Thameslink/ Class 700 Progress

[Aictos]

Falls down the back of a very large sofa?

Or cable thieves have stumbled upon the notion that a entire carriage is worth a lot more then a few feet of signalling cable....

Seriously though I didn't think it was possible to lose a carrage.

 

[ainsworth74]

I'm sure someone mentioned on here that a 142 once went missing for a while and turned up a completely different depot to where it was supposed to be!

 

[jon0844]

Are all these carriages ever near the island of Sodor? Things seem to go missing there all the time.

 

[Class377/5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbAr0BR1eFs

New video from SIEMENS posted a few days ago. Can't wait to drive that beast!

Brilliant video. The shed where you see three 700s lined up is the Thameslink shed at Wildenrath with 700102/103/104 in there.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I'm sure someone mentioned on here that a 142 once went missing for a while and turned up a completely different depot to where it was supposed to be!

I'll see your 142 and raise you an entire rake of Mk 1 stock...

Stock for a railtour from Euston to an open day in the East Midlands; ended up running 4 hours late, much of it because BR literally forgot where they'd stabled the stock overnight. It eventually transpired it was just half a mile down the line in Downside shed. Then one of the two locomotives on it was dud so it lost more time... The result was a reduced time at the open day, a promised branch or two being dropped from the itinerary and a free compensatory railtour offered to the participants in order to get the branches in. Then they messed that up too because of engineering on at least one of said branches on the free tour date... :roll:

Anyway.... back to the 700s... it was probably pretty much the same thing; a question of the vehicle being shunted somewhere for the duration and then overlooked later?

 

[edwin_m]

Anyway.... back to the 700s... it was probably pretty much the same thing; a question of the vehicle being shunted somewhere for the duration and then overlooked later?

Was it simply that they didn't have enough space at the exhibition to show the whole train, especially as the "missing" coach probably looked pretty similar to the others anyway, so entirely intentionally didn't bring it along?

 

[physics34]

looking forward to driving these...maybe, depending on whether my depot learns them!!.. but my moans about the interior still stands

 

[southern442]

Brilliant video. The shed where you see three 700s lined up is the Thameslink shed at Wildenrath with 700102/103/104 in there.

One thing that is interesting is that they make a similar sound to a fleet of coaching stock when at speed. When the 700 passed by on that side shot it sounded similar to a slamdoor passing by at speed.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Thameslink lost a 319 during winter disruption about 10 years ago - eventually found , snowbound and frozen up at Bellingham ....

 

[MCR247]

Covered in graffiti?!

 

[D365]

Covered in graffiti?!

Depends what livery it was 'given'

 

[Class377/5]

Big press event with some units being driven around plus some confirmation on offical plans;

700101-106 at Wildernrath
700107 'started arriving today'

700013 is the '9th unit to be built'

7th unit to be built is first to arrive in the UK, 'arrives 3rd August'

First unit in service will be February 2016.

From February 2016, production line will be at full pace with two complete carriages built a day.

Confirmation 'entire fleet will' arrive in June 2018

 

[physics34]

Big press event with some units being driven around plus some confirmation on offical plans;

700101-106 at Wildernrath
700107 'started arriving today'

700013 is the '9th unit to be built'

7th unit to be built is first to arrive in the UK, 'arrives 3rd August'

First unit in service will be February 2016.

From February 2016, production line will be at full pace with two complete carriages built a day.

Confirmation 'entire fleet will' arrive in June 2018

Amazing how time flies. Just 10 months til theyre in service!!

 

[Class377/5]

And for months until the first one is rolling around the network.

Few links for people

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531

http://railnews.mobi/news/2015/04/03-first-new-thameslink-trains-less.html

http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...emus-to-begin-mainline-testing-in-august.html

 

[swt_passenger]

Confirmation 'entire fleet will' arrive in June 2018

Which actually means the entire fleet will have arrived by June 2018...

 

[physics34]

And for months until the first one is rolling around the network.

Few links for people

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531

http://railnews.mobi/news/2015/04/03-first-new-thameslink-trains-less.html

http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...emus-to-begin-mainline-testing-in-august.html

surprised by the continued use of that "Thameslink" lettering as is on 700105 and anther unit there on the body side. I assume the current GTR Thameslink logo will be used/affixed at a later date.

 

[jon0844]

Look forward to seeing the signalling testing on the Hertford Loop. Also saw the 313 test train pass through Finsbury Park earlier this week, so I wonder how it's all going?

 

[Bigfoot]

All pretty good going if you ask me. Especially as swt are getting 150 coaches in 2017 too...

 

[Aictos]

Look forward to seeing the signalling testing on the Hertford Loop. Also saw the 313 test train pass through Finsbury Park earlier this week, so I wonder how it's all going?

No idea on how the ongoing work with the NR 313 is going however as I understand it when the Class 700s arrive on the GN for driver training etc they will ALL be seen on the Hertford Loop that is of course if that still the case and I haven't misunderstood Class 377/5 from a previous convo about the fleet.

Other then that, I know as much as you do.

 

[jon0844]

Other then that, I know as much as you do.

I know absolutely nothing.

 

[Class377/5]

surprised by the continued use of that "Thameslink" lettering as is on 700105 and anther unit there on the body side. I assume the current GTR Thameslink logo will be used/affixed at a later date.

Because the DfT/FCC ordered the fleet and re-specing the livery is going to cost money, for no valve at all. All the seen completed units (101-107 & 001) have the Thameslink branded as seen. Believe offical wording was not much branding so a TL sticker may just be all. Will know soon enough.

Look forward to seeing the signalling testing on the Hertford Loop. Also saw the 313 test train pass through Finsbury Park earlier this week, so I wonder how it's all going?

Not hard much which must be a good sign.

No idea on how the ongoing work with the NR 313 is going however as I understand it when the Class 700s arrive on the GN for driver training etc they will ALL be seen on the Hertford Loop that is of course if that still the case and I haven't misunderstood Class 377/5 from a previous convo about the fleet.

Other then that, I know as much as you do.

All units are required to visit to test the ATO ahead of it going live in the Core. No where else to test.

 

[physics34]

Because the DfT/FCC ordered the fleet and re-specing the livery is going to cost money, for no valve at all. All the seen completed units (101-107 & 001) have the Thameslink branded as seen. Believe offical wording was not much branding so a TL sticker may just be all. Will know soon enough.

Yeh i noted an interview with Charles Horton a while ago saying that the grey and blue is the livery but will have a little bit "extra" on it... whatever that is, but i presume the new thameslink logo will be somewhere on it seeing as GTR probably paid a design company a few bob to come up with it.

 

[Aictos]

All units are required to visit to test the ATO ahead of it going live in the Core. No where else to test.

Is the first one to arrive in August going to be the first to visit the ATO facility on the Hertford Loop?

 

[Skimble19]

Because the DfT/FCC ordered the fleet and re-specing the livery is going to cost money, for no valve at all. All the seen completed units (101-107 & 001) have the Thameslink branded as seen. Believe offical wording was not much branding so a TL sticker may just be all. Will know soon enough.

Must admit I'm quite curious to know if there will be any GN branding on the units once they start running over this side as well on the through services..

Hope that rather boring Thameslink lettering gets removed and covered over though, it doesn't exactly stand out (although as said I'm sure this is because of all the little details being finalised at the end of the FCC franchise probably before the GTR logos were even designed).

 

[swt_passenger]

Must admit I'm quite curious to know if there will be any GN branding on the units once they start running over this side as well on the through services...

Surely that would be confusing?

GN will only be used for the services that don't go through the core.

 

[Skimble19]

Surely that would be confusing?

GN will only be used for the services that don't go through the core.

We haven't officially been told (although I'm sure those high up are more than aware) what brand any services from GN to TL will run under yet.. All stations and staff will be Great Northern still, so to have just a few peak-only Peterborough services and Cambridge cruiser trains under the Great Northern brand would make it slightly pointless having it surely?

Cant imagine it being particularly confusing if they simply displayed both logos on the train though.. A little like the Stansted Express / Greater Anglia 379s.

 

[swt_passenger]

We haven't officially been told (although I'm sure those high up are more than aware) what brand any services from GN to TL will run under yet.. All stations and staff will be Great Northern still, so to have just a few peak-only Peterborough services and Cambridge cruiser trains under the Great Northern brand would make it slightly pointless having it surely?

Cant imagine it being particularly confusing if they simply displayed both logos on the train though.. A little like the Stansted Express / Greater Anglia 379s.

But using that logic, (i.e. both logos) any existing routes due to transfer from Southern to Thameslink would have to retain the Southern branding. So a service such as the proposed Cambridge to Tattenham Corner would have to carry all 3 brands?

I cannot envisage 700s carrying anything but Thameslink. It is the only logical branding that fits the current 2018 service map.

 

[A-driver]

We haven't officially been told (although I'm sure those high up are more than aware) what brand any services from GN to TL will run under yet.. All stations and staff will be Great Northern still, so to have just a few peak-only Peterborough services and Cambridge cruiser trains under the Great Northern brand would make it slightly pointless having it surely?

Cant imagine it being particularly confusing if they simply displayed both logos on the train though.. A little like the Stansted Express / Greater Anglia 379s.

Thameslink will be the brand for all 'core bound' trains. So the Peterborough to Horsham trains will be Thameslink, not great northern. 700s will only run Thameslink services, no southern or great northern services which will have seperate rolling stock.

As for staffing, it appears they want links at GN depots so that when this franchise ends depots can be split with TL staff in the 700link and GN staff in the 'non700' link.

 

[D365]

Assuming we refer to the suburban services which will continue to run from Moorgate and Kings Cross collectively (based at the original Hornsey TMD), I don't see any reason for the 'Great Northern' name to be considered "pointless".

 

[Class377/5]

All I say is the Thameslink branding is staying on units and they won't always work Thameslink services.

Some images of the new fleet.....

700105

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531/h410bbe59#h410bbe59


700106/105/103

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531/h410bbe59#h410bbe47


700108

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531/h410bbe59#h410bbe5e


Inside 700108

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531/h410bbe59#h41190eeb


Class 700 bodyshell

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531/h410bbe59#h41190def

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531/h410bbe59#h410bbf6c

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531/h410bbe59#h410bbf7a

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p921265531/h410bbe59#h41190cb6​