Ranking every DMU in Britain: Part 2
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- čas přidán 26. 07. 2024
- DMUs make up the staple of Britain's regional railways, and they have mixed reputations regarding their quality. In this video, I'll be giving my thoughts on which DMUs are the best, and with the ten worst out the way, it's time for the frontrunners.
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Credits:
Superalbs, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
Kat's Transport Photography, CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
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Music:
The Monuments and Tunnels of Goa and Hampi - Bail Bonds
Dusk 'Til Dawn - TrackTribe - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Great to see the 185s being appreciated! Their only real issue is capacity, but if they're used on more reasonable routes they're perfect.
Fortunately the introduction of the Novas has helped them be better utilised. Pairs of 185s are better than a single one!
185.....poor layout....toilets take up half the train!!! TPE really need to look at passenger comfort...wont happen.....even with the new trains....not good enough!! class 45 + 7 coaches in days gone by....bring back BR.....!!!!
@@gordonjohnson8432 stuck in the past mutch?
not at all....46 years working on the railways....but the 185 is not the answer!! but neither is the other crap!
used to get them from Salford Crescent to Manchester Piccadilly they were always rammed but quite pleasant this was 14 years ago though :P
Class 158/9s are my favourite DMU. I think they're quite important to BR history.
Nice video 👍
Yes, they were a game-changer when they were introduced and let's not forget they're 32 to 34 years old now! I don't like the fact that they replaced "real" loco-hauled trains on many services, but I guess that had to happen and perhaps many of those services wouldn't have survived without the 158. I used to commute from Stalybridge to Leeds on them around 1997/98 and they were just fine for that regional-express role. Some of the more recent refurbishments have spoilt them but they used to be quite comfortable and relaxing. I'm travelling on a 159 in Frist on Waterloo-Exeter next week and I'm looking forward to it.
@@garybroadhurst3548 Interesting stuff. Hope you enjoy your journey. Have a nice day
I absolutely adore the 185s. They're essentially just exactly what the 180 could've been, and I'm extremely happy to say that they shall be returning to my local line after a half a decade absense with the new cleethorpes services from December. I certainly agree a lot more with these rankings compared to part, 195s don't get enough appriciation (Especially after they made the ironing boards better with new padding recently) and the turbostars are genuinely some of my favourite train designs of all time.
Thanks for a great video mate!
I think the 159s are the best. They sound amazing, they look quite good however the class 220/221/222 does look better and sound better. But also the class 159 from SWR the air conditioning is AMAZING! Also it is comfy ish and I just like it. Anyway nice video!
Having been on a couple of 185s this year I can confirm they are brilliant definitely an upgrade over the 158s and 175s that I usually travel on, the only DMU I've been on that gets anywhere close Is the 196 and Even then I prefer the 185 and the 196s aren't in full service yet
185s definitely belong at number 1, always look forward to riding on them from Hull to Leeds or Manchester! Not sure about 168s "looking great" however!
Keep up the fantastic videos!!
I'm glad you're very happy with the 172. I do agree on their comfort. When riding over points you feel the joints on the track.
I honestly don't believe u were serious when u said the class 158 is ugly...
Honestly I can’t say I agree with the class 170 because I don’t know if this is just the northern ones, but I’ve not found them to be comfy at all, I’d give them a 5 for that. I’d much prefer a class 158/155 if I’m honest. Great video!
221’s with CrossCountry are as abysmal as their 220’s and don’t tilt and some reduced to four cars. Completely inappropriate for long distance routes - crowded and in urgent need of refurbishment. (Avanti’s 221’s may be better!)
In my opinion the Class 185s and the Class 170 Turbostars are my favorite DMUs
Still think no DMU can beat a turbostar thrash (also nice to see the 185s getting some well deserved love)
I've been on a 168 where the sound barrier rattled noisily when accelerating, rather ironically
Not expected!
The piece of furniture you're referring to is called a draughtscreen.
Congratulations on 1k subs! 🎉
The XC turbos really need a refurbishment in my opinion.
They certainly do, as does everything with XC to be honest.
I would pick a 175 over a 195. If the 195s had better seats,modifications to the bogies and a toilet per carriage they would be world beaters.
If you do an other list i presume it will be an emu list. But my question is, what about the bi-mode trains? If they get their own list, i think it will be really short. Anyway, this was a step up from part one. The extra info on the trains is very usefull if you don't know all the classes.
So nice to see Part 2! Your channel is very insightful and entertaining at the same time. Would it be possible to do the EMUs after this?
Also, I love how the 158 got 58/70 and the 159 got 59/70!
Thank you very much! EMUs will definitely be coming, but it’s some way down the line.
@@GWVillager Of course, take your time!
I do love the 185, their interior is nice and that interior would be perfect for the 360/1s on EMR imo.
Nice video, agree with the 170 ranking, always were provided good comfort and space on the Borders railway. Like the 158 to but I always found them a bit loud for longer journeys. Are the class 231's in service yet with TFW? I believe they would count as a DMU in these videos? Also would love videos like this for Bi mode and fully electric.
The Class 231s will enter service in December if I remember correctly (it may well be later than that), so I’ll review them in depth when they arrive.
The Class 185 Desiro built by Siemens are the best. If only Siemens would manufactured more Class 1xx Desiro DMUs for South Western Railway, Great Western Railway, West Midlands Trains, ScotRail, Transport for Wales Rail and East Midlands Railway.
But West Midlands Trains have ordered the Class 196 Civity for West Midlands Railway to replace the Class 170 Turbostars to EMR (with some cascaded from TfW and GTR Southern (formerly Class 171)). And TfW also ordered the Civity Class 197.
Yay part 2
Now we need a ranking all the BiMU and EMU video
It's coming, don't worry!
You need to do an EMU ranking video...
Another great videi GW, but we can all agree that the 377 is better than them all!
Ah well, we'll have to wait and see in the EMU video.
The aesthetics score for the class 168/0 is extremely generous. I never liked the 185s either, especially when they were used on Manchester-Scotland services. They were never going to be suitable for that.
I kinda want to see your rating scoring system applied to the Class 150
Just for this one!
Aesthetics: 2
Sounds: 3
Performance: 5
Passenger Comfort: 2
Reliability: 7
Ride Quality: 3
Purpose: 2
I used to drive the 158s & 159s out of Salisbury. The original 1st class seats 💺 red at the time, were more comfortable than the blue ones that replaced them. Std were blue but the lovely comfort remained the same when they changed the colour. Sadly SWRs unnecessary refurbishment means the Std seats are not as comfortable 😢 Not that I go that way much now, I live in Bournemouth and am stuck with the Disastros, Std being more comfortable than the bolt upright, non reclining 1st seats. Still not great though but much better than a 220.
I detest those 220 seats that you like but the far superior 222s are quite comfortable. Back in 2000 Brian Souter offered to double most of the single line track back between Salisbury & Pinhoe, up the line speeds to 100mph from Basingstoke down and introduce Meridian units for the West of England.
The then Labour government including Transport Secretary Lord John (I would never accept a peerage), Prescott turned him down 🙄 It would have been a fantastic service and a rival to the Western route from Exeter to London. As it was our fares were around half the price for that route especially a First Class season ticket. I could never understand why SWT didnt advertise that fact and capitalise on it.
I know someone who lives in Cornwall and his son spent a long time in hospital in Birmingham and had no use the Voyager DMUs to visit him and he said they were terrible - too short for a long-distance stopping train (which both cross-country and London-based trains are in that part of the country) and would always be packed well before it got out of Devon. He eventually resorted to taking the plane out of Newquay. All the late BR and privatisation era trains have this problem, including the 158/159s; cramped layout, too few carriages. They are built for economy, not for passenger comfort on long journeys. Anyone with good words to say about today's long-distance multiple units never travelled on a train in the 20th century. The only advantage the new trains offer is wheelchair accessibility (which could be provided in decent spacious carriages, they just chose not to) - everything else about them is inferior. The 442s on the Wessex main lines are the only exception; they looked and felt like inter-city trains and should have been used (obviously adapted for current or lack thereof) more widely.
1:07 this train be resting in the field
The world's best DMUs in my opinion were the class 253s/254s, of which XC have a handful of 253s left so they count 😉.
3rd! Also i quite like the avanti 221s
Yesssssss this is out
185... MY FAVOURITE TRAIN!???!
You’re a bit like Jago hazzard. No bad thing imo
Forgot to mention Bi-Mode sets that when on diesel mode behave as diesel multiple units, therefore should have their say though. Many commuters traveling between Manchester and Leeds hardly can experience Trans Pennine Express Hitach Nova 1 class 8... and as such will only rate them as diesels qhen in fact their primary power is electric but most of them do not know.
Using the same ranking system but based on my own views/experience (I've ridden on every unit type at least 2+ times excluding the 155/230) I've compiled my own list, this time including the 196 as I've been on it more than twice.
Class 156 - 22
Class 155 - 26
Class 165/Class 180 - 27
Class 153 - 33
Class 166 - 34
Class 150/Class 175 - 36
Class 170/171 - 37
Class 139 - 38
Class 230 - 39
Class 172 - 41
Class 168 - 42
Class 185 - 43
Class 220 - 44
Class 195 - 46
Class 158 - 47
Class 221 - 48
Class 159 - 49
Class 196 - 50
Class 222 - 52
222 in first! Wow, I wasn't expecting that, nor the 170s being so low. The 196s seem to fair well, I'll have to see what I think.
@@GWVillager All the rankings I gave also take into account their general current usage and an average of interiors spread across all operators. I find the 170s tiresome, I commuted on them for a few years and was not impressed at all. I think the 170s could have potential to rank higher if they were refurbished/specified to a really good standard, although currently no operator spec comes even close to that.
No doubt 158s are better engineered for long distance comfort than a lot of DMUs out there, but maybe they just need to be better maintained. Scotrail runs then on my local line and aircon is non existent so they're sweatboxes in summer, and the heating always seems feeble so they're slightly cool in winter.
A version of this for EMUs???
The 185 is great, but i think its more suited for regional express than intercity
I totally agree with this, 185s are definitely the best!
158/159 are goated
Only the Northern 158s look ugly I think SWR, GWR and EMR have a very good design. The scotrail ones and the ex scotrail ones on Northern are alright.
185s are brilliant, I am hoping that Northern get them
195s are horrible on certain routes like the Penistone line where more bumps can be felt more than on the class 150s
They work very well on the york-Leeds line
@@ConfusedOxygen I do admit they were nice on that line, but on certain line they don't work well
@@ConfusedOxygen these are the routes they should be kept to. I think they’re horrible trains, some of the worst on the network, for me
@@JustClickApprove92 I can’t say much in this area as I’m used to class 170s (crap on my local line) and the 195s were like heaven compared to the 170s on mine, but I’ve only gone York-Leeds on the 195s so I don’t have much experience
@@ConfusedOxygen I use class 170s fairly regularly, they’re a little dated but much suitable to the journeys they do than the 195s, but that’s just me
can you do the new categorical ranking system with the lower-ranked DMUs you did in the first episode?
I'd have to remake the video so I think it's unlikely, though I might add a pinned comment with my rankings for each train.
@@GWVillager that'd still be good
@@GWVillager can you make a video on all the old retired dmu trains you have been on?
@@ashleyjiscool That's a good idea, I might add it to the list.
Personally I'd drop the 170s down purely because of capacity, I take them regularly on the Birmingham-Peterborough route and often the 2-coach 170s just don't have the capacity for it. On the other hand though I remember travelling to Lincoln on an EMR 156 once, and then being grateful to see a 170 on the return leg!
That's really a Cross Country being underfunded thing, a 2 or 3 coach 170 holds up fine compared to similar length trains. Arguably, their pros have increased demand such to the level where they can no longer cope, so perhaps they're good at bringing up passenger numbers on under-performing routes.
Please do emus
Class 185 is the black sheep of desiro family because is the only disel thus the "disturbing" member of the family when is bed time. Lol.
The ride quality is partly down to rail conditions
Yes, though the main factor is the train if you ask me.
I'm offended by the low ranking of the 175 😂
the 185's would be the perfect dmu if they had a lighter axle load,and end gangways.
the high axle load means they can't use sprinter speeds on the mainline,meaning theres a lot of places they will actually lose time compared to a 158.
750hp per car is complete overkill though!!!! the same powerplant is used on the 220/221/222 so it's not utilised fully as a 100mph unit.
Indeed, they really don't need to be 750hp. It does mean they can often run with an engine off to keep things quiet though.
what on earth is a one third two third door?
Door positioning where the doors aren’t located at the ends of the coaches but rather 1/3 and 2/3s of the way along the body side. The Class 170 in the thumbnail has 1/3 2/3 doors as an example.
@@GWVillager oh. isn’t that fairly normal for the uk?
Yeah it’s reasonably common, though I’m still not much of a fan of it.
I don't know anything about these Trains. They all look nice. I'm from the USA✋🏻🇺🇸
Worcester Foregate Street @1:35 :-)
Aaaand next up: ranking all of britains emus 😂
I think Chiltern should have ordered more 168s rather than 165s
Chiltern thinks the same, but they inherited the fleet of 165s and now the 168s are out of production so there is little they can do.
I love the 221 and would put it in 1st
eyyyy my local train won
I am just wondering how Transport for Wales plan (if so...) to continue their First Class express services as class 197s are standard class interiors only. No buffet counter compartment though. Maybe time for Trans Pennine Express transfer all or part of their useless Mark 5A sets to this T.O.C. that certainly will give much more use of this sets that in Manchester i have not seen for a while do a single passengers service.
I believe the 3 car version has 1st class, God knows why.
For me, 158/159 always right up there in any ranking.
The doors on the 158 and 159 are very narrow
I would've liked a more in depth analysis of the engine capacity and horsepower etc however, I would like to ask this. The original DMU's like the 101 for instance had a locomotive at either end regardless of how many carriages. However modern DMU's like the 185 for instance have an engine for every carriage. WHY? It would save a third of diesel costs if each 3 carriage train had a rolling carriage in the middle of both engine carriages. Are you telling me these trains can't pull one or two rolling carriages (without engines) on a normal service? I need this question answering. It's frustrating. 😄
Modern trains have far higher performance requirements than early DMUs. To take the 101 and 185, for example, the latter has to get up to 100mph, and do so very quickly, whereas the 101s had a max. speed of 70mph, which they rarely reached. Then there is air conditioning, electrics etc. which modern trains have to supply too.
Reliability is also a major factor. Distributing the load amongst 3 engines, rather than 2, reduces wear, and, in the event of an engine failure, the train can still keep to time quite well. In fact, the 185s have such powerful engines that they usually operate with one switched off, and still function fine.
@@GWVillager Thank you for such a swift and comprehensive reply. We could debate this topic forever 😆It just seemed inefficient to me but if you say they quite often operate with one engine switched off that would make sense for fuel efficiency I guess.
So wheres the EMU's
yay
Class 158 and 159 have some bumpy ride compared to older Sprinter familly and engine is very noisy.
175 should be top of the pops
only 90 MPH have you met the 165/0
Indeed it's not great, but the 165/0 isn't designed for the sort of routes the 158 runs.
Yoooo early
Class 185's are mint! astonishing more didn't get ordered. I mean Northern getting these 195 CAF's or as I call it, "cheap as fuck" trains.
Sadly, that's probably the reason no more 185s were ordered. They were very expensive.
@@GWVillager quality isn't cheap as I'd say.
I would have thought given they spend less time being serviced the cost would work out cheaper. Those 195 for example have a shorter maintenance schedule and let's not start with the 180s lol
How can you say the 158 is ugly >:(
no 755?
The 755s are bi-mode, and will probably get their own video.
I think you did the 172 dirty like 170 and 171 are blek
185s are by far the best train in the country.
The 185 was always too small for TPE .to the piont I would let then pass and get the Northern from Sheffield to doncaster now they are dubble up is lot better should been 6 coach train from the start
Bombardier Voyager trains familly that includes class 222 Meridian have a terrible downside, their very noisy engine that once powers electric generator reves to its maximum power in a constant and annoying way like an airplane flying on cruise altitude. Very bad.
HOW DARE YOU PUT THE 168 IN 3RD!
Disagree with 8th, I don’t think the 195s should be anywhere near the top 15th. They’re lacking in so many areas. The only redeeming quality they have is the acceleration
They're really not all that bad in my view, but you have to remember how small the list is, so 8th isn't actually that high up.
@@GWVillager I genuinely cannot stand them, and for two reasons, the seating is among the most uncomfortable I’ve ever experienced, I got one last month between Wigan & Swinton and had to sit leaning forward, my back was hurting that much, and the ride quality is bordering horrific, to the extent that you can’t ignore it, even sitting in the centre of the carriage, you can still here the jolting and clonking. I honestly have a most comfortable journey on a class 150
@@JustClickApprove92 The ride quality is indeed dire, and the seats are bad. But... they've been specified quite well, look amazing, have good toilets and interior ambience, and the seating layout is surprisingly good too.
@@GWVillager for me, the riding quality and seats are so bad that it’s difficult to look at the good things the train has, though I don’t agree with the comments about the ambience or the interior, the acceleration on these things are very impressive
I was surprised just how bad the ride is on them and the 331s. As bad as a 1st generation DMU or class 304 emu motor car (showing my age there!) On a new train, that's inexcusable.
First!