iirc I think Bombardier wanted Southern to buy the newer 379s but Southern wanted 377s. So that is why Southern are getting an out of date design - they wanted it. It is only 11 years old and is STANDARD.
Windws 95. Who cares, it works and these trains are not going to be running online and/or multimedia software with loads of graphics intensive requirements. They dont need a top of the range operating system. I am a software developer and I cannot see any use for a newer operating system. Indeed using a newer version of Windows would introduce the very compatibility problems people are complaining about. I dont mind though - I make my living out of people who *think* they have to have the latest !.
iirc These new units are to be 5-car. I dont know if they might just be 378s as these are designed to work up to 5-car length (and it looks like LOROL are heading for that option). They are to make suburban services 10-car. They will cascade 4-car 377s onto longer distance work and free up 3-car 377s to work in pairs with other 4-car 377s to make more 10-car services. If they are 378s then I suspect they will cascade 455s onto outer suburan work which then cascades 4-car 377s etc etc.
These 130 coaches are needed because Southern have a franchise commitment to expand services by about Dec 2013. the 377/5s were intended to be returned to Southern by then but Siemens wont be delivering for the Thameslink services in time for that.
I call it Thameslink because that is what the punters who pay to use the service still call it so you can poke the mouthful glitsy thrusting marketing re-positioning thingy watsit stuff. Besides I am not a professional painter so I would prefer them to upgrade to Windows Vista
rather than change the bloody name agan.
The delayed return of the 23 4-car 377/5s from Thameslink services will allow for further expansion of Southern services iirc. I think that might be the alterative time when the 3-car 377/3s start making 10-car services (3+3+4) if my memory was cheating me. But it will also free up the 456s to go to SWT where they will work with 455s to make 10-car services, presumably on the Wimbledon lines. I seem to remember that there are almost exactly the right number of 456s (i.e. twice as many SWT 455s). Oh and the 456s were supposed to be delivered new to the Waterloo lines circa 1992 anyway so thats only logical then ! (ignore the twenty years gap).
From what I have seen the 456s have never been used to lengthen 455 services on Southern. I have seen them working singly (London Bridge to Victoria shuttle) or as 4-car or 6-car on their own. Now, let me indulge myself. How about turning a 455 inside out and putting one 456 vehicle at each end. I better explain the 455s were built with inter-unit gangway connections but the 2-car 456s have none. This re-formation would form a 6 car unit with through gangway conections within. Southern cannot do that as they have blanked of the inter unit gangway connections on their 455s in an effort to steal the award for must ugly unit from the SWT 458s imho !.
The Windsor lines (platforms 3-6 at Clapham Junction) are going 10 car sooner courtesy of the disbanding / reforming of the similar class 460 units. Modern Railways always suggested that but it is now official. There are 8 8-car class 460s, 6 of the 460s will become 5-car thus donating 18 trailers (3 from each 460) to extend 18 of the 458s to 5-car. The remaining 12 458s will also get extended by using all 12 trailers from the last two 460s. The result will be 4 class 460 end coaches left over but undoubtedly a few accidents will make them useful eventually !.
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