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|rowspan=2|'''Class 185'''
|rowspan=2|'''Class 185'''
|First TransPennine Express
|First TransPennine Express
South West Trains
|align=center|51
|align=center|51
|align=center|2005–2006
|align=center|2005–2006
|align=center|3
|align=center|3
|185101 - 185151
|185101 - 185151
185152 - 185249
|-
|-
| colspan="6" align="center"|[[File:Class 185 Transpennine Express Diagram.PNG|650px]]
| colspan="6" align="center"|[[File:Class 185 Transpennine Express Diagram.PNG|650px]]
[[File:Class 185 South West Trains Diagram.PNG]]
|}
|}



Revision as of 15:31, 24 July 2013

British Rail Class 185 Pennine Desiro
First TransPennine Express Class 185 Pennine Desiro 185 149 at Meadowhall Interchange in 2011
The interior of Standard Class aboard the Siemens Class 185 Pennine Desiro
In service14 March 2006 - Present
ManufacturerSiemens[1]
Family nameDesiro
Constructed2005 - 2006
Number built51 trainsets
Formation3 cars per trainset[1]
Capacity154 standard class, 15 first class[1]
OperatorsFirst TransPennine Express
DepotsArdwick depot[2]
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium
Car length23.763 m (77 ft 11.6 in)[1]
Width2.673 m (8 ft 9.2 in) [3]
Height3.71 m (12 ft 2 in) (max)[1]
Maximum speed100 mph (160 km/h)[1]
Weight168.5 t (185.7 short tons; 165.8 long tons)[1]
axle load 18.5 t (20.4 short tons; 18.2 long tons) max[1]
Prime mover(s)Cummins QSK19
1 per car (3 in standard formation)[1]
Power output560 kW (750 hp) at 2100 rpm
TransmissionVoith Hydraulic T312BRE
2 axles driven per car
Safety system(s)AWS, TPWS
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge

The Class 185 Pennine Desiro is a diesel multiple-unit passenger train of the Desiro family built by Siemens in Germany for the British train operating company First TransPennine Express.

51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million.[4]

The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 350, 360, 380, 444 and 450.

Background and history

Fifty-one of these three-carriage 185s, together with nine two-carriage 170s, have replaced the Class 158s (North and South Transpennine Express routes), Class 175s (Manchester Airport to Blackpool/Cumbria routes) and Class 220/221 Voyager trains (operated by Virgin Trains on Manchester to Scotland routes).

The trains are members of the Desiro family, of which electric variants were already serving in Britain as Classes 350, 360, 444, and 450 at the time of their introduction.

Depots : The first train started operating on 14 March 2006 and the full roll-out of all 51 was completed by December 2006. Two depots have been built in Manchester and York to maintain the trains, along with a new fuelling facility in Cleethorpes.

Design

The Class 185s were originally delivered in First's then rail livery, they were revinyled into 'dynamic lines' before entering service

These trains are powered by Cummins QSK19-R engines through a Voith 3 speed hydrodynamic transmission powering both axles on one bogie per car with the other bogie unpowered. Mechanically the trains are very similar to Alstom's Class 180 Coradia DMUs[dubiousdiscuss][citation needed] although the 185s have a lower top speed of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).[1]

The Class 185 trains are designed to be quick accelerators and faster at climbing hills; First TransPennine Express expect these trains to be able to make up time more easily than the 158s should they be delayed, due to the higher acceleration afforded by the 2,250 horsepower (1,680 kW) provided by a 185's engines (as compared with a Class 158 with 1,050 hp (780 kW) provided by a 3 car set). The Class 185 however is much heavier than a Class 158 unit and some complaints have been raised about engine noise being substantial from standing starts. The 185's are much more audible in respect of engine noise compared to Alstom's Coradia Class 175 and 180 generation of units.

The units have higher axle weight and lower route availability (RA 5 compared to the RA 2 of a Class 158) which means they are too heavy to run at the faster speed limits designed for sprinter class trains that are in place on some parts of the First TransPennine Express network. Therefore they can only run at the lower standard speed limits.[citation needed] Due to the higher acceleration of the Class 185 they are still able to run to the Class 158 timings on these routes.[citation needed]

The first units were delivered from Siemens in the old First livery, these were converted to the new First 'Dynamic lines' livery using vinyl wraps upon arrival in the United Kingdom. Later arrivals were delivered blank and given vinyls at Ardwick Depot, Manchester.

Eco-Mode

Class 185 No. 185141 at York

Class 185 units can be operated in 'Eco-Mode', which allows one or more of the units' engines to be shut down when not needed to save fuel, without affecting journey times or passenger comfort.[5] In Eco Mode the weight of the isolated 750hp engine is still substantial and it has been raised that the Class 185 is not an economical train in these fuel efficient times.

Each of the three carriages in the unit has an engine and all three are used when accelerating out of stations. However, when travelling downhill or running at line speed, only two are needed. Additionally, the train uses only one engine in empty stock moves to depots, and automatically turns off all idling engines when the train is stationary.[5] The result is that the units require 7% less fuel.[5] For the entire fleet of 51 units, carbon emissions are reduced by 12 tonnes (12 long tons) each day; over 12 months, 1,800,000 litres (400,000 imp gal) of fuel is saved.[6] Furthermore, as the engines are idling less and thus operating less (engine hours reduced by two hours a day per train), their service life may be extended by 15%.[6]

Passenger comfort

The interior of First Class aboard the Class 185.

The general ambience of the trains is rather more commuter-like than the 158s, with wide double doors at 1/3 and 2/3 of the way down the carriages, rather than the usual long-distance train narrow doors at the carriage ends. There is increased standing room, and around half of all seats are arranged around tables of four.[4]

The loss of seats relative to an equivalent three-coach 158 means that more passengers have to stand at peak times. An increase in passenger numbers since the trains were brought into operation has meant that some passengers are unable to board 185s at peak times due to them being seriously overcrowded.[7]

The air conditioning on board these trains has, in the past, attracted many complaints from passengers as it was set too cold. A software modification has now been completed and the temperature is somewhat improved: complaints from passengers regarding the temperature have decreased. In the recent cold weather this was a much more serious problem.[4]

Like on 175s, the amount of leg room is good because the backs of the seats are thinner and firmer than on trains such as the 158 and the 170.[4] Additionally there are dedicated wheelchair areas and disabled toilets, additional capacity for bicycles as well as on board CCTV and emergency call points.

The new trains have proved popular with commuters who regularly use the 185s on short journeys. However, they have proved unpopular with long distance travellers who find the standard class seating too firm to sit on for up to four hours,[4] and find the engines to be noisy. [citation needed] There are reclining seats in First Class, in 2+1 layout, an improvement on the 2+2 layout on the Transpennine Class 158s which they replaced.[4]

Operations

Almost all First Transpennine Express Services are operated by 185s, except for the Manchester Piccadilly – Hull service which are mostly run by a Class 170 Turbostar train.[8] This is due to the speed and weight problems between Selby and Hull. Class 170's also operate a few of the services between Manchester Airport and Cleethorpes via Doncaster and on some Sunday only services between Manchester and York but this has met with criticism as this has resulted in further overcrowding on an already congested route.

To free up stock for Manchester Airport to Scotland services, First TransPennine Express dramatically decreased the frequency of the Manchester Airport to Windermere route from 9 December 2007.[9] This means that 185s are now used on the relatively short journeys of Preston to Windermere, approximately one hour in length, and the shorter journey of Oxenholme to Windermere of twenty minutes.[10]

The 185s are seen as too small for many of the TransPennine Express services,[7][11] and it was suggested in 2008 that eight-carriage units will be needed by 2014[12] which will need to have a top speed of at least 100 mph (160 km/h) to meet targets for reducing journey times.[12] However, in 2009 further electrification of lines in the North West was announced, including the Manchester to Preston Line, the missing link non-electric section on services between Manchester and Scotland. On completion of electrification, TransPennine services between Manchester and Scotland will be operated by a new build of four-car 110mph Class 350 Desiro electric multiple units. The Blackpool Branch Lines will also be electrified, enabling Manchester-Blackpool services to also switch, though this will be after the end of the current TransPennine Express franchise. Electrification will enable the diesel stock currently used on these services to be transferred to other services, likely eliminating the need to order new diesel carriages.[13][14][15]

Fleet details

Class Operator No. Built Year Built Cars per Set Unit nos.
Class 185 First TransPennine Express

South West Trains

51 2005–2006 3 185101 - 185151

185152 - 185249

File:Class 185 South West Trains Diagram.PNG

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Desiro UK DMU Class 185 fact sheet siemens.com
  2. ^ "Siemens Ardwick facility". Siemens. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
  3. ^ Railway Gazette International
  4. ^ a b c d e f "The Pennine Class 185 experience" (PDF). Passenger Focus. 2007-05. Retrieved 2008-06-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b c "Eco-Mode saves 1.8m litres of fuel for the Class 185 fleet". Siemens Transportation. 2007-11-30. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  6. ^ a b "Easing up on throttle saves two million litres of diesel a year". Railnews.co.uk. 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  7. ^ a b Anyone for a game of train sardines?
  8. ^ "170 Picture Gallery". Railfaneurope.net. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  9. ^ "Mid Cheshire Rail Report No. 68". Mid-Cheshire Rail Users Association. 2006-06. Retrieved 2008-06-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Cumbria and Scottish Services Timetable 18th May – 7th September 2008" (PDF). First TransPennine Express. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  11. ^ Leeds City Region Transport Vision
  12. ^ a b articles with dead external links%5d%5d%5b%5bCategory:Articles with dead external links from October 2009%5d%5d[%5b%5bWikipedia:Link rot|dead link%5d%5d] "The development of the December 2008 rail timetable within Greater Manchester" (PDF). Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. 2008-02-01. Retrieved 2008-06-04. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  13. ^ West Coast Main Line route utilisation strategy, Network Rail.
  14. ^ "Britain's Transport Infrastructure: Rail Electrification" (PDF). Department for Transport. 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  15. ^ Rail Passengers in the North of England and Scotland to benefit from new trains - First TransPennine Express. Retrieved 2012-03-16.