Ugly looking things the 350's - one has to wonder why as it wouldn't have been particularly difficult to improve on the front end given it's pretty much just the headlights that stop it looking good.
I don't know whether or not my age (68) is affecting my eyesight, but does the front-end of these new units resemble the old British Rail class 123 units ?
I happen to like the 350/444/450 front end. It's difficult to make a train with a corridor connection look good and Siemens haven't done that bad a job.
Livery seems to be slightly different to the one the 350/1s originally wore...
158s are definitely good-looking (at least when the fornt end isn't just painted plain yellow all over). I have to disagree on the 172s though, they look like an ungainly mess of mismatched styles and components...It's not that hard - 158/159 and the 172 are examples of great looking trains with corridor connections.
Where will the trains be tested in this country?
OTOH I don't think Bombardier have more than a few hundred yards of siding to play with.
There's no significant running in necessary in UK, because the Wildenwrath test track facility allows Siemens units to achieve mileage accumulation at a reasonable continuous speed.
What continuous track test length is available at Wildenrath ?
I see what you mean, they look a little like the 123's grandchildren or something. Quite fitting if they ever find their way onto North Transpennine services!
They went to the expense of building a British 3rd rail electrification there though I can't remember what class it was for.
I seem to remember then using a Mk1 EMU for something, or am I just making that up??
No you are correct, they fitted some monitoring equipment to a slammer, ran it around over here so they could measure how "dirty" the 3rd rail supply was and then shipped it over to Germany so they could set up the 3rd rail over there to replicate what we actually have over here.
I have visions of them laying a beautiful new third rail then bashing it with big hammers and smashing some of the pots to make it resemble that on the Southern!
I have visions of them laying a beautiful new third rail then bashing it with big hammers and smashing some of the pots to make it resemble that on the Southern!