What Are Those Gill Things On The Class 395?

The class 395 has these gill like protrusions from the side of the front of the train, anyone know what they are?

 

My guess is they're for stability, or have something to do with the coupling door mechanism. https://www.hitachi.com/rev/pdf/2010/r2010_01_109.pdf

 

Maybe these are supposed to be buffers when there's a loco coupled at the front. Otherwise I don't know either.

 

It could be something to help aerodynamics with it being a high speed train, but that guess is probably completely wrong lol.

 

Maybe housings for sensors? Could be buffers, but wouldn't they be out all the time if they were? Or at least, most of the times when it's seen?

Could also be intakes for air conditioning?

 

They seem to be where buffers are on other trains so could they be anti-overiding blocks?

 

On pictures of the train coupled, there is no connection between these protrusions to the other train.

 

On pictures of the train coupled, there is no connection between these protrusions to the other train.

 

On pictures of the train coupled, there is no connection between these protrusions to the other train. There also doesn't seen to be any aerodynamical benefit to them, as seen on the computer air pressure model.

 

There is no evidence on the computer generated air pressure at speed graph to suggest any aerodynamical benefit.

 

I was thinking more of in a crash, they might prevent another train riding over the top the front coach or if it hit a set of buffers, they'd provide something solid for the buffers to interact with.

 

Good point, possibly. I'll try and ask in a railfan stream.

 

I would guess maybe air intake, for cooling/ aircon

 

They don't have an opening for air to pass through, good suggestion though.

 

I agree with what is being said here. You can also see a similar structure if you look inside the nose of the BR422.


It is probably the result of adapting the Japanese Hitachi train to the more stringent UK safety regulations.

 

This is the most probable explain so far, thanks.

 

They are nothing more than a design aesthetic.

The 8xx series of Hitachi trains are designed to the same specifications as the 395 and do not have these fins/gills. If they were a safety feature, the 8XX series of trains would have them as well.

 

Maybe they found a better way to package everything in the nose, also the 800 has a more wide and round nose, the 395 is more "pointy"


You can see if the nose was a bit smaller the 800 would have the same "ears"

 

They are for the 'buffers'. Other AT300s also have them, and are quite visible with a closer look into the nose.There is no protrusion on the later units as they have a very different nose profile to the 395s.

 

And an image of a 395 that shows the location of the blocks.