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Class 315 pantograph

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Edvid

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One thing I've noticed about 315s is that their pantographs have 3-strip heads instead of 2; the third strip is always lower than the other two and therefore never makes contact with the overhead wires. What is that third strip for?
 
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O L Leigh

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The middle strip is shorter than the other two, not lower. Therefore it always makes contact with the wires.

The three-strip pan head used to be an Ilford speciality and helped to improve current pick-up. It wasn't just the Cl315's that had them either, but most other class of 1st gen EMU that passed through their doors. I believe some locos may have had them too. The reason why they aren't so common now is, I guess, because this design is not compatible with the air-operated Auto Dropping Device (ADD) that almost all AC traction uses. Certainly Cl315's do not have ADD where the Cl317's most certainly do, even where they also use a Stone-Faiveley pan.

O L Leigh
 

Edvid

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My very belated thanks for elaborating on the third strip O L Leigh. Since then I've taken another look at Class 315 pans, and the funny thing is I've realised there are actually four strips - it's just that I did not notice the short third strip in the middle (as you can tell I haven't seen AC EMUs older than 313s in the 'metal', so to speak).

The fourth strip on Class 315 pans is definitely lower than the other three and it also appears to be thicker than the two 'outer' strips connected by aerofoils.
 

O L Leigh

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The Cl315 pan doesn't have aerofoils.

I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of the leading bar on a Cl315 pan is. I'm guessing that it's there to clear minor debris from the contact wire to prevent it damaging the pan head. It's certainly not a carbon strip and not, as you have correctly observed, directly in contact with the wire. I'm guessing that Cl315's have these because they don't have ADD.

O L Leigh
 
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