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Question on SouthEastern Class 375

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RobShipway

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I was at Waterloo east earlier today and noticed that 375604 has a pantograph installed within it? 375604 was the last four coaches of an eight coach train and the 375 unit in front of it did not have it's pantograph installed. Neither for that matter did any other 375 unit I saw going through Waterloo East on the into and out of Charing Cross.

Are the 375 units having the pantographs inserted into them again or is this just a one off unit with a pantograph installed for some reason?
 
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RobShipway

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Okay, I am sure that I saw at least one other 375/6 that I saw at Waterloo East did not have it's pantograph which is why I was asking the question. But if it is the case that 375/6's did not loose their pantographs, then I am very likely mistaken about the 375/6 that I believe I saw without a pantograph.
 

Peter Mugridge

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It's possible, I suppose, that some might have lost them - I'll have to have a closer look at this. there are a couple of people I could ask, but I suspect someone on here will come up with a list of the exact units with and without before I could even send the mail with the question!
 
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As far as I am aware all the 375/6 still have their pantographs fitted.

No other 375s have them fitted (unless the 3 that Southern borrowed have them still).
 

ChristopherJ

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Okay, I am sure that I saw at least one other 375/6 that I saw at Waterloo East did not have it's pantograph which is why I was asking the question. But if it is the case that 375/6's did not loose their pantographs, then I am very likely mistaken about the 375/6 that I believe I saw without a pantograph.

Found elsewhere:
The class 375/6 are dual voltage units, delivered complete with
pantographs, but have never used the AC equipment in anger (except
maybe for some tests, I don't know) and several have had the
pantographs removed.

Now to once again ask why was the 375/6 was installed with AC provision. It has been hinted many times that the fleet was intended to operate CTRL-DS services on High Speed 1 once completed but a technical engineer for Union Railways on another group has already posted a deep technical explanation as to why the Electrostar is inadequate for operation on HS1. It is understandable to assume that the /6s maybe were indeed intended for CTRL-DS because the quantity of sets ordered almost matches the current Hitachi fleet: x30 class 375/6 vs x29 class 395.

Other sources suggest that the AC provision was installed purely for future cascade to AC routes but why just the /6s and not the entire of the remaining later fleet of 3/7/8/9? The Electrostar is a modular product and conversion between AC and DC is a mere pre-loaded plug-'n-play transition. I have been explained that if all components are available an Electrostar can be converted from AC to DC or vice versa in just 30 minutes.

I also don't understand why the classes of 375/3/7/8/9 and 376 are numbered as AC sets in the 3xx series, technically they should be numbered in the 4xx series as 475 and 476 because they are operating on DC only - conversion to AC is merely just an option. Imagine if the 450s that currently operate on DC only being classified as 350s purley because they can, if need be, converted to AC...
 
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Class377/5

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Found elsewhere:

Now to once again ask why was the 375/6 was installed with AC provision. It has been hinted many times that the fleet was intended to operate CTRL-DS services on High Speed 1 once completed but a technical engineer for Union Railways on another group has already posted a deep technical explanation as to why the Electrostar is inadequate for operation on HS1. It is understandable to assume that the /6s maybe were indeed intended for CTRL-DS because the quantity of sets ordered almost matches the current Hitachi fleet: x30 class 375/6 vs x29 class 395.

Other sources suggest that the AC provision was installed purely for future cascade to AC routes but why just the /6s and not the entire of the remaining later fleet of 3/7/8/9? The Electrostar is a modular product and conversion between AC and DC is a mere pre-loaded plug-'n-play transition. I have been explained that if all components are available an Electrostar can be converted from AC to DC or vice versa in just 30 minutes.

I also don't understand why the classes of 375/3/7/8/9 and 376 are numbered as AC sets in the 3xx series, technically they should be numbered in the 4xx series as 475 and 476 because they are operating on DC only - conversion to AC is merely just an option. Imagine if the 450s that currently operate on DC only being classified as 350s purley because they can, if need be, converted to AC...

The 375/6 were never ordered for HS1. They were ordered with a view for a service through the Thameslink Core. The Electrostar was built around the ideas of one day going through Snow Hill tunnel (after all it's simply a Networker mkII) , a plan that did in the end come true but using 377's instead.

They are number in the 3xx range simple because they are easily sorted into dual voltage units as are all modern stock. All you need to do is wire up a transformer, install a pan and put new software into the unit. However 30mins is way too short for all this work.
 
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