For the last week or two I've been passing OOC and seeing a 332 (Heathrow
Express) vinyled up with orange doors etc., into Heathrow Connect livery.

Any ideas why?

The half hourly Heathrow Connect service only seems to require two units in
operation at any one time (from observation only - I stand to be corrected),
with the other two parked up at OOC. Any ideas why they would need a fifth
unit, or where/why one of the new 360/2s would be cascaded?

Just seems a bit odd!

(For those outside London, Heathrow Connect is a new (since June) stopping
service between Paddington/Ealing and Heathrow, a half hourly service using
360/2s in addition to the Heathrow Express service which remains non-stop at
15min intervals using 332s.)

Ian Harper wrote:
> For the last week or two I've been passing OOC and seeing a 332 (Heathrow
> Express) vinyled up with orange doors etc., into Heathrow Connect livery.
> Any ideas why?

It is a reserve unit for use until the next unit is delivered and all
others are in 5car formation.

"Ian Harper" <i> wrote
>
> The half hourly Heathrow Connect service only seems to require two units
in
> operation at any one time (from observation only - I stand to be
corrected),
> with the other two parked up at OOC. Any ideas why they would need a
fifth
> unit, or where/why one of the new 360/2s would be cascaded?
>
AIUI it does require 3 units. To make do with two would involve a 3 minute
turnround at Heathrow, which is insufficient for the train to run forward
into the headshunt and back into the other platform.

Peter

Ian Harper wrote:

> The half hourly Heathrow Connect service only seems to require two units in
> operation at any one time (from observation only - I stand to be corrected),


My travels have yielded 3 units each time I have done it.

It must be more than 2 units as the running time from Paddington to
Heathrow is 25 min but the trains go to signal 342 (see HAFAS) taking
overall 31 minutes:


London Paddington 12:08
Ealing Broadway 12:15
West Ealing 12:18
Hanwell 12:20
Southall 12:23
Hayes + Harlington 12:26
Heathrow Terminal 1 12:33
Heathrow Signal 342 12:39


Can not run a service at 30 minute intervals with 2 units if the run
time is 31 minutes.


> with the other two parked up at OOC. Any ideas why they would need a fifth
> unit, or where/why one of the new 360/2s would be cascaded?


Is it not a plan at some point in the future for Connect to go to a
higher frequency like every 15 mins when the expansion works are
complete ?

That would seem to me to need 4 units.

On 31 Jul 2005 11:45:39 -0700, "D7666" <d7666> wrote:

>> The half hourly Heathrow Connect service only seems to require two units in
>> operation at any one time (from observation only - I stand to be corrected),
>
>My travels have yielded 3 units each time I have done it.
>
>> with the other two parked up at OOC. Any ideas why they would need a fifth
>> unit, or where/why one of the new 360/2s would be cascaded?
>
>Is it not a plan at some point in the future for Connect to go to a
>higher frequency like every 15 mins when the expansion works are
>complete ?
>
>That would seem to me to need 4 units.

ICBW but I believe the plan is that once T5 opens, HX will be diverted
to T5 and HC will run to T4. HC trains would continue to run at a
half-hourly frequency, but would double-back between T123 and T4 to
maintain a 15-minute frequency between those stations. IOW the
stopping pattern would be as follows:

Paddington
(...)
H&H
T123
T4
T123
T4
T123
H&H
(...)
Paddington

asdf wrote:

> >higher frequency like every 15 mins when the expansion works are
> >complete ?

> ICBW but I believe the plan is that once T5 opens, HX will be diverted
> to T5 and HC will run to T4. HC trains would continue to run at a
> half-hourly frequency, but would double-back between T123 and T4 to
> maintain a 15-minute frequency between those stations.

That might be what I was thinking of, I knew 15 mins came into it
somewhere.

DERWENT 332 Heathrow Express to Heathrow Connect?
Sun, 31 Jul 2005 19:21:42 +0100, "Ian Harper" <i>

>For the last week or two I've been passing OOC and seeing a 332 (Heathrow
>Express) vinyled up with orange doors etc., into Heathrow Connect livery.
>
>Any ideas why?

Spare set in case 2 360s are kaput. Which one is it?

>
>The half hourly Heathrow Connect service only seems to require two units in
>operation at any one time (from observation only - I stand to be corrected),
>with the other two parked up at OOC. Any ideas why they would need a fifth
>unit, or where/why one of the new 360/2s would be cascaded?

There are 3 360/2 diagrams, the reversal at Heathrow takes to long,
meaning they can't run with just two diagrams.





PRAR

"PRAR" <prar> wrote in message
news:18j8
> DERWENT 332 Heathrow Express to Heathrow Connect?
> Sun, 31 Jul 2005 19:21:42 +0100, "Ian Harper" <i>
>
>>For the last week or two I've been passing OOC and seeing a 332 (Heathrow
>>Express) vinyled up with orange doors etc., into Heathrow Connect livery.
>>
>>Any ideas why?
>
> Spare set in case 2 360s are kaput. Which one is it?

I am told it's 332001

DERWENT Re: 332 Heathrow Express to Heathrow Connect?
Sun, 31 Jul 2005 21:39:47 GMT, "Rich Mackin"
<rich.mackin>

>"PRAR" <prar> wrote in message
>news:18j8
>> DERWENT 332 Heathrow Express to Heathrow Connect?
>> Sun, 31 Jul 2005 19:21:42 +0100, "Ian Harper" <i>
>>
>>>For the last week or two I've been passing OOC and seeing a 332 (Heathrow
>>>Express) vinyled up with orange doors etc., into Heathrow Connect livery.
>>>
>>>Any ideas why?
>>
>> Spare set in case 2 360s are kaput. Which one is it?
>
>I am told it's 332001

Cheers, 360202/3/4 were working today.

PRAR