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| British Rail Class 308 | |
|---|---|
 Class 308 inWest Yorkshire PTE livery atKeighley in 1996 | |
| In service | 1959–2001 |
| Manufacturer | British Railways |
| Orderno. |
|
| Built at | Holgate Road, York |
| Family name | 1959 EMU |
| Replaced | Steam locomotives and carriages |
| Refurbished |
|
| Number built | 45 |
| Number preserved | 1 (driving trailer only) |
| Number scrapped | 44 |
| Successor | |
| Formation | 3 or 4 cars per trainset:
|
| Diagram | |
| Design code | AM8 |
| Fleet numbers |
|
| Capacity |
|
| Operators | British Rail |
| Depots | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Steel[4] |
| Train length |
|
| Car length | |
| Width | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)[2] |
| Height | 12 ft 7 in (3.835 m)[4] |
| Doors | Slam[2] |
| Articulated sections |
|
| Wheelbase | 46 ft 6 in (14.17 m) (bogie centres)[4] |
| Maximum speed | 75 mph (121 km/h)[4] |
| Weight |
|
| Traction motors | 4 ×EE 56A of 143.5 kW (192.4 hp)[3] |
| Power output | 574 kW (770 hp) |
| HVAC | Electric[4] |
| Electric system(s) |
|
| Current collection | Pantograph |
| UIC classification |
|
| Bogies |
|
| Braking system(s) | Air (EP/Auto)[2] |
| Safety system(s) | AWS[4] |
| Coupling system |
|
| Multiple working | Within ER EMU stock, later within class[2] |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
TheBritish Rail Class 308alternating current (AC)electric multiple units (EMU) were built byBritish Railways'Holgate Road carriage works in three batches between 1959 and 1961. They were initially classified asAM8 units before the introduction ofTOPS.
The first batch of 33 units were built in 1959, classified as AM8 and numbered 133–165. This was later changed to Class 308/1 under theTOPS system, and units were renumbered 308133–165. These units were built to operate commuter services on theGreat Eastern Main Line (GEML) fromLondon Liverpool Street toShenfield,Witham,Colchester,Walton-on-the-Naze andClacton. Each unit was formed of four carriages: two outer driving trailers, an intermediate trailer, and a motor coach.
Electrically the Class 308 stock has the same equipment as the Class 302 stock with a few modifications, some of these are the types of overload, the use of fan-cooled rectifier continued until the rectifiers were modified to 8-diode type from 1982. This modified main rectifier was also modified and used on the Class 309 stock due to the problems of fan-cooled types suffering from blocked filters causing failures in traffic. The braking system is basically the same as theClass 302 stock with the exception of the motor coach retaining the 16 in (406.4 mm) cylinder rather than the 12 in (304.8 mm) as fitted to Class 302 after replacing the cast-iron brake blocks with composite (Ferodo) type.
From 1981 to 1983, the units were refurbished, which included opening out compartments, fitting of gangways between carriages, and moving first class seating from the intermediate trailer to one of the driving trailers, with the same problems as the Class 302 stock of having first class passengers sitting above the Westinghouse CM38 compressor, however the Gresley bogies being retained. In this modified form, the technical description of the formation was BDTCOL+MBSO+TSOL+DTSO. Individual carriages were numbered as follows:
A second batch of nine units, numbered 313–321, were built for boat train services on theLondon, Tilbury and Southend line in 1959–60, fromLondon Fenchurch Street toTilbury Riverside. These units were later reclassified as Class 308/2 underTOPS. Each unit was formed of four carriages: two outer driving trailers, an intermediate trailer, and a motor luggage van, with the reduction in luggage some MLV's were converted atSwindon Works with a different seating arrangement to the original passenger vehicles. The technical description of the formation was BDTS+MLV+TC+DTS. Individual carriages were numbered as follows:
WhenTilbury Docks closed as acruise liner terminal, these units were made redundant and withdrawn from service in 1983. Three units were subsequently rebuilt as Class 308/4 parcels units forRail Express Systems (see below).
Finally, a third batch of 3-car units were built in 1961 for suburban services fromLondon Liverpool Street toChingford andEnfield Town. They were numbered 453–455, following on from theClass 305/1 units, which also operated these services (which were numbered in the range 401–452).
These units were later reclassified as Class 308/3, and renumbered 308453–455 underTOPS. Unlike the first batch, these units contained no first-class seating. Each unit was formed of three carriages: two outer driving trailers, and an intermediate motor coach. The technical description of the unit formation was BDTS+MBS+DTS. Individual carriages numbers were as follows:
These units were withdrawn in the late 1980s.
In 1983, three former Class 308/2 units (nos. 314/319/321) were converted into Class 308/4 postal units by theParcels sector, with the removal of the intermediate trailer, and renumbered 308991–993. These units were replaced by three convertedClass 302/9 parcels units in 1992.
By the early 1990s, only the Class 308/1 units were still in service. These were gradually replaced on GEML services by the newClass 321s. Some of the displaced units were transferred to theLondon, Tilbury and Southend line (LTS), whilst others were transferred to theWest Midlands to workCross-City Line services pending the introduction of newClass 323s.[7] The LTS units were later displaced byClass 312s, but two were retained and converted toClass 937 sandite units. These sandite units were originally fitted with a small cement mixer that was used to mix the sandite and then loaded into the hoppers whilst the vehicle was in motion. Later, premixed sandite was loaded prior to use with the easing of the physical work by the staff.
In 1994–95, electrification spread north fromLeeds toBradford,Skipton andIlkley. As no new stock had been ordered,Regional Railways overhauled Class 308 units for use on these services. The work was carried out atDoncaster Works and involved reducing the unit length to three carriages, with the removal of the intermediate trailers, which were scrapped. The trains were also painted inWest Yorkshire Metro crimson and cream livery.
In 1996, with theprivatisation of British Rail, the Class 308 fleet passed into the ownership ofAngel Trains and were leased to the Regional Railways North East franchise. This was originally operated as Northern Spirit, but the franchise was later taken over byArriva and operated asArriva Trains Northern.
By the late 1990s, it was clear that the elderly Class 308 units needed replacing. Due to their age, they were increasingly unreliable and expensive to maintain. They were replaced by sixteen new 3-carClass 333 units,[8] which were introduced from 12 January 2001,[9] all 16 Class 333 units were later lengthened to 4-car sets.[10]The Class 308 units were withdrawn and sent for storage atMoD Shoeburyness. The final three units, nos. 308138/157/158, were withdrawn in late 2001, and were sent for scrap atImmingham. Since then, the stored units have slowly been scrapped at various locations, with the final vehicles disposed of in 2004. However, one driving trailer was saved for preservation.
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One driving trailer from unit 308136 has been saved for preservation.
The carriage has been stripped ofasbestos, and the full internal rebuild was abandoned in favour of housing the salvaged parts of the London Underground Victoria Line Cobourg Street signalling centre, and much of the former Brixton interlocking machine room equipment. The Cobourg Street equipment is now partially working, with work ongoing to allow simulated train movements to be displayed.
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| Class | Route | No. Built | Year Built | Cars per Set | Unit Nos. | Withdrawn | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original | Later | ||||||
| Class 308/1 | Great Eastern | 33 | 1959 | 4 | 133–165 | 308133–165 | 2001 |
| Class 308/2 | LTS | 9 | 1959-60 | 4 | 313–321 | — | 1983 |
| Class 308/3 | Great Eastern | 3 | 1961 | 3 | 453–455 | 308453–455 | late-1980s |
| Class 308/4 | Postal Units (ex-Class 308/2) | 3 | Rebuilt 1983 | 3 | (ex-314/319/321) | 308991–993 | 1992 |
