British Rail Class 460

Last updated

British Rail Class 460
Juniper
Hugh Llewelyn (460 0) 06 (6390145959) adjusted.jpg
Class 460 at Clapham Junction in June 2008, showing the DMLFO vehicle's luggage compartment
460002 Standard Class Interior.jpg
Standard-class interior of a Class 460 unit
In service2000–2012
Manufacturer Alstom
Built at Washwood Heath, Birmingham
Family name Coradia Juniper
Replaced
Constructed1999–2001
Number built8
Number preserved
Successor Class 442
Formation
  • 8 cars per unit:
  • DMLFO-TFO-TCO-MSO-MSO-TSO-MSO-DMSO
Design code 8-GAT [1]
Fleet numbers460001–460008
Capacity366 seats [2]
Owners Porterbrook
Operators Gatwick Express
Depots Stewarts Lane (London)
Specifications
Car body construction Steel [3]
Car length
  • DMxO: 21.05 m (69 ft 1 in) [note 1]
  • Others: 19.94 m (65 ft 5 in)
Width2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
Height3.77 m (12 ft 4 in)
DoorsDual-leaf sliding plug
Maximum speed100 mph (161 km/h)
Traction motors 10 × Alstom T3517 three-phase AC [3]
(2 per motor car)
Power output2,704 kW (3,626 hp) [3]
Electric system(s) 750 V DC   third rail
Current collector(s) Contact shoe
Bogies Alstom ACR [3]
Safety system(s)
Coupling system
Multiple working Not fitted
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The British Rail Class 460 Juniper (8-GAT) was a class of electric multiple-unit passenger trains built by Alstom at Washwood Heath between 1999 and 2001. They were part of Alstom's Coradia Juniper family, which also includes Classes 334 and 458.

Contents

For the entirety of their service life they operated Gatwick Express services between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport. Following their withdrawal by Gatwick Express in 2012, the fleet was merged with the mechanically similar Class 458 fleet and extensively rebuilt to form a fleet of 36 units—designated Class 458/5—that are now used by South Western Railway.

History

A Class 460 in 2008 Hugh llewelyn (460 0) 04 (6390134977) adjusted.jpg
A Class 460 in 2008
The first-class interior of a Class 460 unit 460 First Class Interior (adjusted).jpg
The first-class interior of a Class 460 unit

National Express (NX) began operating the Gatwick Express franchise in April 1996, having been awarded a 15-year contract to do so by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising as part of the privatisation of British Rail. The company was required as part of the award to replace the existing Gatwick Express rolling stock, which had already been in service for more than 12 years when National Express had inherited it from British Rail. [2] Accordingly, NX and rolling stock lessor Porterbrook placed an order with Alstom for the construction and delivery of eight eight-car units, enough to run services at 15-minute intervals at peak times. [2] [5]

All eight units, numbered 460001–460008, were manufactured at the former Metro-Cammell works at Washwood Heath in Birmingham, which Alstom had acquired in 1989. Each unit was formed of two motor cars with driver's cabs, three intermediate motor cars, and three intermediate trailer cars. One driving car, coded DMLFO and usually kept at the London end of the train, consisted of a large luggage compartment and a small section of first-class seating, while the other driving car was fitted with standard-class seating throughout. [5] [6] The fibreglass nosecones—which earned the class the nickname Darth Vaders among some rail enthusiasts—concealed the anti-climbers and an emergency coupler. [7] One bogie on each motor car was fitted with traction motors.

Delivery of the new units began in 2000, but their entry into service was delayed by a number of defects –particularly concerning the braking systems, air-conditioning, and Train Management System (TMS) software. Only after an extensive program of repairs and modifications by Alstom did the fleet's reliability reach a level sufficient to allow full withdrawal of the ex-BR stock in 2005. [2]

On 22 June 2008 the lease for the Class 460 fleet was transferred to Southern when the standalone Gatwick Express franchise was merged into the Southern-operated South Central franchise, as part of a plan to use Gatwick Express services to provide extra capacity on the Brighton Main Line south of Gatwick Airport. [8] [9] Because the Class 460 fleet was too small to support both the extension to Brighton and the existing 15-minute frequency, Southern leased and refurbished a number of Class 442 units to work alongside the Junipers when the extended timetable took effect in December 2008. [10]

Following the June 2009 renewal of their contract to operate the South Central franchise, Southern leased and refurbished the remainder of the Class 442 fleet for use on Gatwick Express services. [11] This enabled the gradual withdrawal of the Class 460 fleet, which began in 2010 and was completed by September 2012. [7] [12]

Conversion to Class 458/5

South West Trains, operators of the South Western franchise from 1996 to 2017, had been experiencing a considerable shortage of passenger capacity on many of its suburban routes in the years immediately prior to 2012, which it attributed primarily to the fact that passenger numbers had increased dramatically without a corresponding increase in the size of their fleet. [7] The company had suggested to the Department for Transport on at least three occasions that their fleet of Class 450 units should be enlarged, but had been turned down each time. [13]

Rolling stock lessors Porterbrook, owners of the Class 460 fleet, also owned the Class 458/0 fleet of Alstom Juniper units that had been in use with South West Trains since February 2000. As an alternative to ordering new trains for SWT, Porterbrook proposed to enlarge the Class 458 fleet and reconfigure it for suburban services by using vehicles from the now-redundant Class 460 fleet. [7] [14] The process, budgeted at £42 million, would use 30 of the 48 Class 460 intermediate cars to extend each of the original 30 Class 458 units to five cars each, leaving six Class 460 units that had been reduced to five cars each. These would be comprehensively rebuilt to match the extended Class 458 units, for a total fleet of 36 five-car units that would be designated Class 458/5. [15] [16] The units of this "new" fleet would be used—either individually or in pairs of ten cars—to provide extra peak-time capacity on suburban services to and from London Waterloo. [17] [18]

The Department for Transport announced in December 2011 that it had accepted the proposal, [7] and an agreement between Porterbrook and South West Trains was signed in January 2012. [19] SWT's fleet director noted that while the project was "much more complicated ... than buying new trains", it was also "significantly cheaper", and industry observers suggested that Porterbrook also benefited significantly in that it wasn't left with the burden of having to find a new user for, or scrapping, the Class 460 fleet. [7] [13]

The primary contract for delivering the project was awarded to Alstom, who appointed Wabtec to perform the conversion work on their behalf. [7] In the first phase of the project, all 48 Class 460 intermediate vehicles were sent to Wabtec's Doncaster Works to be rebuilt and refitted. Various items of electrical and mechanical equipment such as compressors and traction motors were rearranged as required depending on whether the vehicle was one of the 30 to be inserted into original Class 458 units, or one of the 18 that would remain in the six Class 460 formations. [20]

At the same time, 12 of the 16 driving vehicles from the Class 460 fleet (all eight DMSOs and four of the eight DMLFOs) were rebuilt by Wabtec subsidiary Brush Traction at their workshops in Loughborough, where their original driver's cabs were replaced with newly-fabricated versions that included gangways and Voith automatic couplers of the same types used on Class 444 and 450 units. [7] [20] [21] The four selected DMLFO vehicles had their luggage compartments converted to additional passenger saloon space, and their roller-shutter external doors were replaced with power-operated plug doors taken from the other four DMLFO vehicles. [22]

Two Class 458/5 units soon after being rebuilt. The continuous window band along the vehicle's side only appears on former Class 460 vehicles - original Class 458 vehicles have windows separated by bodywork. South West Trains 458531 + 45853x, Clapham Junction (15464909774) crop.jpg
Two Class 458/5 units soon after being rebuilt. The continuous window band along the vehicle's side only appears on former Class 460 vehicles –original Class 458 vehicles have windows separated by bodywork.

Additional modifications included re-gearing the traction motors to reduce the train's maximum speed from 100 mph (161 km/h) to 75 mph (121 km/h), both to reduce the likelihood of overheating when making frequent stops and starts, and because the higher speed was unnecessary on suburban services in any case. [13] New Train Management System (TMS) software was developed to be compatible across the entire Class 458/5 fleet, simplifying maintenance and improving reliability. [7] An Automatic Selective Door Opening (ASDO) system was installed for use at a small number of stations where it was impractical to lengthen platforms. [16] The vehicle interiors were refurbished and reconfigured as standard-class only, with 4-abreast seating and a wider aisle throughout. [7] [16] The units were also repainted into SWT's blue livery, matching the Class 450 fleet.

SWT expected to receive the first two converted Class 460 units in May 2013—in time for them to enter service the following November—but due to delays in production the initial delivery didn't take place until October. [21] [22] Following testing and staff training, entry into passenger service was achieved in March 2014. [14] [18] Once the first four ex-460 units had been delivered and accepted for service, SWT were able to start sending original Class 458/0 units for rebuilding. [20] These units received the same modifications as the Class 460 conversions, leaving SWT and Porterbrook with a single mechanically-homogenous Class 458/5 fleet.

Following the conclusion of the conversion project the four Class 460 DMLFO vehicles that had not been rebuilt were stripped for spare parts and later scrapped. [23]

Fleet details

ClassOperatorNo. BuiltYear BuiltCars per SetUnit nos.
460Converted to 458/581999–20018460001–460008

Illustration

Gatwick Express Class 460 Flipped Corrected.png
Illustration of a Class 460 unit

Notes

  1. ↑ Excluding nose cone. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gatwick Express</span> British high-frequency rail passenger service

Gatwick Express is an express rail passenger service between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath and Brighton in South East England. It is the brand name used by the Govia Thameslink Railway train operating company on the Gatwick Express route of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South West Trains</span> Former Stagecoach-owned English train operator

Stagecoach South Western Trains Limited, trading as South West Trains (SWT), was an English train operating company owned by Stagecoach, which operated the South Western franchise between February 1996 and August 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 489</span>

The British Rail Class 489 (GLV) is a type of electric multiple unit, specially converted for use on Gatwick Express trains, from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 423</span> Class of British electric multiple units

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 159</span> British DMU operated by South Western Railway

The British Rail Class 159 is a class of British diesel multiple unit passenger trains of the Sprinter family, built in 1989–1992 by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL)'s Derby Litchurch Lane Works as Class 158. Before entering traffic, the original 22 units were modified at Rosyth Dockyard to Class 159 to operate services from London Waterloo to Salisbury and Exeter St Davids, replacing various locomotive-hauled passenger trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 456</span> British electric multiple-unit passenger train

The British Rail Class 456 was an electric multiple unit passenger train introduced by Network SouthEast on inner-suburban services in South London to replace the elderly Class 416 2EPB units. Twenty-four two-car units were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's York Carriage Works in 1990 and 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 458</span> Class of British electric multiple-unit trains

The British Rail Class 458 Juniper is a class of electric multiple-unit passenger trains of the Alstom Coradia Juniper family, built at Washwood Heath between 1998 and 2002 for South West Trains. The order for the original fleet of 30 four-car trains was placed in 1997, and delivery of the first unit followed in October 1998. The fleet entered passenger service between 2000 and 2003 and is maintained at Bournemouth depot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 450</span> British electric passenger train

The British Rail Class 450 Desiro is a type of third-rail DC electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train that entered service during 2003. Used for outer-suburban services, the units were built with both first- and standard-class accommodation. They have a maximum speed of 100 mph (160 km/h).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 442</span> British Electric passenger trains

The British Rail Class 442 (5-WES) Wessex Electrics were electric multiple unit passenger trains introduced in 1988 by Network SouthEast on the South West Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth to coincide with the electrification of the line from Bournemouth. Twenty-four five-car units were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's Derby Litchurch Lane Works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 323</span> British electric passenger trains

The British Rail Class 323 is a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train built by Hunslet Transportation Projects and Holec. All 43 units were built from 1992 through to 1995, although mockups and prototypes were built and tested in 1990 and 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 444</span> British electric passenger train

The British Rail Class 444 Desiro is an electric multiple-unit passenger train built by Siemens Transportation Systems in Austria between 2002 and 2004. The Class 444 currently operate on express passenger services for South Western Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 321</span> British electric multiple unit

The British Rail Class 321 is a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train built by British Rail Engineering Limited's York Carriage Works in three batches between 1988 and 1991 for Network SouthEast and Regional Railways. The class uses alternating current (AC) overhead electrification. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 466</span> British Electric passenger trains

The British Rail Class 466 Networker is a fleet of 43 electric multiple units that were built by Metro-Cammell in 1993 and 1994. The units are currently operated by Southeastern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 455</span> Electric multiple-unit passenger train built by BREL York between 1982 and 1985

The British Rail Class 455 is an electric multiple unit passenger train built by BREL between 1982 and 1985. It is operated on suburban services in Greater London and Surrey by South Western Railway, as well as formerly by Southern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 334</span> British suburban electric multiple-unit passenger train

The British Rail Class 334 Coradia Juniper is a suburban electric multiple unit passenger train built by Alstom in Birmingham. They are part of Alstom's Coradia Juniper family of trains, along with Classes 458 and 460.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British electric multiple units</span> British self-powered electric trains

An electric multiple unit (EMU) is an electric self-powered train, capable of operating in multiple with other EMUs and without the need for a locomotive; these are typically passenger trains with accommodation in every vehicle and a driving position at each end. The term can also be used to describe a train that is a permanent formation with a non-driving power car, such as the Advanced Passenger Train. As of December 2010, two-thirds of the passenger carriages in Great Britain are formed in EMUs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alstom Coradia Juniper</span> Series of British electric trains manufactured by Alstom

The Alstom Coradia Juniper series is a family of electric multiple unit trains built by Alstom Transport Birmingham for use on the railway network in Great Britain. The family is related to the Coradia 1000 series of diesel multiple units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 769</span> Multi-mode multiple unit train

The British Rail Class 769 Flex is a class of bi-mode multiple unit (BMU) converted by Brush Traction, and running in service with Northern Trains. The train is a conversion of the existing Class 319 electric multiple unit (EMU), a conventional unit type which had become surplus to requirements during the 2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 701</span> British electric passenger train

The British Rail Class 701 Arterio is a class of electric multiple unit passenger train built by Bombardier Transportation at Derby Litchurch Lane Works. Built on the Aventra platform, they are operated by South Western Railway, and operate some services between Waterloo and Windsor. In the future the trains are planned to operate services on the Reading, Windsor and South West London suburban lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 768</span> British electro-diesel cargo train

The British Rail Class 768 is a class of bi-mode multiple unit being converted from Class 319 passenger trains by Brush Traction and Wabtec to carry parcels.

References

  1. ↑ "Alstom 'Juniper' Platform". Modern Locomotives Illustrated . No. 223. February 2016. pp. 49–59.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Project > Gatwick Express". Railway Technology. 21 November 2001. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Marsden, C. J. (2007). Traction Recognition . Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 236–237. ISBN   978-0-7110-3277-4. OCLC   230804946. OL   16902750M.
  4. ↑ System Data for Mechanical and Electrical Coupling of Rail Vehicles in support of GM/RT2190 (PDF). London: Rail Safety and Standards Board. 22 June 2011. p. 4. SD001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Class 460 "Gatwick Express". sremg.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. ↑ "Other Juniper EMUs". Southern Electric Group. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Unwanted, unreliable – but these trains are the answer". Railnews. 20 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "Gatwick Express service to remain". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 April 2007. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  9. ↑ "Agreement to Amend the Gatwick Express and Southern Franchises". Go-Ahead Group. 19 June 2007. Archived from the original on 23 November 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  10. ↑ "Gatwick service benefits Brighton". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 14 December 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  11. ↑ "Retention of South Central Franchise". Go-Ahead Group. 9 June 2009. Archived from the original on 24 October 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  12. ↑ Foster, Stefanie (18 November 2014). "'Catch the train and you've caught the plane'". Rail Magazine . Bauer Consumer Media Ltd. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 Ashley, Kate (1 July 2013). "Making the best use of rolling stock". Rail Technology Magazine. Cognitive Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  14. 1 2 Clinnick, Richard (25 January 2012). "Class 460 driving vehicles made redundant". Rail Magazine. Peterborough. p. 28.
  15. ↑ "'A first of a kind engineering project' – SWT's new Class 458-5s". Rail Technology Magazine. Cognitive Publishing Ltd. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 Walmsley, Ian (February 2012). "Junipers United: Darth Vader goes suburban". Modern Railways. London. p. 40.
  17. ↑ "£42m for longer Waterloo trains". Rail Magazine. Peterborough. 11 January 2012. p. 7.
  18. 1 2 "London commuters to benefit from longer peak time trains" (Press release). South West Trains. 23 December 2011. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  19. ↑ "Porterbrook signs agreement for the future of Class 458s" (Press release). Porterbrook. 3 January 2012. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012.
  20. 1 2 3 Wordsworth, Nigel (15 May 2013). "Transforming 460s". Rail Engineer. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  21. 1 2 "South West Trains prepares to introduce longer trains". Railway Gazette International. London. 23 October 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
  22. 1 2 "Improving Your Railway – Longer Trains". South West Trains. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  23. ↑ "Redundant Class 460s moved to Booths for scrapping". Rail Magazine. No. 7 May 2016. p. 27. Retrieved 30 January 2022.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.