In hindsight they should have ALL been dual voltage..
The track layout at H&I doesn't allow through-running onto the NLL proper, and the depot is in New Cross, so what use would AC be on the ELL units?
And if service patterns etc are ever changed, then the only things required to turn a 378/1 into a 378/2 will be a transformer and a pantograph (which there's already space for).
The track layout at H&I doesn't allow through-running onto the NLL proper, and the depot is in New Cross, so what use would AC be on the ELL units?
And if service patterns etc are ever changed, then the only things required to turn a 378/1 into a 378/2 will be a transformer and a pantograph (which there's already space for).
Because the units would be better if they were one pool incase something happens. The simplier it is the less there is to go wrong.
In hindsight they should have ALL been dual voltage..
I'm told by someone that should know that the cost of converting some more of Southeatern's 375s to dual voltage was investigated last year and was found to be prohibitive. Apparently its much more work than simply adding a transformer and pantograph and many of the components used in the early electrostars are no longer in production
Apparently the work would take some months to carry out and the cost of having the train out of service means that it is unlikely that any conversions will ever be carried out.
I'm told by someone that should know that the cost of converting some more of Southeatern's 375s to dual voltage was investigated last year and was found to be prohibitive. Apparently its much more work than simply adding a transformer and pantograph and many of the components used in the early electrostars are no longer in production
Apparently the work would take some months to carry out and the cost of having the train out of service means that it is unlikely that any conversions will ever be carried out.
All 377s and 378s *only* require a panto and a transformer.
Why do they need ballast? Why not just have the coaches lighter and cheaper to run?
The braking software is designed for a certain weight for the whole train and its cheaper to make a car heavier with ballast than rewrite the software and the associated testing.
Do you have a reference for that? I can believe it, but speaking as a software developer it would be poor practise (see wikipedia) and a surprising oversight to not support a range of weights when there are subclasses of different lengths and IIRC the train can weigh itself (TAPAS?).
How is the wheelchair user supposed to get on that in the first photo? Bad TfL publicity to show such a large gap between brand new shiny unetched ungraffitied train and platform.