On Board The New Intercity Express Train

The new Class 800 IET trains were launched on GWR's mainline on 16th October 2017. The first service was one that departed Bristol heading for London, the second was at 7am - leaving Paddington to go to Bristol and back, and that's the one that Geoff caught at Reading on its way back to London.
Thanks to the lovely onboard staff who kindly let me sit in First Class for a portion of the journey.
Quite by change we bumped into our friend Roger who also decided that he'd take a ride on the new train on the day it was launched ..
.. and then, by quite even bigger chance the day ended at Paddington with a steam train, the launch of 'Paddington 2', and some rather famous people who showed up as part of a charity event.

[@RoulinBrooks]

If I had to choose between a special appearance by the royal family or a special appearance by Roger, I'd choose Roger every time.

[@mellowfellow6816]

Roger is royalty

[@M1CAE1.]

That doesn't say much about the royal family though, Roger is a legend

[@ConstantinSPurcea]

When you take your train back to Paddington and casually run into Prince William.

[@lachlantanseytheii4412]

I’d faint

[@daisiescrystals577]

I thought you were joking until i saw it

[@tidmouthmilk12]

11:30 Love that shot. Steam, diesel and electric all together at Paddington!

[@brayand8022]

Tidmouth Milk actually it was a 11:32

[@MsEdy09]

GWEN, First Great Western and GWR

[@OLDBOYSTEAMING]

Hi Jeff the Tornado Steam Engine Is Not a Replica it is a new Build Engine and a new Number.

[@steved8193]

11:39 I see what Roger means about the acceleration.

[@DailyAviaton]

Please tell me you’re being sarcastic?!

[@timc1703]

I absolutely love that shot of the IET, the HST and Tornado lined up. (11:31) Absolutely stunning. By the way, Tornado isn't a replica, it's the next loco in that class (it just happened to be built quite a bit later!) But now I'm sounding picky.

[@grenfellroad8394]

That’s because it pulled the train into Paddington and there are no run round facilities

[@darkcenturion5735]

definitely runs under its own power, it achieved 100mph on the ECML with no other locomotive in the consist not too long ago

[@bfapple]

David Button yep I’ve seen it numerous times on the East Coast.

[@refsmithy]

That was my favourite shot of the video!

[@andyjamess]

I have seen it on Nene Valley Railway kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZLJeGxsrK2rgac

[@lrp_745]

The photo at 11:31 is the generations of rail travel

[@timothymeyer3210]

Yep, steam -> diesel -> electric What's next? Maglev?

[@pietrorita]

Shark_Shooter next probably steam, if the 3WW begins

[@WCML730]

Oh my god yeah that's so cool

[@leonb5293]

I love how the royal family are just casually walking around paddington talking to the actors lol😁

[@moritzl7065]

The switch to Electric happens shortly before Maidenhead. You'll hear the diesel engine suddenly stop and then the only thing you hear is the natural wind sound. It's a similar feeling to when you turn aircon or a fan off suddenly after keeping it on for a long time. ...also you made the right choice going on the 2nd train. The first one broke down at Taplow due to the electric switch issue and the aircon broke down. It had a lot of angry commuters on it...

[@btuckervideos4705]

Glad to see good old Roger again, enjoyed watching him in your Park Street video

[@Boyracer2983]

I love how Geoff just waltzes onto a film launch and gets access to stars and royalty 🤣❤

[@priestland1]

You can almost taste the buzz and excitement that you get just by seeing Paddington Station.

[@jammin023]

It's often said that one of the things that did for the ATP back in the 80s (apart from the fact that Thatcher hated trains and was never going to greenlight it anyway) was the fact that having the power cars in the middle with no walkthrough meant that they had to double up all the staff and facilities with a set in each half of the train. Seems like GWR/Hitachi haven't learned from this...

[@LeoMartinDJ]

Also to correct that bloke you were with who claimed to explain everything perfectly... the seat reservation system is NOT as he described. Reserving en route is not currently supported by GWR, and it might be at one point in the future, but isn't now and hence isn't anything to do with the traffic light reservation system. It is in fact as follows: GREEN - This seat is totally unreserved and is available for the FULL journey. AMBER - This seat is partially reserved for a portion of this journey (E.G. on a Plymouth to London train when the seat is reserved between Plymouth and Taunton). RED - This seat is fully reserved throughout the whole journey.

[@jlelliotton]

I was at Slough today when these new trains came by (in both directions). Standing on the platform as they sped by was quite an experience.

[@MianCowell]

red? plummy? burgandy? see this is what happens when you don't travel with Vicky! she'd know.

[@gordonmcmillan883]

Vicky missed Paddington. She wont be happy.

[@harrytodhunter5078]

I hate to do this but Tornado isnt a replica, its a new build. Yes, its not one of the original 49, but it wasnt built as a copy of a specific member of the class, as no a1s were called Tornado. For example, if i built a new a4 and called it mallard, thats a replica. But if i called it Bob, its a new build. This might start a long argument but hey ho.

[@remmington-allumvidoes7266]

I was going to point this out to Geoff, but thanks Harry, you've already done it. It is also the next number in sequence, that was never used.

[@ertobi]

09:00: I think the lack of a window would be quite negatively received by me if I would be sitting on one of those two seats ...

[@shamoldas7958]

56o

[@stu_boy]

I spied that lady behind you in First Class having a sneaky (and not too impressed) peak through the gap in the chairs! About 5:06 in!

[@sihollett]

It's because they were talking. You'd have thought that Geoff would know by now that talking on trains is not acceptable within a certain radius of London!

[@dontjudgemebymyname.4282]

+Si Hollett That's stupid.

[@tonywilkins6090]

@@sihollett I would think she was just being more nosy by the conversation that was going on.

[@nickbond4257]

Best shot is 11:31, although it doesn't quite go in age order! It appears to though. And, of course, Tornado is an A1, so an LNER design not GWR... Brilliant video as always, I wonder when I'll get to use the new IETs.

[@manomaylr]

Well LNER have the 800s too, they just call them Azumas!

[@benjibatch]

I love the theme tune btw, always have, the day you change it, I will cry

[@ScenesThroughTravels]

Inter-City 125 is still the best and will be missed by me !!

[@gobears6487]

I'm 8 mins into watching and an email notification pops up... from GWR no less: "Want to catch the train of the future?" it says. Hey GWR: I'm watching it RIGHT NOW. Ha. Timing is everything...

[@dapurupiakbanun]

very extraordinary my friend, thank you for taking me for a walk with the express train😊 nice to mwwt you

[@MA9494AM]

12:18 That's the guy from Horible Histories :D

[@YetAnotherGeorgeth]

MA9494AM he prefers Prince William!

[@MA9494AM]

:P Simon Farnaby

[@williamg209two]

oh yeah it is, he was pretty funny

[@charliemoir5591]

Oh yeah!!!!!!

[@timfireblade]

I thought it was Art Garfunkel?

[@danielhannahpratt5726]

Geoff & Roger met on Twitter & now they are like best mates basically

[@carriageofnoreturn.1881]

At 05:40 - "Everything does age", says Roger... apart from Geoff, of course.

[@dtvfan24]

yep Geoff is getting younger. whats his secret

[@Johantheman]

Amazing that you could get so close to Royalty without any pre- arrangement. Well done.

[@toycatslawyer2726]

The new intercity trains look amazing!

[@EvanEscher]

ibxtoycat fan? I watch his 2nd channel geography videos.

[@kevingraham2733]

No they don't, they look plastic, cheap and don't even have a restaurant coach, that's not what i call improvement. HST's far better.

[@charliemoir5591]

11:38 wow, it does excelerate quickly!!

[@xXPyrophorusXx]

The end was the coolest!

[@JulianKemp]

You don't need a 1st class ticket to use the Pullman dining service - as long as there is space, you just need a second class ticket - and get the upgrade to first for free! (well the cost of your meal). If you have a 1st class ticket you can reserve a seat in the Pullman

[@AllTheStations]

we caught the 19:03 service the other evening, and they were QUEUEING on the platform by the dining car to get in.. very popular! so getting in on a standard class ticket might be difficult, when all the 1st peeps couldn't get fed. there's a note on the GWR website with a number you can call to reserve a seat in advance, yes. anyway - i really want to try it sometime...

[@JulianKemp]

Thursday and Fridays are busy - earlier in the week not so bad. The food is excellent, and the best bit is the people you share the table with and chat with.

[@thelonesculler]

Wait wait wait. That's the same train that Clarkson used in the Top Gear Race to the North! I'm impressed that it's still rolling

[@Sam-gf6ue]

It's pretty much brand new! cost millions to make. if it wasn't still working there would be issues

[@TransportGeekery]

So 40% of the potential capacity is taken up with first class seating, and a galley that is used on two trains a day? Train company logic is hard.

[@tonywilkins6090]

I know its 2 years since your reply but I fail to see how you got 40% (unless you are referring to Roger's comment about 4 carriage [ which doesn't mention that there are carriage that are split 1st and 2nd class seats)? 5 car car = 1 and a third first class (including galley) roughly 26.6% 2x5 car = 2 and 2 thirds first class (includes Galley) roughly 26.6% 9 car = 2 carriage (including galley) roughly 22.2%

[@MarkMaddyGriff]

They are basically a restricted loading gauge Series E3/400 Mini-Shinkansen (like the Javelin). I was watching NHK world who where reporting about their trains abroad.

[@richard-riku]

The seats won't be like a shinkansen though. shinkansen seats rotate at the end of the journey so every seat always faces the direction of travel, also ALL seats are aligned with their own window. No UK train has that kind of seating (I've never seen it on any train in Europe).

[@inkyscrolls5193]

11:31 That shot is magnificent. Well caught! 11:53 _Tornado_ is not a replica, by the way. It is an "original steam train", as you put it, which just happened to be built rather recently.

[@seanward4545]

Just Simon farnaby chilling with his best mates, the royals 😂

[@pauldelcour]

Very fascinating to learn about the new GWR train series. And a nice bonus at the end where in one go history combines 3 series of trains. Wonderful!

[@williamthompson7119]

The HSTs are 41 years old but recently refurbished. I found the seats really hard. In both first class and cattle class. I cannot say I was happy with the new trains.

[@davidboda3667]

Geoff I love your videos. A big hello from a train lover in Canada!

[@LeoMartinDJ]

Haha I was on the first one from Bristol (1A03) yesterday, and yeah... just great. That was my first impression of the Class 800 from GWR, first a leak into the coach I had a reserved seat in (1st Class), then it failed before we even made it to Paddington. Glad your journey was much better! :D

[@lewis72]

3:06 Fire regulations will not stop leather going onto seats in trains. I work for an aircraft seat manufacturer and the requirements for flame-proof materials are very rigorous and we're using (treated) leather, which passes the flame-proof certification.

[@matthewstevens4462]

Trains = Airliners?

[@andrewgray4212]

Yes. Leather is bizarrely not a problem for new German and Italian high-speed trains...

[@ericjamieson]

Leather = Leather.

[@mrslinkydragon9910]

Dauch bahn have leather seats on their ice train service..

[@northernofficials4461]

You know the British government is just lying for more uncomfortable journeys

[@intercity4319]

They look fantastic, I must try to get on one soon, only issue for me is the formation, 4 first class carriages, you could just have one at the end of each unit and fit so many more commuters in.

[@mojomusica]

That was a fantastic one-off shot @11.33 of Tornado, an HST and an 800 all in line, you should have made more of that! Missed Vicki, but Roger was very entertaining and knowledgeable about all things heading West. Keep up the good work Geoff and Vicki!

[@thearsenalmisfit2414]

Your right a great shot of 2 classic trains a a plastic pile of crap that will last 20 years if its lucky judging by how poorly they were built after only 3 years of service.

[@Lemonaitor]

I'm surprised how close you got to Will, Kate and Harry!

[@HenrysAdventures]

Great video, I enjoyed that! I don't think I'd have been as complimentary as that couple were considering their seats had no window to look out of!

[@Hawks1980]

Was waiting at Bath Spa station on Wednesday and saw those steam train carriages. Wonderful craftsmanship

[@fazer2474]

Enjoyed that, + bonus steam engine. was Vicky upset to miss Paddington Bear?

[@PlanesTrainsFan]

I will miss the Intercity 125 Class 43 with Mk3 coaches HST The train that saved britian railways What ever you want to call them.

[@TravelJackJourneys158]

Fantastic Video Geoff nice to see Tornado and a class 67 on the back Tornado is my favourite steam engine and class 67s are my favourite diesel locomotive

[@codelyokofanful]

11:31 perfect shot of the 3 generation of trains Steam Diesel and ELECTRIC

[@Flymochairman1]

Quite a day out there Geoff. I really love the deep green colour of those new GWR Hitatchi Units. Cool......('Lovely Moquet' !:^) )

[@Steve-bo6ht]

Tornado pulling in towards the end what a fantastic sight.

[@jezzaqc]

You managed to catch the Royal Locomotive at 12:39 - nicely done!

[@magicdave93]

I don’t like the idea of no buffet car....

[@DangItshere]

David Thompson Rail companies only cares about passenger capacity, while our stomach has infinite capacity of food!

[@davidprice6994]

yea more job cuts again

[@dglcomputers1498]

Not GWR's choice, the DFT specified the train and they have got what they specified, GWR/FGW asked if it could be changed and got a no, although, for some reason VTEC's IEP's will have buffets at their request.

[@grenfellroad8394]

If I recall correctly, the cost of changing to a full buffet was hugely prohibitive, and apparently customer surveys showed that a trolley service was more desirable than a buffet to the majority of potential customers...

[@grenfellroad8394]

Also, in the modern security conscious age, you can’t just get up and leave your phone, computer, tablet and belongings in the seat and go to the buffet... they won’t be there when you get back...

[@EREJones]

I think I'll be on one of these all of the time when I go back and forth to uni in the South-East from Wales. Certainly looks an improvement on the old ones!

[@FarlandHowe]

Thank you for the look at the new system and the big doins over at Peppercorn. Righteous

[@prime1971]

I remember that new HST smell from when I was young travelling to my grandparents

[@paulsengupta971]

There were two HST smells. The brakes I think. The first ones were quite a nice smell under braking, but at some point I guess they changed the brake pad compound when they stopped using asbestos. The smell of the new ones from the 1980s onwards was rather foul!

[@chrismatthews2579]

I don't remember the new HST smell, but I do remember the smell like burning bacon from the brake shoes.

[@ahoyittttt7802]

I think it was the brakes at the time.

[@alanalan1406]

I bet Wills & Kate are All The Stations fans too! Great video, loved watching it

[@tacit3262]

"they had issues" years later cracks are found in them

[@TrainTrackTrav]

I honestly was more excited about 60163 Tornado than I was a bout the new train...

[@fookdatchit4245]

Imagine being filmed just about everywhere you went by not just a couple of cameras, but loads and loads! There are huge advantages of being a humble nobody.

[@BRI535D]

No walk through connection,2 wasted redundant driving cabs, extra staff required please someone explain the benefit of a pair of 5 car units over a fixed 10 car formation.

[@tonywilkins6090]

Looks like no one replied but basically 1) Flexibility of splitting/attaching on journeys. So for example if GWR wanted the following a hourly service for Paddingon to Oxford via didcot and a PAddington to Weston Super mare. For starters both routes wouldn't validate the need for a 10 car train to do each route. (Not to mention platforms may not be long enough). As well it would require 2 slots at Paddington and on the GWML. Instead 2 5 cars could be used so it saves a slot for a different journey, and it pretty much follows the same route upto didcot where it could split/join etc. 2) Walk Through connections, they would be good however that would mean the kitchen area would need to be removed and a buffet carriage (like a HST) would be needed. Not to mention the end of the trains would be slightly different with less aerodynamic (adding extra costs due to extra fuel needed). On top of that the driving space for the driver would be reduced. 3) Redundant driving cabs as mentioned earlier, they won't be redundant as they would split to do separate journeys. 4) Benefit of a pair of trains than one big train. If one fails, the other can continue in service whereas if one big train fails, the service is cancelled. If one of the pair of train fails, the depot can easily send a different one if required for the return journey so a pair can run together. So flexibility for the occasional train failure. 5) extra staff. I mean that has to be a benefit too, as you got extra staff to look after you. If you was travelling in 1st, on a 10 carriage train, the first class host has got 2 carriages to look after so it may take longer to serve you. Whereas 2 hosts on 1 train would halve the work required so you get served faster. In Standard. If there's an emergency onboard, you got 10 carriages to walk through whereas 2 pairs, would mean only 5 carriages to walk through etc. So train manager can get there faster.

[@PinderProductions]

Those trains look quite nice, a plug socket is probably better than a USB because you can charge a laptop or a phone, but you'll need to bring a power brick.

[@colinsymes]

Wow, love that video, Geoff!

[@noahbowie5985]

Summer of 2018 you need to travel in first class on all operators (if they have it) and then have a sort of world cup to decide which has the best. All the first classes All of them

[@charliemoir5591]

11:31 wow The ages all in one shot!

[@peterkay8073]

Great stuff as per usual, 2 titles possibly, Cattle Class Only Sir and 1st Class Please. Hope there's more to come.

[@GrijzePilion]

Very lovely trains. Better than anything we have in Holland.

[@EdgyNumber1]

These Hitachis are great trains but blatantly, short double trains are for GWR's own operational flexibility. There's no technical reason why they couldn't specify 9, 11 or 12 car trains in a similar formation to Alstom's Pendolino. Surely the London-Bristol line is far too busy to run only 5-car trains? One good decision however, is with the doors. In order to pick up or set down passengers quickly, the door should open and close quickly. Plug doors take ages and you will never see them used on a Japanese railway because of their tight arrival/departure timings.

[@stuartpalmer8233]

Same question I've had about every new train since the dreadful Pendolinos and Voyagers were launched - do the seats line up with the windows? Looks like the couple filmed in standard class had no window at all! Half the fun of travelling by train is staring out of the window.

[@AllTheStations]

i think those back two seats were windowless. agreed - a long train trip requires a window to see the scenery!

[@petermc7098]

Hello There, a bit of a step backwards in terms of comfort, e.g. a lack of buffet car and a lack of leather seating ,still looks pretty decent throughout, cheers for the really well produced video! Cheers Peter Mc :)

[@jimik89]

Orange light means a seat is reserved for a part of that trains journey.

[@charliemoir5591]

I don't want class 800's, I want PACERS!!!!!!

[@SmallWonda]

Paddington looks a bit smarter than when I used to travel up & down to Totnes in the 70's I remember how exciting it was to ride the 125s - bit like the affordable Concorde of the rails!! (for the Times...) How can it be SO long ago?!! 😧❓😎

[@stevegoodier1241]

11:30 lovely shot of all 3 lined up... steam, Diesel and Hybrid.

[@TransportGeekery]

Your vox pops couple didn't seem to mind the lack of window at their seat!

[@trainzandtrombones]

Roger on point with the comedy! 4:58

[@AndreasLindholm]

I travelled this the 9th of April 2018 between Bath SPA and Reading. A really nice trainexperience. Better than the arriva trains in north of wales.

[@roundel52]

The couple interviewed at the end appeared to be sitting in a dark cubicle - did you close the blind, Geoff or was there really not even a hint of a window? Great video though, really glad you're keeping the channel running.

[@chriskeene]

John Smith the doors aren’t plug-doors and open in to the carriage side which means those sitting by the doors don’t get a window

[@roundel52]

Such a shame, and poor design. A similar arrangement exists on the 1973 tube stock (and most other stock prior to that) yet they still manage to have windows within the door pocket area.

[@benjibatch]

You do know there are going to be 9 car units of these new trains that aren’t split into two, I think it’s good that they introduce these first tho so that customers can get used to that

[@henrybn14ar]

The trains have their good points but the seats are really uncomfortable, being hard and without lumbar support. I ended up with a backache after an hour. The entrance step is difficult to negotiate, especially when getting off. A new train should have a proper extending/retracting step, as is common on the continent. Standard class interior feels cramped and congested. The yardstick for good recent stock is the class 180. Acceleration sluggish on diesel power. A Castle would get away faster with that length of train.

[@peabody1976]

You did luck out twice! And royals to boot at the end! And Paddington Bear!

[@uncletravellingmatt588]

I've spent today riding the GWR mainline and sticking my head out of the window at the end of the coach, savouring one of the most basic pleasures of train travel that soon will be totally consigned to the past on those tracks. On a more positive note, is this the new direction of ATS, reviewing the experience of different rides? I'd like one on just how awful the Voyagers are (what is that smell?) and Pendolinos, but how the ECML 91s plus Mk 4s are pretty good. And one more question: are you guys ever thinking of doing some foreign ATS? Start with Ireland, then the Netherlands, then...

[@STEVEFIRE127]

The next Generation of GWR

[@DevonPixie1991]

I travelled on an IET non stop from Paddington and Bristol parkway and I only noticed the change from electric to diesel as we approached parkway and the sound of the motors was different when accelerating

[@transitimprover]

They're aerodynamic

[@DanLoudShirts]

Very good video. There will be 9 car sets for the West country services. And I've already let you have it on Twitter for your "replica" steam train remark! Nice to see Roger on an ATS video!

[@johnusher1921]

Headrests - Magenta!

[@JFinney]

HSTs are now probably AgeSTs

[@codelyokofanful]

Nice shot of the the 3 types of trains steam diesel and electric at11:33

[@robskipworth3526]

Currently power changeover is at Taplow. None of the DPTF/DPTS (driving coaches) on the 800, 801 or 802 have the diesel power packs.

[@tob19]

it's got that *N E W S M E L L*

[@RoyCousins]

Presumably they have fixed or isolated the failed aircon unit that provided a free on-board shower on the first run!

[@grenfellroad8394]

Roy Cousins that was the set on the opposite diagram. This train departed Paddington, and an opposite train departed Bristol.

[@EvanEscher]

what's the point of dividing it into 2 sets? I like being able to walk through the whole train

[@benwakefield93]

Ah Geoff you were at my home station!

[@Daimo83]

Lovely shot of three eras at 11:30

[@KarlBlackOfDublin]

Revised on route is done in Germany. When I was going to Uml by train, a person told me that the sit she was in and the one I was going to seat on. Could revised by some on the day, and that we meant have to move, if someone came along that revised the station when buying their ticket at the station.

[@Larwood.]

That loco pulling the stream train out of the station at the end is a bit special too, its 67026, painted in silver jubilee livery. It regularly pulls the royal train, but I'm not expert enough to know if that was the royal train.

[@Aysome]

definitely feels like a step backwards rather than forwards. was really looking forward to these new trains, but in a day of train companies having to justify the massive fares getting rid of things like the buffet car seems odd. small things like the lack of USB sockets isnt really future proofing . people also pay a premium for first class so (obv among other reasons) they can be off the train and through the barriers quickly, having them in the middle would drive me insane. whether its cost cutting or what, should they not have just paid for a 10 car train rather 2 five cars?

[@ahoyittttt7802]

Since the gWr rebrand they’ve definitely gone backwards, this ISNT the future. No more futuristic livery,No comfy seats, loud engines under the floor, not reliable, constant delays due to constant faults they’re worse than the adelantes!