RoscoTrain107

So with the Class 458/4s on their way out of South Western Railway in a few months time and whilst there is no home set for them yet although according to Modern Railways they should be able to move over to a 3rd rail system elsewhere

In practice for real there are only two options eligible
Southeastern or Southern?

So Im going to pass it over to you

Who do you think out of Southeastern or Southern should the Class 458/4s potentially head to?

Leave your vote in the poll down below

Also leave your thoughts in the comments with the reason on which of the two you have voted for and what routes would you see them working on

So for now take care and have a good one

1 day ago | [YT] | 11

RoscoTrain107

The surprises keep coming in the UK rail industry as an interview on Modern Railways from last Thursday with South Western Railways Managing Director has revealed that the 458/4s are going to be withdrawn in months.

Recently the 10 car Class 701s (701/0s have slowly but surely taken over most of the suburban routes on SWR since first officially entering service in January 2024 however from this summer its their 5 car brother (701/5s) 30 of those in total will gradually become more of a regular feature.

The MD of SWR Lawrence Bowman revealed more about the 701/5s entering service from Late summer and will be in 10 car formations for starters saying
“We’re going to operate them in fixed formation as 10-cars to begin with. It gives us some flexibility to respond to demand because we’ve also got a duty not to carry around too much fresh air.”

During the interview when discussing the 701s he also even gave the Arterios a bit of a nickname "People Hoovers" which might not sound the most customer friendly nickname in a way but it seems according to him that they are proving popular

He says
"It’s not very customer friendly, but you see them at Earlsfield and they swallow up customers. I had someone last week write in saying: ‘When am I getting an Arterio on my 07.32 service? So, they are popular."

Whilst discussing the 701 Arterios he did also mention something about the 458/4s which were recently overhauled well 27 of them whilst 8 458/5s were withdrawn off lease for storage

However he revealed that 458/4s are due to be withdrawn soon whilst talking about he was a fan of the former 455s before they were withdrawn officially in Late March saying.

“As you’ve just seen I am a fan of the ‘455s’. I, at one point in time, had guards competencies to work them, but they are consigned to the scrap heap. The ‘458s’ start to cascade out in a couple of months’ time.”

He discusses other things from Issues, Ambition and also consider took on his role back in November as well as feedback, challenges on West of England services, arrangements, support and even what to expect when GBR does come

I won't go into detail on those because I want to focus on the 458/4s so I will leave link from Modern Railways with the full feature interview down below
www.modernrailways.com/article/fleet-changes-south…

Now obviously this was from last week and Ive been catching up on rail news but I have to say when I read the news about the 458/4s being withdrawn from South Western Railway soon I have to say my first reaction to this was that I was left a bit mystified.

Its not the first time SWR have done this

The 707s when they were fully in service in March 2018 then SWR decided to replace all their suburban fleet with 701s

Which we know was a complete mess from the beginning especially the way that was handled

If it was just at the time to replace only the oldest units the 455s and 456s on their own then in a way that wouldn't have been an issue in the long term.

Because they tried to replace the 455s, 456s, 458s and 707s all in one go it was bound to fail in a way.

Eventually the 707s were moved over to Southeastern in 2022 whilst the 456s were withdrawn in the pandemic and the 458/5s back before the pandemic would revert back to 4 cars as 458/4s

Then you had the 442s being brought back which was hopeless and disastrous and in a way a complete waste of time and ultimately the pandemic in 2020 very much finished them off.

And now the 458/4s having been overhauled by Alstom and Porterbrook in late 2024 are now being dropped from SWR from later this year just doesn't make sense in the short term

At this point South Western Railway its like having an sport and you keep changing the playoff system or points system and in time that not only creates division but frustration amongst fans and your just left wandering about just pick a points system and stick to it for the next 5-10 years

In this case at this South Western Railway just stick to your fleet for the next 5 years or so until you found a long term replacement for your older fleet which will be the 158s and 159s get those replaced first rather than this keep moving around the goal posts of refurbishing or buying a new train just to cut costs 

Now whilst I get the 701/5s will be added in probably by end of 2026 / early 2027 however the 458/4s where do they go?

According to Modern Railways that the 458/4s are expected to move elsewhere to another 3rd rail system which everyone knows it narrows down to two operators

Southeastern or Southern one of those two

For Southern you could make a possible case considering some had mooted sometime ago they could be used alongside the 377s and 387s respectively although probably more likely for their South London workings or routes like Horsham or Epsom Downs etc however at the moment there are no plans according to Southern themselves.

But then the most likely case is Southeastern and here's why

Whilst Southeastern haven't announced any plans on what their new fleet will be to replace all the remaining Networkers however the plan would be to withdraw the 465/2s and 465/9s 

Some 465/9s that do Tunbridge Wells workings being replaced by Class 377s although the problem is their metro services.

So if the 458/4s were to come onto Southeastern well probably likely would operate on the Metro services and possibly maybe some long distance like London Victoria to Dover Priory via Rochester which in the past 465s use to do or share workings alongside 375s with services like Hastings, Dover Priory via Ashford International etc.

We know that most of 465s are due to be withdrawn in the next few years and whilst the consolation for the new suburban fleet for Southeastern has been ongoing but still no clear answer has emerged yet.

And whilst the 458s are only a few years younger than the 465s but in a way are in more of a better condition than the 465s and also the lease holder Porterbrook is the same owner of the 375s and 377s which in a cost ratio would make sense in a way.

As long as there is an agreement in place between SWR and one of the operators like Southeastern or Southern on which of those would take the 458/4s on rather be left in a storage yard at Long Marston then at least you got a starting point 

But I would say also include taking the remaining 8 five car units of the 458/5s and finishing converting those as well.

To finish up that clearly those who make these decisions of Rolling Stock to lease agreements keep forgetting the basic understanding when you balance cost over quality

So I will pass it over to you

Whats your reaction to the 458/4s being withdrawn by SWR later this year and which out of Southeastern or Southern being the only 2 realistic 3rd rail operators available do you seeing going to and working which routes?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below

So for now take care and have a good one

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1 day ago | [YT] | 59

RoscoTrain107

2 days ago I mentioned on a post about Lumos Class 222 Meridians being renumbered to 222/6s whilst reading onboard 802101 on Saturday whilst reading the updated edition from Rail News Magazine which I mentioned did surprise me.

Well now today Lumo themselves have officially confirmed that 

Today they have unveiled their first finished Meridian set in full from Alstom's Depot at Longsight near Widnes

Here are some of the photos taken by Lumo on their press release shows 222601 in full in livery and also their first unveil of their new updated onboard interior 

Lumo have confirmed their first 6 car unit 222601 is good to go and ready for its West Coast launch of its London Euston - Stirling services and also mentioned that Driver Training remains ongoing.

Whilst their West Coast services are due to start from June 9th although there is a catch 

Its not full timetable itself for starters although they said that their Full Timetable should be up and running from July 27th.

And whilst its a bit less of a time frame compared to when Lumo first launched in October 2021 on the East Coast Main Line which began with 3 services return and then later expanding the following May 2022 to 5 services although the difference back at the time it was because of the uncertainties with the Pandemic that was still going on.

Also the partial start from June 9th would enable more time Lumo to get some of their fleet up and running as well as sort out any teething problems with Alstom in case anyway does arise in those early few weeks of service introduction.

Just worth reminding that the London Euston - Stirling services calling pattern is this
(Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenaulds, Larbert and Stirling)

The 222s for Lumo's West Coast services are leased out by Beacon Rail who not only own the lease to the Class 222 Meridians for Lumo (West Coast) but they also own the lease for the remains 222 Meridians which will eventually move to Scotrail in the future when they will gradually replace the Inter7city HSTs from late 2027 / through 2028 

Giving his reaction was Managing Director of First Group Stuart Jones he says

"This is a real milestone as we prepare to launch our new West Coast service this spring.

“This is a project centred upon collaboration and I’d like to thank Alstom and Beacon for their continued hard work as we prepare to better connect communities on the West Coast.”

Also giving his reaction was the CEO of Beacon Rail Adam Radcliffe he says

“The Class 222 refurbishment will give passengers on the new Lumo West Coast service a refreshed, comfortable interior together with enhanced wi‑fi for improved connectivity."

I'll leave the link from Modern Railways down below
www.modernrailways.com/article/lumo-reveals-refurb…

So whats my take on it?

Have to say its actually looks really good overall

Obviously a few weeks ago of a preview what the outside livery for the Lumo Class 222 Meridians whilst being refurbished inside Longsight depot

Now its out of Longsight its now a bit more clearer in appearance

The blue livery in appearance with the clear weather or whatever weather it has to face when in service in a way blends in really nicely 

One thing to note is that there is no unit number on the front nose unlike in its EMR days but in a way the location of the unit number on the side is more clearer to see overall.

As for the interior I do get why some might not be as optimistic on Lumo's 222/6s compared to their East Coast Class 803s Blue onboard interior.

According to rail.newsuk on Instragam which I do follow some of their rail news stories that comes out have mentioned that apart from the carpets being new that it turns out that the interior from the EMR refurbishment has been retained which I would say is very surprising.

The grey seating in a way might not be as striking however you could say it kind of gives Lumo's West Coast side of things their own identity compared to their East Coast side of things 

Although maybe the head rests you could question but at first look on the padding of their seats they do seem more thicker than compared to something like Avanti West Coasts seats.

So Is it perfect? 

Well thats for everyone else to decide once it starts but at least in a way Lumo and Alstom haven't gone down the route of refreshing the 222s with very flat and hardened ironboards like some of the modern trains have got at the moment.

Also the 222/6s are fitted with the new autostart system installed by Alstom which is kind of like a autodrive system in a car that kicks in when the train stops on route at a red signal or at any station it calls at

The system should according to Alstom when it was announced at the time of some of the Class 222 Meridians moving to Lumo for their London - Stirling services should enable to save fuel on its journey and its also that will be implemented onto the remaining Meridians when they go to Scotrail.

So in case if you ever get to see these in person and ask why they are quiet on the platforms and then the diesel engines just come on out of nothing well now at least you have a bit of an idea of what to expect.

So I will pass it over to you

What do you think of Lumo's new fully unveiled first set of 222601 and how do you think will fair on the WCML once its fully up and running come summer time?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below

So for now take care and have a good one

(Photo credit: Lumo)

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2 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 133

RoscoTrain107

Newbury video will premiere on Monday at 7pm

3 days ago | [YT] | 74

RoscoTrain107

Whilst Lumo's Class 222 Meridians are getting closer from being launched but there has been a unexpected surprise

Their Class 222s have recently been renumbered

On Saturday Morning heading up to Newbury from Exeter St Davids I was reading Rail Magazine which I brought at WHSmiths that morning at Exeter and whilst onboard 802101 I came across something that I didn't expect

That Lumo's Meridians will be renumbered as 222/6s

One sample is their first unit 222001 has been renumbered to 222601

So for their 5 sets on WCML for Lumo's London Euston - Stirling service will be from 
222601 - 222605

And no its not a joke at all 

If you have brought the recent edition of Rail Magazine from April 15th - 29th its on Page 13 of the actual Rail Magazine itself not the website of course

Not sure why they would need to renumber the 222/0s for Lumo to 222/6s although my guess would be that the surprise re-numbering was to reflect the change to 6 car sets.

As it stands that of the 5 sets that have moved to Lumo (East Coast) from East Midlands Railway are 4 seven car sets and 1 five car set.

According to Rail Magazine whilst they have mentioned that 3 carriages will be left over overall after the refurbishment is completed at Widnes however they did say that at the moment it still hasn't been determined what carriages have been rejected or whether they will be used for spare parts or possibly could get sent back to Beacon Rail themselves and be transferred at a later date for the remaining 22 Meridians when they move to Scotrail from 2027 / 2028.

The renumbering of Lumo's 222s do leave an unexpectedquestion 

Could the remaining 22 sets of Class 222s for Scotrail when they transfer from East Midlands Railway be renumbered as well to potentially 222/5s?

Although in a way practically wouldn't make sense eventhough the Scotrail sets will be 5 cars 

However in recent years in a way weird things have happened in the rail world

One example in recent times is the Class 458/5s on SWR when they reconfigured back to a 4 car set they were renumbered as 458/4s instead of them originally going back to the unit numbers from 2000 to pre 2013 when they were 458/0s.

Time will tell in a way of whether Scotrail 222s will be renumbered as well or they will stay as they are as 222/0s.

So whats your reaction to Lumo's 222s being renumbered to 222/6s and do you think Scotrail's 222/0s could be renumbered themselves to potentially 222/5s or stay as it is?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below

So for now take car and have a good one

(Photo Credits: Lumo and Scotrail)

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4 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 56

RoscoTrain107

Sometimes it very easily to get frustrated and sometimes in the heat you may accidentally swear and probably at some point some of us have been down that route.

But the problem is when you do it on camera let alone trainspotting well lets just that it can be a problem especially your audience may take a look at it like Oh who wants to support this channel

It brings me onto an issue I came across on a channel called 
"Transport with Slaycat" ‪@itzslaycatofficial‬ 

Now Ive seen a few videos from this guy and there are few things to look at

On the plus side the quality content seems good on the camera side of things and I do think there is potential for the guy himself to become a good trainspotting channel going forward

There is one major problem at the moment is the swearing and I have raised the issue on the swearing to the guy himself not just on some of his VoiceOver in some of his recent videos but also when it comes to some of his community posts

Recently the guy did get flagged up by YouTube's community guidelines and whilst he can complain about it but at the same time he has to be aware that obviously something is clearly amiss with the way that some of the swearing comes across to others.

Here's what I said on his recent post being flagged up and I will leave a link to it down below
youtube.com/post/UgkxavXALXE8scqZb0W1bc_gEUyc-3Erc…

I said on one of my comments saying
"You seriously got to cut the swearing out

I mean if your going to swear even by accident then simple solution don’t even do it for your own video titles let along in the video itself

That’s why you been flagged up because of it

If your going to be a better channel going forward then you need to cut out the swearing full stop on here otherwise your channel will get shut down

From me on your content I do see some potential but at the same time your not helping yourself and you know your better than this

If the community guidelines has flagged you up like this post being an example then your doing something wrong

You need to have a serious think about it because if you don’t then at some point your channel will be gone completely so it’s best to get on top of your issues now"

Now Im not the only who's actually tried to give the guy some advice about the swearing issues but it is a problem that will turn people off his content.

One comment by ‪@Ibbi-REAL-Trains‬ says
"Please chill out with your posts and swearing. At your age this isnt good especially for your mental health. Im not saying this to be annoying but to help you. There are people on the internet that can find this weird and also annoying. Your tag is very disturbing aswell. If you do continue this im sure that youtube will take down this channel. Please change and stop doing this"

In response the guy says
"my mental healths already bad so it aint gonna get any better it i magically stop swearing 😃"

My first reaction is that this isn't funny or a joke at all and to use mental health as a reason is not quite justified and also if its bad then seek help as soon as possible because otherwise your issues will only get worse.

On his next response to Ibbi's reply was
"@Ibbi-REAL-Trains i just swear cause i do its not anyone making me do it, its literally just how i talk, if other people find it weird they can just not watch my videos. if its annoying thats not my problem. i just make videos about what i love but in my own style. i'm genuinely not trying to be rude when im saying this. but genuinely no one really cares if i swear unless theyre really f**king sensitive."

Three points I would make

Firstly well for me thats something as a person you have to get on top of no matter how long or difficult it takes because if the guy is doing it in a work environment whether its school or work etc then your more likely asking for trouble which worse case could be kicked out of school or if its workplace could potentially get fired.

Secondly whilst I have my own issues of course like Autism and Dyslexia but I don't use that as an excuse and I wouldn't be doing this sort of thing by swearing on camera because Im know all too well what the audience on my channel would be paying attention to and if its younger viewers then its your job to set an example.

Thirdly making videos in his own style which ok is one thing but the swearing will come across especially at a young age as rude like it or not and people DO care and the swearing in fact has rubbed people the wrong way

That in a way is down to the lack of awareness and only now others are taking note.

The next point that Ibbi makes is this
"@itzslaycatofficial i hope you do realise that isnt the point of what me or Rosco said"

The response is 
"then what is the point? i genuinely dont understand why you're getting p***ed over swear words"

Ibbi's reply says
"we arent getting p***ed. I dont mind if a youtuber swears when they make videos i really dont, but you have to realise your a kid, like me we arent adults. The rate at which you do it, you dont even know what these words mean and you use some of the worst ones you could pick. Its dangerous and extremely disturbing. I was alarmed at your old handle and thought it was just some adult troll, but no its an innocent transport enthusiast kid"

Even as a adult like myself there have been times not on camera of course or even at times on my travels I may have sworn by accident not at someone of course but at myself 

Whether its delays which is frustrating of course especially when its not in your control or at work sometimes when workloads can be a bit overwhelming however in time Ive learnt how to deal with it without losing the plot at the wrong place at the wrong time.

But as Ibbi has put when its a younger enthusiast its a bit of an alarming rate the guy is swearing far too much at his age.

My advice would be that the swearing at some point as I mentioned earlier you need to get on top of it because if the guy doesn't then things will only get worse and if YouTube themselves have flagged him up via their community guidelines then rather than complain about it then perhaps would be ideal to take a step back, identify what he has done wrong and correct the mistake to make sure that same mistake again isn’t repeated and then in time can build that self awareness.

Anyway I thought I bring up the issue and shoutout to ‪@Ibbi-REAL-Trains‬ for some of the advice he has given to the guy himself and very much said it all overall.

So for now be safe, be kind to each other, take care and have a good one

4 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 108

RoscoTrain107

There maybe the film of the Wild Wild West but one lesson is this

That even a simple station like Reading West can end up feeling like the Berkshire version of Wild Wild West.

Plenty of variety including IETs plus the Paddington in Peru 802106 still got the branding on it although probably not for much longer, Voyagers including some ex Avanti sets, Turbos, 387s and on paper mainly what you would expect

But one thing I didn’t expect to turn up and at last my first glimpse for Chiltern was their new Explorer with the former TPE 68 and MK5s which at the time were heading to Wembley Lmd from Eastleigh bypassing Reading itself and taking a detour via Oxford and Banbury down to London Marylebone and then parking up at Wembley Lmd

Have to say the livery of the Chiltern Explorer really looks very striking on the outside and in a way makes it stand out from the rest of the Chiltern fleet with the only exceptions being the few 168s recently refurbished.

As for Reading West station itself the surroundings can be a bit rough, although the trees themselves do look they need to be cut back a bit from a visibility standpoint not just on the platform but from the driver’s perspective.

Still one of a few stations that retains the old former FGW signage.

Wished could of had some more freighters but then again it is what it is

And despite my journey back being once more not without problems but that won’t put a damper on otherwise a productive day overall

So that’s going to do for now from my spotting which over the next 3 weeks will have work to do on the 3 stations I done today

So for now take care and have a good one

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6 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 104

RoscoTrain107

Well Thatcham maybe should have the catch line for any spotter

“U turn if you want to because the station is not for turning”

Well to simply put today visits it was just crazy

In a way it was a bit like my last visit there way back in October 2022 but with 387s not just doing their usual workings but some do shuttling back and forth between Reading and Newbury Racecourse like they were off to the Races today

Had one freighter and some speeding IETs passing through as well as I was slowly was getting that rustiness off and making up lost time

I will say this on a separate note that I admit I do miss the London to Bedwyn services serving Thatcham on a regular basis and I can sympathise with the locals who are frustrated about not having their direct services reinstated full time

The Newbury to Bedwyn service more of a shuttle service or I would call it The Bedwyn Turbo may have been a temporary solution in the pandemic in a way but it makes no sense as of today

The electric London to Newbury I can get but you should be able to run that alongside the London to Bedwyn services and the local stopping Reading to Newbury services.

Yet even at times when I have spotted on the Berks & Hants Line especially between Reading and Bedwyn I just can’t find any justification why Great Western Railway just won’t give the locals their full time direct London to Bedwyn service back

Not just a few weekday workings, not just a early morning or late night Saturday working or even a Sunday Reading to Bedwyn working

None of those I mean full time 7 days a week

The demand is there is, the local support is there but I will say that there can be no excuse from DFT or GWR themselves not even the so called money excuse

It’s 2026 not the Pandemic of 2020 but hopefully after GWR gets nationalised likely this autumn then something is done about it

I’m not bothered about whether it’s a IET or a 165 or 166 Turbo working London to Bedwyn service restoring it full time can’t come soon enough

So that was Thatcham itself done

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6 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 78

RoscoTrain107

Newbury might not have as much as variety

But when you need to brush off the cobwebs after 5 weeks off well sometimes big stations may not always be everything for starters

In a way it’s actually not a bad station at all

Ok it may not be as chaotic as diverts last my previous 2 visits but then it’s doesn’t need to be.

Sometimes if you have been off spotting for sometime and feel very rusty then in a way it’s best to start with a simple station to get you back up and running and then go big.

And at least the weather is good this time round

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6 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 90

RoscoTrain107

So yes it’s Nancy Astor 802101 which means after 5 weeks back on the rails

And back on Berks & Hants

And a chance to make up some lost time

Starting with Newbury minus diverts this time and of course some busy crowds with Horse Racing going on at nearby Newbury Racecourse today

Then it’s back for a 2nd visit to Thatcham first time since October 2022

And then it’s the Wild Wild West well of Berkshire

Not Reading itself but this time being Reading West first visit there since January 2023

It’s more of let see what happens

6 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 102