When Wain managed that 15x fleet it underwent refurbishment, with the Class 153s and 156s visiting Neville Hill for work. Is this something that could happen again? Delta Rail at Derby refurbished the Class 158s, but the fleet requires work in 2016, including the installation of toilets and various other components to make them PRM-TSI compatible.
Wain is keen to bid for these contracts: “We will go for that work. We have the core competencies for extra work. It does not affect the core fleet. You need less competency for overhaul than for a usual exam or maintenance.”
This is an interesting point, and Wain elaborates: “Overhaul or refurbishment is about taking bits out and putting them back in. It is a lot of work. Performance modifications can be done. The skill base then changes, and it is simple compared to the day job.
“A C6 may have a wiring change. It has almost been a case of ‘fit and forget’. For the age of the trains, some of the wiring is getting brittle. We are doing performance enhancement, and we have a modification that puts wiring into detectors. It is only because of the environment they are in. You wouldn’t touch this unless you have to.”
Roberts explains that fitting WiFi to the trains, be it the 15x fleet or an HST, is an example of this. The main line HSTs and ‘222’ fleets have WiFi, but the 15x fleet does not.
“It doesn’t matter what you want to do,” says Wain. “If things have to be done then passengers will not know. It will be hidden and protected.”
She tells RAIL that ride monitoring equipment is being fitted to trains, to monitor the data received and to carry out comparisons. A simple box is fitted to the trains - it requires GPS, so that means an aerial must be fitted to the vehicle roof. The box itself is fitted in an enclosure behind a seat inside the train.
The work is being carried out on the HST fleet, with four Trailer Guards Standard (TGS) vehicles being fitted. The modification requires new wires, power and a new circuit breaker.
“It couldn’t be a simpler modification in theory,” says Wain. “It is a little thing, and it is a brilliant idea.”
It takes two days to fit the TGS. There is no set fitting pattern, with the equipment fitted randomly to four vehicles. The first was done at the start of December.
Wain says EMT supports the work because it will also help its HSTs. New modified dampers have been fitted, and there is a belief that ride quality has been reduced. While this equipment has been fitted to enable NR to monitor the state of the track on the Midland Main Line, in effect it will also check that the modified dampers are performing correctly.
“The track will not have changed much in two weeks, and the TGS is the same,” says Wain. The belief is that the ride quality will therefore be improved, with NR happy to share the data.
Each TGS takes two days to modify. Wain says that because the depot is “blessed” with the skills it has, this was simple to do, with a clear benefit for all parties.
As for Neville Hill depot itself, she believes that it clearly has a future, but is unsure in what capacity.
“Who knows what will happen?” she says. Go back ten years, and there were discussions that the main line would be put through the existing sidings. That could not possibly happen now because of the need for capacity.
“Looking at the electrification out here, looking at the main line spacing, the ability to put OLE stanchions down is tricky. We may notice if they start digging,” she laughs.
“If you look at the rail industry as a whole, why not electrify the depot? It is moving to electrification, new stock and a different way of working. As this happens, the change is phenomenal.
“I have been told some plans, but I have not told the staff. That is because you are told of plans and then they change. I don’t deliberately hold back, it is because I don’t know.
“They will have to electrify here. They will need sensible suggestions for that. It will happen, but who knows when.”
In the meantime, Neville Hill will carry on regardless.
- This feature was published in RAIL 766 on January 21 2014
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