Wessex Farewell

buffy500 · Post by **buffy500** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:55 pm

At Southampton it was a platform hand that did it.

steve74 · Post by **steve74** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:22 pm

The guy at Bournemouth was in full orange high vis clothes. As there is the big gap between platforms at Bournemouth there are actually some special metal platforms in the middle just for doing that job as you can see in this pic:

By the way, for those of you that hadn't seen it, this is my 442 thread from a few days ago.

http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic.php?t=63320

buffy500 · Post by **buffy500** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:32 pm

I've never been sure why they need those steps at Bournemouth but not Southampton.
For a while I thought it was because when they join at Southampton they can just use the hoses on the platform side, but when they split at Bournemouth it might have been on the other side.

But they also split at Southampton too. So I'm not sure.

nestfilms · Post by **nestfilms** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:56 am

a couple of 442 video shots at brookwood
http://www.nest-films.co.uk/video/442brookwood.wmv

trains2 · Post by **trains2** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 11:09 am

buffy500 wrote:I've never been sure why they need those steps at Bournemouth but not Southampton.
For a while I thought it was because when they join at Southampton they can just use the hoses on the platform side, but when they split at Bournemouth it might have been on the other side.

But they also split at Southampton too. So I'm not sure.

I'm not sure how it's done at Southampton, but a possibility is that they do the hoses from standing in the gangway before the 2 units are coupled and while there is a large enough gap to get your shoulders through. I would've thought there is extra length in the cables to allow for sharp corners etc, so it should be enough to pull the cables further out to join them. Then they push the units together and couple up. No idea if that's true - I've never watched them at Southampton - but that's my theory.

Having steps at Southampton would be a bit of a problem though...

buffy500 · Post by **buffy500** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 11:21 am

I've seen them join at Southampton, and they do just do it from the Platform side. The Hoses are duplicated both sides, so only need connection on one side of the train.

I suspect that the method you explain would have H&S people in hospital with multiple heart attacks, far to risky having people hanging out of corridor doors wiht units a foot or two apart.

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 12:03 pm

Joining you do it platform side. For trains splitting at Soton, the working notices will specify which side of the train the jumpers are to be connected on, such that when they arrive at Soton they'll be on the platform side of the train.

I think that standing in the corridor suggestion would rightly give H&S heart attacks. Especially when you can stand on the platform and do the same job at vastly lower risk.

They could do steps at Soton if they wanted though - there are some at Waterloo, just not to the same pattern as the Bomo ones!

reaver156 · Post by **reaver156** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 1:00 pm

Pictures i think are required of this, if anyone can provide?

trains2 · Post by **trains2** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 1:19 pm

buffy500 wrote:I've seen them join at Southampton, and they do just do it from the Platform side. The Hoses are duplicated both sides, so only need connection on one side of the train.

I suspect that the method you explain would have H&S people in hospital with multiple heart attacks, far to risky having people hanging out of corridor doors wiht units a foot or two apart.

Fair doos, I was under the impression that both sides had to be connected, in which case it would require a lot more work.

I ask you this however. If a train at Waterloo is on an odd-numbered platform, and is going to be split at Southampton, the cables will be on the wrong side at Soton P4. 442s very rarely use platforms 2/3, and it's even rarer for a splitting 442 to not use P4. So unless the jumpers are switched at Waterloo, either by a means that we are not sure of on a non-platform side, or simply by changing the platform to an even number on arrival, it must take a hell of a lot of effort to make sure everything is in the right place, routed into the right platform etc.

Perhaps this is another of the reasons the 442s are going. A 444 is so much easier, and I imagine the 5 minute layover time at Soton for 442 divisions will be much reduced with the 444s.

trains2 · Post by **trains2** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 3:49 pm

Health & Safety my arse:

http://stephen9466.fotopic.net/p37689554.html
http://stephen9466.fotopic.net/p37689555.html

Looks like Soton to me.

buffy500 · Post by **buffy500** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:25 pm

Yes, and looks like a complete pain in the arse and a really really good reason why you'd want to avoid it as much as possible.
Blocking the other line for 1 good reason !

Elojikal · Post by **Elojikal** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:58 pm

They stil use two platform staff for attaching and splitting duties on Electrostars so unless SWT operate a different policy with the Desiros would anybody at Bournemouth need to be relieved of their job?

mkwhite · Post by **mkwhite** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:11 pm

fear not all us 442 lovers look wat i have found

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM5XY5WvJnM

enjoy. sure bought a tear to my eye. these not gonna be scrapped? hope some other company would run these.

mk

NicolaFan06 · Post by **NicolaFan06** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 6:40 pm

Just read that they're looking at trialing 2-3 units as standby's for the Gatwick Express services, and Southern might be taking some on to cover some the current 377 diagrams, allowing the 377's inturn to cascade to cover some of the 319 diagrams, sending THOSE to FCC (ah, the joy of cascades)

Elojikal · Post by **Elojikal** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 3:00 am

Southern are complaining that they don't have enough stock to meet demand as it is so I'm not sure they'd be too willing to let go of the 319s.