| British Rail Class 502 | |
|---|---|
Class 502 vehicles at Tebay on 4 July 2009 |
|
| In service | 1940-1980 |
| Manufacturer | LMS Derby Works |
| Operator | LMS and British Railways |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 66 ft 6 in (20.27 m) |
| Width | 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) |
| Maximum speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
| Weight | 41 tons |
| Power output | 4 x 235 hp traction motors total 940 hp (701 kW) |
| Electric system(s) | 630 volt dc 3rd rail |
| Gauge | standard gauge |
The British Rail Class 502 was a type of electric multiple unit originally built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway at their Derby Works. Introduced in 1940 and withdrawn by 1980, they spent the whole of their working lives on the electrified railway lines of north Liverpool.
The trains were designed to replace older electric trains built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway on the lines from Liverpool Exchange station to Southport and Ormskirk. These lines were electrified with a Direct Current (DC) third rail. The Class 502s entered service between 1940 and 1943. They were DC-only and operated as both 3-car and 2-car sets, which could be coupled together to form 5-car sets for use on the busier services.
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A very modern design for the time, they were equipped with air-operated sliding doors. They were similar to (but somewhat larger than) the Class 503s operating on the Wirral, being both longer and wider, the latter allowing 3+2 seating on the Southport 502s compared to 2+2 seating on the Wirral 503s. In addition the 502s had distinctive large resistance cooling grids mounted on top of the cab roof of the motor units. Virtually all electric suburban passenger trains in Great Britain now follow the basic layout pioneered by the Class 502s and 503s, with two sets of double-leaf air operated sliding doors on each side of each carriage.
Unlike the Wirral Class 503s, which were built by contractors familiar with this type of layout on London Underground trains, the 502s which followed shortly afterwards were built by the LMS's own workshops in Derby. The 502s had conventional railway buffers at the end of each set, as they did a considerable amount of interworking with steam and later diesel services, whereas the 503s in the Wirral had automatic Buckeye couplers and no buffers, as they did very little inter-running with services from outside.
Apart from the construction differences, both types of train were given heavy overhauls at Horwich works, and the common red/black/grey seat moquette, and grey paint used on the interiors, plus other common details, gave them a considerable air of similarity.
Liverpool Exchange station closed in 1977, being replaced by new underground stations at Moorfields and Liverpool Central as part of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. The electrification was also extended to Kirkby and Garston, using Class 502s. The units struggled to cope with the challenging gradients in the new underground sections, which are as steep as 1 in 30 in places, and their reliability suffered.[1]
The principal depot was north of Hall Road, halfway from Liverpool to Southport, and there were major stabling sidings on both sides of the line outside Southport station, as well as minor stabling points elsewhere.
British Railways numbers were:
These formed, notionally, 34 3-car units Motor-Trailer-Driving Trailer, and 25 2-car units Motor-Trailer. The 2-car units only had a driving cab at one end and could not be operated on their own, only coupled to one of the 3-car units, which was an unusual feature of this stock. It was normal to form the main 5-car sets with the motor cars at the outer ends of the formation, and the trailer coupled to the driving trailer in the centre.
There were a number of different formations used, but 5-car sets were usual on the main Southport and Ormskirk routes, with a couple of the busiest peak trains being 6-car, formed of two three-car units coupled together. The Crossens shuttle was a 3-car unit, or a specially formed Motor-Driving Trailer 2-car unit.
As initially built there was considerable overprovision of first class accommodation, which usually ran virtually empty on these routes. This is an issue seen on some other suburban routes as well. The composite trailers were eventually converted to all-second, and the driving trailers followed in the 1970s when first class provision was finally withdrawn on these routes.
The units were painted various colours over the years. When initially built in 1939 they were the standard LMS maroon red. After railway nationalisation in the late 1940s they were all repainted the standard BR dark green for EMUs. When BR changed their liveries in the mid-1960s the units were repainted plain Rail Blue. Towards the end of their life, in the late 1970s, they were repainted again in their first two-tone livery, the standard blue and grey, in which scheme they were withdrawn.
From 1978, new Class 507 units began to arrive on the network and the 502s, which by now were considered life-expired, were gradually withdrawn. The last set was taken out of service by the end of 1980. Compared to the similar 503s on the Wirral lines, the Southport 502s appeared run-down and distinctly down-at-heel by the end of their life, with dented panels and peeling paint whereas the Wirral units appeared tidy and well-presented to the end.
All were scrapped, except for a 2-car set (driving motor 28361 and driving trailer 29896) which was claimed for preservation by the National Railway Museum. For many years the unit was kept at the Steamport centre in Southport, where it was restored to original LMS condition, complete with maroon livery. It operated occasional special services on the Merseyrail electric network for several years in the 1980s. However, when Steamport closed, the NRM were unable to find an alternative location to display it, and relocated the unit to remote storage at MoD Kineton.
In early 2007, it was suggested that the NRM are considering disposing of this unit as it no longer features as part of its long term plans.[2] In response, a new preservation group (The Friends of the 502) was formed, with the aim of taking over responsibility for the unit's upkeep. In May 2009 the unit was moved by road to a private site in Tebay, Cumbria.[3] It is expected that repair and restoration work will begin shortly.
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