A local signal maintenance team carry on their duties as 180102 pauses at Worcester Shrub Hill with 1P40, 09:54 Great Malvern – London Paddington, 4th December 2014.

Tags:   4th December 180102

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180103 has just arrived at Oxford with 1D43, 14:50 Paddington – Oxford, 23rd April 2013. Having travelled up from Reading on this service this was the first time I have travelled on a class 180.

Unit History
180103 is one of fourteen units built by Alstom between 2000 and 2001 at Washwood Heath, Birmingham for express duties on the Great Western Main Line. They are part of the Alstom Coradia 1000 family of multiple units (along with the class 175) and are capable of 125mph. However their introduction was plagued by a number of reliability issues and First Great Western gradually downgraded their use as they acquired additional HST sets until it finally disposed of the class during 2008/09 with the last class 180 in service with First Great Western stored on 27 March 2009. 180103 was one of three units leased to Northern Rail in October 2008 initially for crew training with the units entering service in December 2008 operating Hazel Grove and Manchester Victoria to Preston and Blackpool services. However at the end of 2011 First Great Western announced that it would be refurbishing and re-launching five class 180 units on the Cotswold Line, services between London and Worcester. 180103 left Northern Rail at the end of 2011 and re-entered service for First Great Western in July 2012.

Tags:   23rd April 180103

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180104 waits the “right away” from Oxford with 1P57, 14:26 Great Malvern – Paddington, 23rd April 2013.

Unit History
180104 is one of fourteen units built by Alstom between 2000 and 2001 at Washwood Heath, Birmingham for express duties on the Great Western Main Line. They are part of the Alstom Coradia 1000 family of multiple units (along with the class 175) and are capable of 125mph. However their introduction was plagued by a number of reliability issues and First Great Western gradually downgraded their use as they acquired additional HST sets until it finally disposed of the class during 2008/09 with the last class 180 in service with First Great Western stored on 27 March 2009. 180104 spent the next couple of years either in store or on temporary lease to Hull Trains/Grand Central until at the end of 2011 First Great Western announced that it would be refurbishing and re-launching five class 180 units on the Cotswold Line, services between London and Worcester. 180104 re-entered service for First Great Western in July 2012.

Tags:   23rd April 180104

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Grand Central 180104 speeds north approaching Retford working 1N92, 11:27 Kings Cross – Sunderland, 26th February 2020.

Unit History
180104 is one of fourteen units built by Alstom between 2000 and 2001 at Washwood Heath, Birmingham for express duties on the Great Western Main Line. They are part of the Alstom Coradia 1000 family of multiple units (along with the class 175) and are capable of 125mph. However, their introduction was plagued by a number of reliability issues and First Great Western gradually downgraded their use as they acquired additional HST sets until it finally disposed of the class during 2008/09. Since then ten sets have migrated to Grand Central (five sets in 2009/10 and five sets in 2017 including 180104) for its North East/West Yorkshire – Kings Cross services.

Tags:   26th February 180104 New Photo Distillery

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Things have changed somewhat at Hartlepool since I was last here with the construction of a new footbridge, lifts and reinstatement of the Up platform. Although the works looked more or less complete the reinstated platform was still out of use on the 27th April 2024 with Grand Central 180104 working a late running (46 minutes late) 1A64, 09:55 Sunderland – Kings Cross causing conflict with a northbound service (2W23) by having to use the Down platform.

Tags:   27th April 180104 New Photo Distillery

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