| Northern Ireland Railways Class 450 | |
|---|---|
8458 at Larne Harbour |
|
| Manufacturer | BREL |
| Family name | BR Second Generation (Mark 3) |
| Entered service | 1985–1987 |
| Number built | 9 sets |
| Formation | 3-car sets (DM-T-DT) |
| Fleet numbers | Originally: 451–459, Now: 8451–8459 |
| Capacity | 184 seats |
| Operator | Northern Ireland Railways |
| Line(s) served | Belfast to Larne line Coleraine to Portrush line |
| Specifications | |
| Maximum speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) |
| Engine(s) | English Electric 4SRKT |
| Safety system(s) | AWS, TPWS |
| Gauge | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) |
The Class 450 is a type of diesel multiple unit (DMU) used by Northern Ireland Railways.
Contents |
In the mid 1980s, Northern Ireland Railways was in the process of upgrading its rolling stock. Having already purchased three new locomotives, it then proceeded to purchase replacements for its Class 70 diesel multiple units. A total of nine three car trains were constructed by BREL between 1985 and 1987 intended to supplement the existing Class 80 DMUs then in service. The trains were constructed using underframes of existing Mark 1 coaching stock, altered to 1600 mm gauge and new Mark 3 bodyshells. Because of this, they bear a strong resemblance to the British Rail Class 150, British Rail Class 210(based on), British Rail Class 317, British Rail Class 318 and British Rail Class 455, as they use Mark 3 bodyshells. These were combined with refurbished power units and traction motors from the withdrawn Class 70 units (there were only eight Class 70 units available to be salvaged, so the equipment for the ninth train came from a withdrawn Class 80 train, powercar 88). The power cars are named after Castles.[1]
| Number | Name |
|---|---|
| 8451 | Belfast Castle |
| 8452 | Olderfleet Castle |
| 8453 | Moiry Castle |
| 8454 | Carrickfergus Castle |
| 8455 | Galgorm Castle |
| 8456 | Gosford Castle |
| 8457 | Bangor Castle |
| 8458 | Antrim Castle |
| 8459 | Killyleagh Castle |
The Class 450 operate along the same lines as the prototype Class 210 DMUs on the British network, in that they consist of a single power car containing the traction and generating equipment (numbered 45x), an intermediate trailer car (numbered 79x) and a driving trailer (numbered 78x) as permanently formed 3 car sets. An additional "8" has been added to the start of all the cars so that they can be used by Translink's computer system.
In 2005, the entire fleet underwent an extensive refurbishment to bring them up to a similar standard to the newly introduced Class 3000 units, enabling them to remain in service for at least another 5 to 7 years.[2] This will take them up to the point where they are expected to become "life-expired".[3]
In 2011, the entire Class 450 fleet, together with the remaining Class 80 units, was listed by NI Railways for disposal.[4]
451 broken camshaft, withdrawn at York Road
452 failed on the Portrush Branch. Will not be returned to service.
453 in service
454 in service
455 in service
456 in service
457 in service
458 in service
459 in service
The Class 450 stock operate almost exclusively on the Belfast to Larne line during weekdays (as there are not enough Class 3000 sets to serve this route) and a set is stabled at Coleraine for use on the Portrush branch. The set that is stored at Coleraine is only used on the Portrush Branch on the weekdays (Monday to Friday) as on weekends there is a C3K to fill in their service. They are expected to be withdrawn in 2012 and replaced by new trains that were ordered in 2009.[5] However according to Translink's capital expenditure plan, they plan to invest £1.8m improving these trains to the financial year 2010/11 at least, suggesting that they may be retained beyond the entry of the new Class 4000 units, to provide a further enhancement to NIR's fleet.[6]
| Class | Operator | No. Built | Year Built | Cars per Set | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 450 | Northern Ireland Railways | 9 | 1985 | 3 | 8451 – 8459 |
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