Class 487 Waterloo & City Stock

The Class 487 electric multiple unit spent the entirely of it's revenue earning service running underground. They were operated on the Waterloo & City Line, which nowadays is part of London Underground but originally was a separate line to the majority of London's subterranean railways and owned by a succession of mainline railway companies until nationalisation and British Rail. In 1994 the line was transferred to London Underground to become an Underground line proper.

At LT Museum Acton in restored NSE livery

Information
Number built:	28 cars (12 DMBSO driving cars and 16 TSO trailers)
Built:	1940
Builder:	English Electric Dick Kerr works
Engine:	2 English Electric EE500 traction motors (660v DC third rail)
Power:	380 hp (283 kW) per driving car
Formation:	(Variable) Driving Motor Brake Standard Open (DMBSO)+ Trailer Standard Open (TSO)+DMBSO

Designed by O.V.S. Bulleid, the Class 487s (originally TOPS classified Class 453) were built for the Southern Railway during World War 2 and entered service from 1940 [1]. The units consisted of driving motor cars (with cabs at both ends - and hence could operate singly) and trailers. In off-peak periods the Waterloo & City Line trains often ran with just a pair of motor cars until the 1960s when this was thought to be unsafe due to the excess of power [2]). In peak times up to three trailers could be marshalled between two motor cars.

The Class 487 remained in service until being replaced by the Class 482 in 1993 seeing out it's final days in Network South East livery. Before that, the units wore Southern Railway green and BR Blue (though uniquely without yellow ends) [3]. The Class 487s operated on 660v DC third rail and spent all of it's working life on the short underground line though the units did see sunlight now and then when they needed heavy maintenance and had to be bought up to the surface. For test purposes to develop a new speedometer, one driving car was operated above ground in the late 1970s for a short period [4]. As it did not have windscreen wipers the tests had to be curtailed immediately if it rained!

One DMBSO has been saved from the scrap man and has being restored at the London Transport Museum to its final Network South East livery.

Interior

Cab view

Restored condition

A photo taken in May 2015 during the restoration

The preserved car in under coat, what a difference a livery makes!

[1] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 370
[2] Colin J Marsden & Christopher G Perkins (ed.) "The Waterloo & City Line", Modern Locomotives Illustrated Annual No. 2 (RailwayCentre, 2010) p.82
[3] John Glover, London Underground Rolling Stock in Colour (Ian Allan, 2009) p. 31
[4] Marsden, DMU p. 371

West Midlands Metro Urbos 3

The Urbos 3 fleet is the second generation of light rail rolling stock built for the West Midlands Metro from Wolverhampton to Birmingham, replacing the earlier T-69 fleet [1].

Tram 31 on Corporation Street

Information
Number built:	42
Built:	2012-15, 2021-23
Builder:	CAF
Motor:	12 traction motors (750v DC OHLE)
Power:	1, 320 hp (960 kW)

The Urbos is a successful type of modern tram built by CAF, used in dozens of light rail systems across the world though the West Midlands Metro fleet is the only Urbos 3 stock used in England (the type is also used in Edinburgh).

The trams were introduced for the extension of the West Midlands Metro from Birmingham Snow Hill to Birmingham New Street railway station. They are slightly wider than the T-69s they replaced (about seventeen centimetres) thus the line had to be closed for a few weeks to allow for platform modifications before the Urbos 3 could enter service. 

The trams are also nine metres longer and can carry up to 210 passengers per tram compared to 156 on the T-69 (though the actual number of seats is almost the same). All of the trams were given the pink and white livery of the Midlands Metro as it was originally known though all now carry the blue livery of the re-branded West Midlands Metro.

CAF have developed rechargable batteries for fitting to the fleet to allow them to operate on extensions to the metro where there are no overhead wires [2] such as around Birmingham town hall. Twenty one more trams were built in the early 2020s to strengthen the fleet as the West Midlands Metro expands.

Tram 38 (the first in the second batch) arrives at Loxdale

The original livery carried by the trams

Tram 48 at Edgbaston Village, the current terminus of Line 1

Look Ma no wires! A tram passes Birmingham Town Hall on battery power

Tram 51 heads towards West Bromwich

[1] Colin J Marsden, Rail Guide 2016 (Ian Allan, 2016) p. 280
[2] Colin J Marsden (ed.), Light Rail (Key Publishing, 2018) p. 63

Class 455 (BREL York Suburban Services 4-car)

The Class 455 electric multiple units were built by BREL York [1] in the early 1980s to replace 4-SUB and EPB stock on Southern Region routes. They are an example of 1982 Standard High Density Stock, 137 sets were built between 1983 and 1985. Currently they are operated by South Western Railway on commuter lines out of London Waterloo. They were also operated by Southern but these units have now been withdrawn.

Painted in BR livery, SWR 455 868 at Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon

Information
Number built:	548* (137 4-car sets) * including 43 cars from Class 508s
Built:	1983-85
Builder:	BREL York
Motor:	4 EE507-20J traction motors per set (750v DC third rail)
Power:	1, 000 hp (746 kW)
Formation:	Driving Trailer Standard Open (DTSO)+Motor Standard Open (MSO)+Trailer Standard Open (TSO)+DTSO

The units were based on some of the work behind the prototype Class 210 DEMUs and are related to the Class 317 and 318, like those units it was derived from the British Rail Mark 3 coach [2]. There are three sub-classes: 455/7, 455/8 and 455/9, a major visual difference is that the /7 and /9 sub-classes have a more rounded roof than the /8 which despite the numbering was built first. The 455/7s were built as 3-car sets but have included a carriage (TSO) taken from the Class 508 EMUs which they replaced, to turn them into 4-car sets. Since privatisation the Southern 455/8s lost their cab gangways in favour of an air conditioning unit giving them a different look to the other sub-classes.

The SWT Class 455s were refurbished in the late 2010s and some units were fitted with new traction motors [3]. (It is worth noting that the replaced motors were reconditioned English Electric motors from older SR EMUs such as the Class 405 and indeed dated from the early post-war period!)

The change in the South West Trains franchise in 2017 to South Western Railway saw a plan to replace the Class 455 with the Class 701 from 2020 [4] though this has been delayed and the final replacement of the Class 455 may not occur now until late 2025. Southern's Class 455s were withdrawn in 2022.

455 914 at Oxshott

SWR 455 720 at Reading

SWR 455 851 at Byfleet & New Haw, notice the different cab roof

Aboard a 455

455 720 at Longcross

[1] Colin J. Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 351
[2] Brian Haresnape & Alec Swain, Third Rail DC Electric Multiple Units (Ian Allan, 1989) p. 77
[3] "Vossloh Kiepe UK to deliver traction upgrade to South West Trains’ Class 455 fleet"
[4] "Class 455 Death Sentence", Modern Railways (May 2017) p. 25

Class 458 5-JOP

The Class 458 4-JOP (Juniper Outer-suburban Porterbrook) was built for South West Trains in the late 1990s to replace some Class 411s. Although they were designed for the 750v DC third rail network they were "future proofed" with provision to support a pantograph and overhead electric collection, though have not carried one yet [1].

South Western Railway 458 506 at Reading

Information
Number built:	120 (30 4-car sets) (rebuilds) 180 (36 5-car sets)
Built:	1999-02 (rebuilds) 2013-6
Builder:	Althom (Washwood Heath) (rebuilds) Wabtec (Doncaster) & Brush Traction (Loughborough)
Motor:	6 Althom ONIX 800 traction motors (750v DC third-rail)
Power:	2, 172 hp (1, 620 kW)
Formation:	(original) Driving Motor Composite Open (DMCO)+ Pantograph Standard Open (PSO)+Motor Standard Open (MSO)+ DMCO (rebuilds) Driving Motor Standard Open (DMSO)+ PSO+MSO+TSO+DMSO

Their entry into service as 458/0 was unfortunately fraught with technical difficulties with serious usage on the London Waterloo to Reading and Guildford-Ascot routes not happening for several years and after many modifications [2]. The unreliability of the trains saw SWT plump for the "Desiro" Class 444/450s instead of more 458s to order to replace the majority of its "slam door" EMU fleet [3].

In 2011 after the withdrawal of the similar Class 460 from the Gatwick Express it was decided to use cars from the 460 to strengthen the 458s as five car trains (5-JOP). The trains were also refurbished and rebuilt with an improved appearance including full gangways. Five "new" 458/5s (as they became known) were also created from spare rebuilt 460 cars. Work was completed in 2016 [5]. They are now operated by South Western Railway.

458 509 arrives at Winnersh Triangle

In SWT days, 458 534 and friend at Clapham Junction

458 520 arrives at Addlestone

458 535 at Clapham Junction

458 515 at Clapham Junction

[1] "Class 458" Southern Electric Group <http://www.semgonline.com/gallery/class458_01.html>
[2] Colin J. Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013), p. 356
[3] "Train firm to replace new fleet", BBC News <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3388679.stm>
[4] "Fire damaged 458 under repair", Railways Illustrated Issue 157 (March 2016)
[5] "458/5 programme nears completion", Today's Railways UK Issue 171 (March 2016)

Class 387 Electrostar

The Class 387 is the final development of the Electrostar family having a higher top speed of 110mp/h. When the final carriages were built in November 2017 [1] it bought to an end eighteen years of continuous Electrostar production with a grand total of 2,805 carriages built of the Classes 357, 375, 376, 377, 378, 379 and 387 [2].

GWR 387 156 at Theale

Information
Number built:	428 (107 4-car sets)
Built:	2014-17
Builder:	Bombardier Derby
Engine:	Bombardier MITRAC DR1000 traction system (750v DC third rail and 25kv AC OHLE)
Power:	2, 250 hp (1, 900 kW)
Formation:	Driving Motor Composite Open (DMCO)+Motor Second Open (MSO)+Trailer Second Open (TSO)+DMCO

The Class 387 is in service with Great Northern, Great Western Railway, Gatwick Express and Heathrow Express. They were also in service with Thameslink until being transferred to Great Northern after being replaced by Class 700s and also c2c for a time.

Extermally Class 387s look the same as the likes of the Class 377. Class 387/1s are in service with Great Northern, Heathrow Express and GWR. 387/2s with Gatwick Express and Great Northern and 387/3s with Great Northern.

GWR 387 164 at Aldermaston

GWR 387 170 at Newbury

Back in Thameslink days, 387 103 at Bedford

Gatwick Express 387 223 passes Stafford on test

GWR 387 133 at Ealing Broadway

[1] Roger Ford, "Rolling stock factories over-capacity threat", Modern Railways (December 2017) p. 25
[2] "Last-ever Electrostar finished in Derby as 18 years of production come to an end" <http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/rail-news/last-ever-electrostar-finished-in-derby-as-18-years-of-production-come-to-an-end>

English Electric / Cravens Motor Cars for the La Guaira and Caracas Railway

The La Guaira and Caracas Railway was a narrow gauge (914mm gauge) line that linked Caracas to the port of La Guira. The line was electrified in the 1920s and used a combination of Swiss built locomotives and British built passenger motor cars. The latter were built by Cravens with electrical equipment by English Electric. The motor cars could carry passengers and also haul other carriages.

One of the motor cars [1]

Information
Number built:	4
Built:	1927
Builder:	Cravens / English Electric
Motor:	4 DK109 traction motors (1500v DC OHLE)
Power:	264 hp (197 kW)
Wheel arrangement:	Bo-Bo

The motor cars served into the 1940s but the line suffered from competition with road transport, and was a different gauge to other railways in Venezuela, after a period of financial difficulty it was nationalised. After storm damage in 1951 the railway was not repaired due to a lack of government finance and closed. The motor cars managed to survive stored at Caracas until the end of the 1950s but were scrapped. Little trace of the railway now remains.

[1] "Electrification of the La Guaira and Caracas Railway", English Electric Journal (4/1928) p. 74

Class 508 (BREL York Suburban Services 3-car)

The Class 508, part of the 1972 Standard PEP family like the Class 313 and 507, was built for the Merseyrail DC third rail network. However, as there was a desperate need for new stock on Southern Region in the late 1970s they served there initially until the new Class 455 could be built [1].

Merseyrail 508 125 at Ellesmere Port

Information
Number built:	172 cars (as built 4-car sets later 3-car sets)
Built:	1979-80
Builder:	BREL York
Motor:	8 GEC G380AZ traction motors per unit (750v DC third rail)
Power:	880 hp (657 kW)
Formation:	As built: Driving Motor Standard Open (DMSO)+Trailer Standard Open (TSO)+TSO+Battery Driving Motor Standard Open (BDMSO) Later: DMSO+TSO+BDMSO

Not all sets went North, some remained in the South East as Class 508/2 though none of these are still in service. In the early 2000s three sets worked alongside the Class 313 on the London Euston-Watford route [3] as Class 508/3 but in recent years the only 508s in service have been the twenty seven Class 508/1s sets operated by Merseyrail on it's DC third rail network alongside the Class 507.

Merseyrail replaced them with the new Class 777 [4] though there were delays in introducing the new units, the Class 508 finally left service at the start of 2024. Some ex-Class 508 cars do still exist, having been part of strengthened Class 455/7 formations since the 1980s.

508 130 at New Brighton

508 108 at Bank Hall

508 103 at Liverpool Lime Street Low Level

Aboard 508 123

508 120 at Hooton

[1] Brian Haresnape & Alec Swain, Third Rail DC Electric Multiple Units (Ian Allan, 1989) p. 74
[2] Bruce Oliver, Southern EMUs Before Privatisation (Ian Allan, 2010) p. 86
[3] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 389
[4] "Five shortlisted for new Merseyrail trains", Today's Railways UK No. 171 (March 2016)

Class 319 (BREL York Cross-Country "Thameslink" 4-car)

The Class 319 are electric multiple units (EMUs) which were built for "Thameslink" cross-London services in the late 1980s. As they were dual voltage (AC overhead and DC third rail) units so they could operate both north and south of the river Thames [1]. The 319 was based on the Class 317 EMU though had a modified front end without a gangway connection, it retained a door for emergency evacuation in the tunnels which they had to travel through when crossing under London.

Northern 319 375 at Rainhill

Information
Number built:	344 (86 4-car sets)
Built:	1987-90
Builder:	BREL York
Engine:	4 GEC G315BZ traction motors (750V DC third rail or 25kV AC OHLE)
Power:	1, 327 hp (990 kW)
Formation:	319/0: Driving Trailer Standard Open (DTSO)+Motor Standard Open (MSO)+Trailer Standard Open Lavatory (TSOL)+DTSO 319/1: Driving Trailer Composite Open (DTCO) +MSO+TSOL+DTSO

The class was built in two batches, 319/0 and 319/1, which had some first class accommodation plus an improved pantograph. During their long career there have been a number of changes to the fleet. In the 1990s some 319/0s were converted to 319/2 standard with low-density seating and a disabled toilet for London Victoria services through to Brighton. A number of 319/1s have also had their first class seating removed during refurbishment to become 319/3. Some 319/0s have also had first class seating added and a lower density seating arrangement for Bedford-Brighton services as 319/4.

A feature unique to the 319s was an area behind one of the cabs was fitted with fold down seats and made securable with a lockable door in order to carry mail [2]. This area was removed during refurbishment and the ceasing of transporting mail by train.

Class 319s were replaced on Thameslink services by the Class 700 [3]. However, there was life remaining in these units and a number were cascaded to the North West (Northern) and South Midlands (London Northwestern Railway). These units have probably finally now reached the end of their service lives with the LNWR 319s leaving service in late 2023 and the Northern units in early 2024.

Work also went ahead to give some of the units a new life as electro-diesel or bi-mode multiple units. A bi-mode version of the 319 called the 319 Flex (Class 769) has been developed by Brush and Porterbrook. Diesel engines and alternators are carried under the driving cars and these feed the unit's traction motors with the electricity needed when away from third rail or overhead lines. Although the project has been much delayed due to technical difficulties and unreliability, the Class 769 entered passenger service with Northern in May 2021 and Transport for Wales in November 2020 though originally the planned service date was 2018 [4][5]. The GWR was also at one stage to use the type on the North Downs Line, though these have not entered service.

Another new role for the Class 319 is for parcels traffic operated by Orion Logistics. A bi-mode version of this has also been created as the Class 768. A Class 319 has also been converted to hydrogen operation as the Class 799!

One notable event in the life of the 319s came in 1994 when 319 008 and 319 009 became the first trains to carry passengers through the Channel Tunnel [6]. 

LNWR 319 457 at Milton Keynes Central

Northern 319 374 at Huyton

319 364 at Liverpool Lime Street

319 436 in Thameslink livery at Farringdon

Northern 319 368 at Manchester Piccadilly

[1] Brian Haresnape & Alec Swain, Third Rail DC Electric Multiple Units (Ian Allan, 1989) p. 85
[2] Colin J. Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 251
[3] "Class 700s Branch Out", Railways Illustrated No. 161 (July 2016)
[4] "B-Mode Class 319 Flex from Porterbrook", Railways Illustrated No. 169 (March 2017)
[5] "Northern to get bi-modes", Modern Railways (February 2017)
[6] Southern E-Group: Class 319 <http://www.semgonline.com/gallery/class319_01.html>

Sheffield Supertram (Siemens-Duewag)

The Supertram is a fleet of trams built for the Sheffield Supertram light rail network which began operation in 1994. At nearly thirty five metres long the Supertrams are one of the longest articulated vehicles built for public transport in the UK [1].

Supertram 120 departs Spring Lane

Information
Number built:	25
Built:	1993-4
Builder:	Siemens-Duewag
Engine:	4 Three-Phase Siemens traction motors (750v DC OHLE)
Power:	1, 420 hp (1, 060 kW)
Wheel arrangement:	B-B-B-B

The trams were built at Siemens-Duewag and first tested on Düsseldorf's Rheinbahn network before being shipped over. The Supertrams consist of three articulated sections [2] and have all powered axles due to the steep gradients on part of the network [3].

The Supertrams underwent a full refurbishment in 2006-08 which included interior an exterior changes including the replacement of the original destination boards with LEDs to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Tram 117 arrives at Attercliffe

Aboard a Supertram behind the cab

Tram 118 at Fitzalan Square / Ponds Forge

Tram 119 at Hyde Park

Tram 118 again, passing a sister tram at Woodbourn Road

[1] Supertram Vehicle Information <https://www.stagecoachbus.com/supertram/vehicle-information>
[2] Colin J. Marsden, Rail Guide 2016 (Ian Allan, 2016) p. 282

[3] Robert Pritchard & Alan Yearsley, UK Metro & Light Rail Systems (Platform 5, 2019) p. 138

Class 777 Metro

The Class 777 is an electric multiple unit for the Merseyrail network replacing Classes 507 and 508. The Class 777 is part of Stadler's Metro family and is designed for high capacity and rapid acceleration on the busy Merseyrail network. The first Class 777s were delivered in 2020, with the official hand over and public unveiling at Birkenhead North in September 2021 [1] though the type did not enter service until January 2023.

Merseyrail 777 142 in battery mode at Headbolt Lane

Information
Number built:	212 (53 4-car sets)
Built:	2018-2021
Builder:	Stadler Rail
Motor:	Stadler traction system (750v DC third rail or battery)
Power:	2, 800 hp (2, 100 kW)

The Class 777 is designed to work with the Merseyrail 750v DC third rail network, though can be fitted for AC overhead operation if required in the future. Seven of the units have been fitted with batteries for operation to the new station at Headbolt Lane which opened in 2023, the line at the station not being third rail electrified. Merseyside could order a further fifty nine trains in future for future service enhancements and extensions.

The Class 777 has all of the usual features of a modern multiple unit, including walk-through wide gangways, electronic information screens and seats of questionable comfort! The Class 777 was phased into operation on the Merseyrail network, starting with the branches to Kirkby and Ormskirk in early 2023 but by late 2023 has largely taken over from the 507s and 508s.

777 018 at Orrell Park

777 009 at Moorfields

777 018 at Sandhills

Aboard a Class 777 showing the cab end

777 011 arrives at Bidston

[1] "First Class 777s handed over", Modern Railways (October 2021) p. 72