British Rail Class 401
Encyclopedia
The Southern Railway gave the designation 2-BIL to the DC
third rail
electric multiple unit
s built during the 1930s to work long-distance semi-fast services on the newly electrified lines from London to Eastbourne
, Portsmouth
and Reading
. This type of unit survived long enough in British Rail
ownership to be allocated TOPS
Class 401.
The different batches were broadly similar, though in the first one, the driving motor brake car had a smaller brake compartment and seven full compartments, rather than six-and-a-half in the later batches.
Several of the cars were destroyed in World War 2 at various points on the system. Some unit numbers were withdrawn while others received a single replacement car from the small batch of postwar all-steel 2-HAL units which were built as replacements.
The first 10 2-BIL units 2001 to 2010 had an earlier form of multiple unit control. They were compatible with the 4-LAV units of the same era, but not with the remainder of the 2-BIL sets. They normally operating from Brighton, where the 4-LAV were also based, on local services. The remaining sets spent their lives on the services for which they were constructed, although they were fully mixed in operation, and it was common for units to be exchanged between areas of operation even within a day's normal work. Commuter services into London Waterloo, Victoria and London Bridge found them typically marshalled up to 8-car units.
An unusual feature of their operation in the 1950s and 1960s was that there were about 30 more diagrams for these units than sets actually existed, while for the subsequent 2-HAL units (class 402) there were more than 30 spare units, so a significant number of the daily 2-BIL diagrams were operated by the latter units, typically marshalled together as one of the sets in a full 8-car formation.
trailer cars between the two driving cars from unit 2006. The set was intended for use on the Oxted line, where it was hauled by diesel locomotives.
The motors from former DMBS car number 10573 were removed, and the whole set was re-wired to enable the hauling diesel locomotive to provide the electric train heating. Six (out of nine) compartments of one of the 4Sub Trailer Second cars (number 11485) were refitted as first class compartments, thereby making it a Trailer Composite.
The set was originally numbered 900 in the old hauled carriage set number series, but this was amended in February 1966 to 701 in the new series for trailer control units. Despite this, and its designation as 7-TC (7-car Trailer Control stock), it was not a real trailer control unit in that a locomotive could not be operated remotely from the unit's driving cars.
The unit was stored from December 1967 and then withdrawn in April 1969. However, while the two driving cars were scrapped the following year, all five trailers were reused in other units. Four returned to 4-SUB formations, but 11485 underwent a further conversion, this time to a 4EPB
Trailer Second, and was renumbered 15084. Full details of the 7-TC formation, the origin of the individual cars and their subsequent disposal are set out in the table below:
, York
.
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
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 built during the 1930s to work long-distance semi-fast services on the newly electrified lines from London to Eastbourne
Eastbourne railway station
Eastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth railway station
Portsmouth railway station may refer to:* Portsmouth Harbour railway station in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England* Portsmouth and Southsea railway station in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England* Portsmouth Arms railway station in Portsmouth Arms, Devon, England...
and Reading
Reading railway station
Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
. This type of unit survived long enough in British Rail
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...
ownership to be allocated TOPS
TOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
Class 401.
Construction
The 2-BIL units (2-car Bi-Lavatory stock) were so-called because each set had two lavatories, one in each car. They were built in four batches, each for service on newly-electrified lines:| Units | Built | Intended Use |
|---|---|---|
| 2001–2010 | 1935 | London Brighton Main Line The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer... to Eastbourne East Coastway Line East Coastway is the name used by the train operating company, Southern , for the routes it operates along the south coast of Sussex and Kent to the east of Brighton, England. Those to the West of Brighton are named the West Coastway Line... |
| 2011–2048 | 1936 | London Waterloo South Western Main Line The South Western Main Line is a railway line between London Waterloo and Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth... to Alton Alton Line The Alton Line is a railway line operated by South West Trains. Today Alton station is the terminus of a main line branch, although it was at one time the junction for three lines. The branch leaves the South Western Main Line at Pirbright Junction near Brookwood... and Portsmouth Portsmouth Direct Line The Portsmouth Direct Line is the route of a railway service operated by South West Trains which runs between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour, England... slow services |
| 2049–2116 | 1937 | Portsmouth to Bognor Regis West Coastway Line The West Coastway Line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of West Sussex and Hampshire, between Brighton and Southampton, plus the short branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis.... |
| 2117–2152 | 1938 | London Waterloo to Reading Waterloo to Reading Line The Waterloo to Reading Line is a National Rail suburban electric railway line running generally westwards from London, England. It is operated by South West Trains... |
The different batches were broadly similar, though in the first one, the driving motor brake car had a smaller brake compartment and seven full compartments, rather than six-and-a-half in the later batches.
Several of the cars were destroyed in World War 2 at various points on the system. Some unit numbers were withdrawn while others received a single replacement car from the small batch of postwar all-steel 2-HAL units which were built as replacements.
Formations
The first two batches of 2BIL stock were subject to the EMU renumbering scheme implemented during January and February 1937. The renumbering of these units, and the original formations of all 2BIL units, are set out in the table below (*Unit 1890 was renumbered 1900 in January 1936):| Units (pre-1937) | Units (post-1937) | DMBT | DTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 / 1900* | 2010 | 10567 | 12101 |
| 1891–1899 | 2001–2009 | 10568 to 10576 | 12102 to 12110 |
| 1901–1920 | 2011–2030 | 10577 to 10596 | 12034 to 12053 |
| 1954–1971 | 2031–2048 | 10597 to 10614 | 12054 to 12071 |
| - | 2049–2077 | 10615 to 10643 | 12072 to 12100 |
| - | 2078–2152 | 10644 to 10718 | 12111 to 12185 |
The first 10 2-BIL units 2001 to 2010 had an earlier form of multiple unit control. They were compatible with the 4-LAV units of the same era, but not with the remainder of the 2-BIL sets. They normally operating from Brighton, where the 4-LAV were also based, on local services. The remaining sets spent their lives on the services for which they were constructed, although they were fully mixed in operation, and it was common for units to be exchanged between areas of operation even within a day's normal work. Commuter services into London Waterloo, Victoria and London Bridge found them typically marshalled up to 8-car units.
An unusual feature of their operation in the 1950s and 1960s was that there were about 30 more diagrams for these units than sets actually existed, while for the subsequent 2-HAL units (class 402) there were more than 30 spare units, so a significant number of the daily 2-BIL diagrams were operated by the latter units, typically marshalled together as one of the sets in a full 8-car formation.
7TC
In 1963, a 7-coach trailer set was formed by placing five former 4-SUBBritish Rail Class 405
Under the British Rail TOPS computer system, Class 415 was allocated to surviving examples of the Southern Railway 4-Sub Class electric multiple units built between 1941 and 1951...
trailer cars between the two driving cars from unit 2006. The set was intended for use on the Oxted line, where it was hauled by diesel locomotives.
The motors from former DMBS car number 10573 were removed, and the whole set was re-wired to enable the hauling diesel locomotive to provide the electric train heating. Six (out of nine) compartments of one of the 4Sub Trailer Second cars (number 11485) were refitted as first class compartments, thereby making it a Trailer Composite.
The set was originally numbered 900 in the old hauled carriage set number series, but this was amended in February 1966 to 701 in the new series for trailer control units. Despite this, and its designation as 7-TC (7-car Trailer Control stock), it was not a real trailer control unit in that a locomotive could not be operated remotely from the unit's driving cars.
The unit was stored from December 1967 and then withdrawn in April 1969. However, while the two driving cars were scrapped the following year, all five trailers were reused in other units. Four returned to 4-SUB formations, but 11485 underwent a further conversion, this time to a 4EPB
British Rail Class 415
British Rail Class 415 was a suburban 750 V DC third rail electric multiple unit commissioned by the Southern Region of British Railways. Built between 1951 and 1957, it became the most numerous class on the region after the withdrawal of the 4Subs...
Trailer Second, and was renumbered 15084. Full details of the 7-TC formation, the origin of the individual cars and their subsequent disposal are set out in the table below:
| Carriage Number | Carriage Type | Former Unit | Re-use/Disposal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10573 | TBS (ex-DMBS) | 2-BIL 2006 | Scrapped (1970) |
| 10351 | TS | 4-SUB 4328 | 4-SUB 4132 |
| 10353 | TS | 4-SUB 4352 | 4-SUB 4364 |
| 11485 | TC (ex-TS) | 4-SUB 4115 | 4-EPB 5115 (as TS 15084) |
| 10349 | TS | 4-SUB 4346 | 4-SUB 4132 |
| 10346 | TS | 4-SUB 4329 | 4-SUB 4131 |
| 12107 | TC (ex-DTC) | 2-BIL 2006 | Scrapped (1970) |
Preservation
Only one 2-BIL unit has survived into preservation, namely number 2090, formed of carriages 10656 and 12123, which is in the care of the National Railway MuseumNational Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
, York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
.