Bit of a random one here, but which of the electrostars in the family are your favorite? Mine is the Class 375/X. Since it's one of those that doesn't have iron board seating and provides first class! I was torn between the 375 and 357 because I love the c2c and the 357 is an old train but it reminds me of a turbostar because of the front and body of it. It looks a lot like a 170/2. I'd love to hear your thoughts as these are my favorite family of trains!
It's got to be the early generation Electrostars for me... The Class 375/6s, 375/7s, 377/1s were some of the last decently built trains. Particularly the comfortable seating, carpeted layout, good seating arrangements, glass luggage racks. The later generation of Electrostars like the 375/9s, 377/6 and /7s, along with the 387s were pretty crappy. The start of the ironing board seats, plastic cheap feel, clinical LED lighting etc... I remember when the the first gen Electrostars entered service with Connex SouthEastern and thought at the time that they were worthy successors in terms of comfort and build quality (pained me to say at the time with my beloved MK1 EMUs were being withdrawn and replaced by them).
Overall I'd say the 377s. They have the most pleasant interior and ambience. It's been a couple of years since I was last on a 375, but I remember them feeling a bit tired and grey on the interior. Ditto for the 357s. Both need a refurbishment, although for all I know they may have already have done. The 387s I've been on lately have certainly been cleaner on the inside than the first gen ones, however the seats are much less comfortable and the exterior window panels don't look as good. 110mph running is fun though.
Class 376 for me - something grungy about them, plus I like the unique front end. Also I love that they are a purpose built high capacity urban unit, so different from the other family members that can work more flexible roles.
The 376s and 357s are unique, being the only class of Electrostar (to my knowledge) that do not have end gangways.
The class 375's are the only ones I have used regularly so can't compare it to any others. I prefer the old white and yellow livery to the blue one though
The 378 as well ? It’s more an emergency door than a gangway at both ends. I think it was a specification when it was introduced on the ex East London Line, because of the Thames tunnel.
Which one is my favourite? Well they are all just progressively worse flavours of an already horrible dish so I will say absolutely none of them. Though I tend to prefer them when they stay out of the the way on the slow lines and don't hold me up, of course that doesn't make me like them, just dislike them ever so slightly less. Spoiler I were too ashamed to admit this too openly so put it in a spoiler, but I did like the 'special' livery and slightly different traction motor sounds that 387175 had after delivery.
I do love most Electrostars to be fair, but alongside the 376 (which I like on face value), I will also have a lifelong love of the 377/1s and 377/4s. Most of my friends at school lived at various points along the West Coastway line, so hearing those traction motors spin up makes me so nostalgic for summer Friday nights piling onto a Brighton service as soon as school was done, heading out into the country and having house parties drenched in the Sussex evening sun.
Personal taste here, but I can't believe the 376s are getting mentioned in a positive way! To me they are some of the worst rolling stock around. People think 700s have awful seating but the 376s are utterly horrid things. I always try and take a Networker over them where possible. Although saying that I'd imagine that's how some enthusiasts felt about the EPBs when the 465s were replacing them.
The 375s with the (very) nice seats are the /3s, /6s and /7s. The /8s use the same design but aren't sprung, and the /9s have 3+2 throughout with the exception of the declassified first class. As far as I'm aware the 377s transferring from Southern by the end of the year have the same layout. The only thing Connex did right was specifying the 375s and early 377s. I wasn't aware 387175 was a real unit. I know that 103 had a special livery, which I really like:
Out of interest, what is objectively wrong with them? If you take your rose tinted glasses off I think you'll find they're leaps and bounds ahead of the rubbish British rail farted out in the 80s. I was so happy to see the 313s and 455s leave Southern. Ghastly things compared to even the worst Electrostars.
The only real complaint against them is the bouncy suspension, but the suspension was far worse on the HSTs, but not many people like to talk about it because obviously the HSTs were flawless and perfect trains with no glaring issues whatsoever. Another issue (for drivers) is that the gangways are a bit draughty. It's a problem, but pretty much every train with end gangways has the same issue - the Mark 2 DBSOs were notorious for it.
Appreciate some people hate them but I try to understand why anyone is interested in things that matter to them. My favourite is the class 357. It’s getting old now so sounds loud, bounces around and therefore has more character. But it’s my favourite as it’s the one that took me to meet girlfriends and eventually my wife. The first train my children went on. It got me to job interviews then kept taking me to the job I got for over 20 years (and counting). So for me not plastic rubbish but something that’s been the backdrop to a lot of important stuff in my life and it will be a sad day for me when they are scrapped.
It's also the fastest accelerating Electrostar out of all of them. On another note, AdTranz/Bombardier offered an intercity-style train called the Citystar (effectively an equivalent of the Class 444) but there were no buyers. They also offered a Class 170 variant with a commuter layout that was spiritually succeeded by the Class 172. The Networker-style cab on the early Class 168s was offered throughout the production of the Turbostar but was never ordered again - the same applies to the 170-style cab on the Electrostars.
Everyone I have mentioned this to says that, when I get home I'll see if I can find a video/picture of it.
From a purely transport POV, probably not that much - apart from those with ironing board seats. But as entertainment in a train sim they are pretty soulless and quiet. I mean you do actually appreciate my earlier comment was ironic and light hearted, don't you?
I'm just really, really tired of seeing the same people go on and on about how awful they apparently are, with no explanation as to why. Apart from the tiresome "things were better in the olden days" (they weren't). I won't dispute ironing board seats are bad, but not all Electrostars have them, and they're no worse than the dreadful seats I remember the 313s having. Yet no one complained about those ones!
I'm still not sold on 'ironing board seats'. The Southern region stock that I've been on include the Southern Electrostars, the Southeastern 375s and Networkers, the Thameslink 700s, the Southwestern Desiros, 458s and 455s and the C2C 357s, and they are all really quite comfortable! Then there's the LNER and Hull Trains AT300s; they both have wonderful seating as well, but that is beyond the scope of this thread.
I agree - apart from the few years I spent living in London itself, the most common journey I ended up taking on Thameslink with the infamous seats was the full Horsham - Peterborough run, and I never really found it to be an uncomfortable journey.
Well I would rather ride an electrostar than watch Saturday night prime time TV, Oasis, Paint dry, Sand down skirting boards even Voyagers but only just.
The only place that matters is a Mk1 FK compartment. Then something interesting and noisy hauling it. Either a 37, 40, 26, or 81 to 85. Anything else is sleep inducing, except 1st gen DMUs as they can also be hauled and have raspy exhaust notes.
I really like the SouthEastern 375s, especially the ones with nice seating. Also I really like the GWR 387s. Granted they aren't as comfortable as their SE 375 counterparts but they have a really nice scent to them, it has a tinge of some sort of pastry in the air. I find it to be even stronger (and nicer as a result) on the GWR IETs, but that might just be me.
From the times I rode them, which is not too much, being from t'north I hated the Southern ones. I couldn't get comfitable on them at all. Considering that I can sleep very well on a Pendolino I think that's really saying something. I did try one of the newer 387s on Thameslink which seemed to be nicer. This was around the time the 319s where dumped up north.
Clearly you've never ridden behind a Class 68. That's an engine you feel rather than hear. And some modern DMUs sound pretty great for my money. I always relish riding above an engine in a 185, Adelante or Voyager/ Meridian. Those actually sound as powerful as they are, unlike a 101. I've heard lawnmowers that sound better.
Done many 68s used to travel on the drop window mk3 set out of Marylebone when it ran as I worked in the south, decent but not premier league for me and certainly wouldn't spend big bucks to ride behind one.
I regularly go High Wycombe-Warwick to meet a mate (at the Wild Boar pub near the station) and always take the 10:00 from Marylebone, which is a class 68. Top tip: use the last coach which is a refurbed First Class buffet with 2+1 seating, but as Chiltern are single class, there's no surcharge. (They used to charge for 'business class', which included refreshment from the buffet, but no longer!) The only drawback is you're as far as possible from the engine.
personally love the 357, was my local route and introduced me to the world of trains, plus they’re unique to the series. Ignore the lot who’s pictures are in the oh so original and unique BR Blue.
377 hands down. I am a regular southern user and I have always try getting the 377s. 387 and I guess the 5 car 377s is nice if it werent for iron board seats. Speaking of the 5 car ones, oddly enough I quite like the /6 and /7. I just like the idea of just 2 5 car sets to form 10 carriages compared to 3 4 coach set to form a 12 car train. I also look forward to seeing the 379 coming back to service with great northern.
It's gotta be the 376. No stinky toilets! You must also like these OldVern as they are most likely the first sets to be scrapped.
In actual fact they are due to be overhauled and refurbished next year. The last sign of Connex will finally be well and truly gone... (Thankfully).
Not quite. When it comes to the rolling stock, the early batches of Southern's 377/1s still have Connex blue on the walls and table legs. Seemingly the latest refurbishment has done nothing about it.
One of the only companies no one really reminisces about in a positive way... Terrible company. But really good specifications for the early 375s interiors oddly! In terms of livery though that'll be them fully eradicated as a brand and livery. I don't know if some interior colouring such as panels and small paint details counts... (For me anyway). The moquette is usually the only other thing outside of the livery I count as a company signature. From time to time you do see the odd Connex moquette on the cushion of the seating, as temporary replacement on 375s. The 376s still carry that moquette I believe. But then again the 376 seating is like a metal board with thin tea cloth.
Something I've often seen or heard people say is that the only good thing Connex ever did was the interior of the 375s and 377s. I'd also say the 319/2 refurbishment was good too, but not many people remember that. The moquette on the 376s will be changed when the refurbishment eventually starts. Nobody really knows when it's going to start. At least it isn't as bad a wait as the EuroTunnel shuttle refurbishment that was announced six or seven years ago and has yet to materialise, leaving the shuttles in a terrible state that's somewhere between 'Mexican jail cell' and 'falling apart' when it comes to the condition. I do love the announcements and the broken jingle on them though. I can't remember when Southern got rid of the Connex moquette (there were three Connex moquette designs on the 375s, and at least one or two more on other trains) on the 377/1s and /3s, but I have a feeling it lasted a bit longer than on Southeastern, unless you count the spares. I find it quite intriguing that DTG forgot about the 2012(?) refresh when they made the white 375 that came with the terrible ROG 37. I've talked about it before on this forum, but they tried to go for a pre-2012 interior despite the fact that moquette had been long gone by the time the route is set. And not only that, they did the pre-2012 interior terribly.
