Electrostar EMU in N

[Adam1701D]

With new methods of commissioning models, such as Kickstarter and new manufacturers entering the scene, I wonder if it is time to look at the Electrostar EMU. This has regularly topped a lot of wish-list polls and represents a major gap in the modern-image market.

There are several main variants currently in operation:

Class 357 - Used on LT+S routes from Fenchurch Street - full-width Turbostar type cab, 4-cars, AC only
Class 375 - Used on SouthEastern routes - 3 or 4 cars -  mixture of AC/DC and DC Only
Class 377 - Used on Southern routes -  - 3 or 4 cars -  mixture of AC/DC and DC Only
Class 377/5 - Used on Thameslink services in former First Capital Connect dark blue - 4 car, AC/DC

Class 377/6 and 377/7 - revised body type with individual windows - 4 or 5 cars AC/DC

Class 377/6 SouthEastern Metro units - full-width cab, sliding doors and hopper windows
Class 378 London Overground units - currently being lengthened to 5 cars -  - full-width cab, sliding doors and hopper window
Class 379 - AC only unit with gangwayed ends used on Liverpool Street - Cambridge and Stansted duties - has revised bodyshells with individual windows.

I would recommend the 375 and 377 as the best place to start - there would only be three bodyshell variants (Driving car, centre car and centre car with pantograph recess) and clever tooling could cover the underframe modules and bogie variants. The heavily tinted ribbon glazing (like the 170) means that interiors could be omitted to cut costs.

It would be interesting to see how many people would seriously want an Electrostar (or two) and what they would be prepared to pay for, say a 4 -car powered set.

Thoughts?

[PostModN66]

Definitely a couple for me -  "Southern" types to mix it with the 350s on the WCML.

I would pay.......well, obviously as much as the 350s which seem to go for around £100.  A bit more if it were a "Kickstarter" type of thing....say £150..?

Cheers  Jon 

[NeMo]

It would be interesting to see how many people would seriously want an Electrostar (or two) and what they would be prepared to pay for, say a 4 -car powered set.

I'd certainly be up for a Southern, pantograph-equipped 377. Don't need one, but would complement my Farish 350 nicely. Would be prepared to pay the same sort of price, too.

Cheers, NeMo

[Newportnobby]

How about setting up a poll?

[Michael Shillabeer]

Yes, I'd be interested but there would need to be period of time between the ending of the Pendolino Kickstarter campaign to save up funds.

Best regards
Michael

[Adam1701D]

Poll now live.

[Tank]

377 for me! 

[marco neri]

..as a continental european...I can't make anything else that clap to the iniziative about EMU's.......electric Pendolinos included..

[Farmer chap]

A couple of 4 car 375's in SouthEastern livery would be great.

Ian.

[Greybeema]

North Kent 5 Car 376...  Southeastern livery of course..

[BudgieJane]

Well, I've been making a lot of noise about them recently, so I'd better say where I stand.

I would expect to pay something like £100-£150 for a 4-car powered set, and I would also expect 4-car non-powered sets to be available, so that a 12-car train can be made up from 2 powered sets and 1 non-powered at a cost of something in the region of £300-£400. As I have said before, I'd like at least half-a-dozen 12-car trains (i.e. 18 x 4-car trains), which is a lot of cash and has to be saved up for out of my pension. I'd like 4 x class 375 and 2 x class 377 if possible, but I'll take whatever's going as long as they're classes 375 and/or 377.

Don't forget that there may be yet another new livery coming out shortly, when Southern's new franchise (or whatever they're called next year) gets started.

Of course, if any of the 5-car variants gets made, I'll have a couple of those as well.

[Claude Dreyfus]

From my point of view; yes, I certainly would be interested in the class 377...ideally a couple. How much would be a reasonable amount to pay? Depends on which is included, but £120.00 - £150.00 would be a decent ball-park figure.

[red_death]

If you are already talking about 3 different tools for bodies you are talking a lot of cash! Ideally what you want is to make things as modular as possible.

Depending on the nature of the variations between bogies they can be prohibitively flimsy or difficult to assemble.

I agree with Mike Shillabeer - let's see what happens with the Pendolino first. You need to put in a fair amount of work to even get to the point where a Kickstarter is worth trying and I think you would want to know that a reasonable number of people (absolute minimum 100, realistically more like 250-300) were interested.

Cheers, Mike

[BudgieJane]

Maybe Graham Farish or Dapol will see sense and bring one out.

[Karhedron]

Maybe Graham Farish or Dapol will see sense and bring one out.

Sadly I would not count on seeing any more RTR EMUs from these two for a while at least. Farish were reportedly disappointed by sales of the 4-CEP and Desiro. Dapol put the Pendolino "on the back burner" for so long that Ben and Mike had to go down the Kickstarter route to get the project moving.