Class 345 progress

[TT-ONR-NRN]

So of the 630 class 345 vehicles, how many are still to enter passenger service.
I am not up to date, and it was about 6 9car units and about 20 (10 x 2 extra cars) that been used in passenger service.

Does anyone have current position

I believe all have been used in passenger service apart from 018, 019, 041, 067 and 069. That is according to the information helpfully provided by forum members on this thread, although I can partially testify to that as I have been on all other Class 345s apart from 032 and 037.

 

[rd749249]

Unit 37 has lots of recording gear still on it and so will be used for testing until I suspect that is no longer required. The driver can doors are permanently open whilst all this gear is in situ.

 

[345 050]

Thanks for all the updates all. Sounds like it's unlikely we will see 037 anytime soon then. Noticed today that monitoring screens are still in place in 041.

In other news 057 looks like it is missing the ID from the front of the unit which is odd.

 

[3973EXL]

Reading
31/01 & 01/02 5G74 Caped

02/02
0852 345012 7
0903 345005
0922 345032
5N04 345050
0952 345017 7
5G74/75 345009 9

03/02
0852 345005
0903 345065
0922 345023
5N04 345042 7
5G74/75 345009
0952 345004
1452 345006

04/02
5N04 345005
5G74/75 345009

 

[matt_world2004]

Probably not got around to loading new data into the PIS - the same trains will already be running TfL Rail services on East & West so little point changing it whilst there’s no passengers around. It will be interesting to see if it does change when the central section opens as you’ll essentially have 3 bits of unconnected railway.

It is in the pis I have been on a train announcing itself as the Elizabeth line to Hayes & Harlington back in 2019

 

[3973EXL]

08&09/02 5G74/75 345009 (G74 caped 07/02)

10/02
0922 345007
5N04 345008
5G74/75 345009

11/02
5G74/75 345009

 

[paulravuslante]

345s are pretty high performance; I've ridden plenty of them by now and they do a great turn of speed between Liverpool Street and Stratford and between Paddington and Acton / Ealing.

I've been on one non-stop Hayes to Paddington before after disruption. They sure do accelerate quick, but you can get to that 90mph max fairly quickly too.

The max 90mph is regularly attainted on the Maidenhead- Twyford section. Elsewhere on relief line running it’s very unlikely to attain 90mph.

Unsure whether it’s personal perception but the 345s do feel as if they can accelerate more quickly when running under ATO.

 

[3973EXL]

14/02
5G74/75 etc 345064 7

 

[Steve Harris]

340 411 and 611 seen southbound on the A1 today at Brampton Hut at approx 17.30

 

[computerSaysNo]

The max 90mph is regularly attainted on the Maidenhead- Twyford section. Elsewhere on relief line running it’s very unlikely to attain 90mph.

Unsure whether it’s personal perception but the 345s do feel as if they can accelerate more quickly when running under ATO.

Apologies if this has already been mentioned but I haven't really been keeping up with this thread much.
Does the ATO system go straight to full power from a standing start? As I know drivers on various types of trains are taught to use a very low power setting to get going, then gradually increase, so if the ATO goes straight to 100% then it will feel faster.

 

[60159]

Is there anywhere in London where you can see the 345s including numbers in the central core other than Abbey Wood? Perhaps Prince Regent or Custom House?!

 

[JonathanH]

Is there anywhere in London where you can see the 345s including numbers in the central core other than Abbey Wood? Perhaps Prince Regent or Custom House?!

Yes, Custom House from the overbridge. Also, Westbourne Park from passing trains.

In other news, 345013 made its first move outside the depot at Old Oak Common, which is usually a sign of the conversion to 9-car formation having been completed.

The first move was between 10am and mid day, the next at midnight, as shown below.


[Pictures show a screen shot of output from TrackIt! with headcode '5I13' cancelled at signal berth C313 having travelled to signal berth 0142 around midnight on 15 February]

 

[60159]

Yes, Custom House from the overbridge. Also, Westbourne Park from passing trains.

In other news, 345013 made its first move outside the depot at Old Oak Common, which is usually a sign of the conversion to 9-car formation having been completed.

The first move was between 10am and mid day, the next at midnight, as shown below.
View attachment 110226
View attachment 110227
[Pictures show a screen shot of output from TrackIt! with headcode '5I13' cancelled at signal berth C313 having travelled to signal berth 0142 around midnight on 15 February]

Very helpful, thanks very much.

 

[paulravuslante]

Apologies if this has already been mentioned but I haven't really been keeping up with this thread much.
Does the ATO system go straight to full power from a standing start? As I know drivers on various types of trains are taught to use a very low power setting to get going, then gradually increase, so if the ATO goes straight to 100% then it will feel faster.

I mentioned personal perceptions as the power gauge doesn’t show how much power is taken in ATO. It definitely drives more aggressively in most circumstances.
I notice particularly in wet weather when the front of the train has entered a tunnel portal and begins to power up, the wheel slip light always illuminates, as presumably the rear motors are applying too much power on wet rails.

 

[3973EXL]

16/02
5G74/75 345013 9

17/02
5G74/75 345019?

 

[PG]

I mentioned personal perceptions as the power gauge doesn’t show how much power is taken in ATO. It definitely drives more aggressively in most circumstances.
I notice particularly in wet weather when the front of the train has entered a tunnel portal and begins to power up, the wheel slip light always illuminates, as presumably the rear motors are applying too much power on wet rails.

I guess if it is a problem, not sure, that a software modification could apply power fractionally later?

 

[coppercapped]

I mentioned personal perceptions as the power gauge doesn’t show how much power is taken in ATO. It definitely drives more aggressively in most circumstances.
I notice particularly in wet weather when the front of the train has entered a tunnel portal and begins to power up, the wheel slip light always illuminates, as presumably the rear motors are applying too much power on wet rails.

I guess if it is a problem, not sure, that a software modification could apply power fractionally later?

This is intriguing as the 345 have 3-phase AC motors.

At the risk of teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, in this form of motor the rotational speed of the armature is essentially locked to speed of rotation of the magnetic field generated by the stator coils in the motor housing. In turn this is set by the frequency of the three phases supplied to the stator coils by the traction electronics. The armature generates torque when its rotational speed is slightly less than that of the magnetic field of the stators; when the two speeds are the same the torque drops to zero which is why run-away wheelspin is practically impossible. This is the fundamental reason why variable frequency 3-phase AC traction is surer footed than that using series would DC motors.

So I wonder what is the wheelslip light is indicating?

 

[PG]

So I wonder what is the wheelslip light is indicating?

Very interesting explanation, thanks
Hopefully somebody somewhere knows - unless it is confined to a particular unit?

 

[paulravuslante]

Very interesting explanation, thanks
Hopefully somebody somewhere knows - unless it is confined to a particular unit?

No, all units running in ATO do the same in that location on a wet day

 

[CAF397]

On the modern units I drive, the WSP light indicates a speed differential detected on any axle, so even if just one axle has detected slip (or slide), the light illuminates. I leave it to the computers to do their thing to reduce power on the affected motors (as long as I'm in a low power notch) , but if the light stays illuminated it allows me the option to manually apply sand if required. It does not necessarily indicate continuous wheelslip.

 

[JonathanH]

17/02
5G74/75 345019?

Yes, it seems likely that 345019 has had some trips out today as it appears to have gone out later on the 5G62-5G66 evening cycle to Heathrow Terminal 4

[Picture shows a screen shot of output from TrackIt! with headcode '5I19' cancelled at signal berth C311 having just worked from Paddington on 542M (5G66) 2352 London Paddington to Old Oak Depot before midnight on 17 February]

 

[3973EXL]

22/02
5G74/75 345013

23/02
5G74/75 345019

24/02
0822 345017 7
0833 345015 7
0852 345016 7
0903 345024
0922 345061
5N04 345046
5G74/75 345019
0952 345032
1022 345038 7

25/02
5G78/79 345019

 

[Wolves]

Any testing today for 345009/13/18?
Thanks

 

[Horizon22]

Interestingly my West TfL service to Paddington seemed to be in some sort of “through” mode on the PIS. With “exit for St Mary’s hospital and trains to Heathrow Airport” for Paddington and a big batch of white space after Paddington on the route map (which may have always been there to be fair)

I believe the former is new and the latter non-sensical when you’re on a service that started at Heathrow… Has this been a recent update perhaps?

 

[swt_passenger]

Interestingly my West TfL service to Paddington seemed to be in some sort of “through” mode on the PIS. With “exit for St Mary’s hospital and trains to Heathrow Airport” for Paddington and a big batch of white space after Paddington on the route map (which may have always been there to be fair)

I believe the former is new and the latter non-sensical when you’re on a service that started at Heathrow… Has this been a recent update perhaps?

I hear errors all the time in “change here for” announcements, whether automatic or the guard. Someone needs to realise that to work properly they have to be tailored to direction of travel, and actual origin.

 

[paulravuslante]

I hear errors all the time in “change here for” announcements, whether automatic or the guard. Someone needs to realise that to work properly they have to be tailored to direction of travel, and actual origin.

Even GWR Electrostars arriving in Pad mention changing for Heathrow Airport

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Feb 2022 ==

Interestingly my West TfL service to Paddington seemed to be in some sort of “through” mode on the PIS. With “exit for St Mary’s hospital and trains to Heathrow Airport” for Paddington and a big batch of white space after Paddington on the route map (which may have always been there to be fair)

I believe the former is new and the latter non-sensical when you’re on a service that started at Heathrow… Has this been a recent update perhaps?

Sure i’ve heard the St Mary’s hospital line before. The high level station gives easier access to the hospital than the new station on Eastbourne Terrace will.

 

[rebmcr]

the latter non-sensical when you’re on a service that started at Heathrow

People who joined the service at Ealing Broadway in order to connect to a Heathrow Express service will find it useful.

 

[Horizon22]

People who joined the service at Ealing Broadway in order to connect to a Heathrow Express service will find it useful.

I seriously doubt it - the time saving versus as Heathrow stopper from Ealing is pretty much zero, not to mention significantly more costly

 

[3973EXL]

28/02
5G74/75 345018

02/03
5G74/75 345018

03/03
0922 345016 7
5N04 345015 7
0952 345003
5G74/75 345018

04/03
5G74/75 345018

 

[JonathanH]

It looks like 345014 has completed the extension process with a trip today out to the first signal berth at Old Oak Common.

[Pictures show a screen shot of output from TrackIt! with headcode '5I14' cancelled at signal berth C313 having travelled to signal berth 0142 during the evening on 2 March]

I think 345011 is the next one in the works with reports of its extra coaches being transported to London a few weeks ago and not having been 'seen' since the first half of February.