The Anonymous Widower

Thoughts On The Diesel Engines On Class 800/802 Trains

On my trip down to Devon yesterday, I remarked to the young lad, who I was sitting opposite that I couldn’t feel or hear the diesel engine under the floor of our car.

The Wikipedia entry for the Class 800 train, says this about which cars have a diesel orchestra under the floors.

The Class 800 and Class 802 bi-mode are equipped with three GUs per five-car set and five GUs per nine-car set; a five-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/4 and a nine-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/5/7/8. In comparison, the electric-orientated Class 801 features a single GU for a five- to nine-car set, which provides emergency power for limited traction and auxiliaries if the power supply from the overhead line fails. By adding or removing GUs, a Class 800 can be converted into a Class 801 and vice versa.

I believe we were in car 6 of a nine-car set, which would have explained the Silence of the Diesels.

Coming back, I was sitting in a car, which was labelled C, so as car 9 was leading, I must have been in Wikipedia’s car 7. So as it was quiet, was car 7’s diesel not being used?

But both trips indicated how quiet running will be, when batteries replace diesels.

What Is The Battery Range Of An Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train?

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I came to these conclusions.

  • The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
  • A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
  • The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.

As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.

Could Class 800/802 Trains Run Between Newbury And Exeter St. Davids?

Consider.

  • Trains from London to the South-West switch to diesel power at Newbury, which is 53 miles from London.
  • Exeter St. Davids is 173.4 miles from London.
  • Newbury and Exeter St. Davids is 120.4 miles.
  • Taunton station could be electrified for a Splash and Dash.

But it does appear that Exeter St. Davids can be reached by a battery-electric train from London.

Could Class 800/802 Trains Run Between Exeter St. Davids And Plymouth?

Consider.

 

  • All trains seem to wait for ten minutes at Plymouth.
  • Plymouth station could be electrified for a Splash and Dash.
  • Plymouth and Exeter St. Davids is only 52 miles.

Could Class 800/802 Trains Run Between Penzance And Plymouth?

Consider.

  • All trains seem to wait for ten minutes at Plymouth.
  • Plymouth station could be electrified for a Splash and Dash.
  • Penzance and Plymouth is only 79.5 miles.

It looks like trains can easily run between Penzance and Plymouth on battery-power.

Charging A Pair Of Trains

I believe platform lengths at Taunton, Exeter St. Davids, Plymouth and Penzance are all long enough to handle a pair of five-car Class 800 or Class 802 trains.

There could be separate circuits at each end of the platform so both trains could be quickly charged.

I doubt the Nimbys would object much to electrification in stations.

Conclusion

I’m fairly sure, that with short lengths of electrification at Taunton, Exeter St. Davids, Plymouth and Penzance, and batteries, that Class 800 and Class 802 trains can hop their way between Penzance and Newbury.

As a ten-minute stop is already included in the timetable at Plymouth, the trains could have a quick top up.

 

 

August 5, 2026 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Quick Visit To Okehampton Interchange Station – 4th August 2026

Today, I went to the new Okehampton Interchange station and took these pictures, between Exeter St. Davids and the new station.

Note.

  1. Exeter St. Davids station has some interesting artwork and some less than ideal stairs.
  2. Have you ever seen accident hotspot signs in a station before? I haven’t!
  3. Crediton station is shared with trains to Barnstaple.
  4. The bridge at Okehampton Interchange is an unusual cost-saving design, that only uses one lift.
  5. The car park is generous with 200 spaces.
  6. All-day parking is available for £2.
  7. There is storage for cycles.
  8. There is a defibrillator on the platform.
  9. The platform is 100 metres long.
  10. I suspect that with selective door opening a five-car Class 800 or 802 train could use the station.
  11. The Class 158 train was in excellent condition and was rattling along at a good speed without too much fuss.

I caught the same Class 158 train back to Exeter St. David’s on its return from Okehampton station.

I have some further thoughts.

Buses From Okehampton Interchange Station

Google AI gave me this information.

Bus services connecting directly to the newly opened Okehampton Interchange station include local and regional routes linking to Tavistock, Bude, Exeter, and Launceston.

Active Bus Routes

Service 6: Runs between Bude, Holsworthy, and Okehampton (Stagecoach South West).

Service 66: Connects Okehampton, Cheriton Bishop, and Exeter (Dartline / Stagecoach).

Service 118: Links Tavistock, Brentor, and Bridestowe to the new Interchange station instead of the older town station (Stagecoach).

Service 306: Connects Launceston and Okehampton via Lifton and Lewdown (Go Cornwall Bus).

Okehampton Interchange station appears not to be for just trains only.

The Location Of Okehampton Interchange Station

This Google Map shows the location of Okehampton Interchange station.

Note.

  1. This map was created before the station opened.
  2. Okehampton Interchange station is towards the North-West corner of the map and is indicated by three red dots and
  3. The distinctive roundabout by the station, that is shown in the pictures, can clearly be seen.
  4. The station is to the East of the town.
  5. Running across the bottom half of the map is the Okehampton by-pass.
  6. The B 3260 appears to connect the town and Okehampton Interchange station to the Okehampton by-pass in the South-East corner of the map, at a comprehensive interchange.

This opening paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for the route, gives a brief description of the road.

The A30 is a major road in England, running 284 miles (457 km) WSW from London to Land’s End.

These towns and cities are served.

  • Heathrow Airport
  • Staines-upon-Thames
  • Basingstoke
  • Salisbury
  • Shaftesbury
  • Yeovil
  • Honiton
  • Exeter
  • Okehampton
  • Launceston
  • Bodmin
  • Newquay
  • Truro
  • Redruth
  • Penzance

Note.

  1. A good proportion of the route is dual-carriageway.
  2. It is dual-carriageway between Exeter and Cambourne.
  3. I suspect some people in North Cornwall may find it more convenient to drive to Okehampton Interchange station for access to trains.
  4. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the new generation of mouse-quiet hydrogen coaches connecting Okehampton Interchange station and the far South-West.

I believe that the usage of the station will exceed the predictions, by a large margin.

Could Okehampton Interchange Station Have Trains To And From London?

This OpenRailwayMap show how the various lines connect at Exeter St. David’s station.

Note.

  1. Exeter St. David’s station is indicated by the blue arrow.
  2. The yellow track going North-West leads to the Tarka Line for Barnstaple station and the Dartmoor Line to the Okehampton stations.
  3. The orange track going North-East is the Great Western Main Line to Taunton, Swindon, Reading and London Paddington.
  4. The orange track going East is the West of England Main Line to Salisbury, Basingstoke and London Waterloo.
  5. The yellow track going South-East is the Avocet Line to Exmouth station.
  6. The orange track going South is the South Devon Main Line to Dawlish, Newton Abbot, Plymouth and ultimately to Penzance.

To access the Dartmoor Line and Okehampton Parkway station.

  • Trains from the Great Western Main Line would need to reverse in Exeter St. David’s station.
  • Trains from the West of England Main Line would go straight through Exeter St. David’s station.

Note.

  1. Currently, some trains go between the Tarka Line and Exmouth, by going straight through Exeter St. David’s station.
  2. I said earlier in this post, that trains serving Okehampton Parkway station would need to be short or use selective door opening.
  3. South Western Railway have an hourly service between Exeter St. David’s and London Waterloo, that starts from Exeter St. David’s station and could be occasionally extended to Okehampton Parkway station.
  4. Great Western Railway have a two-hourly service between Exeter St. David’s and London Waterloo, that starts from Exeter St. David’s station and could be occasionally extended to Okehampton Parkway station.

I believe it would be possible to run occasional services between London and Okehampton Parkway station.

 

August 5, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment