Third-Rail EMU Photos

[NickL2008]

Some photos of the Island line a year on in 2021, 483s are now retired and 007 is pictured at the train story on the Isle of Wight steam railway and 006 is at the time of this post sat in Ryde st johns Platform 3, the line isnt open, but the 484s are caught on a couple of test runs and 484002+003 are seen at Lake and entering Shanklin:

 

 

 

 

 

NL

Edited September 29, 2021 by NickL2008

[The Lurker]

18 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

 707 transfer under way but the full transfer may be delayed as the 701s are still some way off entering traffic. 
 

 

I saw a pair today on my commute in - stopped at New Cross. 707009 was the rear unit

[Gwiwer]

11 minutes ago, The Lurker said:

I saw a pair today on my commute in - stopped at New Cross. 707009 was the rear unit

In which case its partner was 707010.  The only pair in traffic in blue so far.  

[The Pilotman]

I saw this rather nice pair of Class 378 units at Richmond today:

 

 

and, it looks like passengers are being made aware of some new rolling stock heading their way (this poster is on the stairway to the down platform) 

 

 

 

[phil-b259]

8 hours ago, Western Aviator said:

 

and, it looks like passengers are being made aware of some new rolling stock heading their way (this poster is on the stairway to the down platform) 

 

 

 

 

Old railway posters like these in good condition are recognised as Heritage assets to be retained if possible.

 

 

[The Pilotman]

14 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

Old railway posters like these in good condition are recognised as Heritage assets to be retained if possible.

That would explain some of the other ones there then. Some HSTs seemingly in Nederlandse Spoorwegen colours….

 

and there can’t be many BR posters around featuring a class 86….

 

 

Where are those light beams coming from? 

[Northmoor]

Since we're saying a final farewell to the "Wessies" now, here's a shot from their heyday; 2422/2420 speeding past Pirbright nearly 20 years ago.

 

[Southernman46]

On 29/09/2021 at 13:48, Gwiwer said:

In which case its partner was 707010.  The only pair in traffic in blue so far.  

Observed 707025 (+1) from a bus at Plumstead on 12/10 in SE Blue (nice) ....................

 

What do the 376's work most ................... are there any diagrams / CWN's available ?

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, Southernman46 said:

 

 

What do the 376's work most ................... are there any diagrams / CWN's available ?

 

Hayes (Mid Kent) Line as far as I know, plus some duties on the Dartford lines.  

[Darius43]

Southern units at West Worthing this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plus this chap.

 

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[balders]

Old school and new school at Cannon Street. 465048 watches on as 376027 leaves on a service and new interloper 707027 is stabled on the far platform. More musings from the SE today. 

 

Regard

 

Guy

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Dull, damp and overcast at Bournemouth depot today. Two 444s await their next duties; they will later work ECS to Bournemouth station to strengthen afternoon Waterloo-bound services.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Christmas at Bournemouth.

[IncorrectlySpelt]

Slightly OT, but are the 701s in service yet? It feels like they've been in testing/trials for months 

[Ncarter2]

36 minutes ago, IncorrectlySpelt said:

Slightly OT, but are the 701s in service yet? It feels like they've been in testing/trials for months 

Nope. There are more issues now as well. It’s having a knock on effect on for 455/456 being removed from service and 458’s being moved to the Pompey Directs.  

[Gwiwer]

No sign of the 701s entering traffic.  Not even a positive sign of acceptance by staff.  

 

I don't know all the details but there are some pretty significant issues which the drivers are objecting to and that doesn't refer to the changes over passenger door operation which amounts to DOO by another name.  Platform staff have received a very basic notice advising that other than at Waterloo and Reading (where most trains commence their journeys and because platform staff are supplied by GWR and dispatch in a different manner, respectively) there will be no platform dispatch as it has been known.  Safety concerns have been voiced over this given that it will require drivers to make decisions about closing doors and departing where platforms are curved and track canted.  It is not possible to physically see the back from the front (though cameras are fitted as on 700s and other recent DOO stock) and it is not possible to see clearly that everyone has safely negotiated the gap between platform and train.  There will apparently be no means by which platform staff can stop a train departing if they are not satisfied it is safe to do so.  Other TOCs employ CD / RA lights and still pass a tip to the driver in certain locations.  The 701s appear to be set up for the driver to act in splendid isolation notwithstanding the promise to retain a "guard" with full safety-critical training on board each in-service train.  

 

SWR is suffering a rolling stock shortage although the impact thus far is minimal.  Numbers travelling mean that a 4-car train instead of 8-car will not leave anyone behind.  There are pinch-points.  Short-formed trains arriving at Wimbledon bound for Waterloo can overload there but many leave at Clapham a couple of stops later.  Short trains mean that some people are obliged to run some distance along platforms if waiting for their expected 8-car train.  It isn't always possible to see or hear announcements and the systems which drive the auto-announcements are not 100% reliable anyway.  Only last week I saw a Southern train advertised as "This train has 20 carriages" with the front 4 for Southampton and the rear 16 for Bognor Regis.  The auto-announcement went on for ages because every station had "short platforms" and you were advised to "travel in the front 12 carriages for Gatwick Airport", etc ..... 

 

455/456 units were maintained and nursed in the expectation that many would be out of traffic by now and the rest in a year from now.  Consequently some are sidelined due to scrap-thickness tyres or overdue for other major work which is not being funded.   The transfer of 707s to South Eastern has been temporarily paused with SWR retaining 10 units, I believe, which had they gone as planned might have required widespread 4-car operation or the withdrawal of the Shepperton service entirely as that is where most are used.  

 

458s are also coming out of service with 458535 having spent the past six months dumped in Clapham yard and the first few now away for (in my humble opinion) unnecessary conversion into 4-car Portsmouth express units.  Quite why 450s could not have been re-seated inside for this role is beyond me.  As it is all operating staff on Portsmouth and Bournemouth lines will need to be re-trained on 458/4s; the class hasn't run on those lines before now other than a very few trips with by London-area crews.  A considerable and avoidable expense.  458s could have stayed on the Reading line which instead now has an influx of 450s - a type which has always had some duties on the Windsor Lines - with 458s becoming less common though turning up on Windsor & Eton duties now which they haven't been used on of late.  

[John M Upton]

Are there any plans for the dispersal of SWR's 455's and 456's?  The rumour was that the 455's may head over to Southern but that seems to have been dropped (presumably the post it note on the DfT office wall fell off with age) and somewhere down the line of train dominoes, the 313's would fall off the end but these are now receiving attention to keep them going at least another 18 months...

 

You can keep the 456's though, I have heard nothing but bad things said about them from a drivers point of view!!

 

On the subject of dispatch of 7xx series stock, there was talk about Thameslink 700's going driver self dispatch on the Brighton Main Line which would include East Croydon which at the height of rush hour would certainly be err interesting...

[St. Simon]

2 hours ago, John M Upton said:

the 313's would fall off the end but these are now receiving attention to keep them going at least another 18 months...

Hi,

 

My information is that the 313s are going to be replaced by 377s by the end of 2022.

 

2 hours ago, John M Upton said:

On the subject of dispatch of 7xx series stock, there was talk about Thameslink 700's going driver self dispatch on the Brighton Main Line which would include East Croydon which at the height of rush hour would certainly be err interesting...

Yes, that I believe that is the case, although I can’t remember the timescales.

 

Simon

[Gwiwer]

3 hours ago, John M Upton said:

Are there any plans for the dispersal of SWR's 455's and 456's?  The rumour was that the 455's may head over to Southern

Pre-Covid that was Plan A as I understood it. Post-Covid there is likely to be a rolling stock surplus overall though with some reshuffling required to balance need and demand. 
 

The sidelined SWR units are initially to form a pool of spares to keep others going.  Southern might be able to cover their duties with 377s given that 5, 6 or 8- car trains may be sufficient where currently 10-car trains are the norm, or 8-car 455s. 

 

Ultimately we can expect the 455/456 fleets to go for scrap which will include the last class 210 vehicle in traffic. 67400 in unit 5912 is still in daily use; sister 67301 is in 5913 which is (or was last heard of) stored at Wimbledon with scrap tyres. 
 

There already is sufficient capacity in the 377 fleet for the Sussex coastal routes to revert to this type alone and be rid of the universally-loathed 313s. Quite why any of those are still running when the service offered is barely half of the previous full timetable is beyond me. They should never be needed nor used beyond the originally-promised limits of Seaford and Littlehampton. 
 

SE can probably return the last of Southern’s 377/1s and spare some 377/5s by now.  That would strengthen Southern’s fleet and potentially give them enough for when Uckfield and the Marshlink lines get the third rail.  Or Ashford - Eastbourne could  become a part of the SE operation as has been mooted in some circles though the reasoning there has been to link it to HS1 and use 395s. Doleham to St. Pancras in an hour?  There’s a thought! 
 

 

[Peter Kazmierczak]

My last train picture for 2021. A grey train, on a grey day, at the end of a grey year.

[Nearholmer]

Ah, but you’ve given us some very good images over the years, which is no mean achievement given that modern southern emus aren’t the most obviously charismatic of trains. 

 

So: thank you.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Thanks. Here's something a little more colourful...

[Rugd1022]

Screen grabs from the Richard Burton film 'Villain', shot in October '70, released in May '71, the first one is South Acton between Acton Wells and Kew, the second is Nine Elms....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nearholmer]

The North London Line was a real education at that period. The whole railway was utterly run-down, and the passengers had a generally ground-down look about them too. As a lad from a small country town, the whole thing was a total eye-opener to me, and TBH I was amazed by the proportion of non-white passengers, and how poor most of them looked. When you travel on it now (well, before Covid) it’s got a generally vibrant and buzzy feel, and while there are still some pretty downbeat bits of North London things just aren’t drab, worn out, and tired in the way that the early 70s excelled at.

[lmsforever]

3 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

Screen grabs from the Richard Burton film 'Villain', shot in October '70, released in May '71, the first one is South Acton between Acton Wells and Kew, the second is Nine Elms....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like the Rover car bestone they ever made  my cousins husband had one and it shone inside and out.