British Rail Class 503
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| British Rail Class 503 | |
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 A British Rail Class 503 train on the Liverpool Loop and Link underground system. This train was one of the original batch built by the LMS in 1938. |
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| In service | 1938-1985 |
| Manufacturer | London, Midland and Scottish Railway, British Railways |
| Formation | power car + trailer + driving trailer |
| Operator | LMS and British Railways |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 176ft 11in |
| Width | 9ft 11in |
| Height | 11ft 10 1/4in |
| Maximum speed | 70mph (110 km/h) |
| Weight | Total - 77 tons |
| Power output | 4 x 135 hp traction motors total 540 hp (403 kW) |
| Gauge | standard gauge |
| Voltage | 650V dc third rail |
British Rail Class 503 trains were 70mph (110km/h) electric multiple units. They were introduced in two batches - in 1938 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) with a further batch (built to a similar design) in 1956 by the then nationalised British Railways (BR).
When first introduced they were seen to be of a very advanced design for a mainline railway's suburban passenger trains, featuring things such as air operated sliding doors which were opened & closed by the guard (hitherto trains either had slam doors or hand operated sliding doors).
The units spent most of their working lives on the commuter routes between Liverpool and the Wirral; routes which latterly became known as the Wirral Line of Merseyrail. In the early 1980s some units were transferred to the Northern Line for a short period, where they mainly worked the Kirkby to Garston service.
Originally these trains featured a flat front - the doors were added in the 1970's to meet safety requirements for when the city centre single-track underground loop was built.
[edit] Numbering
British Railways numbers were:
- Motor Open Brake Second
- M28371M-M28394M and
- M28672M-M28690M
- Trailer Open Composite
- M29702M-M29720M and
- M29821M-M29846M
- Driving Trailer Open Second
- M29131M-M29156M and
- M29271M-M29289M
[edit] Withdrawal and Preservation
The class was replaced by Class 508 units transferred from the Southern Region of British Railways. The 503s were progressively withdrawn from June 1984, the final service train running on 29 March 1985. This was followed by a farewell tour on 13 April 1985.
A single set, formed of vehicles 28690, 29720 and 29289, was earmarked for preservation. It was kept in serviceable condition and operated occasional special trains on the Merseyrail network until 1988. The unit is now owned by the Suburban Electric Railway Association and is stored at their site on the outskirts of Coventry. It is currently not on public display.
