Wednesday, July 05, 2006

185 journey review


Seating
Originally uploaded by nm63uk.
The seating on the 185's is comfortable and is adjustable. The arm rests can be put in the upright position too if you prefer. The trains over all are excellent and give a nice quiet ride. I have read that some people find them a little noisy, I guess those people are not used to the awful sprinter trains that run through Gainsborough, now that's noisy.

Build and finish quality seems good throughout, although time will tell on that one. The small green button used to open the doors [seen under the green arrows] is far too small and not at all sensitive, even the staff on this train had a problem with it and often resorted to using the emergency button above the doors, eventually locking it open. If you were carrying any bags you would need to put them down to open the doors with this button. Little button, big problem.

The toilet was quite large as it was big enough for a wheelchair. The toilet paper dispenser was over stuffed which left you with small torn strips of paper instead of whole sheets. Why do they do that?

I didn't like any of the controls for the toilet - once you've washed your hands you need to move the lever to unlock the door and press a button to open it, then you feel like you need to wash your hands again. Not very hygienic of Siemens methinks and when drying your hands after washing, it's very easy to get your hands wet again as the sensors for the dryer and the water are too close together.

I have to say though, that you couldn't complain about the ride, the train is very smooth at all speeds and you barely notice even the tightest bends. The man who served the drinks said it was the first time he had managed to write straight while the train was moving. I should also add that the staff were all very nice too, they gave me a stick of rock and a beachball. No kidding.

Well done to 'first tpexress' for running these. Lincolnshire passenger trains enter the 21st century.

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