GN Class 717

[TRAX]

+1


The obsessive nostalgia for clapped out rolling stock that belongs in a museum on this forum never ceases to amaze me.

I fully agree.
I also get tired of the usual speech according to which all modern stock is rubbish and poorly-built while old stock has always been trouble-free and is one of the wonders of the world.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I fully agree.
I also get tired of the usual speech according to which all modern stock is rubbish and poorly-built while old stock has always been trouble-free and is one of the wonders of the world.

Yeah well its the inevitable teething problems. These get forgotten about once the stock has bedded in never to be mentioned again in the distant future.

 

[AlexNL]

One day we might simplify the stop signs to just say things like 6 car, 8 car and 12 car etc . I know coaches nowadays can be different lengths but surely something more logical can be thought of rather than this "evolution".

Train length in metres, as used in Germany and Austria?

 

[sprunt]

I get the purpose of the RLU / FLU signs is to ensure the CENTRE of any length class 700, where the disabled loo is, stops in exactly the same place for the raised bit of the platforms. Is there similar for the 717s btw ? - no disabled loo to worry about of course.

There's no raised platform at Hornsey - I don't know about other stations on the Moorgate services. In terms of access, platform to train is the least of the problems at Hornsey.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Train length in metres, as used in Germany and Austria?

Oh yes your right of course seeing as it is length we are worried about, the way we measure freight train lengths by er length.

 

[Peter Sarf]

There's no raised platform at Hornsey - I don't know about other stations on the Moorgate services. In terms of access, platform to train is the least of the problems at Hornsey.

Yes indeed. I negotiated those steps with crutches last month, if I had been in a wheelchair I would not have been there at all !.

 

[wipers]

Pretty much all of the stations along this stretch are terrible in terms of accessibility - Harringay and Horsney, even Ally Pally, which is pretty bad, given it serves so many festivals/conventions etc. Palmers Green and onwards. The tunneled section in to Moorgate is no different either.

 

[wipers]

does any one know the current diagrams that exist for testing etc?

 

[whoosh]

Gawd. If I remember correctly that "ALL" means both "RLU" and "FLU" ? (Class 700 8-car Reduced Length Units and Class 700 12-car Full Length Units respectively). Now we had to add "717" as in class 717. One day we might simplify the stop signs to just say things like 6 car, 8 car and 12 car etc . I know coaches nowadays can be different lengths but surely something more logical can be thought of rather than this "evolution". At least in this case surely this is the stop point for ANY length train - or are 387s and 365s expected to stop somewhere different ?.

I get the purpose of the RLU / FLU signs is to ensure the CENTRE of any length class 700, where the disabled loo is, stops in exactly the same place for the raised bit of the platforms. Is there similar for the 717s btw ? - no disabled loo to worry about of course.

There are some stations with 387 stop markers. These are located for signal sighting (387 has a particularly poor view on the right hand side).
Original style 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and S car markers are for 313s, 365s, and 387s where there isn't a separate 387 marker. You stop with the front of the train level with the marker.
387 markers you stop with in your small left hand window if they are on the left, or lined up in view with the right hand edge or bottom edge of the windscreen if they are on the right or in the four foot.

RLU, FLU, or ALL are lined up in view with the edge of the windscreen on 700s and signal sighting is taken into account, making some stations SDO (like Tulse Hill on Thameslink being 6 1/2cars compared to 8 cars for Southern).
Also the disabled access is a factor for 700s as well.

717s have their own marker, they are 6 car trains, but again signal sighting particularly on the right hand side has led to the proposed arrangement to the NCL stations (right hand side signals on most platforms) having the stopping point more forward than previously, and SDO for the front five coaches only.

It seems that unlike the, "which board am I using at this station, with this train length?" inconsistency with class 387s, the 717s have been given boards at all stations, like the 700s have.

 

[sprunt]

A tweet from GN about the testing, and in the followups:

Hi Lee. Stations on this part of the network are due a bit of a clean up in the future. More details will become available on that when we have it. ^Alex

 

[Fred26]

A tweet from GN about the testing, and in the followups:

'In the future'... well that could be anytime.

 

[Aictos]

'In the future'... well that could be anytime.

How long is a piece of string? It could be tomorrow, next week, next fortnight, next month, next year, next decade....

It's just easier to say stuff like that as you're not held accountable to any fixed dates so can't face the music when it's not done on time right?

 

[700007]

How long is a piece of string?

It's twice as long as half a piece of string.

 

[InTheEastMids]

I saw 4 717s parked at the North end of Cricklewood this morning as my HST cantered in to London behind the Bedford-Three Bridges Service (since the timetable change, us EMT travellers do seem to get quite a bit of extra time to see what's going on South of Luton )

I haven't been following this thread religiously so apols if that's not new news.

Is it the case that they're parked there because they've simply running out of places to park new trains that can't yet be used in service?
[Today I saw under-utilised 700s parked at Bedford, 717s as above, 80Xs at North Pole and the massed ranks of 345s at Old Oak ]

 

[03_179]

does any one know the current diagrams that exist for testing etc?

5K81 HRNS176 MRGT
5G82 MRGT GORDONH
5J83 GORDONH MRGT
5G84 MRGT GORDONH
5J85 GORDONH MRGT
5G86 MRGT GORDONH
5E87 GORDONH HRNSYMD

Also
Night testing it appears
5R90 HRNSYMD HRGYURV
5R90 HRGYURV LTCEADL
5K91 LTCEADL HITCHIN
5K91 HITCHIN WLWYNGC
5K91 WLWYNGC WLWYREV
5K91 WLWYREV WLWYNGC
5K91 WLWYNGC HRGYURV
5Y92 HRGYURV WLWYNGC
5E93 WLWYNGC HRNSYMD

 

[Wolfie]

A tweet from GN about the testing, and in the followups:

The platform walls at Highbury & Islington had, as of yesterday, been swept clean and, where appropriate (ie not tiled), whitewashed.

 

[Aictos]

The platform walls at Highbury & Islington had, as of yesterday, been swept clean and, where appropriate (ie not tiled), whitewashed.

I don't know if you remember this but I remember a few years ago when the supporting walls facing Drayton Park platforms were covered with graffiti and FCC actually went in and painted the whole lot purple.

Actually made the place look nicer as to Highbury and Islington it's good that someone has actually taken the time to make it clean!

 

[swt_passenger]

Is it the case that they're parked there because they've simply running out of places to park new trains that can't yet be used in service?

Yes, according to discussions in a couple of other rail forums. Until some 313s go off lease there’s no depot space on the GN.

 

[Fred26]

The platform walls at Highbury & Islington had, as of yesterday, been swept clean and, where appropriate (ie not tiled), whitewashed.

That's taken them long enough. Moorgate was done months ago.

 

[Aictos]

That's taken them long enough. Moorgate was done months ago.

Point to remember is who were talking about here so is it any wonder why it's taken so long

 

[Class315]

66743 delivered 717012 & 717019 earlier on today.

 

[332 > 444]

29?? I thought there was only 25...?

 

[APUK002]

66743 delivered 717012 & 717029 earlier on today.

How many in uk now?

 

[Class315]

29?? I thought there was only 25...?

There are, I’ve made a typo. It’s 7019 that was delivered vice 029 which does not exist apologies for any confusion this may of caused.

 

[Class315]

How many in uk now?

17 have been delivered so far, 002-012, 014-016, 018-020.

 

[APUK002]

17 have been delivered so far, 002-012, 014-016, 018-020.

Ok, thanks

 

[jon0844]

Welwyn Garden City now has 717 stop boards on all platforms. I assume they'll be up at all the others too. There have also been a number of test trains going up and down the line over the last week, up to and including Letchworth.

 

[jamesthegill]

I thought that but the 700s have been OK so far on that front

Two of the 717s stabled at Hornsey have been graffiti-ed overnight, it seems, and will be sent to Bedford for cleaning as Hornsey don't have the relevant cleaning materials yet.

(717s are cleared for anywhere that 700s are cleared for, as long as the tripcocks are removed first.)

 

[Aictos]

Two of the 717s stabled at Hornsey have been graffiti-ed overnight, it seems, and will be sent to Bedford for cleaning as Hornsey don't have the relevant cleaning materials yet.

(717s are cleared for anywhere that 700s are cleared for, as long as the tripcocks are removed first.)

I wonder if that happened on the depot itself or on the two reversing sidings behind the northbound platform at Hornsey?

As to the route between Hornsey and Bedford, I guess the quickest route is to head to St Pancras Int and reverse there?

 

[BowesRanger]

I wonder if that happened on the depot itself or on the two reversing sidings behind the northbound platform at Hornsey?

As to the route between Hornsey and Bedford, I guess the quickest route is to head to St Pancras Int and reverse there?

Was on a heavily graffitied 313 this evening, so they must have had a bit of an incident generally last night. Being a 313 I wonder if they'll even bother cleaning it off this time.