
Realtime Trains - 588G 1201 Loughborough Brush to Burton Ot Wetmore Sidings

 

[FGW_DID]

STP 15/06

Realtime Trains - FRGT 0945 Burton Ot Wetmore Sidings to Reading Traincare Depot

769959 heading South to its new hom.

 

[Deepgreen]

Surely that would’ve been due to the harsh sunlight? I’ve found the newer-style LEDs make it harder to see.

Certainly nothing to do with sunlight regarding tail lights (not like with destination displays) - if so, the railway's in big trouble! No, it seems that, at fast shutter speeds, some LEDs do seem to flicker and can appear to be 'out'.

It's clearly just the way the camera has captured it. There's no way they'd be allowed out with 'unreliable rear lights'

I would hope not (and it seems to be a quirk of LEDs and fast shutter speeds), but errors can, and do, occur in any system. It makes me wonder, do modern control systems have indicators for failed lights? Would the driver visually check the rear before leaving the depot?

 

[fgwrich]

There is, at least, one rear light showing there! Is there a serious electrical issue here? Obviously, unreliable rear lights are a major safety problem.

Nothing to worry about - These use the latest type of LED marker light, which pulse much faster than the human eye or many camera's can catch. Indeed you will get the same result if you try and photograph a Turbo or 68 / 88.

 

[JonathanH]

Wednesday's trips look like they are having a go at working in actual Reading to Gatwick timings (albeit with a stop at Ash instead of North Camp).

Realtime Trains - 510I 0915 Reading Traincare Depot to Reading Traincare Depot

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Realtime Trains - 528I 1232 Reading Traincare Depot to Reading Traincare Depot

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

I guess the interesting thing is how it performs against the 769 schedules with the slightly slower running times relative to the Turbo timings that applied between 1995 and 2018.

 

[aleggatta]

Anyone know if a retractable version of shoegear has been fitted or just appropriate ramps to the third rail that might have been missing on the appropriate junctions?

 

[big all]

Anyone know if a retractable version of shoegear has been fitted or just appropriate ramps to the third rail that might have been missing on the appropriate junctions?

Shoes must always be retracted otherwise all shoes are live by default on the unit even if only one is in touch with the juice rail
all dual mode traction as part off change from one to the other involves full isolation from the other mode/s to operate??
you can often check [shoe down button on a 73]if powers available to swap to but you never run with more than one mode directly connected with "changeover" isolating from then connecting too to avoid danger off cross feed ??

 

[JN114]

Anyone know if a retractable version of shoegear has been fitted or just appropriate ramps to the third rail that might have been missing on the appropriate junctions?

769s retain the fixed shoegear of their donor 319s.

I believe all areas that may have needed ramps have been checked for ramps and those needed installed.

 

[skyhigh]

I would hope not (and it seems to be a quirk of LEDs and fast shutter speeds), but errors can, and do, occur in any system. It makes me wonder, do modern control systems have indicators for failed lights? Would the driver visually check the rear before leaving the depot?

Modern trains do have indicators for failed lamps. Some older stock (such as 158s) have mimic panels inside the cab which also indicate if a lamp is failed, but I don't sign 769s so I don't know if they're fitted. The crew also check the head/tail lights are illuminated prior to departure and when changing ends. In addition, a train is able to proceed at linespeed with only a single tail lamp lit. To be honest, failed lamps aren't really a massive problem.

 

[big all]

769s retain the fixed shoegear of their donor 319s.

I believe all areas that may have needed ramps have been checked for ramps and those needed installed.

on a 319 they are not actually fixed they raise rather than fully retract like a 73 but well clear off the electric rail

 

[3973EXL]

STP 15/06

Realtime Trains - FRGT 0945 Burton Ot Wetmore Sidings to Reading Traincare Depot

5Q76 dep 6 early.

 

[warwickshire]

5Q76 dep 6 early.

Hauled by 57305 and haulage was 769959 passed through Warwick on time.

 

[AM9]

Modern trains do have indicators for failed lamps. Some older stock (such as 158s) have mimic panels inside the cab which also indicate if a lamp is failed, but I don't sign 769s so I don't know if they're fitted. The crew also check the head/tail lights are illuminated prior to departure and when changing ends. In addition, a train is able to proceed at linespeed with only a single tail lamp lit. To be honest, failed lamps aren't really a massive problem.

Rules aside, an EMU that has lost one or more of it's cars is unlikely to go unnoticed by it's driver, or any bystander.

 

[aleggatta]

Shoes must always be retracted otherwise all shoes are live by default on the unit even if only one is in touch with the juice rail
all dual mode traction as part off change from one to the other involves full isolation from the other mode/s to operate??
you can often check [shoe down button on a 73]if powers available to swap to but you never run with more than one mode directly connected with "changeover" isolating from then connecting too to avoid danger off cross feed ??

I mean, even the 700s have fixed shoe gear (this caused some of the ‘lost shoes’ incidents on the GN side when they first started visiting there.) As part of training you are taught to always consider shoe gear live, even if you know it is fully isolated. The traction changeover system will be set up to not allow parallel feeds on the units, so to that end even with fixed shoegear they will only become live in a platform with third rail present? The reason for my question was more as I don’t believe a design of retractable shoegear exists for this bogie design etc, but this has been answered now.

 

[JN114]

on a 319 they are not actually fixed they raise rather than fully retract like a 73 but well clear off the electric rail

There’s vertical “play” yes, to allow for bumps etc. but there is no mechanical means of retracting them at all, the traincrew would have to go lineside and manually tie them up if they needed to be actually raised. Any isolation as you put it, at least on the EMUs I’ve dealt with (387s and 769s) is all handled within the train - although to a 769, Diesel and DC mode are the same, and the diesel generators are tied directly into the shoe bus, they’re just a 319 with Diesel engines that pretend to be the 3rd rail.

 

[Senna1210]

769 shoe gear is fixed its as was on the 319 its not posible to raise it
the 769 gwr units have a mimic panel inside on the header panel for the headlights/tailights so the driver can see what is on

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

769s retain the fixed shoegear of their donor 319s.

I believe all areas that may have needed ramps have been checked for ramps and those needed installed.

The shoegear has been moved to the inner bogie though - layouts are generally setup with gaps positioned to avoid a 4 car gapping

 

[big all]

its is 30 years since i trained on 319 so perhaps false memories sorry if i am wrong and have misled ??
we got them on the southern when the first class 319 allowed the cascade to southern suburban servivces ??

 

[Class319&373]

According to RTT it looks like there may be two units heading to Gatwick today

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K06066/2021-06-16/detailed

Realtime Trains - 528I 1232 Reading Traincare Depot to Reading Traincare Depot

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[JonathanH]

According to RTT it looks like there may be two units heading to Gatwick today

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K06066/2021-06-16/detailed

Realtime Trains - 528I 1232 Reading Traincare Depot to Reading Traincare Depot

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Isn't it the same one? There are two trips but the turnaround time at Reading enables then to be the same one.