It's cool seeing you near me (Newcastle).. I've been watching your North American trips for a while. Many thanks and keep up the good work! P.s how does it take them 16 minutes to grab a bottle of water and some pre packaged snacks? 😅🤣
Class 180s Back When They Were With First Great Western Did Have Curtains Along With Personal Reading Lights In Their First Class Compartment But When They Transferred To Grand Central In 2017 They Were Given a Refurbishment Which Saw These Things Removed From The First Class Section
With Grand Central the price difference between 1st and 2nd class can be quite low so not a bad upgrade. Avanti West Coast has probably the best first class offering but you certainly pay a lot for the privilege.
AVWC's first class was certainly nice, though my favorite was easily onboard one of LNER's 225s. The seats were much more comfortable than most other services, and the fresh cooked meal was fantastic.
@@LonestarTrips Note that AVWC did upgrade F class not so long ago. It's more like Business Premier on Eurostar than F class and is sold at a premium price.
I would suggest Avanti & LNER are pretty close and definitely the best on the network. I can find reasonably good prices for LNER 1st class but Avanti always seem to be top price. Although Avanti do the Standard Premium which is a first class carriage without the service, so really good if you just want the bigger seats and quieter environment.
Hey I live in doncaster I know it is a busy stasion plus I LOVEEE TRAINS! AND AVANTI WEST HAS ONE OF THE BEST FIRST CLASS PROB! AND THE HUGE STIK ON THE TRAIN IS CALLEED A PANTOGRAPH AND I REALLY EANT TO GO SKEGNESS LIKE REALLY. I LOVEEE TRAINS!
You were lucky to travel at all - Grand Central have the highest cancellation rate in the country (around 10% of services are cancelled) at the moment due to the unreliability of the 180s. Interestingly, when Hull Trains had the 180s, it once had a period of about 5 days where it didn’t run a single train because every unit was out of service with technical faults.
The Class 180s are actually pretty good if you ignore the poor ride. And the uncomfortable seats. And the roar of the Cummins diesel engines (if you mind that). And certainly its reliability. In fairness, it is by far the cheapest way to get from the North to the South by rail, usually costing ⅓ to ½ the fare of a similar journey offered by LNER.
Don’t forget the vital rail link it provides to areas generally underserved by the franchise system. LNER provide hardly any service to Bradford, whereas GC operate multiple daily services, giving passengers a much easier single seat ride to London rather than changing at Leeds for example (even if it is a little slower!)
I enjoyed your video as always. One point Id like to mention....You talk about your stature but you don't mention how tall you are. It'd be great if you'd tell us that when you review the seat spacing. That way we'll understand if youre dealing with a situation that most of us will deal with (if you're around 6ft) or wouldn't be a concern to most of us (if you're like 6'5").
Sorry, I totally should’ve mentioned that. I’m 6’ 3.” I’ve mentioned it in previous videos, hence why I left it out this time, but I’ll be sure to include it whenever I mention it moving forward.
Ex owner of those Mk 3 HST carriages,Great Western,also designed the Adelante and stopped using them at least 10 years ago.Northern used them for a bit too plus Hull Trains.Very unusual as I believe that they are diesel hydraulic as opposed to diesel electric which is the norm these days.
From what I've seen the diesel-hydrualic is actually quite common in DMUs, I know TFW uses diesel-hydrualic DMUs extensively. My suspicion is the transmission and drive mechanism takes up less space under the cars than a huge alternator, electrical equipment and dynamic braking grids. And the engine can use a smaller alternator to provide power for the car. Remember, DMUs have to fit those engines and drive units under the floor
Is it normal to run diesels on the ECML? I would've assumed the entire route from Bradford to London is electrified with Bradford basically being a suburb of Leeds. Also funny how much bigger the Azuma look, despite not being particularly large themselves, especially when you put them next to something like a TGV or Eurostar
1:51 Transport for Wales’ and West Midlands Trains’ class 197 and 196 DMUs respectively Civities are end gangway and the rest of the vehicle is the same as the 331/195
Grand Central should keep the Class 180 Adelantes because not only they are the best rolling stocks used on the East Coast Main Line and are diesel-electric. But also they are so reliable and so efficient.
I'm not entirely sure. It depends a lot on the torque converter efficiency and comparative alternator and AC motor efficiency from a more traditional traction system. It does reduce the complexity of the driveline by removing the conversion from electrical to mechanical and back to electrical, so that could be part of the reason why.
@@LonestarTrips I'm more surprised they'd run this on the 100% electrified ECML. With UK diesel prices the operating cost has to be considerably higher than an electric train.
Even the TFW DMUs can manage 100mph. Using basically the same drivetrain though with smaller engines, the class 175s literally use Cummins N14 lorry engines, the QSK19s in these are considerably bigger.
I'm glad you were able to make an exception for this one! I plan on covering more European services in the future, so I hope you can join me for some more interesting services.
When with GWR, there was a consumer rebellion against these 180s where GWR had to bow to pressure and bring back the class 43 HST’s because they were so awful and not up to the job. Sadly those HSTs are either in, or are on their way to, either Mexico or Nigeria. So we’re stuck with this sort of sub optimal train along with the Hitachi 80X classes
@@mrvwbug4423 Interesting that "brexit" was used to represent decline. It seems to only have caused some additional bureaucracy for imports and exports. Surely the real catastrophic decline of the UK and the collective west was triggered by the covid lockdowns and the NATO provocation leading to the Ukraine war?
It's cool seeing you near me (Newcastle).. I've been watching your North American trips for a while. Many thanks and keep up the good work! P.s how does it take them 16 minutes to grab a bottle of water and some pre packaged snacks? 😅🤣
Class 180s Back When They Were With First Great Western Did Have Curtains Along With Personal Reading Lights In Their First Class Compartment But When They Transferred To Grand Central In 2017 They Were Given a Refurbishment Which Saw These Things Removed From The First Class Section
With Grand Central the price difference between 1st and 2nd class can be quite low so not a bad upgrade. Avanti West Coast has probably the best first class offering but you certainly pay a lot for the privilege.
AVWC's first class was certainly nice, though my favorite was easily onboard one of LNER's 225s. The seats were much more comfortable than most other services, and the fresh cooked meal was fantastic.
@@LonestarTrips Note that AVWC did upgrade F class not so long ago. It's more like Business Premier on Eurostar than F class and is sold at a premium price.
I would suggest Avanti & LNER are pretty close and definitely the best on the network. I can find reasonably good prices for LNER 1st class but Avanti always seem to be top price. Although Avanti do the Standard Premium which is a first class carriage without the service, so really good if you just want the bigger seats and quieter environment.
Hey I live in doncaster I know it is a busy stasion plus I LOVEEE TRAINS! AND AVANTI WEST HAS ONE OF THE BEST FIRST CLASS PROB! AND THE HUGE STIK ON THE TRAIN IS CALLEED A PANTOGRAPH AND I REALLY EANT TO GO SKEGNESS LIKE REALLY. I LOVEEE TRAINS!
You were lucky to travel at all - Grand Central have the highest cancellation rate in the country (around 10% of services are cancelled) at the moment due to the unreliability of the 180s. Interestingly, when Hull Trains had the 180s, it once had a period of about 5 days where it didn’t run a single train because every unit was out of service with technical faults.
Indeed, Almost every day GC's social media team reports one or more cancellations.
The Class 180s are actually pretty good if you ignore the poor ride. And the uncomfortable seats. And the roar of the Cummins diesel engines (if you mind that). And certainly its reliability. In fairness, it is by far the cheapest way to get from the North to the South by rail, usually costing ⅓ to ½ the fare of a similar journey offered by LNER.
Don’t forget the vital rail link it provides to areas generally underserved by the franchise system. LNER provide hardly any service to Bradford, whereas GC operate multiple daily services, giving passengers a much easier single seat ride to London rather than changing at Leeds for example (even if it is a little slower!)
So basically outside of their service to Bradford, Lumo would likely put them out of business, running a low cost service on Azumas on the ECML.
love the video amazing job💯🙏🏽🙏🏽 when are you coming out with a Sliver Service report tho?
I've got my tickets on the Silver Star booked for December, so expect the video to come out early next year!
Looks comfy and probably worth it just to avoid the crowds in standard class.
How was the ride quality at 120mph? Are the diesels noisy?
I enjoyed your video as always. One point Id like to mention....You talk about your stature but you don't mention how tall you are. It'd be great if you'd tell us that when you review the seat spacing. That way we'll understand if youre dealing with a situation that most of us will deal with (if you're around 6ft) or wouldn't be a concern to most of us (if you're like 6'5").
Sorry, I totally should’ve mentioned that. I’m 6’ 3.” I’ve mentioned it in previous videos, hence why I left it out this time, but I’ll be sure to include it whenever I mention it moving forward.
I really like some of these European videos, it shows some stuff I probably will never see.
I plan on heading to Europe next year to really get into the different systems around the continent, so expect more coming in the future.
@@LonestarTrips Nice, definitely looking forward to seeing more!
Amazing you travelled on one that never caught fire
Ex owner of those Mk 3 HST carriages,Great Western,also designed the Adelante and stopped using them at least 10 years ago.Northern used them for a bit too plus Hull Trains.Very unusual as I believe that they are diesel hydraulic as opposed to diesel electric which is the norm these days.
EMR also used the 180s until recently. GC is acquiring some SuperVoyager units which initially will operate to West Yorkshire.
From what I've seen the diesel-hydrualic is actually quite common in DMUs, I know TFW uses diesel-hydrualic DMUs extensively. My suspicion is the transmission and drive mechanism takes up less space under the cars than a huge alternator, electrical equipment and dynamic braking grids. And the engine can use a smaller alternator to provide power for the car. Remember, DMUs have to fit those engines and drive units under the floor
the downshift is so cool
Is it normal to run diesels on the ECML? I would've assumed the entire route from Bradford to London is electrified with Bradford basically being a suburb of Leeds. Also funny how much bigger the Azuma look, despite not being particularly large themselves, especially when you put them next to something like a TGV or Eurostar
The route GC take between Doncaster and Bradford Interchange isn’t electrified. The line into Bradford Forster Square from Leeds however is electric.
That definitely seems like business class, not 1st class. What are the prices for 1st vs coach?
The price difference is only around £15-20 ($18.75-25 USD), which honestly isn't bad for the bigger seats on an almost two hour ride.
1:51 Transport for Wales’ and West Midlands Trains’ class 197 and 196 DMUs respectively Civities are end gangway and the rest of the vehicle is the same as the 331/195
the 180's did the Swansea - paddington route ... but failed.. so were taken off
where and what do you study
That's a perfect question for a QnA 😉
Grand Central should keep the Class 180 Adelantes because not only they are the best rolling stocks used on the East Coast Main Line and are diesel-electric. But also they are so reliable and so efficient.
It’s that a joke? Grand Central has the highest cancellation rate in the country due to the 180s being so unreliable.
@@Bungle-UK Paul Tyreman Did Have a Good Point About That Lol 😂
Stats for Nerds Sections - so is that system better than the normal train?
I'm not entirely sure. It depends a lot on the torque converter efficiency and comparative alternator and AC motor efficiency from a more traditional traction system. It does reduce the complexity of the driveline by removing the conversion from electrical to mechanical and back to electrical, so that could be part of the reason why.
@@LonestarTripsthank you for the reply.
@@LonestarTrips I'm more surprised they'd run this on the 100% electrified ECML. With UK diesel prices the operating cost has to be considerably higher than an electric train.
I hope you get to see the new NightJet when it debuts next month. Those little pods seem really interesting.
I really want to, though I'm based in the US, and I don't have the flexibility currently to head over to Europe for the first few services.
It isn't unusual for DMUs to be Hydraulic, just not on high speed trains
Which is why the 180 is so unique, given hydraulic transmission isn’t generally considered to be ideal for high speed operations
Even the TFW DMUs can manage 100mph. Using basically the same drivetrain though with smaller engines, the class 175s literally use Cummins N14 lorry engines, the QSK19s in these are considerably bigger.
Great video as always, I’ve never really liked non American trains but this is a exception
I'm glad you were able to make an exception for this one! I plan on covering more European services in the future, so I hope you can join me for some more interesting services.
When with GWR, there was a consumer rebellion against these 180s where GWR had to bow to pressure and bring back the class 43 HST’s because they were so awful and not up to the job. Sadly those HSTs are either in, or are on their way to, either Mexico or Nigeria. So we’re stuck with this sort of sub optimal train along with the Hitachi 80X classes
I've heard the Azumas ride quite rough when compared to slightly older rolling stock like the Pendolinos.
6:07 i find that very offensive!
😂 I knew is should’ve called them crisps!
my sister calls pain au chocolat 'chocolate crossiant' 💀
@@mudchute4dlr bruh of course you have a sister! I'm sick of it! I have no sister
can we call this 'brexit' service? certainly NO 1Class!!!
I don't understand your comment? Brexit service?
@@lemonaid2216 A jab at the general decline in UK public services since Brexit
@@mrvwbug4423 Interesting that "brexit" was used to represent decline. It seems to only have caused some additional bureaucracy for imports and exports. Surely the real catastrophic decline of the UK and the collective west was triggered by the covid lockdowns and the NATO provocation leading to the Ukraine war?
THIS SERVICE should be SCRAPPED so DISCUSTING ,
NEVER AGAIN .