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CJSutcliffe — Heathrow Express
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Published: 2008-08-25 23:43:53 +0000 UTC; Views: 3905; Favourites: 12; Downloads: 2047
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EDIT: This is doing my nut in, this is possibly one of the most overexposed images I ever took, yet it has so many views and downloads, time to stop this madness! Here is an edited version after wringing it through Photoshop, do people like the result?Moving on from Clapham Junction, and to London Paddington station. This is the British Rail Class 332 EMU [link] a 25kv AC overhead electric unit, and one of 14 sets in use on the 'Heathrow Express' route [link] from London Paddington direct to Heathrow Airport via a set of 5 mile long tunnels.
Even though this service uses National Rail lines, the actual service is not subject to franchising by National Rail, and is owned and operated by the same company that owns and operates Heathrow Airport, BAA. Similarly, BAA also owns and operates the 'Heathrow Connect' service [link] from London Paddington to Heathrow Terminal 4, although unlike the Heathrow Express route, Heathrow Connect has station stops between Paddington and the airport.
Heathrow Connect services will be absorbed into the new Crossrail services, [link] which will be constructed from 2010 to 2017, providing rail links across London via new tunnels and underground platforms.
The Class 332 is very similar to the Northern Rail Class 333 [link] used in West Yorkshire.
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Comments: 21
I actually went through London a fortnight ago, but only through, I didn't stop. I visited the RH&DR on 24th August, photos to come of that venture.
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Waiting with baited breath
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Can anyone tell me why this image is so popular ?
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It's crap! It's just white, everything is white on it thanks to my compacts crappy judgement on light readings. Why oh why so much?
Sod it. I'll upload a sequel if I can find one...
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I put 'class 332002' into google images and got 20 images almost the same as yours.
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Thanks, and thanks for the 
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Brill, i have never seen one of these before, but they are sure modern looking in my opinion, you most watched photo hey, downloaded alot to, looks like its a
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Cheers for the 
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I'm used to this design, being a regular user of the West Yorks 333's on the Aire Valley route. I think I prefer the colour schemes of the Northern examples compared to this too
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I'll have to see about getting a photo or two of the Northern Rail examples...
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Being as I tend to remove and replace pics in my gallery quite often, the only one I've got in my gallery at the moment is a fairly arty one which doesnt really show the train off in its clearest form [link] At the moment the carry a colour scheme of red with grey lining, and yellow doors, which really suits the units. However they are in the process of recieving a horrible repaint with white doors, and blue vinyls over the red. In my opinion the new colours look a bit messy, and they clash a bit horribly around the cabs...
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They're probably repainting them into the standard Northern Rail livery, but then and again, there is no standard Northern Rail livery, as it comes in many different forms. My dad calls the units that carry the full livery "Graffiti Trains" and I can see where he's coming from, especially when you look at the likes of [link]
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I can see his point too- its what a transport-photographer friend of mine up in Carlisle used to call the "My Little Unit" livery, all the pink, white and blue. He used to say that all they were missing were paintings of fairies and rainbows on the cab ends... (Incidentally have you noticed the pink-ification of transport in this country over the last couple of years? I miss blue/grey personally). As for the 333's, I think its better that they had a different livery from regular northern units, as theyre only assigned to the Aire valley and Wharfe valley networks, so it made them stand out a bit. I suspect its someone at Northern realising that these units were still in the predesscesors colours and decided to stamp their mark on them...
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I can only agree with , this does look very odd indeed.
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Indeed. There is only the 332 and the 333 with this design, even though the trains are built by Siemens, they share only the top speed with the rest of Siemens trains in the UK, namely the most widespread family of train, the Desiro. There are no other units apart from these two classes that look like this.
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And I thank you for the
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