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| British Rail Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train – Prototype | |
|---|---|
 Class 370 atCarlisle | |
 Standard Class saloon of APT | |
| In service | 1980–1986 |
| Manufacturer | British Rail Engineering Limited |
| Built at | Derby Works[1] |
| Family name | Advanced Passenger Train |
| Constructed | 1977–1980[2] |
| Entered service | 1979[3] |
| Number built | 3 full sets (6 units plus 2 spare vehicles)[3] |
| Number preserved | 7 vehicles |
| Formation | 7 cars per unit: DTS-TS-TRSB-TU-TF-TBF-M (full set is 2 units back-to-back) |
| Diagram |
|
| Fleet numbers | 370001–370006[3] |
| Operators | British Rail InterCity |
| Depots | Shields Road (Glasgow)[4] |
| Lines served | West Coast Main Line |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | |
| Train length | 147 m (482 ft)[5] |
| Car length |
|
| Width | 2.720 m (8 ft 11.1 in) |
| Height |
|
| Wheelbase |
|
| Maximum speed | 125 mph (200 km/h) |
| Weight |
|
| Traction motors | 4 ×ASEA LJMA 410 F |
| Power output | 3,000 kW (4,000 hp) continuous |
| Electric system(s) | 25 kV 50 Hz ACoverhead |
| Current collection | Pantograph |
| UIC classification | 2′(2′)(2′)(2′)(2′)(2′)2′+Bo′Bo′ |
| Bogies |
|
| Minimum turning radius | 91 m (300 ft) |
| Braking system(s) | Hydraulic andhydrokinetic[6] |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Multiple working | Within class (max. 2 units) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
| Notes/references | |
| Specifications given for seven-car units as at August 1981,[8] except where otherwise noted. A full set train would be formed of two units coupled back-to-back. | |
British Rail'sClass 370tilting trains, also referred to asAPT-P (meaningAdvancedPassengerTrainPrototype), were the pre-productionAdvanced Passenger Train units. Unlike the earlier experimental gas-turbineAPT-E unit, these units wereelectric multiple unit sets, powered by25 kV ACoverhead electrification and were used on theWest Coast Main Line betweenLondon Euston andGlasgow Central. The train had eight traction motors fitted to the two central motor cars giving a total output of 8,000 hp (6,000 kW), which enabled it to set the UK rail speed record of 162.2 mph (261.0 km/h) in December 1979, a record that stood for 23 years until broken by aEurostarClass 373 on the newly completedHigh Speed 1 line.[9]
The APT-P was unveiled to the public on 7 June 1978 and continued to be used for testing into 1986.[10] Due to ongoing technical problems with these pre-production units, and a lack of cash or political will to take the project forward, the plannedAPT-S (AdvancedPassengerTrainSquadron Service) production-series units were never built, but they did influence the design of the laterInterCity 225 sets designed for theEast Coast Main Line electrification. The influence is strongest with theClass 91 locos, which took many features from the APT power cars. The technology was later sold toFiat Ferroviaria and used for improving their second-generationPendolino trains, which are used worldwide, including on theWest Coast Main Line as theClass 390.
Units were numbered 370001–370006 (plus two spare cars labelled 370007)[3] and were formed as follows:
A full train was made up of two units running back-to-back, with the two motor cars adjoining. The motor cars had no seating accommodation or through-gangway, so the two halves of the train were unconnected for passengers.
All six units were withdrawn during 1985 and 1986, and most cars were quickly scrapped. The remaining cars are exhibited atCrewe Heritage Centre, a museum located next toCrewe station.[1]
In 1980,Hornby Railways produced aOO gauge five-car set model available as a train set with plain yellow fronts,[12] which was released as a five-car train pack with black fronts and window surrounds in 1981, until appearing in the 1983 catalogue when the train set was last produced. In 1984 it was discontinued from the Hornby range. However, it was featured in the 1985 catalogue, although no new models were produced that year.[13]
In 2020, Hornby Railways announced that as part of their centenary year range – and both the 40th anniversaries of the year it entered service and the original Hornby model a newly tooled OO gauge model of the BR Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train would be launched.[14] The APT-P will be available as part of a five-car train pack consisting of sets 370 003 and 370 004 with plain yellow fronts included are DTS, TFB, NDM (motorised), TFB and DTS[15] and a seven-car train pack included is the APT U Development coach, consisting of sets 370 001 and 370 002 with DTS, TBF, NDM (motorised), NDM (dummy), TBF and DTS in APT livery with black front and window surrounds.[16] With the additional eight SKU' coaches available separately in two sets of four including TS, TU, TRBS, and TF[15][16] with the additional NDM (motorised)[2][17] and the APT U Development coach,(for the five-car pack)[18] for each set to form a realistic complete full rake train for both train packs.[15][16]
