samuelmorris
Established Member
With regard to ride quality and the sway - all three occasions I've ridden a 700 have been from a window non-airline seat over a bogie - on empty services it seemed like a more comfortable place to sit. I noticed the sway but it didn't seem to be any different to other stock on Southern. The fast run on a 377/1 I had later that day between Clapham Junction and Selhurst felt a bit like a 'runaway train' in places.
I'm not familiar enough with that area to know which areas are worse than others and most of the complex sections of track on the TL diversionary route are traversed so slowly it's not really a good comparison.
On the A/C, I found the system very effective, it was 27C outside on my first ride on the units and I was getting a bit cold inside, which is unusual for me, I like my A/C quite cold in the summer. However, the unit was very lightly loaded with no more than a dozen or so people in each carriage. How it copes fully laden I'm not sure.
The lighting seemed very dim to me compared to other stock. It isn't necessary to have very bright lighting with such a clinical interior but it did actually seem positively cosy when passing through the tunnel at Balcombe. It actually made the environment feel quite pleasant.
I did overhear an interesting remark on one of my journeys about how much more room there seemed to be in the luggage racks than on a 377. I haven't yet tried the 700s but agree that electrostar luggage racks are deceptively small due to their shape.
The doorway areas do seem vast compared to their predecessors. I am optimistic about the numbers that could be crammed in there in periods of high demand.
I'm not familiar enough with that area to know which areas are worse than others and most of the complex sections of track on the TL diversionary route are traversed so slowly it's not really a good comparison.
On the A/C, I found the system very effective, it was 27C outside on my first ride on the units and I was getting a bit cold inside, which is unusual for me, I like my A/C quite cold in the summer. However, the unit was very lightly loaded with no more than a dozen or so people in each carriage. How it copes fully laden I'm not sure.
The lighting seemed very dim to me compared to other stock. It isn't necessary to have very bright lighting with such a clinical interior but it did actually seem positively cosy when passing through the tunnel at Balcombe. It actually made the environment feel quite pleasant.
I did overhear an interesting remark on one of my journeys about how much more room there seemed to be in the luggage racks than on a 377. I haven't yet tried the 700s but agree that electrostar luggage racks are deceptively small due to their shape.
The doorway areas do seem vast compared to their predecessors. I am optimistic about the numbers that could be crammed in there in periods of high demand.
