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Class 378's to be shortened to 4 cars and used on GOBLIN?

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Mikey C

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A shame that the first electric passenger train in service on the line, instead of being a celebratory moment, is instead a bit of a damp squib, making the best out of a bad situation

Interesting to note that even half hourly will result in an increase in overall capacity, as a 4 car 378 only has two cabs instead of 4 on 2 x 172, also the walk through design will also give a real increase in space, and the longitudinal configuration will also increase overall capacity (without getting into that debate again, it does mean more people can cram on board). So other than the inconvenience of the frequency reduction, which will undoubtedly be a nuisance, the service should still be able to carry more people than it does today. Also it's good to see that TfL has negotiated free travel with Bombardier, as part of what will no doubt be a significant financial settlement between the parties.

The 172s have 23m carriages though, so this probably offsets the extra cabs
 

DPWH

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What infrasturcutre changes would it take to get this line up to 5 or 6 cars?
 

twpsaesneg

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Extending the platform at Gospel Oak for a start which would need reconfiguration of the Switches and Crossings (S&C), movement of the starter signal, and likely the reconstruction of Gordon House Road underbridge to make it fit. Plus reconfiguring all the shiny new OLE that's just been put in.
 

plcd1

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The 378 standing capacity will be a massive increase over a pair of 172s though, given the all longitudinal layout.

That will certainly help with the peak crowds as does many more doors for boarding and alighting. However no one has a clue what the peak time loadings would be for a half hourly service. I'd argue a proportion of users would have to take alternative routes because their personal schedules won't align with a possible 30 min wait for trains. I know the situation is involved and complex and there aren't easy fixes but I'm very sceptical patronage would hold up in the event of a half hourly M-F service and possibly no weekend service at all. It may be another 6 months before a full scheduled service can resume with an acceptable level of reliability. We still have the prospect of the "back tub curve" effect to get through with the 710s with the GOBLIN route being the "test bed" for that. The way things are going the line's users will have had 6 years of chronic overcrowding intermingled with multiple blockades and endless weekends with no or reduced service. Now they are having their service halved. That scale of disruption is pretty abysmal although I know other parts of the country have / have had comparable periods of disruption.
 

simple simon

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With the introduction of a Capitalstar Class 378 electric train on the London Overground 'Goblin' Barking - Gospel Oak service it is now possible to sometimes see a Class 378 and a Class 172 diesel Turbostar train pass each other.

Apologies, this film is somewhat unsteady - these trains were not scheduled to pass each other here and I was caught out by not having my cameras ready!

 

Kite159

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With the introduction of a Capitalstar Class 378 electric train on the London Overground 'Goblin' Barking - Gospel Oak service it is now possible to sometimes see a Class 378 and a Class 172 diesel Turbostar train pass each other.

Apologies, this film is somewhat unsteady - these trains were not scheduled to pass each other here and I was caught out by not having my cameras ready!


Although it was previously previously possible to catch a 378 & 172 passing each other on the old (pre May 18) morning peak Woodgrange Park - Willesden Junction service on the section between Gospel Oak & Willesden Junction ;)
 

Railperf

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Didn't TFL hire in a Chiltern unit to fulfill that diagram? Is there any reason why TFL wouldn't try to hire the Chiltern units now? Apart from them only being diesel?
 

Railperf

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My understanding it enters service next week? What is happening to the removed 5th cars?
 

Railperf

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Travelled aboard the 378 this weekend along the route. It was wet so some drivers were very cautious with the brake. Running times were no faster than the Railway Performance Society's best recorded class 172 station to station timings.
The 378s get to 45mph in around 20 to 25 secs compared to 45 to 59 secs for 172s. Also some 172 drivers do not apply full power until the unit is rolling along at more than 5mph.
The driver on one turn admitted it was going to be his first drive without an instructor present. He regarded the 172's as a piece of c**p in comparison with the 378.
 

Nicks

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I spotted the first removed 5th car sitting at Willesden Junction in the same siding as a 710. The gangways have been covered over with orange plastic sheeting. It was in full view of the station platform. Now joined by the second removed car.
 
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Islineclear3_1

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With the introduction of a Capitalstar Class 378 electric train on the London Overground 'Goblin' Barking - Gospel Oak service it is now possible to sometimes see a Class 378 and a Class 172 diesel Turbostar train pass each other.

Apologies, this film is somewhat unsteady - these trains were not scheduled to pass each other here and I was caught out by not having my cameras ready!


Nice video but why has the unit number disappeared!?
 

Railperf

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What an improvement the 378s are - longtitudinal seating aside!! I remember the days of Class 104s and 117 DMUs ..every 30 mins if you were lucky and every hour on Sundays back in the early 1980s!!
 
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Unit 209 next! Individual cars will continue to be maintained at willesden until they will be reinserted to make a 5-car unit.
 
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How will they maintain them to keep the damp out?

Could the Watford DC trains be extended to 6 carriages long? This would help keep them in revenue service instead of sitting in the sidings, where they would also be prone to vandalism?
 

43096

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Unit 209 next! Individual cars will continue to be maintained at willesden until they will be reinserted to make a 5-car unit.
Would it not have made more sense to have chosen a batch of three consecutive sets, such as 378232-234, or even more sensibly 378255-257.
 

Agent_Squash

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Could the Watford DC trains be extended to 6 carriages long? This would help keep them in revenue service instead of sitting in the sidings, where they would also be prone to vandalism?

The TMS doesn't support longer than 5 cars.
 

greatkingrat

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I was kinda wondering that too... having expected 233 or even 231 to be next.
I imagine they will have chosen units that have just had major exams, and therefore hopefully won't need too much maintenance over the next few months.
 

route101

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Used this line last Saturday , 172 i got got really busy at times . Very few if any travelled the whole route .
 
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Consecutive unit numbers for modification were originally looked at, but due to overhauls and exams this was not possible. This option allowed for the units to be left on the route for the longest possible amount of time without having to be returned to NXGD.
 

bluegoblin7

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Have the new shortened sets been in use on the line yet?

378232 has been in use since Monday last, and has been extensively detailed on this thread and elsewhere.

The other two units are still being shortened.
 
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