NationMaster - Encyclopedia: British Rail Class 220

The Class 220 Voyager is a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation for the British train operating company Virgin CrossCountry. They are the mainstay of those long-distance trains in Britain that do not terminate in London (although they are used for services between Holyhead and London Euston). They are air-conditioned throughout, with powered doors and a top speed of 125 mph. They were introduced to replace the thirty-year-old High Speed Train fleet. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x960, 630 KB) Virgin Voyager Class 220 DEMU 220003 arrives into Bristol Temple Meads station. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x960, 630 KB) Virgin Voyager Class 220 DEMU 220003 arrives into Bristol Temple Meads station. ... Image File history File links VVoyager. ... Image File history File links VVoyager. ... A number of vehicles use a diesel-electric powerplant for providing locomotion. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A classic Belgian multiple unit of type 74 A multiple unit (MU) is a passenger train whose carriages have their own motors, either diesel (DMUs) or electric (EMUs), and do not need to be hauled by a locomotive, and can be coupled with other similar units to operate together, in... A typical American steam train For other uses, see Train (disambiguation). ... Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Bombardier group. ... Due to historical differences the railway network of the United Kingdom is split into two independent systems: one on the island of Great Britain and one in Northern Ireland, which is closely linked to the railway system of the Republic of Ireland. ... Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Holyhead (Welsh: Caergybi, the fort of St. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The units were originally intended to operate frequent services with short one-unit trains, thereby providing the same number of seats but providing more departure times - hence being more attractive to the commuter. Thanks to insufficient train number in service and being very popular, they were often overcrowded, so the schedule with so-called 'clockface' departures was scrapped. The solution was to run trains of two coupled Voyager units, allowing for twice the number of passengers. Like most autorail aerodynamical HST (TGV, ICE, ETR, Shinkansen, Acela, etc) and unlike other slower classes commonly run in trains of two units, such as the Class 375 Electrostar, the Voyagers have no end-gangways, so while passengers could walk between carriages of the unit in which they are riding, they cannot walk between units: each unit needed its own on-board staff. Class 375/6, no. ...

Now that the fleet has settled down, the clockface timetable has been partially reinstated, and most Voyagers now run as single units.

The Voyagers share the same type of couplers as the Class 390 Pendolino electric units used by Virgin's West Coast trains, and they can be coupled together in the event of a failure, although as the electrical systems are not compatible they are not coupled in normal service. They can also be 'dragged' by Virgin's Thunderbirds, humorously named after the eponymous TV series, which are Class 57/3 "Ronnies". Class 390 no. ... The WCML running alongside the M1 motorway at Watford Gap in Northamptonshire A Virgin Pendolino and freight train on the WCML The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ... Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s television show devised by Gerry Anderson, produced by both Sylvia and Gerry Anderson and made by company AP Films using a form of puppetry called Supermarionation. The series followed the adventures of International Rescue, an organisation created to help those in grave danger using... Class 57, no. ...

The principal differences between the Voyager and Super Voyager fleet are that the Super Voyager usually consists of five carriages rather than the Voyager's four, and like the Pendolino can tilt when going around curves in order to allow higher speeds. This means that Super Voyager units have significantly more complex bogies than do Voyagers. Class 390 no. ... A tilting train is a train with a tilting mechanism that enables increased speed on regular railroad tracks. ...

Both models are powered by Cummins QSK19 engines, with each carriage featuring its own engine. For other uses, see Cummins (disambiguation). ...

Midland Mainline's new Meridian trains are closely related to the Voyager fleet, although they have a revised front end and are, according to Bombardier Transportation, '80% new train'. Midland Mainline (MML) is a British train operating company, created after the privatisation of British Rail. ... A four-car Midland Mainline Class 222 passing through Loughborough on 19 November 2005. ...

Problems

Being Canadian these trains have somewhat unfair and unrealistic criticism. As it is the case with any new technology, Voyagers have suffered a few teething problems. In 2002 the entire fleet was banned from travelling south of Exeter along the Dawlish Sea Wall during rough seas as salt spray caused several breakdowns. Despite modifications at least one Voyager has broken down due to salt spray on the wall every winter since. Voyagers have also suffered from engine problems in recent months. However many of the engine problems have now been resolved. The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in England. ... Map sources for Dawlish at grid reference SX963767 The Great Western Main Line runs along the Dawlish seafront Dawlish is a town on the south coast of Devon, England, 12 miles from the County town of Exeter, with a population of around 13,000 people. ...

A recent Voyager fire in the South West was caused by Voyagers unique braking system which uses a subway-like batch of resistors on the roof to Dynamically slow the train down amd return energy to tghe main batteries, as opposed to air brakes at higher speed. The resistors are known to reach temperatures of up to 500 degrees C. A small piece of wood from a tree was lodged in the resistor which then started a fire on the roof with the train having to make an emergency evacuation at Cheltenham Spa. These resistors occasionally cause problems with high tide on the Dawlish Sea wall. Resistor symbols (US and Japan) Resistor symbols (Europe, IEC) A pack of resistors A resistor is a two-terminal electrical or electronic component that resists an electric current by producing a voltage drop between its terminals in accordance with Ohms law. ... This article is about the town of Cheltenham in England. ...

Another criticism has been that of noise, since these trains are autorail. This means that each coach features an underfloor engine. There are many advantages. This allows for smaller engines which distribute power among all train coaches. This moves away from the former difficult train configuration, such as seen in the HST, where a very heavy engine wagon pulls very light coaches bringing stability problems. The underlying motors do lower the gravity centre insuring much more stable operation. The aurorail configuration also insures that train emgines shall not be overloaded beyond the design values. Hence, the user can acheive high speed operations in all circumstances and this is evn more the case when used in conjunction with Bombardier's tilting mechanism.

On the other hand, the passenger saloons of the Voyager units suffer from significant engine noise and vibration which is unavoidable with diesel engines, something from which the Mark 2 and Mark 3 coaches that they replaced, being locomotive hauled, were largely immune.

The breakdown frequency of the Virgin Voyagers is somewhat higher than Midland Mainline's very similar class 222 Meridian trains. One of the main reasons for this is that Virgin use their units much more intensively and at faster speeds than Midland Mainline and thus the Voyagers can be considered more reliable.

See also

Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. ... A Class 220 Voyager stops at York station. ... A four-car Midland Mainline Class 222 passing through Loughborough on 19 November 2005. ... Class 390 no. ...

External links

Categories: British Rail diesel multiple units | Bombardier products Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... DMU, type SA108 of Great Poland Voivodship in PoznaÅ„, Poland German DMU of class 628 A diesel multiple unit (DMU) is a train whose carriages have their own motors powered by a diesel engine. ... A wide variety of locomotives and multiple units have operated on Great Britains railway network. ... A wide variety of locomotives and multiple units have operated on Great Britains railway network. ... A wide variety of locomotives and multiple units have operated on Great Britains railway network. ... A wide variety of locomotives and multiple units have operated on Great Britains railway network. ... A wide variety of locomotives and multiple units have operated on Great Britains railway network. ... A wide variety of locomotives and multiple units have operated on Great Britains railway network. ... A wide variety of locomotives and multiple units have operated on Great Britains railway network. ... Class 100, no. ... Class 101, no. ... Class 101, no. ... The British Rail Class 103 diesel multiple units were built by Park Royal. ... Class 104, nos. ... The British Rail Class 105/106 diesel multiple units were built by Cravens Ltd. ... The British Rail Class 105/106 diesel multiple units were built by Cravens Ltd. ... The British Rail Class 107 diesel multiple units were built by the Derby Works of British Railways and were introduced in 1960. ... Class 108 DMU, nos. ... Preserved unit 50416+56171. ... Built by Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. ... Builder: Metropolitan Cammell Introduced: 1957 Coupling Code: Blue Square Engines: Rolls Royce 180hp Body: 57ft x 9ft 3in Transmission: Standard mechanical Based on Class 101/2s, but with different engines. ... Built by Cravens Ltd, Sheffield Introduced: 1960 Coupling Code: Blue Square Body: 57ft 6in x 9ft 3in Engines: Rolls Royce of 238hp Transmission: Standard Mechanical (112) Hydraulic (113) This Class used the standard Cravens body used for Class 105s but had a single Rolls-Royce engine of 238hp per car... Built by Cravens Ltd, Sheffield Introduced: 1960 Coupling Code: Blue Square Body: 57ft 6in x 9ft 3in Engines: Rolls Royce of 238hp Transmission: Standard Mechanical (112) Hydraulic (113) This Class used the standard Cravens body used for Class 105s but had a single Rolls-Royce engine of 238hp per car... Class 114, no. ... Built by BR Derby Introduced: 1960 Coupling Code: Blue Square Body: 63ft 6in x 9ft 3in Engines: BUT (Leyland Albion) of 230hp Transmission: Standard mechanical These 41 high density sets operated the outer-suburban services from Marylebone to Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Banbury, which were known as the Chiltern Lines. ... Set T326, formed vehicles 51131 and 51321, at Arley on the Severn Valley Railway on 15th October 2004, whilst taking part in the Railcar 50 event. ... 51402 at Northampton & Lamport Railway. ... The sole surviving Class 118 vehicle, no. ... Built by Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. ... Class 120 Swindon Cross-Country 3-car sets Introduced : 1958 Coupling Code : Blue Square Engines : BUT (AEC) 150hp Body : 64ft 1/2 in x 9ft 3in Transmission : Standard mechanical Totalling 194 cars, three batches of these Cross-Country sets were built, 49 sets in 1958 for the WR, 7 in... Chiltern Railways operate a single Class 121 Bubble Car on Aylesbury to Princes Risborough shuttles. ... Parcels Use Three Scottish Region cars (55013-55015) were converted to carry parcels traffic and were reclassified Class 131, though the vehicles themselves were not renumbered. ... The Class 123 was a design of Diesel Multiple Unit built for British Rail in 1963. ... The Class 124 was a class of initially six car Diesel Multiple Units used and built specifically for the trans-pennine route. ... The Class 125 was a design of three car Diesel Multiple Unit built for British Rail in 1958. ... Swindon Inter-City 3-car sets Introduced : 1957 (Edinburgh - Glasgow & Western Region) and 1959 (Glasgow - Ayr - Stranraer) Coupling Code : White Circle Engines : BUT (AEC) 150hp Body : 64ft 1/2 in x 9ft 3in Transmission : Standard mechanical The introduction of what became the Class 126 diesel multiple units originated in a... Class 127, no, 51625 at Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway on 15th October 2004, whilst on display at the Railcar 50 event. ... The Class 128 is a design of Diesel Multiple Unit built for British Rail. ... The Class 129 was a class of single-car Diesel Multiple Unit built in 1955 for British Rail. ... Set T326, formed vehicles 51131 and 51321, at Arley on the Severn Valley Railway on 15th October 2004, whilst taking part in the Railcar 50 event. ... Parcels Use Three Scottish Region cars (55013-55015) were converted to carry parcels traffic and were reclassified Class 131, though the vehicles themselves were not renumbered. ... British United Traction produced eleven lightweight Diesel multiple unit vehicles for British Rail during the 1950s, numbered 79740-79750. ... Derby Lightweight power car no. ... In 1955, Metropolitan-Cammell produced its first lightweight Diesel multiple units, the prototypes of what were to become British Rails most successful and longest-lived First Generation DMU type, the Class 101. ... British Rail produced a variety of Railbuses as a means both of building new rolling stock cheaply, and to provide services on lightly-used lines economically. ... In 1933, the Great Western Railway introduced the first of what was to become a very successful series of railcars, which survived in regular use into the 1960s, when they were replaced with the new British Rail First Generation type Diesel multiple units. ... The London, Midland and Scottish Railway purchased three four-wheel diesel railcars from Leyland in 1933. ... Class 140 1st Pacer built Categories: ... Class 141. ... A Class 142 at Manchester Victoria station Another view of a 142 The British Rail Class 142 is a class of pacer diesel multiple units used in the United Kingdom. ... 143603 at Bristol Temple Meads, 28 June 2005. ... Class 144, no. ... Class 150/2, no. ... The British Rail Class 151 was a class of DMU built in the early 1980s. ... Class 153, no. ... Class 150/2, no. ... The British Rail Class 155 Super-Sprinter is a diesel multiple unit. ... Class 156, no. ... Class 157 was the designation applied to a range of Diesel multiple unit trains planned for regional use, in particular for the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive. ... Class 158, no. ... The British Rail Class 159 Express Sprinter (also known as South Western Turbo by Network South East) is a diesel multiple unit, built from 1992-93 by BREL at Derby Works. ... Class 165/1, no. ... Class 166, no. ... A Chiltern Railways Clubman at Kidderminster station. ... Class 170/2, no. ... Class 170/2, no. ... Class 175, no. ... Class 180, no. ... 185102 during testing at Leeds City Station on 15th January 2006. ... The British Rail Class 201 (or 6S) six-car diesel-electric multiple units (DEMUs) were built in 1957-1958 at Eastleigh and Ashford. ... The British Rail Class 202 (or 6L) diesel-electric multiple units were built from 1957-58 at Eastleigh and Ashford Works. ... This was the final version of Hastings Restriction 0 diesel trains, classified 6B, later class 203. ... The British Rail Class 204 designation has been used twice for two different types of diesel-electric multiple units. ... Class 205, no. ... The British Rail Class 206 was a type of diesel electric multiple unit (DMU) first created in 1964. ... Class 207, no. ... The British Rail Class 210 was a type of DEMU built in the late 1970s. ... A Class 220 Voyager stops at York station. ... A four-car Midland Mainline Class 222 passing through Loughborough on 19 November 2005. ... The British Rail Class 251, more commonly known as the Blue Pullman units, were diesel-electric multiple units built by the Pullman Car Company in 1960. ... Class 252 was the classification allocated to the prototype High Speed Train unit, numbered 252001. ... Class 253 and Class 254 were the classifications allocated to the production High Speed Train units. ... Class 253 and Class 254 were the classifications allocated to the production High Speed Train units. ... Class 253 and Class 254 were the classifications allocated to the production High Speed Train units. ... Class 207, no. ... Class 205, no. ... The British Rail Class 206 was a type of diesel electric multiple unit (DMU) first created in 1964. ... The British Rail Class 204 designation has been used twice for two different types of diesel-electric multiple units. ... This was the final version of Hastings Restriction 0 diesel trains, classified 6B, later class 203. ... This was the final version of Hastings Restriction 0 diesel trains, classified 6B, later class 203. ... The British Rail Class 202 (or 6L) diesel-electric multiple units were built from 1957-58 at Eastleigh and Ashford Works. ... The British Rail Class 201 (or 6S) six-car diesel-electric multiple units (DEMUs) were built in 1957-1958 at Eastleigh and Ashford. ... Class 960, no. ... Class 930, no. ... The British Rail Class 950 is a diesel multiple unitthat was purpose-built for departmental use as a Track Assessment unit. ... The British Rail Class 951 was reserved for former diesel-electric multiple units converted for departmental use. ... The British Rail Class 960 was reserved for former diesel multiple units converted for departmental use, and former electrical multiple units rebuilt as test trains. ... The APT-E (meaning Advanced Passenger Train Experimental) tilting train was the prototype Advanced Passenger Train unit. ... Categories: Stub | Multiple Units ...

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