Great Western Coffee Shop

On The Londonist (http://londonist.com/2016/08/video-a-first-look-at-the-new-south-west-trains)

New units for Waterloo to Windsor and Weybridge via Staines services

Thanks for that Grahame.  Spotted something quite interesting at 2mins 50seconds :o

I was looking for a nameboard 'Melksham' but didn't see it ! ???

 ;D :D Well you didn't really expect me to be looking at the train did you......

I think it might be a ramped, removable, track crossing.

But no UEGs >:(. Admittedly they only seem to have 5 coaches on the heatmap, so it might not be suggesting passengers try to walk to somewhere they can't get to, but then the presenter/narator said "you're now able to walk down the length of the train without using interconnecting doors". Err, no you can't, not when the train is a 10-car formation anyway. The lack of UEGs is not a problem on the Thameslink stock because the shortest units in that fleet are 8-car, which is too long for anybody to try running a pair in multiple in service, but as far as I know SWT plan to use the 707s in multiple. SWT's 'new' 458/5s have UEGs (the 458s didn't used to) so I can't understand why the 707s don't.

UEGs = Unit End Gangways

Oh yes they did - but not in the sense you imply.

I've always thought that, in both old and new 458s (and the 450s we have now), the gangway is inside the conductor's lair and not accessible to passengers. Admittedly I've never tried barging through, so I can't be sure that so nor whether it's a limitation of the design (e.g. a lack of doors to close off the driving positions). For trains that stop every five minutes it's not hard to move between units anyway, and in an emergency access for staff and (by invitation) passengers is still available.

On the issue of "heat maps" (which might be a bad choice of name if 707s have dodgy chillers), do you need them if you can see into the next carriage? That should ensure that any standing passengers can diffuse into areas of lower density. It would be more useful to know about the loading of the other unit of a pair, whether getting to it means using the platform or not.

I have been told that they don't have loos (shades of Crossrail)

I would have thought Windsor to Waterloo is too long not to have loos.

.............it'll certainly be a challenge on the way home from Twickenham!  :o

That's 30 minutes on the train. The same as Richmond to Victoria on the District Line. So not at all out of line with the Underground - typically 40 minutes (or a bit more) out from the centre to the end of the line.

Now that might indeed be an issue for some of us men of a certain age, but it's not a problem specific to trains!

Age + pre and post match ale also comes into the equation!

The end gangways on 458/0 were never cleared for passenger use, they only eventually brought them into use so that the guard could move between units, and he operated the doors from a centre cab only.   I believe the floor was not considered level enough.   It was also only connected or disconnected in the depot, they weren't available to help with splitting and joining in service.

On the mainline side, the 450 (and 444) gangways have always been available to passengers for normal use.    There is no logical reason that I can think of why 450s in use on the Reading line do not allow normal use, even if the guard wishes to dispatch from a cab, this was done on the mainline side when SDO was 'per unit' and had to be operated from the leading cab of the back unit, but the gangway remained open to passengers.

Paul

They've been used to and from Reading this week (not in service), presumably to test out the equipment for the imminent extension from 8-car to 10-car services on the route?

Indeed, I've seen a couple on 10-cars now - not the same units, so it does look like shake-down as they all arrive. They are due to start work in April, running to Windsor and Weybridge, but I guess Staines to Reading is a bit less busy than a similar distance further in.

Confusingly, the one that was stopped at Wokingham was ferrying a couple of people labelled as from Concept Security who were (unsurprisingly) interested in the TV cameras.

And as of two weeks ago, Wokingham Platform 1 extension to 12-car length was opened. If the 5-car 458s are to come "home" to Reading, all their stops need to have long enough platforms by April.

They won't all be 10 car platforms, AIUI from the latest enhancements milestones there's a limited number that will remain under the control of ASDO.

Paul   

Yes, there are a few. I should have said all the extensions underway should be finished - I don't suppose SWT want to be setting up temporary SDO at extra places for a few weeks.

I don't think there's actually anything to set up, it would be more a case of not changing (by re-programming) what's already there.  AIUI from a description of the system (given in Rail Engineer magazine a couple of years ago), every SWT station (apart from on DMU only routes) is fitted with ASDO beacons for the existing trains; and the type of ASDO in use is full time, for example an 8 car 450 entering Reading will still read the ASDO beacons - as would a 10 or 12 car train if one was sent there.   The beacons are visible at all stations even when both or all platforms are 12 car.

I expect this is a failsafe feature, the 450s, 444s and 458s must presumably be running around with ASDO switched on by default even on routes where it is not needed (such as Portsmouth to Southampton).  A few months ago during engineering work trains were single line running from Netley to my local station at Swanwick, and the lack of ASDO beacons at platform entry in the wrong direction was detected by the 450s in operation, and at each station a fault message was played...

Paul

Class 707 units have been doing test runs over the Reading line in recent weeks.

Among the tests have been the trains stopping at each station, presumably to try out the door systems.

Here are a couple of units at Reading

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/7071.jpg)

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/7072.jpg)

IIRC a few years back we were being regularly told (albeit in other forums) that it would be impossible to have third rail pickup gear mounted on inside frame bogies, nice to see how that turned out...   ;D

Paul