Thameslink/ Class 700 Progress

[67018]

And a space for name and address when so many of them will be left behind. Oh of course that will spoil the business case for selling more.

Or, even better, rent them - pick one up from a docking station at the origin, drop it off at the London terminal (similar to the London cycle hire concept)!

I suspect GTR would confiscate them and try to fine the individuals rather than return them as lost property for destroying performance in the core if they had a name and address on them

With the advent of smartcard ticketing, could higher fares be charged for passengers detected as being too slow to board? Delay minutes charged direct to your ITSO smartcard...

 

[jon0844]

Why not have an option to add a large battery pack in the table to charge usb powered devices as well?

You know what? It might one day be an idea to integrate a wireless charging plate in tables on trains (and planes I guess). Perhaps not just yet, but a retro-fit for later on.

More and more phones are now supporting wireless charging, and inevitably Apple will finally get onboard. Once Apple does, and assuming it doesn't go for some proprietary standard, then it would mean most people could charge a phone/tablet/laptop without wires to get tangled up.

As of this week Ikea is selling lamps/furniture with charging plates and Starbucks and others are continuing to roll them out in some outlets.

 

[jopsuk]

With the advent of smartcard ticketing, could higher fares be charged for passengers detected as being too slow to board? Delay minutes charged direct to your ITSO smartcard...

Maybe not with smartcards, but perhaps with the phone-based AGA Multipass?

 

[AM9]

Or, even better, rent them - pick one up from a docking station at the origin, drop it off at the London terminal (similar to the London cycle hire concept)!

That means that the rental company will want compensation for lost tables from those same people.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I suspect GTR would confiscate them and try to fine the individuals rather than return them as lost property for destroying performance in the core if they had a name and address on them

I wonder if any of the thameslink programme people will read this and how much coffee will get splattered while reading this

Well it would be fairer if they splattered their coffee over their own detachable table rather than leaving the fitted table in a disgusting state for other passengers.

 

[Class377/5]

New (first) picture of the first unit to hit the UK had been released.

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531/h42f4a27f#h42f4a27f

On show at Wildenrath.

 

[edwin_m]

I wonder if any of the thameslink programme people will read this and how much coffee will get splattered while reading this

Will it be more than the amount of coffee that will be splattered by commuters with no tables to put their cups on?

 

[Skimble19]

New (first) picture of the first unit to hit the UK had been released.

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531/h42f4a27f#h42f4a27f

On show at Wildenrath.

Am I seeing things or is there just 3 carriages of it on show there?

As an aside, (not sure if I've missed it or not) but has it been confirmed if that incredibly dull text based Thameslink wording is to be replaced with the actual Thameslink logo once it gets over here?

 

[jon0844]

I would have thought the Thameslink logo will definitely be put on by the time the trains go into service. These will just be vinyls anyway.

 

[Class377/5]

Am I seeing things or is there just 3 carriages of it on show there?

As an aside, (not sure if I've missed it or not) but has it been confirmed if that incredibly dull text based Thameslink wording is to be replaced with the actual Thameslink logo once it gets over here?

They aren't delivered to Wildernrath in one piece (unlike when they come to the UK).

Had been offically started there will be minimal branding, so likely just the logo.

 

[GatwickDepress]

The first class stripe is very noticeable on that minimalist livery. I like it.

 

[hulabaloo]

The first thought I had looking at that photo was of Top Cat's Officer Dibble Cat blowing his whistle.

I have had a few bangs to the head over the years mind :-P

 

[HSTEd]

I actually like it
It looks like those 66s we had a picture of a while back still in works paint (ie. all over grey).

It looks nice and workmanlike.

 

[FlippyFF]

In this picture of 700101, am I seeing the shoe down and the pantograph up at the same time? I thought these had retractable shoes?

 

[A-driver]

In this picture of 700101, am I seeing the shoe down and the pantograph up at the same time? I thought these had retractable shoes?

They do I believe but retractable shoes can of course be isolated if needed so at a guess they have tweeked it for dual power for the purposes of test runs.

 

[Fincra5]

My My doesn't Charles have big ears

Kinda wish I would get to drive these in the near future, not just 377s and 313s

 

[Bald Rick]

In this picture of 700101, am I seeing the shoe down and the pantograph up at the same time? I thought these had retractable shoes?

Nope, shoes are not retractable.

 

[asylumxl]

Nope, shoes are not retractable.

One less thing to go wrong I assume.

 

[TimG]

With regard to the seat comfort, tables, armrests etc, it will be interesting to see whether those who have a choice - eg passengers from Brighton, Haywards Heath etc - migrate to Southern services in any great numbers. That will kind of prove whether all the pre-launch moans/concerns are shared by the wider public, or not.

Unlikely I think, unless Southern continue to serve London Bridge from these stations.

 

[whoosh]

I'm pretty sure they have retractable shoes. Look at this picture:
Class 700

Third rail isn't as high as the shoe.
FlippyFF's picture looks like the shoe is a lot lower.

There is a restriction on class 313s (because of shoe gear) - they can't go north of St Neots, not that they need to. But 700s will need to.

 

[Bigfoot]

They could of course be tied up...

 

[Class377/5]

I'm pretty sure they have retractable shoes. Look at this picture:
Class 700

Third rail isn't as high as the shoe.
FlippyFF's picture looks like the shoe is a lot lower.

There is a restriction on class 313s (because of shoe gear) - they can't go north of St Neots, not that they need to. But 700s will need to.

700 don't have retractable shoes. I've spoken to a senior engineer of the Desiro City and we mentioned it.

They will be going north of St Neots without retactable shoes.

 

[Bald Rick]

700 don't have retractable shoes. I've spoken to a senior engineer of the Desiro City and we mentioned it.

They will be going north of St Neots without retactable shoes.

Correct. North of Royston too. I can guarantee one has it shoes off in the first month of service.

 

[Class377/5]

Correct. North of Royston too. I can guarantee one has it shoes off in the first month of service.

First Monday after some renewals....?

 

[whoosh]

Class377/5, I know you are very knowledgeable about these trains, and am sure you are in contact with technical people working on the project, and enjoy your posts about these trains.
Have a look at those two pictures though. One shows the shoe lower down - look at the level of the shoe in the two pictures in relation to the bottom footstep. It's quite clearly lower. My understanding was they were to be fitted with retractable shoes (which is what looks like are fitted in the pictures). Has the train been fitted with retractable shoe gear for trials on the test track, and getting fitted with different (fixed) shoegear for when it gets to the UK?

Sorry this is being questioned, but it goes against what has been heard about the trains, and what seems to be in the pictures of them. Temporary shoegear for the test track is all I can think of.

One thing is for sure - the pantograph IS retractable!

 

[SpacePhoenix]

700 don't have retractable shoes. I've spoken to a senior engineer of the Desiro City and we mentioned it.

They will be going north of St Neots without retactable shoes.

Do Siemens not offer retractable shoes or is it that Thameslink have opted not to have them retractable?

 

[Domh245]

Alternatively, the shoes are retractable, as seen in the photo, but will not be retracted during service because it is essentially something else that can go wrong, and these trains are being designed for high reliability. Shoes would probably be retractable by a key switch on the back wall or by physically moving them and locking them so that the shoe can be changed once it has worn out, but I am interested to see what the case actually is.

 

[A-driver]

Correct. North of Royston too. I can guarantee one has it shoes off in the first month of service.

313s can run North of Royston, they just don't. But I have driven a 313 to Cambridge before in service due to stock shortages.

They can run North of St Neots because the bridges South of Huntingdon are too close to the shoes to risk it. North of Royston there are no such problems though. I believe they put the restriction North of Royston simply because Royston is the furthest that any 313s are booked to run. But as I day, they certainly do make their way to Cambridge on odd occasions.

 

[Aictos]

313s can run North of Royston, they just don't. But I have driven a 313 to Cambridge before in service due to stock shortages.

They can run North of St Neots because the bridges South of Huntingdon are too close to the shoes to risk it. North of Royston there are no such problems though. I believe they put the restriction North of Royston simply because Royston is the furthest that any 313s are booked to run. But as I day, they certainly do make their way to Cambridge on odd occasions.

Really? Never knew they made it to Cambridge knew they've made it to Biggleswade and Royston frequently though.

On a side note, that 313 to Cambridge was it a All Stations and did it lose any time?

 

[Bishopstone]

Unlikely I think, unless Southern continue to serve London Bridge from these stations.

Southern will continue to serve London Bridge in the peaks from Brighton, Coastway etc.

 

[jon0844]

On a side note, that 313 to Cambridge was it a All Stations and did it lose any time?

313s seem quite capable of going faster than 75, having been fortune enough to get on one that was moved onto the fast line due to a broken down train - and it being fast from Potters Bar to Hatfield. I'd say we got to around 90, perhaps even more.

For all stations it would never have a chance to accelerate and probably struggles to even reach 75 on most days, but I wonder if A-driver can say what the physical top speed is in his experience?