British Rail Class 325

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British Rail Class 325
Hugh llewelyn 325 002 (6520031505).jpg
Class 325s on the week-day Willesden to Shieldmuir Mail passing Harrow & Wealdstone in 2009
In service1995 – Present
ManufacturerABB Derby[1]
Family nameBR Second Generation (Mark 3)
Constructed1995 - 1996[1]
Number built16 trainsets[1]
Number in service15 trainsets[1]
Number scrapped1 trainset[1]
Formation4 cars per trainset:
DTVA+PMV+TAV+DTVB[1]
Operator(s)DB Cargo UK[1]
Depot(s)Crewe IEMD – International Electric Maintenance Depot[1]
Specifications
Car lengthDTV - 19.95 m (65 ft 5 in)
PMV/TAV - 19.92 m (65 ft 4 in)[1]
Width2.82 m (9 ft 3 in)
Height3.78 m (12 ft 4+7⁄8 in)
Maximum speed100 mph (161 km/h)[1]
WeightTotal - 138.5 t (136.3 long tons; 152.7 short tons)
Power output1,160 kW (1,560 hp)[1]
Electric system(s)25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead line
750 V DC 3rd rail
Current collection methodBrecknell Willis high speed pantograph(AC)[1]
Contact shoe (DC)
Braking system(s)Air
Coupling systemDrop-head buck-eye
Multiple workingWithin Class
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The British Rail Class 325 is a 4-car dual-voltage 25 kV alternating current (AC) or 750 V direct current (DC) electric multiple unit (EMU) train owned by and operated for the Royal Mail to carry bulk mail. While the Class 325 cabs bear a resemblance to the Networker family of DMUs and EMUs, the Class 325 based on the Class 319.[1]

History[]

Mockup of Class 325 cab

These units, which were ordered in 1994, were initially given the TOPS classification Class 350 which was changed to Class 325 before the trains entered service.[2]

The 16 units were built at ABB Derby between 1995 and 1996. They are very similar to Class 319 units, sharing the same traction equipment and body design, but are fitted with cabs of the same design as the ABB Networker family.[2][3]

TOPS numbers are on the front of the cabs under the driver's window in Royal Mail's house typeface (Plantin), and the units were numbered 325001 - 325016. The trains are fitted with large round oleo buffers, and have no gangways between carriages. They carry a livery of Royal Mail red, with two yellow stripes running along the lower bodyside before turning sharply backwards and pointing up towards the roof, black cab window surrounds and a full yellow warning panel. Each set is made up of four cars, with roller doors in place of sliding ones and no windows. Each car has two roller shutter sliding doors on each side and is designed to hold up to 12 tonnes. They have a Brecknell Willis high speed pantograph[1] to pick up power from the 25 kV AC overhead lines, and also a shoe to pick up power off the 750 V DC third rail. They cannot work in multiple with any other multiple unit stock, but are fitted with drop-head buck-eye coupling and can therefore be hauled by locomotives. The units were built in such a way that they could easily be converted for passenger use if no longer required for mail services.

After introduction, which was relatively trouble-free due largely to the fact that the Class 325 shares traction equipment with the Class 319, the units successfully settled into carrying parcels and mail from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh at 100 mph (160 km/h).They are based at Crewe IEMD – International Electric Maintenance Depot[1]

As of 2017, the mockup cab built before the construction of the Class 325s, numbered 325000, is currently on display at the Nene Valley Railway as part of the as-yet-unfinished Night Mail Museum at Overton, having been disposed of from the National Railway Museum.

Operations[]

At launch, the trains were operated by British Rail's parcel's service, Rail Express Systems (RES). With the Privatisation of British Rail operation was transferred to English Welsh & Scottish Railway. Such work continued alongside Class 86 locomotives up the West Coast Main Line and East Coast Main Line until 2003, when Royal Mail withdrew the postal contracts, resulting in decreasing use until the units entered storage following the end of work.[4]

When First GBRf gained a new contract for mail transport over Christmas 2004, the Class 325s returned to limited work operating in multiple. Work with locomotive haulage also occurred again, powered by GBRf Class 87s. After a traction reshuffle the Class 325s resumed service with their power cars and without locomotive haulage.

GBRf's contract expired in 2010. A new contract for Royal Mail operations, and responsibility for managing the Class 325 fleet, was won by DB Schenker. As of June 2010 seven trains were to be run a day, between London, Warrington and Glasgow via the West Coast Main Line, with capacity to be flexible as required.[5] The sets can be worked together to make up 4, 8 or 12-car trains.

In 2012, unit number 325010, which had been damaged and was stored as a source of spares for the rest of the fleet, was disposed of by scrapping.[6]

From June 2013, DB Schenker re-inaugurated an additional service on the East Coast Main Line from Willesden to Low Fell, just outside Newcastle.

Gallery[]

  • A Class 325 EMU set at work, 21 April 2016.

  • Three Class 325 parcels EMUs head northbound through Crewe, with 325016 on the rear, 3 July 2006.

Fleet details[]

Class Operator No. Built Year Built Cars per Set Unit nos. Notes
Class 325 DB Cargo UK 16 1995 - 1996 4 325001 - 009

325011 - 016

325010 scrapped following damage
Class 325 Royal Mail unbranded

Named units[]

Named units are as follows:

  • 325006 - John Grierson[7]
  • 325008 - Peter Howarth CBE[citation needed]

See also[]

  • SNCF TGV La Poste, 270 km/h Postal version of the TGV Sud Est used in France.
  • ETR 500, in freight operation since October, 2018. Maximum speed is 300 km/h, average speed is 180 km/h.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "DB Cargo UK Class 325 EMU – Royal Mail" (PDF). DB Cargo UK. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b The All-time Guide to EMU Classifications (PDF), Modern Locomotives Illustrated, 2011, p. 2, archived (PDF) from the original on 24 February 2014, retrieved 19 February 2014
  3. ^ Glasspool, David. "Class 325". kentrail.org.uk. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  4. ^ Johnson, Peter; An Illustrated History of the Travelling Post Office; Oxford Publishing Co, 2009
  5. ^ Royal Mail awards rail contract to DB Schenker Archived 6 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, DB Schenker, 1 June 2010
  6. ^ Pritchard, Robert (2012). "325 sent for scrap". Today's Railways. Platform 5 (125): 69.
  7. ^ "Historical Model Railway Society". Historical Model Railway Society. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2020.

Further reading[]

  • Marsden, Colin J. (2011). Traction Recognition (2nd ed.). Ian Allan. pp. 198–199. ISBN 9780711034945. OCLC 751525080.

External links[]

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