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Connecting Different Electrostars
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dubscottie
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Software meltdown? Its laughable that a unit with 1950s tech (MLV/EPB/73) can couple and work in multiple with a Networker, but 2 units built a few years apart cant.
(Yes it did happen, the guys in Strawberry Hill were masters at it apparently)
Technology - useless stuff we don't need but have to use anyway.
(Yes it did happen, the guys in Strawberry Hill were masters at it apparently)
Technology - useless stuff we don't need but have to use anyway.
You can couple them together with the mushroom but they would never work in multiple.
generally speaking, electrostars can couple for empties and rescue purposes, the issues arise from whatever mods have been carried out, or not carried out, on each class. 375s and 377s were built as effectively the same product, then Southern came along and fitted DOO equipment and ASDO technology (not sure if ASDO was carried over to the 375s). Southeastern changed CCTV equipment. also, both classes have slightly different software versions, being that the software would have been developed over years for the toc the train was working for at the time, and compatibility would have to be established for passenger workings to be undertaken, but if any electrostar were to couple to another (providing it had the right coupler) all relevant electrical connections would be made across the units, so it is a software issue rather than a hardware or wiring issue.
Fincra5
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I've often seen a 377 & 387 combo moving around in the Yards. They're not compatible for normal working, due to different software. A quirk of this is, the trains have to be auxed off and back on before moving. Probably because the MITRAC software is different.
Sorry to hijack the thread, but does the same apply for the Desiro classic family of units? Could the 185s, 350s, 360s and the 444/450 units play ball? Again I suppose if you threw enough money you could get them to play ball, but there’s currently no need?
I think you'll find that all the various technology, Train Management Systems, fault detection software, etc. is far from useless and contributes to high fleet reliability.
And in reality it doesn't matter that various types of Electrostar are incompatible as they seldom go anywhere near each other.
I agree with you, but they do go near each other a lot.
Fincra5
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Yeah they made a lot of mods to the 377/5-7s to make them compatible with older versions. Operationally it made a lot more sense! So a first for the Railway
cjmillsnun
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I suspect in their original software 350/1s could work with 450/444s but now who knows?
As far as I am aware, the /5's were always compatible, but had differing PIS databases so were unable to fully operate a service, and that any restriction on operating together was purely operational. The /6&/7's were designed to be backwards compatible, and any software updates given to the 1-5's would have probably happened routinely anyway.Yeah they made a lot of mods to the 377/5-7s to make them compatible with older versions. Operationally it made a lot more sense! So a first for the Railway
377/5's are basically 377/4's with pans, the 6/7's are virtually identical to 387s with the exception of DOO hardware (Petards on 387, Faveley on 377) and differing Mitrac software to facilitate the variations on the hardware side.
That figures - I remember a suggestion that there was an OS change from Windows XP to Linux on or about the /6 era. I am still curious about the 379s though, if they could interwork with the 387s then they could see off the 365s on the ECML.
Any software change would have been an upgrade to the Windows Embedded system, but more often than not it was an upgrade to the software that ran on embedded, not Windows embedded itself. With regards to 379's, I remember a Bombardier tech saying that they are virtually the same as a 387(except the lack of a lot of the additions that were specced for airport services, and a lot of the hardware appears the same, but no real specifics other than the lack of DC equipment and shoegear.
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