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Thameslink/ Class 700 Progress
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Also no way of knowing what the pis is displaying so a peep through the spy hole
asylumxl
Established Member
bramling
Veteran Member
Understatement of the year
One presumes this has arisen through the trains having quite good soundproofing in order to prevent the driver hearing potential distractions from passengers? This must be a benefit, as why do the noisy ones always choose to position themselves directly behind the cab?!
So that's the reason behind that dumb ramp leading to cab doors...
As for PIS doesn't terminal/control unit display station names in case they need to be overridden? I think that's how it works in other systems.
It's a shame it didn't go through Inverness, that's the shortest route to Hornsey from Dollands Moor after all...
crazystripe
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I'd heard rumblings that there may be a couple of Great Northern services operated by Class 700 from early September - has that been confirmed, and do we know which services/diagrams it might be on?
bengley
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Thameslink will be a complete 700 operation by 11th September - this is looking like the date the London Bridge to Brighton services will begin using 700/1s all day instead of Southern 377s
Failed Unit
Established Member
How is driver training going on the route? I haven't seen any 700s on great northern during the day. 387s were common last year often seen waiting at WGC for paths while driver training.
As for the diagram they have a few low mileage ones, the ones the 317s stayed on until they retired. It would be nice if they took over crowded 4 cars first such as the 1653 Cambridge (which by coincidence was the services the 387s started life on)
I guess they will start replacing some of the 365s
I haven't either, but think they are usually after the morning peak and before the evening peak. As far as I'm aware they're taking place quite regularly.
What I have seen a few times are 800s out testing.
I never actually saw that many 387s before they came in, so I guess I just wasn't travelling at the right times.
I did however see 3 ex-GN 317s on GA within the space of a few minutes. One 8 car formed of two units, and another 8 with a GA 317.
GN never had that many so I was surprised to see three so quick. If I'd hung around, I wonder how long until I saw them all?!
spark001uk
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I went on the first 707 in passenger service yesterday (of a few test services for one day only). Thought I might compare it briefly to the 700:
Acceleration was good (but not as good as a 700 on AC), I did find the seats a bit more comfortable, and the PIS worked fine (software is a little different visually, but basically the same). Voice announcements are not Julie Berry on these, it sounds like acapela Rachel. Not sure I like it, it's a clearer voice but sounds nowhere near as natural. Sockets work ok (provided at all seats). Wifi was also working fine (albeit with a dodgy security certificate at the moment) - not sure what happened to the promise of wifi on the 700s last year?
Aside from that, it was much the same experience as a 700, obviously without the toilets or the 1st class. In fact the guard had to leg it to the toilet when we got to Reading!
Acceleration was good (but not as good as a 700 on AC), I did find the seats a bit more comfortable, and the PIS worked fine (software is a little different visually, but basically the same). Voice announcements are not Julie Berry on these, it sounds like acapela Rachel. Not sure I like it, it's a clearer voice but sounds nowhere near as natural. Sockets work ok (provided at all seats). Wifi was also working fine (albeit with a dodgy security certificate at the moment) - not sure what happened to the promise of wifi on the 700s last year?
Aside from that, it was much the same experience as a 700, obviously without the toilets or the 1st class. In fact the guard had to leg it to the toilet when we got to Reading!
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Yessssss!!! 
Finally went on my first 700 today from St Pancras to Brighton (unit 700014 was doing the honours, and is now my new avatar, but orientated weirdly, someone help?)
They are super quiet motors, and this particular unit was very reliable. It also had a strong new smell as well (is this unit recent?) Acceleration was excellent and the seats were comfy. Bumpy bogies thought!
Overall, a good experience!
Finally went on my first 700 today from St Pancras to Brighton (unit 700014 was doing the honours, and is now my new avatar, but orientated weirdly, someone help?)
They are super quiet motors, and this particular unit was very reliable. It also had a strong new smell as well (is this unit recent?) Acceleration was excellent and the seats were comfy. Bumpy bogies thought!
Overall, a good experience!
Yessssss!!!
Finally went on my first 700 today from St Pancras to Brighton (unit 700014 was doing the honours, and is now my new avatar, but orientated weirdly, someone help?)
They are super quiet motors, and this particular unit was very reliable. It also had a strong new smell as well (is this unit recent?) Acceleration was excellent and the seats were comfy. Bumpy bogies thought!
Overall, a good experience!
The obnoxious smell is definitely something that many people notice. It's not nice in a sense that when you get a new car you can't get enough of it, here it's more of a reverse aka vomit inducing situation.
swt_passenger
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Exaggeration alarms going off all over the place, I think...
tsr
Established Member
Yep. The smell is much less unpleasant than the strong smell of "weed" which came from some of the materials on the S8 (Underground) stock
Yessssss!!!
Finally went on my first 700 today from St Pancras to Brighton (unit 700014 was doing the honours, and is now my new avatar, but orientated weirdly, someone help?)
They are super quiet motors, and this particular unit was very reliable. It also had a strong new smell as well (is this unit recent?) Acceleration was excellent and the seats were comfy. Bumpy bogies thought!
Overall, a good experience!
seats comfy
oh well each to their own! Softer seats and maybe you wouldnt have felt the bumps!
spark001uk
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I quite like it actually! Oh well different strokes different folks I guess. Worth noting the 'new' smell of the 707 I went on the other day was completely different, but still not at all unpleasant. I wonder if it's mainly coming from the material they use for the seats, which is the most quantitative of the differences between the two.
spark001uk
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A few days in town and there was probably some actually dropped between the seats I shouldn't wonder!
samuelmorris
Established Member
Smells like a hospital waiting room, as well as some of the rooms in the new buildings at my old university, I think it's a particular type of material they've made the interior panels out of. It's not an unpleasant smell, but it's certainly unusual for a vehicle.
Are you referring to the old TLGN logo in the top right of the screen or have they had the Great Northern stickers applied at the top and bottom of the machine? If the former then that's no surprise, if the latter then that's a definite mistake.
Great Northern only bottom of the machine
What 700 numbers still have old logos getting thin on the ground now
seats comfy
I don't know, it was pretty nice, nicer than I expected (though a bit bristly!) I even fell asleep on it!
True
Sounds like a mistake as they're now going around installing the remaining machines after fixing various software issues. I wonder if some TL ones will appear at GN stations?
I do wonder why the sticker under the top (which says Tickets) also says Tickets. Perhaps a bit like the Wi-Fi service telling you in three or four different ways you're connected on the home screen!
There's apparently a rather large potential problem that needs to be resolved before any can be introduced on GN... dispatch. Could just be the usual railway rumour mill running into overdrive but rumour has it ASLEF want them dispatched by Platform staff all over the place, GTR (unsurprisingly) can't afford this due to the sheer numbers of extra staff that would be needed, so they're at a bit of a stalemate. If it's true it could be interesting to see what happens and how it's resolved, if it's not then expect them in service next month!
Normally I would dismiss such internal rumours straight away but there is a large and ever increasing amount of trains now being dispatched on GN, especially in darkness, including the 387s with their on board cameras.
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