British Rail Class 306

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British Rail Class 306
306022 Liverpool Street.jpg
306022 at Liverpool Street in 1975
In service1949 - 1981
ManufacturerMetro Cammell and BRCW
Order no.
  • 363 - 65201-65292
  • 364 - 65401-65492
  • 365 - 65601-65692[1]
Constructed1949[2]
RefurbishedRebuilt 1959-1961[3]
Number built92 trainsets
Number scrapped91
Formation3 cars per trainset.
  • As built: DMBSO+TSO+DTSO[4]
  • As rebuilt: DMSO+TBSO+DTSO[2]
DiagramBR TOPS codes
rebuilt units
  • EA203 DMSO
  • EE211 DTSO
  • EJ201
[5]
Design codeAM6
Fleet numbers
  • 306001-306092 (sets)
  • 65201-65292 (DMBSO later DMSO)
  • 65401-65492 (TSO later TBSO)
  • 65601-65692 (DTSO)[6]
Capacity
  • 48S (DMBS0) rebuilt 62S (DMSO)
  • 68S (TSO) rebuilt 46S (TBSO)
  • 60S (DTSO)[2]
Operator(s)British Rail
Depot(s)Ilford[2]
Line(s) servedLiverpool Street - Shenfield, Great Eastern Suburban[7]
Specifications
Car body constructionSteel [8]
Train length177 ft 7 in (54.13 m)[3]
Car length
  • 60 ft 4+1⁄4 in (18.396 m) (DMSO)[4]
  • 55 ft 0+1⁄2 in (16.777 m) (TBSO)[4]
  • 55 ft 4+1⁄4 in (16.872 m) (DTSO)[9]
Width9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)[4]
Height13 ft 1 in (3.99 m)[3]
DoorsBi-parting sliding[3]
Articulated sections3
Maximum speed75 mph (121 km/h)[3]
Weight
  • 105 long tons (107 t; 118 short tons) (total)
  • 51.7 t (50.9 long tons; 57.0 short tons) (DMSO)
  • 26.4 t (26.0 long tons; 29.1 short tons) (TBSO)
  • 27.9 t (27.5 long tons; 30.8 short tons) (DTSO)[2]
Traction motors4 × Crompton Parkinson[4]
Power output4 × 157 hp (117 kW)[4]
Electric system(s)
Current collection methodPantograph
UIC classificationBo'Bo'+2'2'+2'2'
BogiesThompson[10] / LNER ED6 / ET6[11]
Braking system(s)Air (EP/Auto)[3]
Safety system(s)AWS
Coupling systemScrew[2]
Multiple workingWithin class
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
View of the former Motor Brake Second Open (MBSO) vehicle showing the modified (raised) roofline above the cab when the pantograph was relocated to the centre carriage.
A side view of the centre carriage showing the Stone Faiveley AMBR pantograph and the guards' section below

The British Rail Class 306 was a type of electric multiple unit (EMU) introduced in 1949. It consisted of 92 three-car trains which were used on newly electrified suburban on the Great Eastern Main Line between Shenfield and London Liverpool Street.

Overview[]

Class 306 trains were built to a pre-World War II design by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (Driving Trailer) and Metro Cammell (Driving Motor Brake and Trailer) and were equipped with Metrovick traction equipment Crompton Parkinson traction motors. Each carriage featured two sets of twin pneumatic sliding passenger doors, which could be opened by either the guard or the passengers, who could use buttons fitted inside and outside the doors. The order was placed by the LNER in 1938 but official delivery did not commence until February 1949.[12]

When built the trains were energised at 1,500 V direct current (DC) which was collected from overhead wires by a diamond pantograph located above the cab on the Motor Brake Second Open (MBSO) vehicle.

From 1959 to 1961 the overhead wires were re-energised at 25 kV alternating current (ac) (and 6.25 kV ac in the inner London areas where headroom for the overhead wires was reduced) and the trains were rebuilt to use this different electrical system. A transformer and rectifier unit was fitted to the underframe between the bogies of the intermediate Trailer Brake Second (TBS) and the pantograph, now a more modern Stone Faiveley AMBR design, was moved to the roof of this carriage. Because this reduced the headroom inside the train, the guard's compartment was relocated to be directly below the pantograph. The trains were then numbered 001-092 with the last two digits of each carriage number (LNER coaching series numbers used) the same as the unit number.

Operation[]

Units being made up of three coaches, trains were formed up to three units (nine coaches)[12] although off-peak trains formed of only two units (six coaches) could be seen. This meant that the standard formation could carry 528 seated passengers plus another 696 standing, making 1,224 passengers, compared with about 1,000 passengers in the steam trains that they replaced.[12]

There is a record of a single three-coach unit hauling a Class 47 and train into Chelmsford after the locomotive failed on a London Liverpool Street to Norwich express.[13]

Formations[]

The 92 units were originally numbered 01 to 92, becoming 001 to 092 upon conversion for AC operation. Coach numbers were:

  • DMSO: 65201 to 65292
  • TBSO: 65401 to 65492
  • DTSO: 65601 to 65692

In all cases the last two digits of the unit number matched those of the coach numbers. The whole fleet was allocated to Ilford depot.

Withdrawal and preservation[]

The Class 306 trains were withdrawn in the early 1980s, with 306017 preserved at Ilford depot. It had been repainted in a near original green livery, albeit with a yellow warning panel on the front to comply with then-current safety regulations. In the early 2000s, it was restored to operational condition by First Great Eastern.[14]

The unit was in store at MoD Kineton awaiting the resolving of issues such as asbestos contamination. The contamination was removed at Eastleigh Works and the unit was transferred by rail to the East Anglian Railway Museum in June 2011 for display as an exhibit, under a 4-year loan agreement from the National Railway Museum. It was moved to Locomotion: the National Railway Museum at Shildon in October 2018 so it can be assessed before restoration.[15] It is scheduled to move to York when space becomes available.[14][16]

See also[]

  • Class 506 EMUs - similar to the Class 306 EMUs, but built for the Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electric railway

References[]

  1. ^ Harris, Michael (1973). Gresleys Coaches. Newton Abbot, Devon, UK: David & Charles. p. 154. ISBN 0715359355.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Fox 1987, p. 52
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Class 306". The Railway Centre. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Longworth 2015, p. 349
  5. ^ Fox, Peter. British Railways Locomotive & Coaching Stock 2002. Sheffield: Patform 5. p. 246. ISBN 9781902336251.
  6. ^ Longworth 2015, p. 22
  7. ^ Longworth 2015, p. 21
  8. ^ Fox, Peter. British Railways Locomotive & Coaching Stock 2002. Sheffield: Patform 5. p. 246. ISBN 9781902336251.
  9. ^ Longworth 2015, p. 350
  10. ^ Longworth 2015, pp. 349–350
  11. ^ Fox, Peter. British Railways Locomotive & Coaching Stock 2002. Sheffield: Patform 5. p. 246. ISBN 9781902336251.
  12. ^ a b c Glover, John (2003). Eastern Electric. Hersham: Ian Allen. pp. 38–40. ISBN 0-7110-2934-2.
  13. ^ "Motive power miscellany". Railway World. Vol. 30, no. 345. Shepperton: Ian Allen. February 1969. p. 93.
  14. ^ a b " What future for the last 306?" Rail Express issue 247 December 2016 pages 16-19
  15. ^ Locomotion (18 October 2018). "Class 306 Electric Multiple Unit set number 306 017 has recently arrived at Locomotion - for assessment and initial conservation in advance of a restoration programme.pic.twitter.com/WlVAJbmeXp". @LocomotionSHD. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  16. ^ Class 306 Science Museum Group

Sources[]

  • Fox, Peter (1987). Multiple Unit Pocket Book. British Railways Pocket Book No.2 (Summer/Autumn 1987 ed.). Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0906579740. OCLC 613347580.
  • Longworth, Hugh (2015). British Railways Electric Multiple Units to 1975. Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 9780860936688. OCLC 923205678.
  • Swan, Alec (1990). British Railway Fleet Survey, 11 Overhead Line Electric Multiple Units. Ian Allen. ISBN 9780711019027.
  • British Railway Combined Volume 1978. Ian Allen. 1978. ISBN 0711008515.
  • Mallaband, P. (1974). The Coaching Stock of British Railways 1974. RCTS.
  • Harris, Michael (1973). Gresley's Coaches. David & Charles. ISBN 0715359355.

Further reading[]

  • Johnston, Howard (February–March 1982). "Last of the Shenfield rattlers". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. pp. 44–46. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.
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