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Class 701 'Aventra' trains for South Western Railway

yorkie

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Please can we stick to Class 701s in this thread.

The forum has plenty of spare capacity for separate threads to discuss any other topics :)

Thanks!
 
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Goldfish62

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Please can we stick to Class 701s in this thread.

The forum has plenty of spare capacity for separate threads to discuss any other topics :)

Thanks!
It was to do with which units should go first, associated with 701 introduction, but I take your point. :)
 

Snow1964

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The route west of Poole (IIRC) is a bit of a power supply blackspot, so it might have been the case that the 701's power draw contributed to the substation's failure.
Emphasis on the word Might.
There's every possibility the substation's failure was caused by external factors alone.

Even if nothing else was running, testing a 701 (which is rated at 4MW) would soon cook the weaker substations, if it was given full power. At 750v that is 5333amps.

Unless things have changed, don’t normally do the first test one as one where you are hoping current limiting software actually works. You normally start with least special restrictions and gradually check them.

I am guessing the 4MW rating was to ensure plenty of spare power if motors isolated, over 500hp per car is generous for an emu
 

northernbelle

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I can confirm that the 701 has run in Dorset under its own power - videos of it arriving at Weymouth under its own power a couple nights ago.
 

pompeyfan

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6X70 appears to be running again tonight, 6X70 is the headcode of the drag to Wareham, and is currently passing through St Denys as I type.
 

spark001uk

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Appropriately with 66741 "swanage railway" on it too.
Couple of vids on the tube already. One passing parkway, and one at Redbridge. Let's see if there's a night owl out there to catch it running on the juice later.
 
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Ethano92

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Now seeing this are these seats the same as the seats on the 387s in 2 + 2 seating config or are we talking Class 700 ironing boards?
No seat back tables or armrests, they're slightly wider than the 700s seats though, it was mentioned a couple of months back in Modern Railways. Also supposedly a contoured design making it more comfortable.
 

spark001uk

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If you look on Geoff Marshall's video of the 701, you'll see the seating. They look very much like the 707's seats.
 

Goldfish62

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No seat back tables or armrests, they're slightly wider than the 700s seats though, it was mentioned a couple of months back in Modern Railways. Also supposedly a contoured design making it more comfortable.
My experience of the same seats on the 331s is that they are indeed more comfortable.
 

samuelmorris

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They do appear to be like 331 seats but without the armrests. Between the ironing board seats and the colour scheme, however, they are basically Bombardier versions of the 700, to all intents and purposes.
 

swt_passenger

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GW43125

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I wonder if they extended beyond Farnham accidentally. Don’t 458s run from/to Farnham, at start and end of service for stabling?

3 services up via Ascot in the morning, 3 down via Ascot in the evening. It's entirely possible they may find themselves on an Alton diagram but time will tell. Though considering they've drawn up to Farnborough and Milford, it really looks like quite a half-arsed attempt.
 

spark001uk

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Didn't there used to be one go down the Mainline to farnham/Alton late evening? About 9-ish off Waterloo?
 

TEW

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I wonder if they extended beyond Farnham accidentally. Don’t 458s run from/to Farnham, at start and end of service for stabling?
Not booked anymore to Alton via the mainline, but not been unknown for 458s to be used on weekends during engineering work when services just run between Woking and Alton as a large number stable at Farnham for the weekend. There are the 3 services via Ascot mentioned above, although in the evening they are currently 450s.
 

spark001uk

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002 is on the move again, just left Weymouth. Showing as 5Z98 but there's no data for it, assume it's running within a possession again.
 

Goldfish62

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spark001uk

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I noticed last night on the diagrams there was also a 5Z00 working in opposing directions to the 701, ie when one left Wareham the other left Dorchester. My initial thought was this was to see how the power supply performed, but this isn't about wessex power availability is it, so maybe it was just testing the 701's behaviour with another service in the vicinity? Or physical clearance perhaps?
 

swt_passenger

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I noticed last night on the diagrams there was also a 5Z00 working in opposing directions to the 701, ie when one left Wareham the other left Dorchester. My initial thought was this was to see how the power supply performed, but this isn't about wessex power availability is it, so maybe it was just testing the 701's behaviour with another service in the vicinity?
That all has to be checked, and stuff like regeneration will also need other services about, presumably in a controlled way.
 

RealTrains07

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They do appear to be like 331 seats but without the armrests. Between the ironing board seats and the colour scheme, however, they are basically Bombardier versions of the 700, to all intents and purposes.
I agree. Only difference is the onboard toilet. Its a shame the 701s dont have the same seats as the 730s and 720s.

I think comfort will be a mixed view with the 701s as I have heard bad things about the same seats on the 331s. Just got to wait and see
 

fgwrich

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6X24 (presumably 701003) to Wimbledon on Tuesday 30th June


The barriers have moved up from Eastleigh to Derby so highly likely to be the next delivery!

A Video has also appeared of the test runs at Wareham. One thing thats noticeable is how loud the compressors seem to be on these - are the other Aventra's just as noisy?

 
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samuelmorris

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They sound the same as the compressors on the other Aventras. They're not quiet but they're no worse than compressors fitted to older units. As far as I'm aware the same compressor type seems to be used for almost all modern stock nowadays, from 378s and 387s, to 700s, to 800s, to 345s, to these. They all sound identical.

I suspect in that video the position the train stops in and the microphone exacerbate the sound - they aren't usually excessively loud as suggested in that video.
 

Goldfish62

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It does have seats in it, ive got video proof. I beleive the unit was used in a demonstration at Litchurch lane of the 701 stock, people were walking through and sitting on the seats.
The recent videos of it being tested show that most coaches have no seats at all as I was informed. Only the end coaches have seats.
 

spark001uk

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Anyone else notice the hazard light on the London end coach, even at speed?
Yes I noticed that BIL was on.
Odd, you wouldn't normally be able to take power if one of those was lit obviously. I suppose the panel key could've been in at the back, but then it would be flashing usually. On most other units anyway.
 

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