British Rail Class 311 | |
---|---|
In service | 1967–1990 [1] |
Manufacturer | Cravens [1] |
Order no. |
|
Built at | Sheffield |
Family name | BR First Generation (Mark 1) |
Constructed | 1966–67 [2] |
Entered service | 1967 |
Number built | 19 |
Number preserved | 1 |
Number scrapped | 18 |
Successor | Class 320 |
Formation |
|
Diagram |
|
Design code | AM11 |
Fleet numbers |
|
Capacity | |
Operators | British Rail |
Depots | Glasgow Shields Road [2] |
Specifications | |
Car body construction | Steel [3] |
Train length | 199 ft 6 in (60.81 m) [4] |
Car length |
|
Width | 9 ft 3 in (2.819 m) [3] |
Height | 12 ft 8 in (3.861 m) [3] |
Doors | Double sliding leaf, pneumatic |
Wheelbase | 46 ft 6 in (14.173 m) [3] |
Maximum speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) [3] |
Weight |
|
Traction motors | 4 × AEI 221 hp (165 kW) [2] |
Power output | 890 hp (660 kW) |
HVAC | Electric [3] |
Electric system(s) | 25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE |
Current collector(s) | Pantograph |
UIC classification | 2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′ |
Bogies |
|
Braking system(s) | Air (Auto/EP) [4] |
Safety system(s) | AWS [3] |
Coupling system | Buckeye [4] |
Multiple working | Within class, and Class 303 [4] |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The British Rail Class 311 alternating current (AC) electric multiple units (EMU) were built by Cravens at Sheffield from 1966 to 1967. They were intended for use on the line from Glasgow Central to Gourock and Wemyss Bay, which was electrified in 1967.
Outwardly, the units were virtually identical to the earlier Class 303 units built in 1960. The interiors were also very similar, including the panoramic full forward passenger view through the glass-walled driving cabs, although the Class 311 had fluorescent lighting instead of the tungsten filament bulbs used on the Class 303. The Class 303 units had been built by the Pressed Steel Company at their factory in Linwood, Paisley, but by the time the Class 311 was required, Pressed Steel no longer built railway carriages, so Cravens of Sheffield worked from the same original drawings, updated at a few points, to build the new trains.
Along with the Class 303, the wrap-around driving cab windows were replaced with flat, toughened glass in the 1970s to give better protection to drivers in the event of attacks by stone-throwing vandals.
19 units were built, initially classified as AM11 units, and numbered 092-110, the numbers following on from the Class 303. [5] This was later changed to Class 311 under the TOPS system, and the units were renumbered 311092-110. Each unit was formed of three carriages; two outer driving trailers and an intermediate motor coach. The technical description of the formation was BDTSO+MBSO+DTSO. Individual carriages were numbered as follows: [6]
The units were built to operate services on the newly electrified routes from Glasgow Central to Gourock and to Wemyss Bay; now known as the Inverclyde Line.
In practice, the Class 311 operated almost interchangeably with the Class 303 and could be found in service across the Glasgow electrified suburban network.
Consideration was given to upgrading 11 of the units for use on the newly electrified Ayrshire Coast Line, but it was found to be cheaper to buy new units in the form of the Class 318 and the plan was cancelled.
Being a much smaller and unrefurbished fleet, the Class 311 was withdrawn much earlier than the Class 303, being replaced by the new Class 320 in 1990.[ citation needed ]
After being withdrawn from normal traffic, two units, 311103/104 were transferred to departmental duties as Class 936 sandite units, numbered 936103/104. These lasted in service until 1999, when they were withdrawn. They were not immediately scrapped as Railtrack was anxious to ensure that one of the units was preserved.[ citation needed ] In 2002, Railtrack donated one of the units to the Summerlee Heritage Park museum in Coatbridge, and the other was scrapped in 2003.
One of the driving coaches on the unit donated to Summerlee was scrapped in 2006.
This unit was the former Class 936 sandite unit 936103, formed of 977844+977845+977846.
In February 2017, work finally started on restoring the unit to its original condition.[ citation needed ]
The British Rail Class 207 (3D) diesel-electric multiple units were built by BR at Eastleigh in 1962. The fleet had a lifespan of 42 years. The Southern Region class 201 to 207 DEMUs are nicknamed 'Thumpers' due to the distinctive sound of their engines.
The British Rail Class 423, electric multiple unit passenger trains were mostly built by British Rail (BR) at York Works from 1967 to 1974, although the MBSOs and TSOs of the first 20, 7701-7720, were built at Derby Works. They have manually opening doors next to every seating row and were the last coaching stock built in this pattern for BR. They were mostly found working outer-suburban services in South London and rural services in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire, up to 2005 when they were finally replaced by Electrostar and Desiro units. The fleet had a working life of 38 years.
The British Rail Class 308 alternating current (AC) electric multiple units (EMU) were built by British Railways' Holgate Road carriage works in three batches between 1959 and 1961. They were initially classified as AM8 units before the introduction of TOPS.
The British Rail Class 419 Motor Luggage Vans were battery electric multiple unit cars built from 1959-61 by BR at Eastleigh Works.
The British Rail Class 307 electric multiple units were built by BR at Eastleigh Works from 1954 to 1956. They were initially classified as AM7 before the introduction of TOPS.
The British RailClass 303 electric multiple units, also known as "Blue Train" units, were introduced in 1960 for the electrification of the North Clyde and the Cathcart Circle lines in Strathclyde. They were initially classified as AM3 units before the introduction of the TOPS classification system, and were the dominant EMU on the Glasgow suburban railway network for over 25 years before being progressively phased out by newer rolling stock. The final units were withdrawn from service in 2002. The fleet's lifespan was 42 years.
The Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow Central station through Paisley and a series of stations to the south of the River Clyde and the Firth of Clyde, terminating at Gourock and Wemyss Bay, where it connects to Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services. The line has been in operation since the 1840s between Glasgow and Greenock and was the first passenger service to follow the River Clyde to the coast. The line was electrified in 1967.
The British Rail Class 320 is an electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train found on the Strathclyde rail network in Central Scotland. They are mainly used on the North Clyde Line and the Argyle Line, but they can also be seen on Glasgow Central to Lanark, Cathcart Circle, Paisley Canal Line and Inverclyde Line services. The Class 320 uses alternating current (AC) overhead electrification.
The British Rail Class 504 was a unique type of electric multiple unit that ran on 1,200 V DC third rail with side-contact current collection. All other mainline UK third rails have the electric "shoe" on top of the rail. The type was used only on the Bury Line between Manchester and Bury. They were built in 1959 at Wolverton Works, and the body was a standard type used for several electrification schemes of the time, but the high DC voltage through a side-contact third rail was unique in Britain. The trains replaced the previous five-car units built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) for the route, which had inaugurated this electrification scheme in 1916.
The British Rail Class 318 is an electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train which operates in west central Scotland. The units were introduced on 29 September 1986 as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast Line between Glasgow Central and Ayr/Ardrossan with alternating current (AC) overhead lines. Their use was extended to Largs in January 1987. They were also used on the Inverclyde Line in small numbers. The trains currently operate Argyle Line, Cathcart Circle Line, North Clyde Line, Whifflet Line, Paisley Canal Line and Inverclyde Line services. Following the withdrawal of the Class 314 fleet in 2019, these units are the oldest working EMUs in Scotland, having been in revenue-earning service for more than 38 years.
Paisley Gilmour Street railway station is the largest of the four stations serving the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, and acts as the town's principal railway station and also serves Glasgow Airport with easy walking and cycling access as well as a bus service from the station to the terminal. The station is managed by ScotRail and serves the Ayrshire Coast Line and Inverclyde Line, 7+1⁄4 miles (11.7 km) west of Glasgow Central. The station is protected as a category B listed building.
The British Rail Class 501 electric multiple units were built in 1955/56 for use on the former LNWR/LMS suburban electric network of the London Midland Region. A total of 57 three-car units were built.
The British Rail Class 306 was a fleet of electric multiple unit (EMU) trains introduced in 1949. It consisted of 92 three-car trains which were used on the Great Eastern Main Line between Shenfield and London Liverpool Street.
British Rail Class 503 passenger trains were 65 mph (105 km/h) electric multiple units. They were introduced in two batches: the first were in 1938, by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), with a further batch in 1956 by the then nationalised British Railways (BR). When introduced by the LMS, they were known officially as Class AM3. They were designed for, and operated on, the Wirral & Mersey lines from Liverpool to West Kirby, New Brighton and Rock Ferry. There were few places on their network of closely-spaced stations to attain their maximum speed, except for the open section between Moreton and Meols. All but one set were withdrawn and scrapped by 1985. The final set was used on special Merseyrail services until 1988; it was preserved and kept at the Electric Railway Museum near Coventry, until it moved on to the Locomotive Storage Ltd warehouse at Margate.
The British Rail Class 302 was a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) introduced between 1958 and 1960 for outer suburban passenger services on the London, Tilbury and Southend line. This class of multiple unit was constructed using the Mark 1 bodyshell with slam-doors.
The British Rail Class 305 was an alternating current (AC) electric multiple unit (EMU). Under the pre-1973 British Rail numbering system, the class was known as AM5; when TOPS was introduced, it became Class 305.
The British Rail Class 502 was a type of electric multiple-unit passenger train, originally built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at its Derby Works. Introduced in 1940 and withdrawn by 1980, they spent the whole of their working lives on the electrified railway lines north of Liverpool.
Easterhouse railway station serves the Easterhouse area of Glasgow, Scotland. It was built by the North British Railway as part of their Coatbridge Branch and opened when the branch opened on 1 February 1871. The station is 5¾ miles (9 km) east of Glasgow Queen Street railway station on the North Clyde Line and is managed by ScotRail.
The British Rail Class 124 diesel multiple units were built by BR Swindon Works in 1960.
A slam-door train or slammer is a set of diesel multiple units (DMUs) or electric multiple units (EMUs) that were designed before the introduction of automatic doors on railway carriages in the United Kingdom and other countries, which feature manually operated doors. The name came about because of the characteristic noise made by the passengers slamming the doors closed when the train was about to depart.
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