Class 442s - Now at the end of the road and to be withdrawn permanently

[[.n]]

This isn't a big problem, but why do the SWR 442s not have the new Aircharge tables like the refurbished SWR Desiros?

I've not managed to find a working aircharge table yet!

 

[SWRtrain_fan]

I've not managed to find a working aircharge table yet!

Apparently you need to remove your phone from its case for it to work.

 

[theironroad]

While the chances are slight that the fact it was a 442 involved in the COA rather than anything else, COAs have been known to invlove electrical interference from trains or trains on adjacent lines.

 

[K.o.R]

Technically it doesn't really make much difference, whether an internal power supply unit drops the train supply to 5v for a USB port, or it drops down to 240v into a mains socket, then down to 5v when you plug your device's mains charger in. The current drawn from the train supply will be about the same.
Of course going with USB only, means that you're not going to be able to plug a laptop in to charge, or any other charger which has a hard wired cable for that matter.
The third rail supply goes through a dc-ac converter, then drops down to 240v, then right down again to the very low voltage that device chargers produce, so the current drawn per socket from the train supply would be in the milliamps, so not much at all really.

While the power consumed is the same, it's more efficient to keep as high a voltage as possible for as much of the "chain" as possible. If you convert the train supply voltage to 5V in one place in the carriage and then have wires to each USB socket, you're going to be carrying a higher current on those wires, with associated inefficiencies. If you run to a standard 13A/240V socket, the only run of inefficient low-voltage is the device cable itself, and similar if the converter is in the socket box itself for USB faceplates. Standard sockets are also far more versatile as I've already mentioned.

 

[Goldfish62]

Apparently you need to remove your phone from its case for it to work.

Yes, that's what I've found. Every table I've used has worked so far.

 

[Bigfoot]

Apparently you need to remove your phone from its case for it to work.

Yes, that's what I've found. Every table I've used has worked so far.

Same for me, no case and they all work. Don't move it about!

 

[43096]

Apparently you need to remove your phone from its case for it to work.

Well that’s a pointless exercise then!

 

[SWRtrain_fan]

Well that’s a pointless exercise then!

How? Goldfish62 and Bigfoot previously said the wireless charging works fine if you remove your phone from its case.

 

[lewisf]

How? Goldfish62 and Bigfoot previously said the wireless charging works fine if you remove your phone from its case.

Because the cheap wireless charger I have on my desk at work charges just fine through my phone's case

 

[43096]

Because the cheap wireless charger I have on my desk at work charges just fine through my phone's case

Exactly!

 

[Goldfish62]

Because the cheap wireless charger I have on my desk at work charges just fine through my phone's case

Perhaps it's because the charger is under the table surface rather than being on direct contact with the phone.

 

[Wychwood93]

As a general point, I do wonder what the hell 'we' expect a TOC to provide for nothing? Somewhere along the way they (the TOC) takes the cost to provide such a service. There are enough people already 'working' via their phones and keyboard rattling as it is - please......…..

 

[pigs bay]

As a general point, I do wonder what the hell 'we' expect a TOC to provide for nothing? Somewhere along the way they (the TOC) takes the cost to provide such a service. There are enough people already 'working' via their phones and keyboard rattling as it is - please......…..

I agree 100%. If commuters and passengers want cheaper fares, how about NOT working on their phones and laptops, after all they will be working when they get to work and travelling home they would have left work for the day. So lets all just sit back and relax and take some time to chill out.

 

[hwl]

While the chances are slight that the fact it was a 442 involved in the COA rather than anything else, COAs have been known to invlove electrical interference from trains or trains on adjacent lines.

When at southern there were a surprisingly large number of track circuit issues with 442s near by but never quite enough for statistical correlation. One of the reasons for retractioning...

 

[Fossiebear]

Another ten car set in Wimbledon depot this afternoon

 

[absolutelymilk]

I agree 100%. If commuters and passengers want cheaper fares, how about NOT working on their phones and laptops, after all they will be working when they get to work and travelling home they would have left work for the day. So lets all just sit back and relax and take some time to chill out.

What about people who travel in the middle of the day, or students/teachers who are travelling and need to catch up with work? Or even, and this may come as a shock, people who actually enjoy their work and would prefer to spend their time doing it than staring out of a window?

How much extra cost is it to add plugs onto the trains? Probably a few pence per journey, if that.

 

[hwl]

I agree 100%. If commuters and passengers want cheaper fares, how about NOT working on their phones and laptops, after all they will be working when they get to work and travelling home they would have left work for the day. So lets all just sit back and relax and take some time to chill out.

That type of working environment has departed for many.

 

[mchd2000]

Any update as to when the next 442 is expected to be in service?

 

[BRX]

I agree 100%. If commuters and passengers want cheaper fares, how about NOT working on their phones and laptops, after all they will be working when they get to work and travelling home they would have left work for the day. So lets all just sit back and relax and take some time to chill out.

The way a lot of people will see it is that if they have an hour of work that can be done on the train instead of the office, then it means they can get home an hour earlier, which seems fair enough. And of course this is one of the great advantages that commuting by train has over driving.

 

[pompeyfan]

The way a lot of people will see it is that if they have an hour of work that can be done on the train instead of the office, then it means they can get home an hour earlier, which seems fair enough. And of course this is one of the great advantages that commuting by train has over driving.

Personally in my opinion people shouldn’t really be using the WiFi to do work anyway. It’s not designed for that and it’s not secure either. If you must do internet based work on the train, then use a 4G dongle or mobile tethering.

Plus sockets at tables however have come to be expected and should really be provided where possible, even if it isn’t an easy thong to design.

 

[theironroad]

Tbh, I reckon most modern laptops which will be needed for doing work on the train, such as typing up stuff and accessing docs to read will have a pretty good battery life and can last from home to office etc.

Having usb allows many more people who just need to keep their phone topped up with power so they can watch stuff on you tube .

Having a usb socket also means no need to carry a plug, just a usb cable which is preferable if it's just going in a pocket if not carrying any bag.

 

[Goldfish62]

Tbh, I reckon most modern laptops which will be needed for doing work on the train, such as typing up stuff and accessing docs to read will have a pretty good battery life and can last from home to office etc.

Having usb allows many more people who just need to keep their phone topped up with power so they can watch stuff on you tube .

Having a usb socket also means no need to carry a plug, just a usb cable which is preferable if it's just going in a pocket if not carrying any bag.

You're assuming that upon leaving the office people have their laptop or near full charge. Having said that I agree about USB ports.

 

[Bletchleyite]

You're assuming that upon leaving the office people have their laptop or near full charge. Having said that I agree about USB ports.

Most people probably do, as if you're at your desk you generally have it plugged in.

 

[43096]

Most people probably do, as if you're at your desk you generally have it plugged in.

Not everyone on the train working on a laptop will have been in the office.

 

[samuelmorris]

Not everyone on the train working on a laptop will have been in the office.

Agreed, as an outside IT engineer and not a member of staff for the relevant customer I typically turn up to work in places where there are no spare power sockets, thus usually leave the site with laptop battery fairly discharged. It's not often I need to do work on a laptop on the way home but it can occasionally happen. I use a Surface which is a modern laptop with good battery life but does not charge by USB-C so requires a mains plug socket. On any longer journey, where there's a real opportunity to get work done a plug socket is really convenient. Assuming it isn't upside down like they were on GWR HSTs

 

[Bletchleyite]

Assuming it isn't upside down like they were on GWR HSTs

It's ScotRail who have put them upside down, and this is so large mobile chargers fit as most extend downwards and would catch against the table.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not everyone on the train working on a laptop will have been in the office.

I reckon if you rocked up at Euston 90+ % of the people there with laptops have.

I'm not opposed to providing sockets, quite the opposite, but this forum does have a habit of putting barriers up to ideas based on things that are very much in the minority - and often those in that minority have found their own solutions e.g. laptops with a full day battery life, which is quite a lot of them these days. Even my cheapo HP does a good 5 hours (and has a swappable battery if I wanted more), and my Macbook Pro I used to have did a good 9.

Faceplates with both USB and mains are the solution, they are not expensive and can be swapped when the standards inevitably change.

 

[samuelmorris]

It's ScotRail who have put them upside down, and this is so large mobile chargers fit as most extend downwards and would catch against the table.

Exactly, then they've turned them round and put them the 'right way up' i.e that the charger extends upwards from the plug rather than downwards into the table as they were on GWR.

 

[SteveZodiac]

Personally in my opinion people shouldn’t really be using the WiFi to do work anyway. It’s not designed for that and it’s not secure either. If you must do internet based work on the train, then use a 4G dongle or mobile tethering.

Plus sockets at tables however have come to be expected and should really be provided where possible, even if it isn’t an easy thong to design.

Many people who work on the train (myself included) have access to a secure VPN provided by their employer. Furthermore, a lot of "internet based" work on the train is simply catching up on emails. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest that, given the right environment on the train, people actually enjoy being able to catch up on things without some of the distractions which come from actually being in the office. As has been mentioned, the train offers advantages over other modes.

When it comes to power sockets, many of us do indeed have long-lasting laptop batteries and separate USB power packs for phones. But the reassurance of being able to charge devices is still important - what happens if there is nowhere to charge my laptop at my meeting earlier in the day, or something else unexpected happens? The case for travelling by train can be much more robust if one can relax about being able to be productive.

Little things can make a big difference - it's not just the presence of power sockets, but also the overall feel of the environment. I'm looking forward to trying a refurbished 442 in due course, but don't hold out much hope after the cheap and nasty feel of the Desiros I have been on.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Any update as to when the next 442 is expected to be in service?

Awaiting resolution to the clearance issues that require them to be run as class 9s. Currently 6 sets available for traffic for the current 10 car diagram.