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The only time I can actually say I've deliberately gone out for the sole purpose of riding a train, that wasn't obligatory for work.

Thameslink Class 700 (a variant will be introduced onto South West Trains Windsor Lines, as Class 707).

Overall comments:

- Really nice and spacious. Really nice wide doors, with good setbacks in the vestibule area.
- Doors are auto-open in the Core, which is a nice touch. Only one side has door buttons, but that shouldn't be a problem outside the core.
- Loading and Toilet displays don't work in the Core, as there is so much churn it'll be out of date by the time you've gone one carriage anyway.
- 12 coaches of walk-through straight line sight seems bloody far. Which is even more so when you realise you're only looking down 6 coaches as the sole accessible toilet in the middle of the train blocks any further view. You walk past it and you can see even further!
- First Class is much nicer than Standard; about the same quality as a SouthEastern Javelin (one-class) train.
- Standard Class is relatively basic, and feels like a downgrade from a the temporarilly-deployed 387 (although an improvement from a 319). No plugs or tables, which a 387 has. No WiFi either.
- Toilets are good.
- They have the familiar Desiro high-pitched wrrrrrrrrrrrrr heard from 350s, 360s, 450s and 444s.

The train loading and toilet indicators are pretty good.

If anyone cares about this panel...!

Nice - I like it. There is some IoT stuff being used by Chiltern to help people find seats too

Lucky lucky lucky lucky.....!!
I still find that damn gap int he First Class door really annoying.

Sadly, although plenty have been in Hornsey lately, I've not had the opportunity to get on-board one of the units

Geo Ghost wrote:Lucky lucky lucky lucky.....!!
I still find that damn gap int he First Class door really annoying.

Sadly, although plenty have been in Hornsey lately, I've not had the opportunity to get on-board one of the units

I quite like the gap; made me realise how much of a finger trap the previous swingy doors were!

I've not yet had a play on them - might go train hunting in a few weeks....

I suggested to them they make it a sliding door Though apparently it was 'better this way'.
Also suggested they bring back the flip-down tables for standard class. The initial response was "Do people actually use them?"

Don't get me wrong, from an engineering and driving perspective, they are absolutely incredible machines! Very very clever pieces of kit.
From a passenger point of view though... some really good stuff, some not so good stuff in my view. But hey, we'll see

Geo Ghost wrote: Don't get me wrong, from an engineering and driving perspective, they are absolutely incredible machines! Very very clever pieces of kit.
From a passenger point of view though... some really good stuff, some not so good stuff in my view. But hey, we'll see

Passenger are going to be riled up by the News as they have less seats, but I think they'll be relieved when they hear they can expect metro frequencies (Through Blackfriars anyway.)

I was keeping an eye on which 700s were out and about today, I'm not entirely sure why, maybe it's just because I can! Would have loved to have had a go on one if it had turned up at Blackfriars or wherever whilst I was down there!

I still haven't had one on my daily commute yet! Apparently there is one running through the morning peak southbound now, and I've certainly seen one leaving Blackfriars going southbound in the evening peak!

From what I've just seen, there seems to be at least 2 on a regular diagram through the core all day. I'm not sure how much I'm technically allowed to say on the matter, so I guess I will just leave it at that

JamieLei wrote:Apparently there is one running through the morning peak southbound now,

Unless it breaks down at St Albans... like yesterday

JamieLei wrote:If anyone cares about this panel...!

That panel makes me wonder how the metrication in the UK is going. mph and metres?

I had an argument about something similar the other day with someone and they successfully changed my opinion on the issue. I always said the Americans were stupid for persisting with a stupid system but at least they are consistent. We're just idiots about it and just whatever the hell we want to use for maximum confusion.

I used to thing there was some vague logic, e.g. big distances - imperial, small distances, metric. Right up until I tell someone I'm 6'2".

And conversely I weigh everything in metric except myself. That's in stones.

The one that gets me the most in the UK is the fact we sell fuel by the litre and then measure consumption in miles per gallon. Idiotic.

Which induces frantic maths when I've filled the car to the brim and the light later comes on. MPG counter, miles I've travelled, size of fuel tank. Not good when doing 90 80 70.

I weigh myself in kilograms and always have. I actually don't know what a stone is. But I know that I'm weird.

JamieLei wrote:I weigh myself in kilograms and always have. I actually don't know what a stone is. But I know that I'm weird.

Shun the non-believer! SHUNNNNNN!

JamieLei wrote:- They have the familiar Desiro high-pitched wrrrrrrrrrrrrr heard from 350s, 360s, 450s and 444s.

Interestingly, the motors sound different on AC than they do on DC. Not sure if that is with all, but a friend and myself have noticed different sounds from the motors strangely.

There's quite a lot of clever stuff on the 700. Absolutely incredibly build machines.
Two main-res air pipes, encase one is damaged or leaks. If smoke is detected in a coach, the air-con reverses, and the surrounding coaches apparently put the air-con on full to keep the smoke contained in that one coach.
And a personal favourite.... if a set of brakes are isolated, the system automatically adjusts the other brakes along the train applying a little bit extra pressure to compensate so there isn't a loss of braking power. In theory, this could mean the 700 may need an exception to brake-regulations

These are bits I've heard so far, and I can't wait to hear more! Amazing pieces of engineering. Even if they are having some teething problems

Geo Ghost wrote:

JamieLei wrote:- They have the familiar Desiro high-pitched wrrrrrrrrrrrrr heard from 350s, 360s, 450s and 444s.

Interestingly, the motors sound different on AC than they do on DC. Not sure if that is with all, but a friend and myself have noticed different sounds from the motors strangely.

Like the 319s do apparently. I wonder if the motors are mechanically similar to produce alternating noises.