Putting the 185s on a diet: Could they be made light enough for sprinter speeds?

[Aictos]

They would be an improvement on the 170's though!

Nothing wrong with the XC Class 170 fleet apart from the fact that the trains themselves are far too short for the type of Inter Regional services they do indeed I'm happy with XC keeping the fleet but I wouldn't mind if they would lengthen them to all 3 cars or even to 4 cars.

 

[anamyd]

Nothing wrong with the XC Class 170 fleet apart from the fact that the trains themselves are far too short for the type of Inter Regional services they do indeed I'm happy with XC keeping the fleet but I wouldn't mind if they would lengthen them to all 3 cars or even to 4 cars.

The outgoing West Midlands Railway 170s should go to CrossCountry in 2020; let's not forget that those and CrossCountry's current ones were actually one big batch in the Central Trains days before the franchise mergers

Edit: Just read thread title...

 

[edwin_m]

The 185s would be good for Nottingham-Birmingham/Cardiff as their greater power:weight should keep up better with the 220s while making extra stops. Might even end the annoying situations at Derby of the 170 arriving from Birmingham a few minutes ahead of the Voyager and departing to Birmingham a few minutes behind it. Neither makes an official connection between Nottingham and beyond Birmingham, so many such journeys are 30min longer than they would otherwise be.

However I believe the Stansted route has significant sections of SP differential so the 185s would be slower there. But transferring the 170s off the Nottingham route would be a welcome capacity boost.

 

[Higginsafcb]

If there's anything going spare transferring a few to North Wales would be good. The overcrowding is stupid at times.

 

[Prestige15]

I’m pretty sure the 185s are the fastest accelerating DMUs I’ve timed them to 60mph at around 70 seconds with my phones GPS

So far as i know the Desiro GTI is currently the fastest accelerating DMU. But it could get beaten by the 195 but time will tell..

 

[Killingworth]

Only trouble is that they'd have to be run in pairs for capacity, and that would break the franchise stipulation of a through-the-train trolley service...

As it may on the South Pennine route?

 

[LOL The Irony]

Only trouble is that they'd have to be run in pairs for capacity, and that would break the franchise stipulation of a through-the-train trolley service...

They go on fine with 2 trolley's on the Blackpool & Lake District shared service.

So far as i know the Desiro GTI is currently the fastest accelerating DMU. But it could get beaten by the 195 but time will tell..

Apparently, the mechanically same 172's hit a dead spot somewhere before 100MPH.

 

[James_D]

I know this wont happen, but personally i'd like to see the 185's on the Carlisle - Morpeth stoppers/semi fast once all the timetable changes and possibly even taking over the Carlisle - Boro Northern Connects. They'd be good on the hilly bits in the Tyne Valley then they can stretch their legs on the ECML to Morpeth/Boro.

 

[talltim]

For every 220 you replace you lose 40 or so seats, XC needs more capacity not less!
Sam

They have more than infinite times more seats than a Voyager that isn’t running because it might get its hair wet tho, which was the point