The Future Of The Class 387 And Class 379 Trains
This post is to try to get some logic into everybody’s comments on UK’s First 100mph Battery-Diesel Hybrid Train Enters Passenger Service, which are about the Class 379 trains.
Here are my thoughts about the current situation.
Class 379 Trains
I regularly use Hackney Downs and Liverpool Street stations.
A few months ago, you would see Class 379 trains on services to Cambridge and Hertford North.
At the present time, you rarely see them, as these services now seem to be run by new Class 720 trains, with the Stansted services being run by Class 745 trains.
There are also articles like this one on Rail Technology Magazine, which is entitled Greater Anglia’s New Rolling Stock Helps To Drive Record Autumn Results.
These are the first three paragraphs.
Greater Anglia’s new rolling stock has helped drive the operators record-beating autumn performance results over the challenging autumn months.
During autumn 2021 Greater Anglia recorded an overall punctuality score of 94.48% from 19th September 2021 – 8th January 2022.
This was the best autumn performance ever recorded by the train company.
It would appear that Greater Anglia are pleased with their new stock, which surely means that the thirty Class 379 trains can be moved on, stored or converted to battery-electric operation.
c2c’s Class 387 Trains
c2c has six Class 387 trains, which are similar to the Class 379 trains.
Currently, because of cracks in Class 800 trains, three of them are on loan to GWR.
But in the next year or so, these six trains will be moved on or stored as c2c have ordered twelve Class 720 trains to replace the Class 387 trains.
Southern’s Class 387 Trains
Southern has twenty-seven Class 387 trains for the Gatwick Express, of which three are used by Great Northern, who are a sister company of Southern, and six are on loan to GWR
Great Northern’s Class 387 Trains
Great Northern has twenty-nine Class 387 trains of its own and three on loan from Southern.
These trains are used mainly on Cambridge, Ely and Kings Lynn services out of King’s Cross.
Great Western Railway (GWR)’s Class 387 Trains
Great Western Railway has forty-five Class 387 trains of its own, three on loan from c2c and six on loan from Southern.
The Battery-Electric Class 379 Train
I rode this prototype train in 2015.
An Outwardly Normal Class 379 Train
I think it is reasonable to assume, that as battery technology has improved in the seven years since I rode this train, that converting Class 379 trains to battery-electric operation would not be a challenging project.
Creating A Battery-Electric Class 387 Train
If the Class 387 train is as internally similar to the Class 379 train as it outwardly looks, I couldn’t believe that converting them to battery-electric operation would be that difficult.
Conclusion
I feel the way to proceed is to create a small fleet of both battery-electric Class 379 and Class 387 trains and assess their performance, reliability and customer acceptance.
Macron Refused To Take Russian Covid Test
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These are the first four paragraphs.
French President Emmanuel Macron refused a Russian Covid test ahead of his meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has confirmed.
The test required a health protocol that was unacceptable and did not fit with the French leader’s schedule, a French source told the BBC.
It follows reports that Mr Macron refused the PCR test over fears the Russians would get hold of his DNA.
The leaders subsequently held a socially-distanced meeting on Monday.
The article is accompanied by an hilarious picture of the two leaders at each end of a long marble table, which is crying out for a caption like Who Isn’t Using Lifebuoy?
Seriously though, if the Russians wanted Macron’s DNA, there are ways.
- Send his water glass or coffee cup to a lab.
- Make sure Macron uses a special toilet that collects his pee, poo and toilet paper.
- It might even be possible to collect it off the marble table.
I suspect that the Russians have collected Macron’s fingerprints from the table for some nefarious purposes.
The Anonymous Widower 