British Rail Class 220

The Class 220 Voyager are a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation in 2000 and 2001.

They were introduced in 2001 to replace the 30-year-old Intercity 125 and Class 47 fleets operating on the Cross Country Route for train operating company Virgin Trains.

Technical details
All coaches are equipped with a Cummins QSK19 diesel engine of 750 hp at 1800rpm. These power a generator which supplies current to motors driving two axles per coach, with one axle per bogie powered.

Voyagers have both air and rheostatic brakes. They are fitted with Dellner couplers, like the Class 390 Pendolino electric trains used by Virgin West Coast meaning they can be coupled in the event of a failure. As the computer hardware, software and electrical systems are not fully compatible they are not coupled in normal service. 220s and 221s can also be easily assisted by Dellner fitted Class 57s (Thunderbirds) in the event of a failure. By use of adaptive couplings a failed 220 or 221 can also be assisted by any air braked locomotive such as a Class 37, 47 or 66 or even a HST.

The Class 220s and closely related Class 222s have B5005 bogies  which are distinctive as they are of inside frame design and hence the axles are supported by bearings behind the wheels, meaning the outside face of the wheel is visible. The related Class 221 Super Voyager has outside frame bogies and hence have a more conventional appearance.

The Class 220s operate in four coach sets with a carriage mass of between 45 and 48 tonnes and a total train weight of 185.6 tonnes, a top speed of 125 mph and a maximum range of approximately 1350 mi between each refuelling. Their route availability is very good being RA 2 - in part due to the lightweight bogie design.

All Voyagers are maintained at the dedicated Central Rivers TMD near Burton-on-Trent.

Technical problems and incidents
The roof mounted resistors for the rheostatic (dynamic) brakes have caused a number of incidents: In one incident, a small piece of wood from a tree had become lodged in these grids, which started a fire on the roof of the train as it stopped in Banbury railway station.

Units have also been stopped due to waves breaking over the sea wall at Dawlish in storm conditions and inundating the resistor banks, causing the control software to shut down the whole train. This problem was fixed by an upgrade to the control software.

There were a number of exhaust fires on the Voyager class during 2005–2006 due to incorrect fitting of equipment during overhauls. Fires occurred at Starcross (Class 221), Newcastle and on 19 January 2006 at Congleton.

On 14 March 2008, 220 012, forming a service to Derby, caught fire at Banbury. This fire was caused by a bird getting caught under one of the hot brake resistors on the roof of the train. Although damage was superficial to the train, once the fire brigade had been called, procedures called for the train to be taken out of service for inspection.

Formation and passenger facilities


Class 220s operate in four carriage sets. They are air-conditioned throughout, with powered doors. The coaches are fitted with power sockets for laptop computers and mobile phone charging, toilet facilities for disabled people and storage facilities for bicycles are provided.

They provide 26 seats in 2+1 formation in first class and 174 seats in 2+2 formation in standard class.

The formation of a four-car Class 220 is as follows:
 * Coach A - 26 seats - First Class with disabled area and driving cab
 * Coach C - 66 seats - Standard Class
 * Coach D - 66 seats - Standard Class with large luggage area and reservable space for three bikes
 * Coach F - 42 seats - Standard Class (Quiet Zone) with disabled area, catering base and driving cab.

CrossCountry Trains have finished updating the interior layout of all its 220 and 221 sets; their aim is to increase seating capacity, in line with their commitments to the franchise agreements, as well as provide an at-seat trolley service for refreshments instead of a shop. Their research had shown that the shop was not making as good a turnover as hoped due to the fact a lot of people prefer not to leave their seats to get refreshments; they feared either losing their seat or having their belongings stolen when away. It is worth pointing out that in Virgin Trains unsuccessful franchise bid they also cited removal of the shop from 220s and 221s as a way of trying to improve seating capacity.

The interior renovation involved the removal of the shop from coach D and the conversion of the stowage area in coach F to a catering storage area where there is now a fridge, food storage and a space for an on-board trolley to be stored. Bicycle storage has been moved to coach D where the shop was. It can now store three bicycles instead of four.

The Class 220s have been criticised for a number of shortcomings:
 * Increased noise and vibration when compared to the non-powered Mark 2 and Mark 3 coaching stock they replaced due to the underfloor diesel engines.
 * As the profile of the bodyshells is designed to allow clearance for tilting (although the Class 220s do not tilt, they use the same shell as the Class 221), the interior space is reduced when compared with conventional carriages.
 * Initial problems with smells from the toilets being conducted into the carriages - this was due to the close proximity of the sewage tank outlet and other components. The exhaust system runs past the side of the toilet tank, heating up the waste producing gasses which are in turn passed through the H Vac system sending the smells through the coaches.
 * The four car sets are typically shorter than the trains they replaced - despite more frequent running overcrowding is a problem.
 * There is little to no space to store large luggage items or bikes.
 * Most seating is in 'airline' configuration, with pull-down trays which are too small to use a laptop on, meaning Voyagers are unsuitable for business travellers [the common four-car version of the train only has six tables to work at, in the whole Standard Class part of the train]

Operation


Virgin Trains were the sole operator of Class 220 Voyager trains when they were introduced in 2001.

When the CrossCountry was awarded the Cross Country Route rail franchise which began on 11 November 2007, the Voyager fleet was shared between Virgin Trains and CrossCountry.

From 8 December 2007, CrossCountry became the sole operator of Class 220 units.

Fleet details
There are 34 Class 220 Voyager trains, numbered 220 001–220 034.

Virgin Trains named all the Class 220 Voyagers after places that they serve or companies that have relations with Virgin Trains.

When the Class 220s were transferred to the new operator CrossCountry, all the names were removed. All Class 220 Voyagers are now in CrossCountry livery.