Monday to Friday diagrams for the ic225 sets if anybody was interested on going on one note these are a few weeks old 1A04, 0605 LDS-KGX 1N81, 0906 KGX-YRK 1Y84, 1202 YRK-KGX 1N87, 1506 KGX-YRK 1Y90, 1802 YRK-KGX 1D02, 0633 KGX-LDS 1A45, 1745 LDS-KGX 1A13, 0655 SKI-KGX 1D14, 1233 KGX-LDS 1A37, 1515 LDS-KGX 1D28, 1833 KGX-BDQ 1N80, 0706 KGX-YRK 1Y82, 1002 YRK-KGX 1N85, 1306 KGX-YRK 1Y88, 1603 YRK-KGX 1D29, 1903 KGX-LDS Credit to whoever made this I just copied and pasted!
I fondly remember taking this route (Edinburgh Waverly to London Kings Cross) in 1974 in 1st class on British Rail. It was at least 6 hours, but the service was incredible including a wonderful dinner in the dining car with silver and china service. These were with the 1st diesel Royal Scotsman trains (pre-HST).
Even in second class you were served with real panache and professionalism by dapper white jacketed stewards pouring hot drinks from silver tea and coffee pots - I cringe at what passes for 'service' nowadays! Those Deltic hauled air conditioned later Mk. 2 carriages had a beautiful ride quality and wonderfully comfortable seats. I'd rather the journey takes a little longer - to enjoy some luxury.
I absolutely adore the Intercity 225s! Not a mark against the Azuma Trains mind you (as I actually rather like those trains myself and think they're a fine replacement), just that these are incredible trains. It'll be a sad day once they're all gone, but here's hoping they continue to still find use for these trains on other lines and services like they did with the Intercity 125s/HSTs.
The 800's are appalling. I don't know how you can compare them! Horrible seats, rough riding, noisy, awful lighting, plasticky with no warmth to the interior. Just awful. I have reverted to my car they're so bad for my regular returns to Yorkshire.
@@richardwills-woodwardonly noisy on the diesel conversion but yes 1- benches are more comfortable then these seats 2- lighting is WAYYY to bright where is the natural light 3- I want to throw up 4- air con too cold Only thing I can say that is nice 1- the acceleration is very nice and the train looks really cool
@@LengKingg You know, I agree on acceleration, but looks cool? Well if they hadn't left a huge gap between the coaches with a huge gap under the coaches at either end of each, with electrical equipment hanging down and made an effort on the bodywork and 'streamline' the train, put in flush doors with the bodywork and reflective finish with smooth window sides instead of recessed frames with 'boarded' up areas where a buffet car is supposed to be, it would be a lot better! Honestly, this is a lousy, cheap, commuter train and does not even come close to Intercity. I think my thoughts were also echoed by Roger Ford - a veteran of railway business and engineering. Further, operators are using these trains as regional services now too. You can't tell what is Intercity service and what is a regional service anymore. It is all a mess.
@@LengKingg Front looks great...I just wish they'd followed through to the rest of the train. It's no DB ICE train. I am very concerned about what we order for HS2 as well!
Many happy memories of taking the 225 from London KX up to Darlington on a Friday night to see my Parents, purchasing some McEwans Export tins from the buffet car, carried back to my seat in a paper bag :D
The class 91's and coaches will be sorely missed.I suffer Azumas on the GWR from Paddington to Exeter and they and rubbish compared to the HST's Now sadly all gone apart from Castles, 4 coach semi locals in the South West. I have very happy memotries of doing 2 trips on the Highland Chieftan out of Kings Cross all the way to Inverness on a Tuesday and back on a Thursday, last year and the year before, Happy memories of LNER beakfast crossing the Culloden viaduct on the way to Aviemore after leaving Iverness. I agree the 1st class ( got cheapies with my senior railcard) was very comfortable and I paid around £70 for each trip for 8 hours in the trains.
Last travelled LNER first class in December 2018, after a flight into Heathrow. Those seats were so comfy I had to stop my jet-lagged self from falling asleep or I would’ve missed my stop. As much as I like the Azumas, the 225 is still better
Good video - I enjoyed it. I’ve done trips to Edinburgh from various places in Yorkshire: direct from Sheffield on Cross Country HSTs (20 years ago) and Voyagers/Super Voyagers; from Doncaster on Class 91 + Mk4; and best of all, all the way to Inverness from York on the Highland Chieftain, HST + Mk3. That was good trip!
Brilliant video and review. Few pointers I would like to point out. The Royal Border Bridge, you go over it after you’ve stopped at Berwick London bound and you over the bridge then Berwick Edinburgh bound. The depot you saw heading towards Newcastle isn’t Newton Heath as that’s in Manchester, the one you passed was Heaton. Overall brilliant video tho
Great video the first class does look nice and some of the views on the route I personally think it's a good thing they remove the smoking carriage from the train as people SHOULD NOT be smoking on public transport because that would be paying a service just to pollute your lungs 😒
Curious fact, this train, even at 'average' speed, was still faster than the first airliner I travelled in. It was during the mid '50s, in NZ, the airliner was a DH Dommine, a twin engine bi-plane. Many years later a pilot told me if one engine stopped mid-flight, single engine performance meant a 'controlled' descent. Ummmm.
Nice video and lovely entirely British train. So glad that BRs designs, IC125 & IC225 were so good, proving what a failure & how unnecessary privatisation was imo. I'm yet to see the IC225 going 125 mph on a phone App! Strangely enough another 225 video i watched had it going 118 mph as well so I wish you had remembered to measure the speed south of York. Sorry to be a little negative about Kings X St. Pancras Station but there are many more impressive stations in the world. I always wonder why they extended the beautiful roof with a flat one !!
I am a huge fan of 91’s but let’s not forget that they have a history of reliability issues much like 55’s (Deltics) on the ECML , nevertheless I equally like 55’s as well . Brilliant video by the way .
I am glad you wrote about the A4 Mallard in the way you did. People are mistaken in calling it the fastest steam train. It was when it was still steaming. lol
I’m glad I got to ride one of these years ago, back when it was east coast going from Peterborough to kings cross, loved it, especially compared to the stop services I would normally take. I think I still prefer the east coast scheme on these trains though.
A much more comfortable and serene travel experience IMO than the Azuma. Smoother ride, quieter, much better seats, nicer looking interiors - Quite why those assets weren't replicated on the new trains I find hard to fathom! I traveled to London from Leeds on them many a time and found it to be an enjoyable experience. By contrast I got back ache on the Azuma even on much shorter trips... not good! I also think it is very poor that there is no proper buffet car on the new units - these are supposed to be "premium" long distance trains!..? Anyway rant over I hope you enjoyed your trip, and I hope I get to travel on these modern classic trains a few more times before they disappear for good :-(
Where to start? If you are travelling north to south, from Edinburgh to London, then in railway terms it's an "Up" rather than a "Down" service! The border between England and Scotland did indeed once run down the middle of the River Tweed (in much the same way that it once ran down the middle of the River Tyne, and once ran down the middle of the Firth of Forth) but in 1483 the much-maligned Yorkist King Richard III annexed Berwick-upon-Tweed, moving the Anglo-Scottish border a few miles north to Marshall Meadows, where it currently remains. Congratulations on spotting the greatest Norman building in the world - Durham Cathedral - without mentioning its near neighbour, a somewhat nondescript University of Durham Hall of Residence, known as Castle College. On a clear day the run along the Northumberland coast offers amazing views, including a glimpse of Lindisfarne (aka Holy island) with its famous castle. Also surely worthy of a mention are Stoke Bank, south of Grantham, where "Mallard" set a yet-unbroken speed record for steam traction (at the cost of severe damage to her Big Ends), and the Fens around Peterborough, where the soil turns black in fields which are now below sea level. Apart from these minor caveats a fantastic video which showcases one of the best electric trainsets to run on Britain's railway network ... the "Brighton Belle" of course excepted.
The best British train by far. Hopefully I'll get a chance to ride it once in my life. Starting with a fact it's a loco hauled train, in a push-pull configuration, the coaches are modern, with air suspension and beautiful interior. And the wonderful classic AC sound of the locomotive when accelerating. And I'm not an Azuma hater (more a HST hater), but IC 225 is so far above. My top 3: IC 225, Pendolino, Caledonian Sleeper. Probably the new GA Class 745 could catch up too.
Sir Bobby Robson was an England Manager, and took the England team to the Semi Final of the World Cup in 1990. He also managed Newcastle United. He died of Cancer in 2009. The major cancer center in the North East, at Freeman Road Hospital in known as the Sir Bobby Robson Center. In 2008 he launched the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, a charitable organisation it help cancer prevention. He was well loved in the North East.
Used these trains many times. Far better than the new ones. Good video only one small point the Royal Border Bridge is after the first stop at Berwick upon Tweed
That's a strange route for an East Coast train: Edinburgh, Berwick, past Newton Heath depot (Manchester), then Newcastle...... Think you meant Heaton depot! Since you filmed this LNER have increased the complimentary offer in 1st class: there's now bacon rolls up until 1000/1030 then a choice of sandwiches the rest of the day 😉
While I don't my the Azuma Trains myself (their increased acceleration definatly helps) The 225s are so much more comfortable to travel in and I'd much rather use them. It'll be a sad day when they're gone for good, which I believe will be some time in 2021.
Eversholt the rosco that owns the 225s have extended the lease with lner until at least summer 2023 with the option to extend till summer 2024. This includes a refirb of the 91 locos themselves as well the mk4 sets at the beginning of 2022 so they should be around for a little while longer, hopefully
@@Pulsarnix it was originally supposed to be around summer this year they were to be gone, then they moved it to December 2021 just before the timetable change before again moving it back to 2023/2024
People sitting in an aisle seat ( although sitting in aisle seats are currently banned) can get access to the power as long as its not in use, they have a long enough power or usb lead like I have, and the person sitting at the window plugs it in for you
This is the express service to London Kings Cross. Why is LNER removed HSTs, Intercity 225 sets and HullTrains Adelantes I hope Grand Central 180s won't be removed from the ECML. I like Pacers, they have some nice character to them most likely 144s I know people don't like pacers, well I don't mind cause they're cute. The Headcode is 1E17 the 1330, LNER service to London Kings Cross
LNER removed the IC125s due to being ancient and antiquated, having poor acceleration and not meeting modern regulations for operation. The IC225s are also quite old, and also have poor acceleration (though not as bad as a HST). Hull Trains had many reliability issues with their 180 fleet plus the 802s which replaced them (and likewise for the 800s that replaced the HSTs on LNER) can operate on both electric and diesel, massively reducing their carbon footprint
Caption errors! 10.22 is incorrect. When travelling South from Edinburgh to London, the station at Berwick Upon Tweed is before the bridge on the North bank of the river, not after on the South bank. Once over the bridge you are no longer in Berwick, you are passing through the town of Tweedmouth. 12.15 The depot shortly before arriving at Newcastle is Heaton, not Newton Heath. Newton Heath is not even in Newcastle, it is in Manchester, furthermore it closed as a railway depot many years ago.
I find it funny that we can get misty eyed about the Mk.4s now, but when they first came into service their ride quality was poor compared to Mk.3s at that time. The Mk.3s deteriorated quite badly as more time passed making the newer stock look better in comparison.
It's amazing how much of a step back the Azuma is in terms of comfort and refinement. I took First Class down from Edinburgh to London Kings X on Monday, and it was legitimately less comfortable than the Standard class seats on these 225 sets. Is there any legitimately good reason they don't pad or contour seats properly anymore? Because I don't think it'd detract from seating space in any noticeable capacity to add half an inch or so in extra padding on the seats and a bit more shaping so I don't feel like I'm sat on a tall park bench. And that's before mentioning the increased noise and jostling that's inevitable when comparing an EMU to carriage stock.
Lovely vid 91110 battle of Britan will go to the nrm once it finished service with LNER in 2024 it will go cause it’s the fastes electric loco in the country
Talking about the compulsory seat reservations on LNER, they have a number of seats in standard accommodation (not sure about 1st class) which are unreserveable and intended for short journeys for passengers who board without a reservation. But this is not publicised so you need to be "in the know".......
When was this filmed ? because on sept 26th one of these class loco’s passed our EMR regional service between Grantham & Peterborough as well as many Azuma’s, as we were going to the Norfolk Broads for our hols,
everytime i have been to Edinburgh or Glasgow it rained lol but i still prefer trains which look like trains and not something from Japan.However very VTEC interiors as they where refitted when Stagecoach/Virgin took over the franchise, but hell more comfortable than their Japanese replacements. All LNER did was to replace the headrests.. why would you need a reading light in daylight? get real !! and yes i agree the British Rail Intercity was far better, the British Government should have insisted the Intercity livery remained when they privatised the system
Lovely LNER HST is the best everlast this... Why not trying plan to keep on usual for repainting create to both of them? Pretty miss this one love, hm!! 😟💟
It was even better as virgin east coast on the breakfast service you got proper China cups in first class and pastries, biscuits etc... Then on train you got a welcome drink, a warm cinnamon bun/muffin hybrid , a well sized cooked breakfast, toast and jam and fruit with lots of free coffee and biscuits. On the return journey the hot meals were well sized again and you got proper glasses with your unlimited alcohol and ended the journey with a free 10min (clothes on) massage in the first class lounge from a company called "massage angels" :) unfortunately with LNER cost cutting the deal is still ExcelIent but has deteriorated slightly :( I'm sure it was even better with GNER before too
@@s125ish I love the soft leather and seats. They haven't been maintained so well with LNER. I think the old fabric was starting to show signs of wear and tear and tbh made the carriage have the feel of a posh caravan 😂
LNER are quite poor ATM for covid travel. Even on a bank holiday you'd get a sandwich, crisps, biscuits, tea/coffee and a pre packaged cake or muffin and fruit :/ and for most pax they've made it very difficult to obtain a ticket, compared to other companies they have so many restrictions and rules
Why oh why is the Azuma 1st class experience such a down grade from the the mk4s and mk3s? I used to travel frequently from Leeds to Kings Cross with LNER before the 800/801s came into service and the 1st class was such a nicer experience. Better seats, better seating layout (especially on the mk4s), better at seat service and a much quieter and comfortable journey. Now i don't even bother paying the extra to travel 1st class on the Azumas' because the product you pay for really isn't worth it in my opinion.
LNER and its predecessors ha always been a little hit and miss with duch things as catering and seat reservations. On the London - Edinburgh route in 2013, on the equivalent HST route first class, neither food nor drink was complementary - all had to be paid for.
if you think these class 91s are beautiful then take a look at the class 52 western diesel, soon change your mind, as for the seating in 1st class on your train its terrible all plastic no comfort at all.why not bring your own ration packs with you like we do.most train companys only serve tea and coffee, in the 60s we had silver service with china cups and saucers in the pullman car and decent seating !
Thanks for the video, a good record of the train. What is the economics of scrapping a perfectly good and comfortable train when it probably had around ten to fifteen years of life left? I agree, banning smoking on trains was good and like you a thought the BR livery was very smart.
There’s a combination of factors. Firstly, the 91s aren’t in the greatest of shape so likely would’ve needed an expensive overhaul to continue operation. Secondly, their acceleration is poor compared to their replacements, meaning despite having the same top speed they are significantly slower overall. Finally, by having a common fleet of the same type of train, it means that they can all be maintained together, saving huge amounts of money and resources, and also means that if one unit has to be substituted by another, there’s virtually no issues (except if an electric-only unit ends up on a non-electrified service)
It was mentioned online that the main reason for the units being replaced is that the units (due to their age) have higher maintenance costs so it would make economically sense to replace them with newer trains. Something that I have spotted online is that with the class 91's, regardless if they are in service or not, LNER have to pay X amount per day to Eversholt Rail (who leases the units to LNER). Whereas with the class 800/801 etc, the contract is slightly different in that Hitachi has given the responsibility to Agility Trains (who manages/maintains the 80X) so AT only takes money for trains that are available for service at start of day. So if no 800's trains go out on the day LNER pays nothing to AT, whereas if it was the 91's LNEr would pay for all units. Just to let you know LNER is keeping 10 sets of the mk4's (though it hasn't been confirmed if permanently though).
They might "work" per se - but they're absolutely garbage engineering and perform terribly in rail accidents. Then there's the maintenance issue, the problems with efficiency, and the fact the old trains are in a bit of a state even after the recent refurbishments. It's not like they're being scrapped though, IIRC they're being put to work on other routes..
The InterCity 125 aka HST does indeed still run, although not on LNER services. Only EMR, ScotRail and GWR still operate them, with the latter two companies only operating shortened 2+4 sets, with retrofitted sliding doors and limited to 100mph. EMR plan to replace theres over the next few years with Hitachi Class 810s
@@agent_605 I'm happy to hear they still run I was worried since the eurostar, intercity 125 and 225 are my favourites I am upset about what happened to the eurostar 373 tho
@@maimadha why? they’re 45+ years old, well passed their life expectancy, and as we saw at Carmont, complete death traps in comparison to modern rolling stock. Not to mention their environmental impact thanks to them only being capable of running on diesel on the mostly electrified East Coast Main Line
Have heard that LNER are keeping the Class 91 Mk4s until 2023. Which is brilliant. Despite the Class 800 and Class 801 Azumas are in service. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_800 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_801 www.railmagazine.com/news/fleet/lner-to-keep-class-91s-until-2023
@@SuperalbsTravels Maybe LNER should also keep some of the Class 43 Mk3 HSTs and to use them on London Kings Cross-Scarborough service as 7-Car or 8-Car.
Im not sure you can call that a ‘meal’ it looked tiny. Far too small. If you got a side with that or a starter it would nearly pass but that on its own is pathetic. It is the same with the west cost dinner service as well. It’s awfully small
Rail operators want to compare themselves against airlines but they fall woefully short here. Pathetic "snack" for first class. Airlines continue with a meal service during Covid, it is served at your seat and is a lot better than this. LNER could continue with the service but it appears they take the "public sector" option of finding a reason not to do so.
This just confirms my thoughts on how utterly disappointing the 800s are. Poorly huilt with poor ride that shakes the wall panels loose. Tge interiors are a hadh stark environment with harsh lighting. There is nothing jnviting about them at all. Then there is the seats . Kne gas to wounder how they got the 800s so wrong in everg way. The worst part is the 800s are becoming the mainstay of the intercity fleets . The cost to fix them will not be cheap and in the long run will cost more than just buying a better train in the first place.
