Class 315 (BREL York ER London Suburban Services 4-car)

The Class 315 was built in the early 1980s for the modernisation of the Great Eastern suburban lines out of London Liverpool Street replacing the Class 306 [1]. They remain in service on services to Shenfield though the end of their time is fast approaching. They were the last EMUs built of the 1972 PEP standard design and share a lot of similarities with the likes of the Class 313 and 507.

TfL Rail 315 843 at Stratford

Information
Number built:	244 (61 4-car sets)
Built:	1980-81
Builder:	BREL York
Engine:	8 Brush TM61-53 or 8 GEC G310AZ traction motors (25kV AC OHLE)
Power:	880 hp (657 kW)
Formation:	Driving Motor Standard Open (DMSO)+Trailer Standard Open (TSO)+ Pantograph Trailer Standard Open (PTSO)+DMSO

Twenty of the Class 315s had GEC traction motors and the rest Brush from new, however the traction motors are pretty interchangeable and nowadays a mixture can be found on a given unit. The Class 315s began life in British Rail blue and grey before being repainted in Network South East livery.

Following privatisation they have worn Greater Anglia and NXEA liveries but currently are operated by London Overground and TFL Rail. They will be replaced on these services by Class 345s and will be likely scrapped despite being refurbished in the mid-2000s [2].

In Greater Anglia days 315 822 at Cambridge Heath

315 828 and three friends at London Liverpool Street

315 859 at Stratford

[1] Alec Swain, Overhead Line Electric Multiple Units (Ian Allan, 1990) p. 66
[2] Colin J. Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 240