SWR Metro fleet permanent withdrawals

[Flange Squeal]

There are a few photos on Flickr now, showing 455868 in its BR blue/grey livery passing through Farnborough, near Winchfield and near Millbrook respectively.

455868 & 455909 5Y51 Farnborough (Main), Hampshire 06/03/2024

South Western Railway class 455 EMU's 455868 & 455909 are seen passing through Farnborough (Main) station, Hampshire whilst working 5Y51, 14:32 Bournemouth T&R.S.M.D - Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings ECS movement on 06/03/2024. 455868 has just emerged from Bournemouth Depot paint shops carrying...

flic.kr

455868 & 455909 at Potbridge

5Y51 1432 Bournemouth TRSMD to Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings

flic.kr

Retro 455

Not really my thing, but when in Rome... Unit 455868 leads sister 455909 as the 5Y51 Bournemouth T&RSMD to Wimbledon Park at Freemantle, Southampton on Wednesday 6 March 2024

flic.kr

 

[SWT_USER]

RTT is reporting a fairly dire situation on the Readings today (well, could be worse, but still far from acceptable)
A 4 car 455 on the same diagram that seems to be short formed every day and and 5 car 458
Incidentally it's 458521, which I believe was reported at being the next to go for pointless refurbishment

It's awful at the moment on the Windsor side. Not sure why SWR think it appropriate to run a staff jolly to Bournemouth using stock that is desperately needed for paying passengers.

 

[boiledbeans2]

There are a few photos on Flickr now, showing 455868 in its BR blue/grey livery passing through Farnborough, near Winchfield and near Millbrook respectively.

455868 & 455909 5Y51 Farnborough (Main), Hampshire 06/03/2024

South Western Railway class 455 EMU's 455868 & 455909 are seen passing through Farnborough (Main) station, Hampshire whilst working 5Y51, 14:32 Bournemouth T&R.S.M.D - Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings ECS movement on 06/03/2024. 455868 has just emerged from Bournemouth Depot paint shops carrying...

flic.kr

455868 & 455909 at Potbridge

5Y51 1432 Bournemouth TRSMD to Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings

flic.kr

Retro 455

Not really my thing, but when in Rome... Unit 455868 leads sister 455909 as the 5Y51 Bournemouth T&RSMD to Wimbledon Park at Freemantle, Southampton on Wednesday 6 March 2024

flic.kr

I would have preferred the white window bands continuing through the doors. Now it breaks up before the doors.
And "South Western Railway" written on BR blue should be classed as vandalism!

As a side note: how did the Class 313 get away with non-compliant door colours? One of the last GN 313s was painted in NSE livery, and the NSE toothpaste livery continued through the doors, making it non-compliant.

 

[Waterlemon]

It's awful at the moment on the Windsor side. Not sure why SWR think it appropriate to run a staff jolly to Bournemouth using stock that is desperately needed for paying passengers.

The stock needed to be moved up from Bournemouth anyway so why not?

 

[gabrielhj07]

It's awful at the moment on the Windsor side. Not sure why SWR think it appropriate to run a staff jolly to Bournemouth using stock that is desperately needed for paying passengers.

They had to get it from Bournemouth to Wimbledon somehow. No harm done.

 

[WarrenTManager]

I would have preferred the white window bands continuing through the doors. Now it breaks up before the doors.
And "South Western Railway" written on BR blue should be classed as vandalism!

As a side note: how did the Class 313 get away with non-compliant door colours? One of the last GN 313s was painted in NSE livery, and the NSE toothpaste livery continued through the doors, making it non-compliant.

Wasn’t the 313 vinyled in NSE on one car for the farewell run only? I assume that meant there was then some concession or derogation for the non-compliance for one trip that was stewarded.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

I would have preferred the white window bands continuing through the doors. Now it breaks up before the doors.

I suspect when the paint job was first started this may have been trialled to see how it looked with the grey doors perhaps? Sometimes what might look nice in one's minds eye (remembering them in their original version as I do), when actually applied with the (door) variation may have looked pants!

It's awful at the moment on the Windsor side. Not sure why SWR think it appropriate to run a staff jolly to Bournemouth using stock that is desperately needed for paying passengers.

There has been for many years requirements for 455's to attend Bournemouth depot for heavy overhaul work/painting, that being the location that has the capacity for this work, whereas Wimbledon doesn't. Units are worked there and back via Q (as required) trips, on a rotational basis. The run planned for Monday with 5868 was just such a working, the unit being returned to Wimbledon to re-enter passenger service. Obviously it was cancelled (as it would have been had it been running as the usual Q trip) as a result of the incident at Walton on Thames.
It returned to Wimbledon yesterday, and provided all was well, no doubt it is back in service today.

 

[Flange Squeal]

It returned to Wimbledon yesterday, and provided all was well, no doubt it is back in service today.

It is indeed in normal passenger service today. It's appearing on Real Time Trains in its new livery and can be tracked by typing 455868 into the 'Quick Search' and it'll come up with what service it is currently on (not sure if there is a way to provide a link to this information).

Realtime Trains

Realtime Trains is an independent source of live realtime running information for the Great British railway network.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[boiledbeans2]

I suspect when the paint job was first started this may have been trialled to see how it looked with the grey doors perhaps? Sometimes what might look nice in one's minds eye (remembering them in their original version as I do), when actually applied with the (door) variation may have looked pants!

The Southern 313 in BR blue with continuous bands looks much better than the SWR BR blue 455. But I see they didn't paint the edges next to the door on the 313 white though, i.e. the surfaces facing the front and back of the train.

See photo from the internet (at least they didn't apply the Southern logo on BR blue!):

https://images.hattons.co.uk/subcategories/3145066.jpg?v=131222-152723

It is indeed in normal passenger service today. It's appearing on Real Time Trains in its new livery and can be tracked by typing 455858 into the 'Quick Search' and it'll come up with what service it is currently on (not sure if there is a way to provide a link to this information).

Realtime Trains

Realtime Trains is an independent source of live realtime running information for the Great British railway network.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

I like the detail on RTT! It matches the BR blue livery with the non-continuous white bands!

 

[Big Jumby 74]

The Southern 313 in BR blue with continuous bands looks much better

Have to say, on seeing that image, I do agree.

 

[onlyspaceghost]

It is indeed in normal passenger service today. It's appearing on Real Time Trains in its new livery and can be tracked by typing 455858 into the 'Quick Search' and it'll come up with what service it is currently on (not sure if there is a way to provide a link to this information).

Realtime Trains

Realtime Trains is an independent source of live realtime running information for the Great British railway network.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

It's 455 868!

 

[TEW]

Looks like more shuffling around of stock from April to cope with 458s leaving. 450s taking over 458 diagrams. As was probably inevitable the mainline side will see capacity reductions as a result. This does seem to have been done in the way to maintain as much capacity as possible though. So 12-450 being replaced by 10-444 and 10-444 being replaced by 9-444/450 comes up quite often. Will see quite an increase in 444 usage on Alton and Basingstoke stopper services which will please some there for sure. There is an increase in the use of 450s on the Bournemouth portion of Weymouth services though.

 

[swt_passenger]

Looks like more shuffling around of stock from April to cope with 458s leaving. 450s taking over 458 diagrams. As was probably inevitable the mainline side will see capacity reductions as a result. This does seem to have been done in the way to maintain as much capacity as possible though. So 12-450 being replaced by 10-444 and 10-444 being replaced by 9-444/450 comes up quite often. Will see quite an increase in 444 usage on Alton and Basingstoke stopper services which will please some there for sure. There is an increase in the use of 450s on the Bournemouth portion of Weymouth services though.

Now that they’re all the same colour scheme perhaps they hope no one will notice…

 

[GW43125]

Looks like more shuffling around of stock from April to cope with 458s leaving. 450s taking over 458 diagrams. As was probably inevitable the mainline side will see capacity reductions as a result. This does seem to have been done in the way to maintain as much capacity as possible though. So 12-450 being replaced by 10-444 and 10-444 being replaced by 9-444/450 comes up quite often. Will see quite an increase in 444 usage on Alton and Basingstoke stopper services which will please some there for sure. There is an increase in the use of 450s on the Bournemouth portion of Weymouth services though.

The question that most of us want to know the answer to is whether 2C18 will go back to having more than 4/5 coaches on!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Will see quite an increase in 444 usage on Alton and Basingstoke stopper services which will please some there for sure.

I, selfishly, am delighted to hear this Might I ask how many 444 worked services there will be on the Alton line?

 

[TEW]

The question that most of us want to know the answer to is whether 2C18 will go back to having more than 4/5 coaches on!

It remains booked 8-455 on paper.

 

[Siemens Staines]

Looks like more shuffling around of stock from April to cope with 458s leaving.

Are the two remaining 707s also going to be gone by April as was suggested when their transfer to SouthEastern was postponed last October, or has that been put back further? Their daily 100% availability since gaining their dedicated diagram in November is impressive.

 

[TEW]

I, selfishly, am delighted to hear this Might I ask how many 444 worked services there will be on the Alton line?

Weekdays it's the 0641, 0844, 1315, 1544 and 1940 from Alton, and 0653, 1123, 1353, 1755 and 1825. So up from 2 in each direction to 5. The 0653/0844 remain as a 5-car, the rest are 10.

Are the two remaining 707s also going to be gone by April as was suggested when their transfer to SouthEastern was postponed last October, or has that been put back further? There daily 100% availability since gaining their dedicated diagram in November is impressive.

Still shown on the same diagram for now.

 

[Goldfish62]

Looks like more shuffling around of stock from April to cope with 458s leaving. 450s taking over 458 diagrams. As was probably inevitable the mainline side will see capacity reductions as a result. This does seem to have been done in the way to maintain as much capacity as possible though. So 12-450 being replaced by 10-444 and 10-444 being replaced by 9-444/450 comes up quite often. Will see quite an increase in 444 usage on Alton and Basingstoke stopper services which will please some there for sure. There is an increase in the use of 450s on the Bournemouth portion of Weymouth services though.

Not surprising. Even the plan to use 455s to Reading is struggling with regular short forms and substitutions.

How long until SWR really doesn't have enough units to operate the current timetable?

 

[cactustwirly]

Looks like more shuffling around of stock from April to cope with 458s leaving. 450s taking over 458 diagrams. As was probably inevitable the mainline side will see capacity reductions as a result. This does seem to have been done in the way to maintain as much capacity as possible though. So 12-450 being replaced by 10-444 and 10-444 being replaced by 9-444/450 comes up quite often. Will see quite an increase in 444 usage on Alton and Basingstoke stopper services which will please some there for sure. There is an increase in the use of 450s on the Bournemouth portion of Weymouth services though.

Are the unconverted 458s being kept for now ie the ex 460.vehicles?

Why aren't the 444s being sent to Portsmouth instead to free up 450s, so there isn't a downgrade to Bournemouth services?

Surely the use of 444s on stopping services will cause delays, with extra dwell times due to the single end doors?

 

[43096]

Are the unconverted 458s being kept for now ie the ex 460.vehicles?

There is one set (458533) that has been awaiting parts for absolutely ages. Given the dire situation you’d think it would be a high priority. But seemingly not.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Are the unconverted 458s being kept for now ie the ex 460.vehicles?

Why aren't the 444s being sent to Portsmouth instead to free up 450s, so there isn't a downgrade to Bournemouth services?

Surely the use of 444s on stopping services will cause delays, with extra dwell times due to the single end doors?

Because this exercise is solely about matching capacity to demand, when there is a stock shortage you have to use the available stock in the most efficient manner as opposed to sometimes the most suitable in terms of comfort.

This is only a temporary position until the 701s finally enter traffic.

 

[45076]

How long until SWR really doesn't have enough units to operate the current timetable?

funny that.... if only they had some new units available to fill the void....

 

[nctd2306]

The question that most of us want to know the answer to is whether 2C18 will go back to having more than 4/5 coaches on!

It was a luxury 10 car 458 today!
Those passengers must have felt like lottery winners today

 

[The_Train]

I, selfishly, am delighted to hear this Might I ask how many 444 worked services there will be on the Alton line?

I am sure all those mainline punters who will now be crammed into a single unit instead of having the luxury of a double set will be equally as delighted.

This is the reality of removing stock without suitable replacement as we are seeing all over the network at the moment

 

[GW43125]

It was a luxury 10 car 458 today!
Those passengers must have felt like lottery winners today

Typical, the one day I don't need to get it! 2C16 was announced as "I'm pleased to announce this train is formed of 10 coaches this morning"!

I can't help but notice that it was reported in journey check as 10 vice 8 this morning, but never gets a look in when it's 4 or 5!

 

[HamworthyGoods]

And "South Western Railway" written on BR blue should be classed as vandalism!

The BR blue 455 serves a route with operator specific fares (Dorking - London) so it is a requirement to have the TOC name prominently displayed on the outside of the train so passengers join the correct service - it is far more important to have the train fit for purpose for the passengers that use it than to be totally authentic. What has been done is a very good compromise.

As a side note: how did the Class 313 get away with non-compliant door colours? One of the last GN 313s was painted in NSE livery, and the NSE toothpaste livery continued through the doors, making it non-compliant

It didn’t run in passenger service just on a private charter.

 

[cactustwirly]

There is one set (458533) that has been awaiting parts for absolutely ages. Given the dire situation you’d think it would be a high priority. But seemingly not.

There should be enough to keep 2x458 diagrams on the Reading line and avoid the faffing with 450s on Weymouths

 

[43096]

There should be enough to keep 2x458 diagrams on the Reading line and avoid the faffing with 450s on Weymouths

There’s eight 458s (529-536) not in the 458/4 project. Should be capable of running 3 x 10-car diagrams from that.

 

[TEW]

There are 6 x 10-car diagrams in April. I'd imagine there will be a further drop in June.