British Rail Class 455
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| British Rail Class 455 | |
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 455842 at Beckenham Junction |
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| In service | 1982-Current |
| Manufacturer | BREL |
| Number built | 137 trainsets |
| Formation | 4 cars per trainset |
| Operator | South West Trains Southern |
| Specifications | |
| Maximum speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) |
| Weight | DTSO - 29.5 tonnes |
| Braking system | Air (Westcode) |
The British Rail Class 455 is a type of electric multiple unit drawing power from a 750 V DC third rail. Built by BREL at York works in the early and mid-1980s, they were initially categorised as Class 510 as the successor to the Class 508. They are used on suburban services in South London, by South West Trains and Southern.
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[edit] Description
There were three batches of Class 455 units, all consisting of 4 cars: driving carriages at each end, an intermediate trailer vehicle and an intermediate motorised vehicle, all with standard class (i.e. 2nd class) 3+2 seating. (Technically, they are formed DTSO+MSO+TSO+DTSO.) They have the same bodyshell as the Class 317 and Class 318, but as they were designed for inner suburban services they do not feature first class seating or toilet facilities and are restricted to 75 mph. Like the Class 317/318, as well as the diesel Class 150, they are based on British Rail's Mark 3 coaches, with a steel construction, unlike the earlier PEP-based Class 313s, 314s, 315s, 507s and 508s which had an aluminium alloy body.
[edit] Class 455/8
The first batch, now classified as Class 455/8, were built 1982-84. These include all 46 Southern units (allocated to Selhurst depot) and 28 allocated to South West Trains (at Wimbledon depot).
[edit] Class 455/7
The second batch, now classified as Class 455/7, were built 1984-85. There are 43 4-car units, all allocated to South West Trains at Wimbledon depot. They differ from the 455/8s in having a revised front end (air horns relocated next to the coupler and revised headlamp clusters) that was later used on the Class 317/2 and Class 318.
The 455/7s are easily distinguished from 455/8s as each TSO car is taken from a Class 508. The Class 508s that were transfered to Merseyrail were originally 4 carriage trains, but were reduced to only 3 cars when transferred. Therefor to cut production costs, the Class 455/7s built between 1984-85 used the existing surplus TSOs from the Class 508s instead having expensive newly constructed TSOs built for them. These cars have a lower roofline and wider body sides, in common with the Class 313 / 314 / 315 / 507 units.
[edit] Class 455/9
The final batch, now classified as Class 455/9, were built in 1985. These 20 units are all allocated to South West Trains at Wimbledon depot. These are similar to the 455/7s, except that they had new-build TSOs, however one unit, 455912, has a TSO formerly part of the prototype Class 210 DEMU (which also had the same bodyshell).
[edit] Current operations
[edit] South West Trains
The South West Trains units are used on most of their inner suburban services from London Waterloo, including:
- Waterloo-Dorking
- Waterloo-Chessington South
- Waterloo-Guildford, via Epsom or Cobham
- Waterloo-Woking
- Waterloo-Hampton Court
- Waterloo-Shepperton
- Strawberry Hill Loop Line
- Waterloo-Windsor and Eton Riverside
Trains can be used as 4-car unit sets, but two units are usually coupled together to form 8-car trains.
Refurbished Class 455s had also started making appearances on Waterloo-Reading services, working in unison with Class 458s and Class 450s.
[edit] Southern
Southern Class 455 units are also used on inner and outer suburban services, from London Victoria and London Bridge. They appear on routes including:
- Caterham Line
- Tattenham Corner Line
- Sutton & Mole Valley Line to Horsham and Epsom Downs
- London Bridge to East Croydon and West Croydon via Sydenham
- London Victoria and London Bridge to Croydon via Norbury
- South London Line
- London Bridge to Beckenham Junction.
These services are shared with the Class 456s, which are 2-car units. Often a Class 455 unit is coupled to a Class 456 unit, forming a 6-car train.
[edit] Refurbishment
Both South West Trains and Southern have completed their Class 455 refurbishment programme.
[edit] South West Trains
For their refurbishments South West Trains have chosen a 2+2 layout. The doorways have been modified so that the sliding doors can open further, to allow for faster boarding and alighting. Finished units are painted in a new red "Metro" version of the South West Trains livery. The units have also been fitted with high backed seats; for better passenger comfort and audio and visual Passenger Information Systems (PIS).
[edit] Southern
Southern have retained the original 3+2 layout but with high-backed seats to improve passenger comfort, especially for commuters travelling long distances. Southern have also removed the gangway and door from the front of the trains, replacing them with an air conditioning unit. Some do not consider the new front end plate aesthetically pleasing. Units are painted in the green Southern livery.
[edit] References
- Lawford, Nick (June 2007), “Class 455s: suburban workhorses”, Today's Railways (Platform 5 Publishing Ltd.) (no. 66), ISSN 1475-9713
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