[Liverpoolman1]

Last week I had the pleasure of talking with a young man -20 something - who could not get over the condition of my 216 Cabriolet. He couldn’t believe it was 26 years old and wanted to know all about it. His Dad stood by smiling as he drooled over it. It was good to see a younger person appreciating and understanding that the older car has value and is not for the rubbish bin. There is hope yet that a future generation will carry on appreciating the great British motor car of yesteryear and not believe that everything produced before they were born was rubbish.
Both the British press and Margaret Thatcher are responsible for the undermining and demise of quality British industry.

[Topcat Tomcat]

I have never understood why there is perception that anything made abroad is automatically better than the home produced model.

Because the same attitudes are prevalent in the so called DfT, we’re lumbered with foreign produced trains such as the Hitachi Super Hitachi InterCity Trains (S.H.l.T.s!). and assorted German/Spanish built trains, with a hard ride, park bench seats and structural problems. Comparing the ride quality of a BR Mk3 and a S.H.I.T. at 125 mph is like chalk and cheese. It’s just the same when comparing a 158, 165/6 or 170 with a Siemens 185 or a CAF unit.

And the Mk3 has a minimum fatigue life of 60 years!

Give me a 158 or HST to work every time!

[itcaptainslow]

I have never understood why there is perception that anything made abroad is automatically better than the home produced model.

Because the same attitudes are prevalent in the so called DfT, we’re lumbered with foreign produced trains such as the Hitachi Super Hitachi InterCity Trains (S.H.l.T.s!). and assorted German/Spanish built trains, with a hard ride, park bench seats and structural problems. Comparing the ride quality of a BR Mk3 and a S.H.I.T. at 125 mph is like chalk and cheese. It’s just the same when comparing a 158, 165/6 or 170 with a Siemens 185 or a CAF unit.

And the Mk3 has a minimum fatigue life of 60 years!

Give me a 158 or HST to work every time!

Yup-the Siemens units we have now aren't half as nice to drive or reliable as the old York built 70's & 80's EMU's that went before them, or the Bombardier Networkers.

[itcaptainslow]

Last week I had the pleasure of talking with a young man -20 something - who could not get over the condition of my 216 Cabriolet. He couldn’t believe it was 26 years old and wanted to know all about it. His Dad stood by smiling as he drooled over it. It was good to see a younger person appreciating and understanding that the older car has value and is not for the rubbish bin. There is hope yet that a future generation will carry on appreciating the great British motor car of yesteryear and not believe that everything produced before they were born was rubbish.
Both the British press and Margaret Thatcher are responsible for the undermining and demise of quality British industry.

I've noticed more and more of the younger generation (I still kind of count myself as part of it aged 34...!) appreciating MG Rover products. Maybe the fact they haven't seen much of the negative press actually helps...?

[crepello]

Yup-the Siemens units we have now aren't half as nice to drive or reliable as the old York built 70's & 80's EMU's that went before them, or the Bombardier Networkers.

700 and 717's? Hate 'em with a passion. A ticket to ride one is definitely a distress purchase. I can't see
how the violent lurching felt by me as a passenger can be any better in the other direction, i.e. to the
track. All that clunking underneath, which would have me jacking up my Rover, I half hope leads to a
spate of stress cracks.

All this, while about twice a week a superb Class 365 gets carted off, halfway through its design life and
still looking so classy, to Newport for shredding and export as scrap.

[itcaptainslow]

Yup-the Siemens units we have now aren't half as nice to drive or reliable as the old York built 70's & 80's EMU's that went before them, or the Bombardier Networkers.

700 and 717's? Hate 'em with a passion. A ticket to ride one is definitely a distress purchase. I can't see
how the violent lurching felt by me as a passenger can be any better in the other direction, i.e. to the
track. All that clunking underneath, which would have me jacking up my Rover, I half hope leads to a
spate of stress cracks.

All this, while about twice a week a superb Class 365 gets carted off, halfway through its design life and
still looking so classy, to Newport for shredding and export as scrap.

Yup! I only sign 700's at my depot, but I much preferred 321's & 365's to drive.

The track across the Fens to Kings Lynn in particular exposes the rather hard ride of the newer stock...

[Topcat Tomcat]

All that clunking underneath, which would have me jacking up my Rover, I half hope leads to a
spate of stress cracks.

*laughs*!

[Topcat Tomcat]

The track across the Fens to Kings Lynn in particular exposes the rather hard ride of the newer stock...

I bet it does! Wafting back from Edinburgh to Glasgow in a 365 at 100 mph a while ago was in total contrast to the Hitachi 385 Mini S.H.I.T. in the opposite direction.

[crepello]

I bet it does! Wafting back from Edinburgh to Glasgow in a 365 at 100 mph a while ago was in total contrast to the Hitachi 385 Mini S.H.I.T. in the opposite direction.

Yes. 'Wafting' is a good expression of the ease with which a 365 ate up the miles. Not unlike an R8
in fact, leaving you refreshed at journey's end. Another parallel, they were the parting shot of the
BR design engineers before privatisation. Yet another, their tasteful styling, free of short shelf-life
style gimmicks as compulsory on later stock. Their close family members still operate south of the
Thames, where they never get called on to exercise their suspension at the higher speeds the 365s
reached, operating out of Kings Cross.

To help those who haven't a clue what we're on about:

[Topcat Tomcat]

Happy Trains.