| British Rail Class 455 | |
|---|---|
A Southwest Trains Class 455 at Clapham Junction |
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The interior of a Southern refurbished Class 455/8 EMU |
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| In service | 1982 - Current |
| Manufacturer | BREL York |
| Family name | BR Second Generation (Mark 3) BREL 1972 "PEP" (Class 455/7 intermediate) |
| Number built | 137 trainsets |
| Formation | 4 cars per trainset |
| Fleet numbers | 455801 - 455874 455701 - 455742, 455750 455901 - 455920 |
| Capacity | ? seats (as-built) ? seats (South West Trains) ? seats (Southern) |
| Operator | South West Trains Southern |
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 80.92 m (265.5 ft) |
| Car length | 19.83 m (65.1 ft) |
| Width | 2.82 m (9.3 ft) |
| Maximum speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) |
| Weight | 135.95 tonnes (133.80 long tons; 149.86 short tons) |
| Electric system(s) | 750 V DC third rail |
| Braking system(s) | Air (Westcode) |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Standard gauge |
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.[1] They are used on suburban services in South London, by South West Trains and Southern.
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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 (powered by four GEC507-20J of 185 kW carried on the bogies of the MSO vehicle, some recovered from Class 405[1]), all originally built to the Standard Class 3+2 seating arrangement. Technically, they are formed DTSO+MSO+TSO+DTSO.[2] 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 (121 km/h). 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.
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). Southern's 455/8s have a revised front end, with the gangway connection plated over.
The second batch, now classified as Class 455/7, were built 1984-85. There are 43 four-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.[3] The Class 508s that were transferred to Merseyrail were originally four carriage trains but were reduced to only three cars when transferred.[3] Therefore, to cut production costs, the Class 455/7s built between 1984-85 used the existing surplus TSOs from the Class 508s instead of having expensive newly constructed TSOs built for them. These cars have a lower roofline and wider body sides, in common with the Classes 313 / 314 / 315 / 507 / 508 units.
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, 455 912, has a TSO formerly part of the prototype Class 210 DEMU (which also had the same bodyshell).
The South West Trains units are used on most London commuter rail routes from London Waterloo to South West London and neighbouring areas, including:
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. In the years prior to refurbishment of the fleet, they were put on this service mainly at weekends, at other times being worked by vintage slam-door stock.
Southern Class 455 units are also used on inner and outer suburban services, from London Victoria and London Bridge. They appear on routes including:
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.
It is believed that 3-6 units will work on the coast from 2010, due to the amount of spare class 456s, these will replace them on the South London line.
For their refurbishments, South West Trains have chosen a 2+2 layout.[4] The doorways have been modified so that the sliding doors can open further, to allow for faster boarding and alighting. The units are painted in a new red "Metro" version of the South West Trains livery.[4] The units have also been fitted with high backed seats for better passenger comfort and audio and visual Customer Information Systems (CIS). This refurbishment was so comprehensive that many passengers thought the refurbished units were new trains.
Southern have retained the original 3+2 layout but with high-backed seats to improve passenger comfort especially for commuters travelling long distances.[4] 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.[4] They have also installed digital information boards and voiceover information. New flooring has been installed as have new white dado panels. They have also given the lights new covers inside for a more pleasant ambience plus new car to car doors and new hand rails. New litter bins have been added under the seats too to minimise littering. They have even added LED marker lights and tail lights. This has vastly modernised the interior and changed the exterior a considerable amount.
On 5 November 2010, a lorry fell off a bridge over the railway line near Oxshott railway station, landing on the 3:05pm South West Trains service from Guildford to London Waterloo.[5] The train was formed of two Class 455 units, 455 741 and 455 913.[6] The end of the roof of the sixth carriage was severely crushed. Further damage was sustained to the fifth and sixth, seventh and eighth carriages, with the latter being derailed at its trailing bogie, although the train remained upright. The lorry driver and one passenger suffered serious injuries; a further five passengers suffered minor injuries.[7]
| Class | Operator | Number of Trains | Built | Cars per Set | Unit numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 455/7 | South West Trains | 43 | 1984–1985 | 4 | 455 701 - 455 742, 455 750 |
| Class 455/8 | Southern | 46 | 1982–1984 | 455 801 - 455 846 | |
| South West Trains | 28 | 455 847 - 455 874 | |||
| Class 455/9 | 20 | 1985 | 455 901 - 455 920 |
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