British Rail Class 303
Encyclopedia
The British Rail
Class 303 electric multiple unit
s, also known as "Blue Train" units, were introduced in 1960 for the electrification of the North Clyde
and the Cathcart Circle
lines in Strathclyde
. They were initially classified as AM3 units before the introduction of the TOPS
classification system, and were the dominant EMU on the Glasgow suburban railway network for over 25 years before being progressively phased out by newer rolling stock. The final units were withdrawn from service in 2002.
The units were later used on the Inverclyde
and Argyle
lines of the Glasgow suburban railway network as various electrification
schemes came to fruition.
at Linwood near Paisley
, from 1959-1961, although they were not introduced into service until 1960. A further 19 near-identical Class 311
units were built in 1967 following the Inverclyde electrification, although these units were built by Cravens
in Sheffield
.
When new, the units were initially numbered in the range 001-091, but were later renumbered to 303 001-091 when TOPS was introduced. Each unit consisted of 3-cars coupled together in a semi-permanent formation, and up to four sets could be operated in multiple to form up to a 12-car formation. Although 6-car formations were frequently operated, 9-car formations were operated occasionally. 12-car formations were usually only seen as a result of train failures or ECS workings to the depots at Shields Road or Hyndland. The two outer carriages of each unit were driving trailers, with an intermediate motor coach containing the motor bogies and electrical equipment. Units operated from the standard 25 kV
alternating current
(AC) overhead power lines system, with power collection via a Stone Faiveley AMBR pantograph
on the motor coach. The technical description of the formation is DTSO+MBSO+BDTSO. Individual vehicle numbers are shown below.
The class was built in two batches; units 303001-035 were built 1959-60 (nominally for the North Clyde Line
) and units 303036-091 were built 1960-61 (nominally for the Cathcart Circle Lines
).
Based on the Mark 1 bodyshell design, the Class 303 units utilised electrical gear made by Metropolitan-Vickers
(Metrovick). The Class 303s were originally dual voltage - parts of the North Clyde Line and Cathcart Circle electrification was limited to 6.25 kV (rather than the standard 25 kV arrangement) due to limitations in insulation technology, although this feature was rendered redundant as 25 kV was eventually standardised across the entire line. Following a series of transformer explosions, the entire stock of Class 303s had to be hastily withdrawn from service after only a few weeks' service. The old steam-operated service was temporarily reinstated whilst urgent modifications were made. This also delayed the handing over of the Cathcart Circle service to electric operation.
The units had many features which made them state of the art at the time of their introduction. This included the use of pneumatically operated sliding passenger doors (the only Mark 1 based EMU to use this feature), with passenger-operated door opening buttons. In practice, the doors were usually operated by the train guard (later driver, after modification for driver-only operation).
When built, the driving cabs had distinctive wrap-around front windows, although these were replaced by flat, toughened glass
in the 1970s to better protect drivers following some incidents of stone-throwing vandalism. Glass partitions behind the cabs allowed passengers in the front and rearmost carriages to see the drivers' view of the track. This was particularly appreciated in the scenic riverside areas around Craigendoran and Helensburgh
.
.jpg)
Following the electrification of the lines from to Gourock
and Wemyss Bay
in 1967, the Class 303s started to be used interchangeably with the almost identical new Class 311s
. The interiors of the Class 303s were fitted with tungsten
light bulbs whilst the Class 311s had fluorescent lighting.
The Class 303 fleet were nicknamed the "Blue Trains" upon their introduction, owing to the striking Caledonian Blue
livery. This was later changed to the standard BR Blue, quickly superseded by BR Blue/Grey livery in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
began a major refurbishment programme for 50 of the 25-year old units. To conform to contemporary health and safety standards the asbestos
insulation was removed. Among the many improvements introduced were connecting doors between coaches and a new type of push button passenger door control, along with all-new interiors and new fluorescent lighting. Most units also received new "hopper-style" windows. The new seating was controversial - it was almost identical to that of the Class 314
, albeit with a 2+2 configuration. This allowed for many more standing passengers, but with far fewer seats than previously before. The original seating was deep sprung and (arguably) far more comfortable.
The glass bulkheads behind the driving cabs were another casualty of the refurbishment - passengers could no longer see the driver's view through the front windows. Following refurbishment, units were repainted in the striking new orange and black livery introduced by the newly created Strathclyde PTE.
units on the North Clyde route in 1990. In the early 1980s, following a decline in passengers in the Glasgow area, several Class 303s were transferred to north west England. Initially, they were used on the Crewe to Liverpool service but were soon transferred to the Manchester
area, operating services from Manchester Piccadilly to Altrincham
, Hazel Grove
, Macclesfield
, Alderley Edge
, Crewe
and on the line to Glossop
and Hadfield
- this line had recently been converted from 1500 V DC. The 303s replaced the Class 506s
. All but one of these, no. 303048, were withdrawn by the mid-1990s. This unit was transferred north again to Glasgow, and retained in unrefurbished condition for special trains. It was originally intended to preserved this unit, but due to asbestos
contamination it was scrapped in 1996.
Following privatisation of British Rail
, the surviving 40 units passed to the ScotRail
franchise. By now electrification around Glasgow had spread, and units could be found working on many routes, such as those to Gourock
, Balloch, Motherwell, Coatbridge
and Ardrossan Town. Four units, nos. 303019/021/023/087 received SPT's new carmine and cream livery.
As part of ScotRail's franchise commitment, new Class 334
"Juniper"
units were built from 1999-2000 by Alstom
to replace the last of the elderly units. After an introduction plagued with teething problems, the "Juniper" fleet started to enter service in large numbers on the SPT network in 2001/2002, allowing the Class 303 units to be withdrawn. Following withdrawal, the units were towed to Immingham RFT
for scrapping. The last Class 303 passenger train operated on the North Clyde Line on 30 December 2002, formed of units 303011 and 303088, terminating at . The stock then worked ECS to Yoker Depot where they were withdrawn from service.
30/08/73 -
31/5/75 -
20/06/75 -
16/04/79 -
00/00/80 -
07/03/85 -
00/00/86 -
11/09/86 -
30/01/87 -
06/03/89 -
01/05/91 -
21/07/91 -
00/06/94 -
00/00/99 -
) so that it can be driven on an un-electrified heritage line.
A complete Class 311
unit, which were almost identical to the Class 303s, was preserved at Summerlee Heritage Park
in Coatbridge
, although one driving trailer has since been scrapped.
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
Class 303 electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s, also known as "Blue Train" units, were introduced in 1960 for the electrification of the North Clyde
North Clyde Line
The North Clyde Line is a suburban railway in West Central Scotland. The route is operated by First ScotRail, on behalf of Transport Scotland...
and the Cathcart Circle
Cathcart Circle Lines
The Cathcart Circle Lines form a suburban railway route linking Glasgow to Cathcart via a circular line, with branches to Newton and Neilston. All of the routes serve Glasgow's southern suburbs, i.e. on the south bank of the River Clyde...
lines in Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
. They were initially classified as AM3 units before the introduction of the TOPS
TOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
classification system, and were the dominant EMU on the Glasgow suburban railway network for over 25 years before being progressively phased out by newer rolling stock. The final units were withdrawn from service in 2002.
The units were later used on the Inverclyde
Inverclyde Line
The Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow Central station through Paisley and a series of stations to the south of the River Clyde and the Firth of Clyde, terminating at Gourock and Wemyss Bay, where it connects to Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services...
and Argyle
Argyle Line
The Argyle Line is a suburban railway located in West Central Scotland. It connects the Lanarkshire towns of Lanark, Larkhall and Motherwell to West Dunbartonshire via central Glasgow using sub-surface running...
lines of the Glasgow suburban railway network as various electrification
Railway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
schemes came to fruition.
Description
Ninety-one 3-car units were built by Pressed SteelPressed Steel Company
The Pressed Steel Company Limited was a British car body manufacturing company founded at Cowley near Oxford in 1926 as a joint venture between William Morris, the Budd Corporation and an American bank. Today at what was the company's Cowley plant, the BMW new MINI is assembled, this site is...
at Linwood near Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, from 1959-1961, although they were not introduced into service until 1960. A further 19 near-identical Class 311
British Rail Class 311
The British Rail Class 311 alternating current electric multiple units were built by Cravens at Sheffield in 1967. They were intended for use on the line from to and , which was electrified in 1967.-Appearance:...
units were built in 1967 following the Inverclyde electrification, although these units were built by Cravens
Cravens
Cravens Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Limited was a railway rolling stock builder in the Darnall district of Sheffield, England. Cravens built many diagrams of coaching stock for the Pre-grouping Railway companies of Great Britain, the Grouped companies and for British Railways itself. They...
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
.
When new, the units were initially numbered in the range 001-091, but were later renumbered to 303 001-091 when TOPS was introduced. Each unit consisted of 3-cars coupled together in a semi-permanent formation, and up to four sets could be operated in multiple to form up to a 12-car formation. Although 6-car formations were frequently operated, 9-car formations were operated occasionally. 12-car formations were usually only seen as a result of train failures or ECS workings to the depots at Shields Road or Hyndland. The two outer carriages of each unit were driving trailers, with an intermediate motor coach containing the motor bogies and electrical equipment. Units operated from the standard 25 kV
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
(AC) overhead power lines system, with power collection via a Stone Faiveley AMBR pantograph
Pantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...
on the motor coach. The technical description of the formation is DTSO+MBSO+BDTSO. Individual vehicle numbers are shown below.
- 75566-75600 and 75746-75801 - DTSO
- 61481-61515 and 61812-61867 - MBSO
- 75601-75635 and 75802-75857 - BDTSO
The class was built in two batches; units 303001-035 were built 1959-60 (nominally for the North Clyde Line
North Clyde Line
The North Clyde Line is a suburban railway in West Central Scotland. The route is operated by First ScotRail, on behalf of Transport Scotland...
) and units 303036-091 were built 1960-61 (nominally for the Cathcart Circle Lines
Cathcart Circle Lines
The Cathcart Circle Lines form a suburban railway route linking Glasgow to Cathcart via a circular line, with branches to Newton and Neilston. All of the routes serve Glasgow's southern suburbs, i.e. on the south bank of the River Clyde...
).
Metropolitan-Vickers
Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, they were particularly well known for their industrial electrical equipment such as generators, steam...
(Metrovick). The Class 303s were originally dual voltage - parts of the North Clyde Line and Cathcart Circle electrification was limited to 6.25 kV (rather than the standard 25 kV arrangement) due to limitations in insulation technology, although this feature was rendered redundant as 25 kV was eventually standardised across the entire line. Following a series of transformer explosions, the entire stock of Class 303s had to be hastily withdrawn from service after only a few weeks' service. The old steam-operated service was temporarily reinstated whilst urgent modifications were made. This also delayed the handing over of the Cathcart Circle service to electric operation.
The units had many features which made them state of the art at the time of their introduction. This included the use of pneumatically operated sliding passenger doors (the only Mark 1 based EMU to use this feature), with passenger-operated door opening buttons. In practice, the doors were usually operated by the train guard (later driver, after modification for driver-only operation).
When built, the driving cabs had distinctive wrap-around front windows, although these were replaced by flat, toughened glass
Toughened glass
Toughened or tempered glass is a type of safety glass processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength compared with normal glass. Tempering creates balanced internal stresses which cause the glass, when broken, to crumble into small granular chunks instead of...
in the 1970s to better protect drivers following some incidents of stone-throwing vandalism. Glass partitions behind the cabs allowed passengers in the front and rearmost carriages to see the drivers' view of the track. This was particularly appreciated in the scenic riverside areas around Craigendoran and Helensburgh
Helensburgh
Helensburgh is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gareloch....
.
Gourock
Gourock is a town falling within the Inverclyde council area and formerly forming a burgh of the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde...
and Wemyss Bay
Wemyss Bay
Wemyss Bay is a village on the coast of the Firth of Clyde falling within the Inverclyde council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The name may derive from the Gaelic uaimh, meaning 'cave'...
in 1967, the Class 303s started to be used interchangeably with the almost identical new Class 311s
British Rail Class 311
The British Rail Class 311 alternating current electric multiple units were built by Cravens at Sheffield in 1967. They were intended for use on the line from to and , which was electrified in 1967.-Appearance:...
. The interiors of the Class 303s were fitted with tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
light bulbs whilst the Class 311s had fluorescent lighting.
The Class 303 fleet were nicknamed the "Blue Trains" upon their introduction, owing to the striking Caledonian Blue
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
livery. This was later changed to the standard BR Blue, quickly superseded by BR Blue/Grey livery in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Refurbishment
In 1984, the ScotRail-sector of British RailBritish Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
began a major refurbishment programme for 50 of the 25-year old units. To conform to contemporary health and safety standards the asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
insulation was removed. Among the many improvements introduced were connecting doors between coaches and a new type of push button passenger door control, along with all-new interiors and new fluorescent lighting. Most units also received new "hopper-style" windows. The new seating was controversial - it was almost identical to that of the Class 314
British Rail Class 314
British Rail Class 314 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL at York works in 1979. They were the third variety of British Rail's then-standard 1972 design for suburban EMUs, which eventually encompassed 755 vehicles and five classes...
, albeit with a 2+2 configuration. This allowed for many more standing passengers, but with far fewer seats than previously before. The original seating was deep sprung and (arguably) far more comfortable.
The glass bulkheads behind the driving cabs were another casualty of the refurbishment - passengers could no longer see the driver's view through the front windows. Following refurbishment, units were repainted in the striking new orange and black livery introduced by the newly created Strathclyde PTE.
Decline
Most of the remaining unrefurbished units were withdrawn at the end of the 1980s, following the introduction of new Class 320British Rail Class 320
The British Rail Class 320 is an alternating current electric multiple unit train found on the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport rail network in Central Scotland, and is used exclusively on the North Clyde Line between Helensburgh and Airdrie, North Lanarkshire via Glasgow Queen Street...
units on the North Clyde route in 1990. In the early 1980s, following a decline in passengers in the Glasgow area, several Class 303s were transferred to north west England. Initially, they were used on the Crewe to Liverpool service but were soon transferred to the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
area, operating services from Manchester Piccadilly to Altrincham
Altrincham railway station
Altrincham Interchange serves the town of Altrincham in Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It was originally named Altrincham and Bowdon railway station and is located on Stamford New Road, adjacent to the Altrincham Ice Dome—home to the Manchester Phoenix ice hockey team...
, Hazel Grove
Hazel Grove railway station
Hazel Grove railway station is on the Stockport to Buxton / Sheffield line, serving the village of Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester, England. It was built for the Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway by the London and North Western Railway and opened on 9 June 1857...
, Macclesfield
Macclesfield railway station
Macclesfield railway station is a main line station serving the Cheshire town of Macclesfield. It lies on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line, in the United Kingdom....
, Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge railway station
Alderley Edge railway station serves the large village of Alderley Edge in Cheshire, England. The station is 22 km south of Manchester Piccadilly on the Crewe to Manchester Line .-History:...
, Crewe
Crewe railway station
Crewe railway station was completed in 1837 and is one of the most historic railway stations in the world. Built in fields near to Crewe Hall, it originally served the village of Crewe with a population of just 70 residents...
and on the line to Glossop
Glossop railway station
Glossop railway station serves the town of Glossop in Derbyshire, England and is the third busiest railway station in the county of Derbyshire after Derby and Chesterfield, with an estimated 700,000 people using the station in 2009/10....
and Hadfield
Hadfield railway station
Hadfield railway station serves the village of Hadfield in Derbyshire, England. The station is one of the twin termini at the Derbyshire end of the Manchester-Glossop Line, the other being Glossop. It was opened by the Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway in 1844.The line formerly...
- this line had recently been converted from 1500 V DC. The 303s replaced the Class 506s
British Rail Class 506
The British Rail Class 506 was a 3 carriage Electric Multiple Unit built for local services between Manchester, Glossop and Hadfield on the Woodhead Line, which was electrified in 1954 on the 1,500V dc overhead system.-Design:...
. All but one of these, no. 303048, were withdrawn by the mid-1990s. This unit was transferred north again to Glasgow, and retained in unrefurbished condition for special trains. It was originally intended to preserved this unit, but due to asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
contamination it was scrapped in 1996.
Following privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
, the surviving 40 units passed to the ScotRail
ScotRail
ScotRail was a brand name used for all Scottish regional and commuter rail services, including some cross-border services, from 1997 to 2004....
franchise. By now electrification around Glasgow had spread, and units could be found working on many routes, such as those to Gourock
Gourock
Gourock is a town falling within the Inverclyde council area and formerly forming a burgh of the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde...
, Balloch, Motherwell, Coatbridge
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
and Ardrossan Town. Four units, nos. 303019/021/023/087 received SPT's new carmine and cream livery.
As part of ScotRail's franchise commitment, new Class 334
British Rail Class 334
The British Rail Class 334 is a suburban electric multiple unit built by Alstom in Birmingham. They are part of the Juniper family of trains along with Classes 458 and 460. They were built for SPT/ScotRail outer suburban services in Glasgow, UK. They later became part of First ScotRail/SPT fleet...
"Juniper"
Juniper (train)
The Coradia Juniper series is a family of electric multiple unit trains built by Alstom Transport Birmingham, subcontractor: Ganz Hunslet, Hungary for use on the railway network in Great Britain. The family is related to the Coradia 1000 series of diesel multiple unit...
units were built from 1999-2000 by Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
to replace the last of the elderly units. After an introduction plagued with teething problems, the "Juniper" fleet started to enter service in large numbers on the SPT network in 2001/2002, allowing the Class 303 units to be withdrawn. Following withdrawal, the units were towed to Immingham RFT
Immingham
Immingham is a town in North East Lincolnshire, located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary...
for scrapping. The last Class 303 passenger train operated on the North Clyde Line on 30 December 2002, formed of units 303011 and 303088, terminating at . The stock then worked ECS to Yoker Depot where they were withdrawn from service.
Incidents and accidents
The Class 303s were involved in many accidents in their 42 years of service:30/08/73 -
- 303091 involved in Gower Street Collision while working 21:35 Wemyss Bay to Glasgow Central.
31/5/75 -
- 303007 crashes in to cement train at Rutherglen while working 08:25 Glasgow Central to Hamilton Circle.
20/06/75 -
- 303022 crashes into buffers at LanarkLanark railway stationLanark railway station is in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is managed by First ScotRail and is the southern terminus of the Argyle Line.The station is located on Bannatyne Street, Lanark...
while working 14:33 Glasgow Central to Lanark.
16/04/79 -
- 303074 involved in Gilmour Street Collision while working 19:40 Glasgow Central to Wemyss Bay.
00/00/80 -
- 303002 runs away at Neilston StationNeilston railway stationNeilston railway station is a railway station in the village of Neilston, East Renfrewshire, Greater Glasgow, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and lies on the Cathcart Circle Lines, 18 km south east of Glasgow Central station.- History :The station was originally opened as...
and becomes the first unit to be scrapped.
07/03/85 -
- 303072 strikes girder placed on track at Singer whilst working 22.46 Airdrie to Balloch. Front bogie of 75782 is ripped off.
00/00/86 -
- 303057 Motor Coach fire
11/09/86 -
- Two units collide in the tunnel near Bridgeton Depot, leading to the death of a driver and guard.
30/01/87 -
- 303051 runs away and collides with 37011 near DalmuirDalmuir railway stationDalmuir railway station is a railway station serving the Dalmuir area of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is a large, five platform interchange between the Argyle Line, North Clyde Line and West Highland Line....
06/03/89 -
- Head on collision between 303005 and 303071 at Bellgrove junction.
01/05/91 -
- Motor Coach of 303038 explodes at Shields Depot
21/07/91 -
- 303037 involved in Newton Crash.
00/06/94 -
- 303046 hits object placed by vandals on track on Wemyss Bay branch.
00/00/99 -
- 303058 Motor Coach blew up in service
Further use
A few vehicles were converted for departmental use, following withdrawal from service.- BDTSO 75613 from unit 303013 is currently used by the British Transport PoliceBritish Transport PoliceThe British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
at GravesendGravesend, KentGravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
. - Unit 303049 was converted into a test unit, numbered 303999. It was used by Network SouthEastNetwork SouthEastNetwork SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network reached as far west as Exeter...
from 1991 until 1996, and was later scrapped.
Preservation
One complete unit has been saved for preservation. It is a hybrid unit consisting of the driving vehicles from set 303032 and the motor coach from 303023, which replaced 303032's own damaged motor coach. Unit 303023 was one of only four to carry the later SPT carmine/cream livery. The set has been modified to operate in multiple with a blue-star compatible diesel locomotive (typically a Class 27British Rail Class 27
British Rail's Class 27 comprised 69 diesel locomotives built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company during 1961 and 1962. They were a development of the earlier Class 26; both were originally classified as the BRCW Type 2.- Usage :...
) so that it can be driven on an un-electrified heritage line.
| Unit no. | DTSO | MBSO | BDTSO | Livery | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 303023 | - | 61503 | - | SPT Carmine/Cream | Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway |
| 303032 | 75597 | - | 75632 | Strathclyde PTE Orange/Black | |
A complete Class 311
British Rail Class 311
The British Rail Class 311 alternating current electric multiple units were built by Cravens at Sheffield in 1967. They were intended for use on the line from to and , which was electrified in 1967.-Appearance:...
unit, which were almost identical to the Class 303s, was preserved at Summerlee Heritage Park
Summerlee Heritage Park
Summerlee, Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, formerly known as Summerlee Heritage Park is an award-winning industrial museum in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland...
in Coatbridge
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
, although one driving trailer has since been scrapped.
External links
- http://www.eastbank.btinternet.co.uk/303.htm , a web-page dedicated to the Blue TrainBlue TrainBlue Train may refer to:In rail:* Blue Train , a South African luxury train* Blue Train , the generic name for sleeping car trains in Japan...
- http://www.jhowie.force9.co.uk/303tributepage1.htm , another Class 303 tribute page.