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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.
Some slam-door train designs featured doors that could only be opened from the outside, so passengers had to lean out of the window to reach the outside door handle.
Slam-door trains had many more doors than newer trains (which tend to have only two sets of doors per coach); some designs featured a door for every individual seating bay. Some units had individual compartments, each with its own door and no access to any other part of the train; however, these were unpopular due to security concerns and the lack of access to toilets for longer journeys and many were later converted to standard corridor saloon design.
The term "slam-door" could also refer to locomotive-hauled railway coaches that did not have automatic doors, but this usage is less common. The term "slam-door train" generally applied to Mark 1 and Mark 2 DMUs and EMUs.
Slam-door EMU and DMU trains were commonplace ever since the introduction of electrification. While there were early examples of the type, which are beyond the scope of this example, they became commonplace on the Southern Railway in the 1930s when it electrified its main routes around the south of London at 750 V DC (third rail), in particular, the line to Brighton.
Slam-door diesel multiple units became common in the 1950s when British Railways (BR) sought to modernise its network and replace steam locomotives. Many one, two and three coach units were built for non-electrified lines all around the country, in particular, these were popular on branch lines where it was uneconomic to electrify. These units were later classified in the Class 101 – 129 series, dependent on the design.
Meanwhile, large new fleets of electric slam-door trains were being built for use around the country. AC units were built for the newly electrified routes out of London Liverpool Street to Southend-on-Sea, Colchester and Clacton; also for some routes around Manchester. These AC units were later classified as Class 302 through to Class 312, again dependent on the design. AC units for Glasgow, however (classes 303 and 311) had power operated sliding doors, as had the Class 306 on the Great Eastern.
In the Southern region, the early units were replaced in the 1950s and 1960s with new slam-door third-rail electric units, first of all the compartment commuter units 4-SUB and 4-EPB and later the much more comfortable longer distance trains which survived in use until the early years of the 21st century. These included the 4-CIG, 4-CEP and 4-VEPs; the former two being fairly similar while the latter was designed with more crowded seats and more doors to enable faster unloading and loading of passengers.
Finally, also on the Southern division, new slam-door diesel multiple units were introduced in the late 1950s, these were classified as Class 201 and similar and were affectionately named 'Thumpers' due to the distinctive noise made by the engines.
The slam-door trains have had a long and robust service life, but were gradually replaced by newer units with automatic doors. These newer units are safer as the doors have central locking. This has now been fitted to surviving public rail line units. In the past, the doors on slam-door trains could be opened at any time, even while the train was moving.
Sliding doors were first introduced on the London Underground in the 1920s, and by the 1930s, main line railway companies had already introduced a limited number of sliding door electric multiple unit classes, most notably the LMS and its Class 502 and Class 503 on Merseyside as early as 1938, and the LNER and its Class 306 on the Great Eastern Main Line and almost identical Class 506 on the Manchester to Glossop Line soon after World War II ended. The Scottish region saw its first main line sliding door trains in the 1960s with the introduction of the Class 303 and Class 311s.
But it wasn't until the advent of the experimental Class 445 "PEP" stock in 1972 and its production derivatives such as the Class 313 AC/DC EMUs in the late 1970s that saw the beginning of the end for the slam door trains. The very similar 1980s-vintage Class 455 trains around London displaced the 4-EPBs while introduction of the 5-WES Class 442 Wessex Electrics in 1988 and electrification of the line to Weymouth saw the end of yet more slam-door trains. At the same time, BR had introduced a new type of DMU, the Class 150 Sprinter. The final build of slam-door stock were the Class 312s in the mid-1970s. [1]
The development of a new generation of multiple units in the early 2000s enabled the now-privatised train operators to finally replace the slam-door trains (which were over 40 years old in some cases) with modern, new units. These included Alstom Coradia and Bombardier Turbostar DMUs and Bombardier Electrostar and Siemens Desiro EMUs.
Due to a number of high-profile accidents in the 1990s, the manually-locked slam doors were supplemented with electronic, driver- or guard-operated central locking before they were gradually phased out in favour of sliding doors through the 2000s, resulting in a sharp decline in the number of deaths per year from passengers falling from trains. [2] The last slam-door stock was withdrawn by South Eastern Trains in December 2005. [3]
Single-coach Class 121s were reintroduced by Arriva Trains Wales and Chiltern Railways to operate services from Cardiff Bay to Cardiff Queen Street and Aylesbury to Princes Risborough respectively. [4] [5] These were withdrawn in 2013 and 2017. [6] [7]
The last units were withdrawn from the mainline railway network in November 2005, and South West Trains ran slam-door trains on the Lymington branch line in Hampshire until 22 May 2010. [8] It had taken two '3-CIG' (Class 421) units and installed central locking and ran the service as a 'heritage line'.
South West Trains has also retained a complete 4-VEP (Class 423) unit which is in storage. Other examples of slam door trains are held by various museums and private groups, however there are no remaining examples of some types of the units, with the AC electric units having fared particularly badly. Slam-door electric trains are generally unattractive to preserved railways as they are unable to run under their own power while diesel units remain in service on many preserved railways around the UK.
Another problem is that many slam-door trains contain asbestos. This was removed from some when they were refurbished in the 1980s, but many slam-door trains were incinerated to destroy the asbestos. Those that remain have to be treated by anyone that wished to purchase them, which is a very expensive process that also damages the units.
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also generally classed as DMUs. Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel–mechanical DMMU, diesel–hydraulic DHMU, or diesel–electric DEMU.
The Siemens Desiro is a family of diesel or electric multiple unit passenger trains developed by Siemens Mobility, a division of the German Siemens AG conglomerate. The main variants are the Desiro Classic, Desiro ML, Desiro UK and the later Desiro City, Desiro HC and Desiro RUS. The trains are mostly used for commuter and regional services, and their rapid acceleration makes them suitable for services with short distances between stations. The design is flexible, and has become common in many European countries.
The British Rail Class 421 (4CIG) electric multiple units were built at BR's Holgate Road carriage works between 1964 and 1972. Units were built in two batches, and were initially introduced on services on the Brighton Main Line. Later units were introduced on services to Portsmouth. These units replaced older Southern Railway-designed units, such as the 5Bel "Brighton Belle" units, and 4Cor units. The fleet's lifespan was 46 years.
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 121 is a single-car double-ended diesel multiple unit. 16 driving motor vehicles were built from 1960, numbered 55020–55035. These were supplemented by ten single-ended trailer vehicles, numbered 56280–56289. They have a top speed of 70 mph, with slam-doors, and vacuum brakes. The driving motor vehicles were nicknamed "Bubble Cars" by some enthusiasts.
The British Rail Class 116 diesel multiple units were built by BR Derby from 1957 to 1961. Introduced as part of the British Railways Modernisation Plan in the mid 1950s, as with other first generation DMUs the 116 was intended to replace steam trains and reduce costs across the rail network. Alongside Metro-Cammell, BR Derby had prior experience with DMUs, having developed a Lightweight Unit, and so was awarded a contract for a new design.
The British Rail Class 127 diesel multiple units were built by BR Derby in 1959. Thirty 4-car units were built, formed of two outer driving motor vehicles, sandwiching two intermediate trailers which were classified class 186. The technical description of such as 4-car unit was DMBS + TSL + TS + DMBS.
The British Rail Class 201 six-car diesel-electric multiple units (DEMUs) were built in 1957–1958 at Eastleigh and underframes were built at Ashford.
The British Rail Class 432 (4-REP) electric multiple unit passenger trains were built by BR at York Works from 1966 to 1967 and in 1974. The units were built to power the TC trailer units on services on the South West Main Line. Fifteen four-car units were eventually built. The motor coaches were new build, but the trailers were converted from Mk1 hauled stock. They were initially classified as Class 441 and numbered 3001–3015. This was later changed to Class 430, under which they spent the majority of their working lives. Shortly before withdrawal they were reclassified Class 432 and the units were renumbered as 2001–2015. The fleet had a lifespan of 26 years.
British Rail Class 416 (2-EPB) was a class of third-rail electric multiple units in service between 1953 and 1995. They were intended for inner suburban passenger services on London's Southern Electric network. There were two subclasses of Class 416: Class 416/1 to an SR design on salvaged 2-NOL underframes, built between 1953 and 1956, and Class 416/2 based on a British Railways Mark 1 coach design.
An electric multiple unit (EMU) is an electric train capable of operating in multiple with other EMUs that does not have a separate locomotive, 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 such as the Advanced Passenger Train that was a permanent formation with a non-driving power car. As of December 2010 two-thirds of the passenger carriages in Britain are formed in EMUs.
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 125 was a design of three car Diesel Multiple Unit built by BR Derby at Derby Works in 1958. They were almost identical in appearance to the Class 116.
The British Rail Class 378 Capitalstar is an electric multiple unit passenger train specifically designed for the London Overground network. It is part of Bombardier Transportation's Electrostar family. A total of 57 five-car trains have been built – most of which were originally built as three- or four-car units.
The British Rail Class 172 is a British diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger train from the Turbostar family, built by Bombardier Transportation's Derby Litchurch Lane Works for use on inner-suburban passenger services. The class is currently operated by West Midlands Railway.
The Networker is a family of passenger trains which operate on the UK railway system. They were built in the late 1980s and early 1990s by British Rail Engineering Limited and Metro Cammell. The trains were built for the Network SouthEast (NSE) sector of British Rail, which is where their name comes from. They are all multiple-unit trains.
Network SouthEast (NSE), the sector of British Rail which ran passenger services in London and southeast England between 1986 and 1994, operated a wide variety of rolling stock during its existence. The majority of the network was electrified, and further electrification schemes took place during the 1986–1994 period; and the 7,000 vehicles owned by NSE in 1986 consisted of a mixture of electric, diesel-electric and diesel multiple units, diesel locomotives and the coaches they hauled.
The British Rail Class 331 Civity is a class of electric multiple unit built by CAF, owned by Eversholt Rail Group, and currently operated by Northern Trains. A total of 43 units have been built – 31 three-car units and 12 four-car units. Construction of the trains started in July 2017 and they were phased into service from 1 July 2019.
The British Rail Class 195 is a class of diesel multiple-unit passenger train from the Civity family manufactured by CAF, owned by Eversholt Rail Group and currently operated by Northern Trains. A total of 58 units have been built; 25 two-car units and 33 three-car units. The class is almost identical to the Class 331 also produced by CAF, which is the electric version of the Class 195, differing only in traction type and vehicle formation.
The British Rail Class 769 Flex is a type of bi-mode multiple unit (BMU) and tri-mode multiple unit (TMU) converted by Brush Traction, and running in service with Transport for Wales Rail and 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.