British Rail Class 304
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| British Rail Class 304 | |
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 A Class 304 EMU seen at Altrincham railway station |
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| In service | 1959 - 1996 |
| Manufacturer | BR Wolverton |
| Refurbishment | 1980 |
| Formation | 4 cars per trainset |
| Operator | British Rail |
| Specifications | |
| Maximum speed | 75mph 121km/k |
| Weight | Total - 151tons 17cwt |
| Braking system | Air (EP/Auto) |
The British Rail Class 304 electric multiple units were built for suburban use on the first phases of the West Coast Main Line electrification between Crewe and Manchester/Liverpool/Rugby. commissioned by British Rail in England. Originally classed as AM4 they later became Class 304 under the TOPS numbering system, and could be found in operation over most of the southern West Coast Main Line. The units conformed to the 1959-design for AC multiple units, and were externally very similar to the class 305, 308 and the 1200V DC class 504. No units survived preservation; All units were eventually scrapped.
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[edit] Description
The first fifteen units were delivered to Longsight Depot, Manchester from April 1960 as four-car sets. Their original number series was 001-015. Built by BR's Wolverton Works, these units were an aesthetic improvement over the type AM2 (Class 302) previously built at York and Doncaster; they featured a new design cab end with a raked back upper area, following a Design Panel recommendation, and emerged in Multiple Unit Green livery, lined out with yellow. The units followed the two-car 1200V DC Class 504 off the production line at Wolverton, a class which shared many design features with the first AM4s. The units were arranged into four-car sets, consisting of: a Driving Trailer Brake Open vehicle with 82 second class seats (saloon) and a Guard's compartment; a Trailer Composite with 19 first (compartment) and 60 second class seats (saloon), and two toilets; a Motor Brake with 96 second class seats (compartment) and a Guard's compartment; a Driving Trailer with 82 second class seats (saloon), two toilets, and battery equipment. One result of the Motor Brake vehicle being of compartment design was that the window layout on all vehicles was designed to suit, having a narrow window either side of each door. The units were tested on the Styal line prior to the start of electric services between Crewe and Manchester.
A further twenty units followed in 1961 to a slightly different design. Intended for the Crewe-Liverpool service, these units, numbered 016-035, differed from the first batch by having a different body design with wide saloon windows replacing the compartment-style narrow windows. The Motor Brake vehicles accordingly had a different internal layout, now with 72 second class seats in saloon layout. This improved layout was adopted for the final batch of AM4s, as well as later batches of AM5 (305) and AM8 (308). Some of this second batch were loaned temporarily to the Eastern Region for use between Liverpool Street and Shenfield / Southend during the conversion of this route from 1500V DC to 6.25kV / 25kV AC, while Classes 306 and 307 were being rebuilt.
The third and final batch of AM4 was another ten units, more-or-less identical to the second batch, intended for use on the Crewe-Rugby section. These were numbered 036-045.
Surprisingly, the AM4s were the only AC units of the 1959 design to wear the lined-out version of Multiple Unit Green livery, with Classes 305 and 308 emerging in comparatively drab plain green. This pleasant appearance was lost, however, when repainted into all-over Rail Blue. The units spent their whole careers operating between Crewe and Manchester / Liverpool / Birmingham / Rugby / Northampton. Wanderers occasionally reached Euston or Preston, but these were rare events.
[edit] Refurbishment
In the early 1980s, a refurbishment programme was carried out on the units. This included the removal and scrapping of the Trailer Composite vehicles, reducing the units to three-car formation, and the conversion of the Motor Brake vehicles of the first batch (Class 304/1) to saloon layout, reducing seating capacity to 72. Unlike other EMU refurbishment programmes, though, the work carried out on Class 304 did not include the fitting of inter-vehicle gangways, or the complete replacement of internal fittings. This meant that original 1960s seats and trim remained in most vehicles, retaining something of their original character. The units were also repainted into blue and grey livery. The loss of one vehicle meant that the power/weight ratio increased, thereby improving performance.
[edit] Decline
In the eighties the units gradually received the '304' prefix to their unit numbers, and by 1992 several later series units had even received Regional Railways livery. By this time, however, more recently refurbished Class 305s had become available, displaced from the London Tilbury and Southend route by Class 317s, and with the imminent arrival of brand new Class 323s, the Class 304s began to be withdrawn. The end came in March 1996 when 304002 and 304033 ran a series of farewell specials in Birmingham. Known amongst enthusiasts as "Dinosaurs", due to their advancing age, Class 304s followed their namesakes to extinction.
[edit] Preservation Attempts
304021 was purchased for preservation in 1998 and was stored in sidings in Stafford. During this time many windows were smashed, the cost of replacing which, the decision was taken to be too expensive to replace. Finding a home on a preserved railway for EMU coaching stock can be hard, hence the long storage, and so It became the last of its class to be scrapped in November 2000.
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