Does anyone have any photos of the early days of the Chase line? Ie before the Sprinters? I remember a rare heritage DMU with huge mega comfy seats on one occasion which would've been probably a class 115, but also regularly a train with bus type seats in the main. What was the regular allocation ie which class of heritage DMU? Did it ever see class 101s used? I remember them being far more comfortable and having more character than the class 170 that we get today with the lack of seats and bad overcrowded carriages
I took a couple of photos of a DMU passing the Newtown open cast coal sidings in 1990:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/walsall1955/5172309186/in/album-72157625374816990/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/walsall1955/5172309200/
And capacity was obviously better then too!
And fewer passengers?
And less trains per hour
And slower trains
But we'll gloss over that, shall we?
Quote from: Other Walsall Tony on March 20, 2017, 12:46:54 PM
And fewer passengers?
And of course kicking everybody off in Walsall to wait for another train which sometimes had just left if the chase one was late because those units were so knackered.
Well I'd say travelling on them was far more pleasurable than the shitty 2 car 4.42 from new st that was red hot and dangerously overcrowded. And only less trains per hour in the peaks. And to be fair the service is still shite now. Don't recall it being so bloody awful that MPs had to get involved back then?
If your travelling between 4 and 530 and don't actually want to be squashed stood up and dangerously overcrowded and actually want to sit down as far as walsall your best bet is catching two trains anyway
I caught that train dozens of times as a kid and don't ever remember them being that bad. What we're the main units used?
Quote from: Bob on March 20, 2017, 05:44:47 PM
Well I'd say travelling on them was far more pleasurable than the shitty 2 car 4.42 from new st that was red hot and dangerously overcrowded. And only less trains per hour in the peaks. And to be fair the service is still shite now. Don't recall it being so bloody awful that MPs had to get involved back then?
Are you kidding Bob. It was awful. I have been catching it almost every day since 1992. The DMU's were so unreliable you never knew if they were going to turn up, no real time displays or internet to ask. They stank of fumes. The power/trailer combination two cars used to struggle to get up Landywood bank. The track was still only 'freight quality' with many 20 mph restrictions, so much so that one unit could only just manage to do Walsall-Hednesford(not Rugeley) in the hour, so just got later throughout the day. Connections were not held at Walsall. I had a couple of 29 minute waits at Walsall as the Birmingham train departed as the Hednesford arrived. The fact there was only one unit in service at any time meant any failure was a complete cancellation of all services.
Quote from: Bob on March 20, 2017, 05:48:05 PM
I caught that train dozens of times as a kid and don't ever remember them being that bad. What we're the main units used?
It was any two carriages Tyseley could muster. As the West Midlands was one of the last areas using these DMUs almost any make of heritage DMU could appear. Only decent units were when they coupled two power cars together.
Like I say we never had any issues but only used it to Walsall. So what was the journey time from Hednesford to Walsall then? I quite liked the Heritage DMUs they certainly had more character than the 170s which are dreadful. Hot vile and smelly in warm weather. People have actually passed out on there. Class 153s are more suited to it due to more seats and fresh air being available!
It must have been 3 car at times. Looking at the photos? Were the trailer units class 127 sometimes?
It literally was whatever was available at Tyseley.
That set is a bodge up as it has two brake 116 vehicles either side of either a 115 or 127 centre car, both were identical to the eye, so impossible to tell the class of the centre car
Here's a class 45 at Bloxwich in 1982. Note the 20mph speed restriction board. One of many!
I remember them being pretty comfy especially the seats. And the electric trains from Walsall were far,far superior comfort wise to Class 323s, they've got horrid seating and crap legroom
Quote from: Bob on March 20, 2017, 06:20:56 PM
I remember them being pretty comfy especially the seats. And the electric trains from Walsall were far,far superior comfort wise to Class 323s, they've got horrid seating and crap legroom
Very similar to the class 150s you keep saying you want back
Class 150 seats have much more padding than a 323. And yes I'd rather be sat with less legroom than stood in a door area with no handrails!
Although top speed is lower aren't sprinters supposedly slightly better at acceleration than 170s
Quote from: Tony on March 20, 2017, 06:18:38 PM
Here's a class 45 at Bloxwich in 1982. Note the 20mph speed restriction board. One of many!
Think that's a little later than '82, based on the bashers, white embellishments, coach livery and the square headlight. I'd be suggesting nearer 1985 or '86.
When would have been the last time the Heritage DMUs were used on the Chase Line? Did any make it to Birmingham after the extension? I know Tyseley were still running quite a few even in 1994....But had the Chase line been sprinterised by then???
Did they ever use the old DMUs on the Birmingham to Walsall line on occasion despite it being electrified? I'm sure I've seen photos of them used on it
Correct me if I'm wrong but did the chase line terminate at hednesford in the 90s till they extended the line to rugeley
Quote from: BusMan Greg on October 25, 2017, 08:06:17 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong but did the chase line terminate at hednesford in the 90s till they extended the line to rugeley
It was extended back to Hednesford from Walsall in 1989, then to Rugeley Town in 1997, and then onwards to the Trent Valley and Stafford in 1998, before being cut back to Rugeley Trent Valley in 2008.
Quote from: The Real 4778 on March 30, 2017, 01:11:34 PM
Think that's a little later than '82, based on the bashers, white embellishments, coach livery and the square headlight. I'd be suggesting nearer 1985 or '86.
Must be '86 i reckon due to the intercity liveried coaching stock.
Can anyome remember when 150s started running full time on the chase line and the first generation DMUs stopped being used? 116s were still just about used as late as 1995 but dont recall them still on chase line at that point
Anyone know when Walsall-Rugeley electrification is due to be completed.
It seems to be taking forever.
These things don't just happen from a click of a finger. Things like this take time
Quote from: 888DUK on May 21, 2018, 04:37:06 AM
Anyone know when Walsall-Rugeley electrification is due to be completed.
It seems to be taking forever.
Electric services are due to start with the December 2018 timetable change.
The wiring looks like it could be finished in time, but they'll need to start on the platform extensions soon to meet that deadline