Class 377 'Electrostar' 4-car EMU 377515 First Capital Connect 'Urban Lights' Blue - DCC Sound

Exclusive to Rails of Sheffield

Expected Delivery Q4 2026 (Subject to Change at Manufacturer's Discretion).

This model requires a £50 deposit.

The Model

Such is the level of research required to execute these units correctly, Accurascale employed a new approach to scanning. In addition to the common exterior scans to create an overall cloudpoint model, Accurascale’s Development Team also employed the services of a rail head scanning specialist for the bogies and underframe, to ensure that those areas which are normally in a digital ‘shadow’ were covered to give the ultimate in underframe detailing. This ensures that the underframe detailing and cabinets are very visible from side views and to get placement perfectly aligned, Accurascale needed to scan the underframe ‘raft’, with and without equipment attached.

Extensive drawing sets being provided and the number of surveys undertaken. The Alstom team at Ramsgate depot were on hand to provide 100s of drawings, and photographic/measuring surveys were undertaken at Ramsgate, Ashford, Brighton and Reading depots, as well as at Alstom’s Derby works.

This has resulted in a whole new approach to UK outline multiple units, with a tooling suite so extensive to cover the exhaustive list in detail variations over the life of these units. Accurascale’s vision for their first UK outline multiple unit is equally ambitious, with a desire to bring the highest specification possible to the Electrostar model. The model will feature DCC operating pantographs which will raise and lower to simulate the switch over from overhead to 3rd rail operations and vice versa, operating CDL lights, twin motors with two cars driven, Leading Cars (DMCO) have working magnetic front mounted Tightlock, or Dellner couplings (depending on variant).

Each sound fitted unit will have a speaker mounted in every car to give a full surround sound experience of the real trains. Full interior lighting with each car having a power bank of capacitors for flicker free lighting. Each unit will have correct seating arrangements depending on class and operator, and all the DCC functions will be controlled by one central DCC decoder only. Our tried and trusted method of helical gearing, unique in UK outline, will be employed in these units too, giving a constant mesh and offer smooth, near silent, running. Fully directional lighting, with full range of light options for day/night running and shunting/yard configurations, and of course, separate cab lighting at each end along with front and side lit destination boards.

History

The Electrostar story spans a manufacturing period of 18 years, seven different classes, a multitude of sub-classes, three different manufacturers’ names above the door, over 650 sets in service and a geographical spread across southern Britain, and still the story continues.

The privatisation of the United Kingdom’s rail market in the mid-1990s was more akin to the 1889 Oklahoma land rush, with a horde of new franchises poised to take over the rail network, and manufacturers saw the opportunity to create more modern passenger train designs to fulfil their needs, with Siemens, Alstom and ADtranz being the prominent players in the market. ADtranz, in particular, saw the potential in creating a modular design based on a common body to suit both suburban and outer-suburban markets, with differing seating layouts, traction sources and train lengths, and to meet this concept, the Turbostar (diesel powered) and Electrostar (AC/DC powered) families were created.

Bodies were built as aluminium monocoques, with steel ends for energy absorption (the cabs being GRP and steel), with one piece aluminium roofs and the underframe equipment being suspended from a ‘raft’, allowing for flexibility in equipment layout. Two pairs of bi-parting doors on each side of the vehicles allows for rapid entry/exit of passengers and an integrated seating rail in the body design allows for different seating configurations of 2+1, 2+2 and 2+3 laterally, or even longitudinal seating.

Traction for the Electrostars can be via 750V DC bogie mounted Third Rail provision, or 25kV AC overhead power collection via the pantograph and where AC power is not required, the pantograph equipment is simply omitted, leaving a blank well on those TSOL vehicles. The bogies themselves were ADTranz’s own design, being the P3-25 powered bogie, or the T3-25 trailer bogie. The first of the Electrostar family built were the Class 357 4-car sets, constructed by ADTranz and entering service in 2000, and these were followed by the Class 375 family of 3-car 375/3 units, and 375/6, 375/7, 375/8 and 375/9 4-car units, being built by ADTranz (subsequently Bombardier) for the Kent Coast services under Connex, then SouthEastern.

At the same time, the South Central franchise (later Southern) also required replacements for its slamdoor stock and although these Tightlock equipped sets were initially delivered as Class 375, a change to Dellner couplings resulted in a change of classification, becoming the Class 377 family of 4-car 377/1, 377/2, 377/4 and 377/5 units, and the 3-car 377/3 units. Subsequently, Southern also added 5-car units to the fleet in 2013 to cover delayed Thameslink stock, resulting in the addition of 377/6 and 377/7 variants.

Electrostars were also built to serve the high volume services in South-East London, North Kent and London Overground, resulting in the 5-car Class 376 sets and Class 378 ‘Capitalstar’ sets of the mid-2000s. At the end of the 21st century’s first decade, National Express East Anglia ordered Electrostar sets for the Stansted Express and Cambridge services and with their extended luggage accommodation and low density seating, these 4-car sets became Class 379, setting the standard for the last of the Electrostar family to enter service.

The final member of the family was the 4-car Class 387; a development of the Class 377 and Class 379 fleets that was capable of running at 110mph and suitable for long distance workings. Originally ordered for Thameslink as Class 387/1, the Class has extended to another two variants; 377/2 and 377/3 as the type have gone on to serve Great Western Railway, Gatwick Express, Heathrow Express, Great Northern, c2c and recently, Southern.

MODEL SPECIFICATION:

• Die-cast metal chassis, with ABS plastic body.
• Low mounted, high quality 5-pole skew-wound motor, with single flywheel, driving the lead bogie of the DMCO only. This means that each 4-car unit is powered from the front and rear cars.
• Helical gear box for maximum performance and slow speed running.
• Gearing arranged so locomotive can achieve a scale maximum top speed of 100 mph (128.75 km/h) as a 2 x 4-car unit.
• Supplied as DCC Sound Ready, or DCC Sound fitted.
• Scale lengths:
  • DMCO: Scale length of 262.24mm over body ends, and 36.745mm wide.
    
  • MSOL and PTSOL: Scale length of 258.4mm over body ends, and 36.745mm wide.
• Bogie centres at 186mm, allowing operation over a minimum radius of 438mm (2nd radius set-track).
• Single style of 11mm solid wheel, to the new profile blackened 00 Gauge RP25-110 standard, set in blackened brass bearings or contact strips and conforming to Accurascale standards of 14.4mm back-to-back, on 2mm axles over 26mm pinpoints. Brake discs to be inset separate items.
• Fully detailed die-cast underframes with all cylinders, battery boxes, cabinets and piping applied separately.
• Seating layouts modelled to specific classes/sub-classes.
• Leading Cars (DMCO) have working magnetic front mounted Tightlock, or Dellner couplings (depending on variant).
• Inter-car connection by 10-pin custom designed male/female connectors, allowing the operation of all functions, across all cars, from A SINGLE DECODER.
• MSOL and PTSOL/TSOL are un-motored (or dummy) cars, but retain full lighting features, being DCC ready with PowerPack capacitor for uninterrupted power.
• PTSOL to feature DCC operated Pantograph, a slimline roof mounted development of the successful Accurascale unit used in the Class 92 and 89 projects.
• Eroded metal, plastic and wire detail parts, including (but not limited to) roof details, handrails, door handles, kick plates, lamp brackets, brake gear, brake discs, draw gear, vents and louvres.
• Prism free flush glazing.
• Easy access to PCB for decoder fitting.
• Designed to work with the ESU LOKSOUND V5 21-PIN Decoder with easy access. Blanking plate to carry switches for limited DC lighting options.
• Fully directional lighting, with full range of light options for day/night running and shunting/yard configurations.
• Separate cab lighting.
• Full passenger interior lighting in all vehicles, set at correct colour temperature, with hidden stay-alive capacitors.
• Operable Central Door Locking (CDL) lights on bodysides.
• Supplied DCC Sound Ready, with fitted ESU 22mm x 42mm x 8.0mm rectangular 4Ω speakers and Passive Radiators, in all vehicles.