Class 345 progress

[Peter Sarf]

...and 045

Unreported units for passenger service should be 001, 018, 019, 032, 041, 050, 067, 069.

001 and 019 aren't in London
018 is at Ilford
032, 050, 069 were reported in this thread to have testing equipment fitted
which leaves 041 and 067 - do they also have special testing functions?

I noticed some centre cars at the side of the depot last Friday so presumably a unit has been lengthened this week.

On Tuesday 03/08/2021 at about 17:45 I saw a little yellow shunter (Kobe 10000) propelling a 345 of unknown length into the sidings. I saw it right along side the canal and it must have been running on batteries as it was so quiet. Maybe it was shunting bits of a 345 to make a nine car ?.

 

[JonathanH]

I’ve been on 050.

Great - seems we can cross that off too then - when and where was it operating as a matter of interest?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Great - seems we can cross that off too then - when and where was it operating as a matter of interest?

No I’m so sorry looking at my log it was 060

 

[Kay_M]

Hello all

Does anyone by any chance knows how long it usually takes to convert a 7 car 345 train to a 9 car?

 

[hwl]

Hello all

Does anyone by any chance knows how long it usually takes to convert a 7 car 345 train to a 9 car?

The testing afterwards takes more time especially as the extra 2 coaches won't have had much mileage pre-delivery to OOC to find (and then resolve) the issues.

 

[JonathanH]

Another move from Ilford this morning with 37800 working 5Q73 1019 Ilford E.M.U.D. to Old Oak Depot
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K06271/2021-08-12/detailed

As noted in previous postings a further unit has recently been converted to 9-car but there don't seem to be reports of the units involved in recent moves.

 

[47444]

As noted in previous postings a further unit has recently been converted to 9-car but there don't seem to be reports of the units involved in recent moves.

Which unit is that?

 

[JonathanH]

Which unit is that?

I don't know. That is why I wrote that 'there don't seem to be reports' - posts 4346 and 4351 indicate lengthening of a recent arrival at Old Oak Depot. The centre cars I observed stabled on 30 July weren't there on Tuesday.

 

[345 050]

I saw a Class 37 and 345 038 today in West Ealing sidings, might possibly have been on the way to Old Oak? Looked as if it was still 7-car.

 

[47444]

I don't know. That is why I wrote that 'there don't seem to be reports' - posts 4346 and 4351 indicate lengthening of a recent arrival at Old Oak Depot. The centre cars I observed stabled on 30 July weren't there on Tuesday.

Sorry - misunderstood you - thanks for the clarification

 

[JonathanH]

I saw a Class 37 and 345 038 today in West Ealing sidings, might possibly have been on the way to Old Oak? Looked as if it was still 7-car.

Yes, if you passed West Ealing between 1230 and 1300 that will be the movement from Ilford I noted above. Thanks for posting.

 

[Spirit555]

AFAIK 345001 is still at Old Dalby and 345018 at Ilford IIRC.

Mark

 

[345 050]

Yes, if you passed West Ealing between 1230 and 1300 that will be the movement from Ilford I noted above. Thanks for posting.

Yep, just before 1230. Glad to help for once!

 

[Bigbru]

Be interested if anyone has seen 060 recently, when i was in London a fortnight ago there was some talk it had gone to the East side.

Unit 060 has been in service today, was on it as 9r28

 

[richardcoughla]

Any news on 002? haven't seen that unit in ages

 

[sharpinf]

Any news on 002? haven't seen that unit in ages

Believe that's been in service on Paddington services within the last few days certainly in the last week

Edit: Today (13/08) I saw it was operating as the Standby Unit in the evening peak at Portobello Junction, don't know if it was called up to service in the end.

 

[JonathanH]

Believe that's been in service on Paddington services within the last few days certainly in the last week

Yes, I travelled on 002 on Tuesday out of Paddington.

It is more difficult to call specific units now as mainly employed on tunnel work or passenger work as with 16 units needed for tunnel running, 6 9-car diagrams east side and 14 9-car diagrams west side and other empty workings there is more mixing of the units now and a significantly higher number of units used daily.

 

[345 050]

Any news on 002? haven't seen that unit in ages

Travelled on 002 on 11 August, twice. That was in the West, haven't seen it in East yet.

 

[richardcoughla]

Travelled on 002 on 11 August, twice. That was in the West, haven't seen it in East yet.

I have seen it out East but that was in 2017 I think. That's when it was on test and the cars wasn't in order.

 

[Ilovetrains43]

Are 53 of the 70 345s in service now? I can't keep up with the progress of them.

 

[JonathanH]

Are 53 of the 70 345s in service now? I can't keep up with the progress of them.

62 have been used in service - 002-17/20-31/33-40/42-49/51-66/68/70. Of the remaining 8, only 3 (001/18/19) aren't directly in use on the Crossrail routes.

It has been noted in this thread that 032/050/069 have screens fitted internally for observations while working trial services (and these screens are visible if you observe these units at Westbourne Park). That leaves 041 and 067 which potentially also have special purposes.

 

[Ilovetrains43]

62 have been used in service - 002-17/20-31/33-40/42-49/51-66/68/70. Of the remaining 8, only 3 (001/18/19) aren't directly in use on the Crossrail routes.

It has been noted in this thread that 032/050/069 have screens fitted internally for observations while working trial services (and these screens are visible if you observe these units at Westbourne Park). That leaves 041 and 067 which potentially also have special purposes.

Thank You.

 

[Snow1964]

62 have been used in service - 002-17/20-31/33-40/42-49/51-66/68/70. Of the remaining 8, only 3 (001/18/19) aren't directly in use on the Crossrail routes.

It has been noted in this thread that 032/050/069 have screens fitted internally for observations while working trial services (and these screens are visible if you observe these units at Westbourne Park). That leaves 041 and 067 which potentially also have special purposes.

At the moment there is 12 tph (trains per hour) trial running.

The TfL Board minutes suggest that during September all remaining 7car units will be converted to 9car, and that fleet will be standardised. There is another planned blockade in few weeks time. During this all trains will be fitted with ELR100 (a version of software for public running, but sorry no idea what letters or numbers represent). I wonder if the 2 trains described above as special purpose are running this for assurance.

Following this Trial Operations will commence (do not confuse with current Trial running). Earliest date is November, another date (P50 scenario) is January, an alternative (P80 scenario) is April. Revenue service starts about 2-3 months later. There is lot more detail on page 21 of attached link (which appears to be a PowerPoint slide copied into the public document). Far too much info in multi-colour strips (and alternative scenario) to attempt to quote parts. I had to zoom in and scroll around the page as text is tiny due to amount packed on the page.

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/elc-20210715-agenda-pack.pdf

There is a reference on page 28 of this document to insignificant mileage accumulation being a risk. There is no further details in public pack, but I would guess some of the 8 trains that haven’t yet seen public service might be in this category. The stored 8th and 9th vehicles must also be short of mileage.

 

[JonathanH]

I wonder if the 2 trains described above as special purpose are running this for assurance.

345041 certainly did a lot of shunt moves into and out of the depot on Tuesday (which I imagine is usually associated with testing something). There was testing on the Heathrow branch requiring a unit being dragged to Hayes & Harlington loop on Friday night.

Although there are eight units yet to operate, I think there are a handful of others that haven't done passenger / have only done trial running since that began.

 

[Bigbru]

345041 certainly did a lot of shunt moves into and out of the depot on Tuesday (which I imagine is usually associated with testing something). There was testing on the Heathrow branch requiring a unit being dragged to Hayes & Harlington loop on Friday night.

Although there are eight units yet to operate, I think there are a handful of others that haven't done passenger / have only done trial running since that began.

41 was the unit dragged to Hayes & Harlington loop on Friday.

 

[Defiance149]

AIUI, only the one pair of trailers has come south from Worksop in the last four-five weeks so there should only be one newly lengthened set out there to ID.

 

[JonathanH]

37800 moving a unit (345008?) from Old Oak Depot to Ilford Depot this morning - 5Q50 1026 Old Oak Depot to Ilford E.M.U.D.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K01012/2021-08-18/detailed

(I say 345008 because it appeared ahead of the empty working.)

[Picture shows a screen shot of output from TrackIt! with headcode '5I08' shown as being the preceding move to the empty stock working in signal berth C321 at Old Oak Depot around 0900 on 18 August]

There is a path for a return working later as well.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K04506/2021-08-18/detailed

345038 appears to have made a number of moves out and back into Old Oak Depot on Monday. This is the report of one of five shunts it made.

[Picture shows a screen shot of output from TrackIt! with headcode '5I38' moving between signal berths C412, 0142 and C313 at Old Oak Depot around 1400 on 16 August]

However, as noted above, 345038 only arrived at Old Oak Depot on Thursday last week so presumably the one which has been lengthened to 9-car is another unit - an unrecorded arrival at the end of July - this could potentially be 345005 as all of the other 7-cars are either mentioned above or have been reported east side in observations on Locoscene and other gen groups.

 

[43096]

The system shows both 345005 and 345008 as now being 9 car.

 

[Horizon22]

038 was heading east hauled by a 37 this morning so gather that was the above move. Was about 1100 though, not 0900.

 

[JonathanH]

038 was heading east hauled by a 37 this morning so gather that was the above move. Was about 1100 though, not 0900.

Ah, thanks for the confirmation - clearly 345038 remains a 7-car. The move at 0900 was the locomotive arrival.

So 345005 and 345008 both at Old Oak currently?