LBSCR Crystal Palace Stock / SR Class CP

The Crystal Palace Stock was built by the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway as part of it's overhead electrification of London lines. Sixty cars were built by the Metropolitan Amalgamated Carriage & Wagon Works with extra trailers and motor cars built by the railway company at their own Lancing Carriage Works. All cars had cabs which allowed the LBSCR to use a variety of formations. The stock was fitted with a bow collector.

LBSCR catenary and train at Peckham Rye, all images [1]

Information
Number built:	102 (34 3-car sets)
Built:	1911-13
Builder:	Metropolitan Amalgamated Carriage & Wagon Works LBSCR Lancing Carriage Works
Motor:	4 Winter Eichberg electric motors (6.7 kV AC OHLE)
Power:	600 hp (447 kW)
Formation:	Driving Trailer Composite (DTC) + Driving Motor Brake Third (DMBT) + DTC

After the LBSCR was absorbed into the Southern Railway in the 1920s, the SR standardised on third rail DC electric collection. The Crystal Palace Stock, now known as Class CP by the Southern, was duly converted in 1928-9.

Bow collector

Motor bogie

Cab view

[1] "Progress of Brighton railway electrification", Railway Times (May 6 1911) p. 433

Class 404 4-BUF/4-COR/4-GRI/4-RES

The Southern Railway built forty-eight four-car EMUs for the electrified line from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour via Woking. These were a mixture of 4-COR (Corridor) and 4-RES (Restaurant) sets. They were intended to be used in twelve-car formations with a 4-RES sandwiched between two 4-CORs and providing catering services for the train. The whole train had corridor connections throughout [1] so all passengers had access to the refreshment facilities [2].

Further electrification in mid-Sussex saw SR built a second batch of units, twenty six more CORs and thirteen BUF (Buffet car) sets [3], the buffet cars having modern facilities with an Art Deco interior design by O.V.S. Bulleid [4].

Information
Number built:	348 (87 4-car sets)
Built:	1937-38
Builder:	SR Lancing Works / Eastleigh
Motor:	4 MV/EE 163 traction motors (750v DC third rail)
Power:	900 hp (670 kW)
Formation (4-COR):	Driving Motor Second Open (DMSO)+TCK (Trailer Composite Corridor)+TSK (Trailer Standard Corridor)+DMSO

In the Nationalisation era a number of changes were made to the stock, including converting the restaurant sets to buffet (4-BUF) or griddle (4-GRI). The final 4-RES were withdrawn in 1964 but the other sets continued in service until 1972, the 4-CORs becoming Class 404 under TOPS. In later years surplus trailers from other classes were used to augment sets creating 6-CORs and 6-TCs.

4-COR 3131 (DMBTO only) preserved at NRM Shildon

[1] Colin J. Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 306
[2] David Brown, Southern Electric Vol. 2 (Capital Transport, 2010) p. 143
[3] Alan Williams, Southern Electric Album (Ian Allan, 1977) p. 45
[4] Brian Haresnape & Alec Swain, Third Rail DC Electric Multiple-Units (Ian Allan, 1989) p. 19

Class 401 2-BIL

The Class 401 2-BIL (2 Bi-Lavatory - signifying the trains were 2 cars with a lavatory in each car) were built by Southern Railway in the mid-1930s as a development of the 4-LAV. The first 10 motor cars built by Metro-Cammell & BRCW with the rest built by Southern Railway itself at its Eastleigh and Lancing Works.

Information
Number built:	304 (152 2-car sets)
Built:	1935-38
Builder:	(First batch) Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, Metro-Cammell (Later batches) SR Eastleigh, Lancing Works
Engine:	2 MV/EE339 traction motors, some later replaced by EE507C (660-750v DC Third Rail)
Power:	550 hp (410 kW) (EE339) / 500hp (279kW) (EE507C)
Formation:	Driving Motor Brake Third class Lavatory (DMBTL)+ Driving Trailer Composite Lavatory (DTCL)

The 2-BILs were designed for long-distance semi-fast services on the newly electrified lines to Eastbourne, Portsmouth and Reading [1], later also being used on the Waterloo-Portsmouth route.

They had full-width bodies with a corridor and the aforementioned toilets [2] which were needed in both cars as there were no gangways between them [3]. The earliest were built with Metropolitan-Vickers power equipment with the rest built with English Electric.

The 2-BIL was a successful type and remained in service until 1971 with a number of sets receiving BR Blue livery [4]. A couple were also used as hauled coaching stock in surplus 4-SUB trailers as the 7-TC though it was not a true push-pull set [5]. One 2-BIL set has been preserved by the National Railway Museum.

Preserved 2090 at NRM Shildon

2067 at Farnham (K Davies Collection)

Another view of 2090

2034 in BR Blue, location unknown (K Davies Collection)

Cab side view of 2090

[1] Colin J Marden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 300
[2] David Brown, Southern Electric Vol 2 (Capital Transport, 2010) p. 104
[3] Alan Williams, Southern Electric Album (Ian Allan, 1977) p. 24
[4] Bruce Oliver, British Railway Southern Region Electrics in Colour (Ian Allan, 2008) p. 19
[5] Brown p. 112