Class 455 emu

[Southernsteve]

I would like to see a class 455 emu blue grey 

[LCDR]

 Some of these Third Generation sliding door Southern EMUs are similar to Second Generation diesel units used elsewhere. The 455 has a great many similar features to the 150, for example. And they are very similar to the 317 / 318 / 319 / 320 / 321 / 322 series too. The cab ends are different, but that is fairly easy to vary in production, and the underframe equipment may be different, but apart from paint finish that is about it.  This ought to make them attractive to manufacture RTR, and certainly a very attractive option for a kit.

 

The class of EMU that has cried out for years for production is the 507/508/313/314/315 family of units. These are different to the 455 but are another wide availability type.

[Postman Prat]

Good point LC&DR

 

How about some Tyneside units? The Gresley ones as well as the NER units !!

[LCDR]

 Once again there are family resemblences between the LNER third rail units for North Tyneside and the overhead collection units for East London and Manchester, although the Tyneside sets were articulated twins in the main, and the window arrangement of the Tyneside units were quite different.  What makes these unlikely contenders is the very limited operational areas and small fleet sizes. Electrification was extremely localised and every discrete system appears to have had rolling stock purely designed just for them. The same with LMSR schemes. The Mersey stock was similar to, but different from the Liverpool -Southport sets, and the Manchester Bury stock different again, even the sliding door stock differed. The London area of the LMS also had different types for the two different services, Euston to Watford and North London. This got ironed out after 1954 when the Eastleigh built sets started to arrive, but these were distinctly different from the sets supplied at about the same time for South Tyneside and the Southern Region.

 

Only the Southern and London Transport had  fleets of electric trains with 100 or more units of the same type.

 

Moving forward into BR's AC electrification schemes of the 1950s and 60s standardisation was still difficult to find. The Eastleigh designs for the LT&SR and Liverpool Street to Southend services followed the design practices that had been established by the Southern for DC third rail stock, but the York and Wolverton built sets were a new shape altogether, much like the replacement stock for Manchester - Bury. These had a raked back drivers windscreen and were much less angular. The saloon windows were increased  in size by combining adjacent openings, yet still retaining the seperate door to each bay.

 

It is not until the 313/507, and 317/455 series appeared was there any real move towards a standard design, but even here differences can be found. The side  windows appear in hopper and sliding vent form depending on the particular class. This can alter the whole appearance because the aperture is deeper.

 

It will be interesting to see how popular the 319 from Graham Farish will be in N gauge. And whether this will spark off a run of varients if the other similar types.

[Southernsteve]

Lets just hope that Hornby can see there is plenty of scope for emus old and new. 

Personally i would like to see anything southern that made it to br blue or blue grey. 

Some of the north east units made it down south and a lot of units have similarities so with some changes they could end up with 2 or 3 units from 1 main shell 

[LCDR]

 The manufacturers have been wary because E. M. U.s (and D. M. U.s)  are train packs and not individual items, so first cost is higher. Not everybody can afford £200 plus for what is actually one unit. And of course they are not popular with many enthusiasts who see them as inferior to locomotive hauled, especially steam hauled trains.

 

I am very fond of Southern Electric stock, although my preference is for pre-War converted, Maunsell and  Bulleid design suburban stock. I also like London Underground from the red era. To date none of this has appeared ready to run.