Class 378s

And to think all those years I worked in Argos on the collection point - I didn't realise it was unsafe to stand during a shift.

Being a conductor is a bit different. You'd have had a counter in the way of you and the public at Argos, and behind that would be the staff only area. A conductor is gonna have people around them all the time, not very easy to get to a place of safety if anything went wrong. Also standing up on a flat, stable bit of floor is different to standing up on a moving floor which bumps about and goes round corners. You need a break from that sort of thing.

I'm not having a go, I was a warehouseman myself for Sainsburys for five years, on my feet constantly (apart from the nights I was driving the reach truck ) but standing in one place in one position and not moving *that* much is a real killer. In the warehouse at least we moved about quite a lot.

#136 is on the way, ta SS

Just to clarify on Dazz285, They are running unit 137 as an in-service train between Ashford and Redhill? Why the hell for? SET just got a new high-speed line. Can't they test them where they are badly needed, say Watford DC? 4-cars fit there no?

OK, I'll bite [Apologies if this thread is drifting too much off-topic].

This to me strikes as being another case all too often these days of evoking a spurious health and safety argument because it is felt it is less likely to challenged.

So you're saying that the concept of Passenger Service Agents on the DLR is a safety risk? Or the conductor on all the other parts of British Rail that check tickets through the train? As well as the guards on the whole of the London Underground system before the introduction of OPO? And I'm sure the unions would have had something to say if the management had argued that they were getting rid of all the guards purely for their own safety.

[/quote] I'm sure the unions would have had something to say if the management had argued that they were getting rid of all the guards purely for their own safety.[/quote][/i]

Well Peter Hendy was on record as saying that being a bus conductor was "one of the most dangerous jobs in London" when getting rid of Routemasters was being debated, and I didn't hear much noise from the T&G (Unite) on that issue either.

1938.. you need to read what lj2 wrote... Unit 378137 in service.... this is a 4 car and cannot run in service on any Lorol route at the mo. Testing is normally carried out without passengers on board due to problems that might arise during this testing phase...
All I was saying is that it seems odd that 378137 is in test mode and IN service at the same time..

Just got this: Thanks to Andy M for this:
Hi Guys

An update on LOROL and Willesden TMD

· 378011 will be the next unit delivered to Willesden, in about two weeks.
· From Monday there should be 8 NLL diagrams, as 378010 has been accepted which means units 5,7,8,10,13,14,15,16,17,18 are all runners.
· 508302 and 303 are due to go to Eastleigh on Monday behind a 66 or 67 for further storage, approx 09.00 departure
· 313102 and 108 have gone down to Southern, one for fitter training and one for driver training.
· 313111 and 119 are at the PRDC, still technically ours but will return to the depot before departing for pastures new.
· 313104 and 105 are the next two to go to Southern by the end of October.
· 313113 will be the last C4 overhaul at Willesden in a couple of weeks.
· 313120/21/22/23/34 will be kept on longest and will be the ones going to Hornsey next year for FCC. This is due to the Euston – Watford route issues with regard to DOO cameras and lighting. The East London Line will become priority after the NLL and WLL are fully converted before the end of the year.

On Wednesday 7th (next week) the first 378 will traverse the ELL from New Cross to Dalston at very slow speed. This will either be 001 or 004 as both are at New Cross. 004 has 001’s 4th car at the moment. These units will be the last for acceptance on the NLL side. 378136 is now at Ashford joining 137. These will be steadily delivered alongside the 378/0 NLL examples.

The first 172 is in build and will be tested before delivery, which has slipped to the 31st March 2010…………………

And now for the more interesting news!!....

86401 is at Willesden only for shore supply for the Cargo D coaches which are being maintained and the Virgin liveried ones possibly repainted.
It will not be fitted with TPWS/OTDR at the moment, but will shunt the coaches around the depot.
Sometime next week 86701 and 86702 will come down from Crewe and will be based here. Test runs will be carried out with the Cargo D stock.. watch this space… they might be used by DRS…….
Also the depot is very actively trying to get more loco work. Class 47s, Network Rail HST etc have been mentioned.

Will LOROL be able to get enough 378s before ELR starts in mid-2010?

508s are no more in London. 302/303 were taken by 66026 to Eastleigh Works for Storage

There should be a 378 move taking place today from Chart Leacon-New Cross Gate Depot
There is a choice of two units, #136 or #137, i will let you know later which one was taken to NXG

That was on Monday (yesterday)

and #137 is now at NXG

A bit off-topic, but they will run some of the services along the south coast which are currently formed of the 3 car class 377/3 units. The units so released will goto the London area to allow longer trains to be run than at present. The South Eastern class 508s may also be used.

I think that FCC will still get enough 313s to allow all the current 3 car services to/from Moorgate to run as 6 car.

378138 on its way from Derby this evening as already reported. Given that when ELL services commence officially next Spring the problem will disappear but in the meantime what's to be done as ELL 378 deliveries continue with nowhere to tuck them away until needed? Shadow running for staff training and continued infrastructure proving?