Class 456 – Back to the Original Plan
Order and Delivery
Towards the end of British Rail emu manufacturing at BREL York, based on the Mark III coach shell and prior to the new “Networker” standard which was to come later in 1991, Network South East could see demand growing on the lines out of Waterloo and needed to find a solution to provide additional capacity. A modest increase from eight to ten cars looked the best solution and it was decided to order 24 two car units to extend the trains. The opportunity was also taken with this order to solve an NSE inner-suburban problem – the absence of toilets, which as station toilets were being closed due to vandalism there was a need to find another solution and whilst it was seen as costly to add toilets to existing units it was agreed that they would be included on new build. Having in recent years seen a bunch of youths urinating in 455 units it is perhaps a pity that this has also now been deemed uneconomic.
Before the units were in service the economic downturn of the early nineties had an impact on revenue growth and it was decided that instead of the original plan the units would go to the Central Division to allow withdrawal of ‘2 Hap’ units plus a cascade of ‘2 EPB’ units to the South Eastern Division. The former were at the end of their lives and for which it was no longer possible to fund new replacement stock. The new units were a departure from previous Southern builds as they had no gangway connections and even now this seems an odd departure from previous practice, given that were originally planned to work in multiple with the 455 units. They were built after the standard design had changed between class 318 (with gangways) and class 319/310/321 and perhaps the jigs used previously for the earlier units were no longer available.
Dimensionally each carriage is 20.61 m long, 2.82 m wide, height 3.77m. They are fitted with P7 bogies for the motor bogie and T3 for trailer, disc braking and TIghtlock coupling. Passengers enjoy the benefits of convection heating and fluorescent lighting in a central strip along the carriage. The 456 did however revert to a more traditional Southern Region pattern in terms of the motive power with EE 507 motors (two GEC507-20J of 185 kw) – obtained from withdrawn class 405 stock and refurbished for the new units. Power control however was a modern GTO thyristor control. High level jumper cables were fitted to allow interworking with other similar units (classes 455, 507 and 508).
However the manufacturing, delivery and commissioning dates are recorded as follows:
Unit DMSO DTSO Year of Manufacture Delivered Date Commissioned Date
456001 64735 78250 01/04/1991 14/12/90 25/02/91
456002 64736 78251 01/04/1991 29/01/91 19/02/91
456003 64737 78252 01/04/1991 13/02/91 25/02/91
456004 64738 78253 01/04/1991 22/02/91 05/03/91
456005 64739 78254 01/04/1991 26/02/91 05/03/91
456006 64740 78255 01/04/1991 05/03/91 28/03/91
456007 64741 78256 01/04/1991 20/03/91 28/03/91
456008 64742 78257 09/04/1991 20/03/91 10/04/91
456009 64743 78258 09/04/1991 20/03/91 10/04/91
456010 64744 78259 03/05/1991 26/03/91 03/05/91
456011 64745 78260 12/04/1991 26/03/91 12/04/91
456012 64746 78261 12/04/1991 26/03/91 12/04/91
456013 64747 78262 15/04/1991 10/04/91 15/04/91
456014 64748 78263 24/04/1991 10/04/91 24/04/91
456015 64749 78264 17/05/1991 30/04/91 17/05/91
456016 64750 78265 17/05/1991 30/04/91 17/05/91
456017 64751 78266 17/05/1991 30/04/91 17/05/91
456018 64752 78267 18/07/1991 30/04/91 17/05/91
456019 64753 78268 03/06/1991 10/05/91 17/05/91
456020 64754 78269 09/07/1991 10/05/91
456021 64755 78270 18/07/1991 23/05/91
456022 64756 78271 18/07/1991 05/06/91
456023 64757 78272 20/09/1991
456024 64758 78273 20/09/1991
The missing dates do not appear to have been reported within Live Rail so if anyone does have them please pass the information to the editor. There are various apparent inconsistencies in the above no doubt due to different ways of recording the dates concerned.
The units were delivered to Strawberry Hill for commissioning, largely on runs to and from Shepperton.
Units were Driving Motor Standard Open and Driving Trailer Standard Open (Toilet) in standard NSE livery. The motor bogie is located at the inner end of the DMSO with two EE507 motors. The DMSO seated 79 and the DTSO(T) seated 73. At the time internally they were virtually identical to the recently delivered class 319/1 units. Décor was grey and light blue. High back seats were fitted unlike the class 455. Edward Pond murals featured on the end walls. They had the distinction of the first production emus for the Southern Region with an electronic display of a decent size. Coach numbers were 64735 – 64758 for the DMSO and 78250 – 78273 for the DTSO(T).
On delivery it was identified that the driver’s seat was incorrectly located as the intention was that these units would be Driver Only Operation (DOO) and the small size of the side cab window meant that the monitors could not be observed without moving the driver’s seat. The units immediately were put through a rectification programme to meet operating requirements. There was testing of 456003 with a Ryman’s typist chair which was able to slide sideways to identify the right positions. The units went to Fratton to allow a sliding chair to be fitted with an interlock which meant power could not be applied until the seat was in the left most driving position. This took place in late July 1991. The units then encountered another problem – instructions were needed on the placement of internal maps.
The units entered service on 30 September on a variety of services and almost immediately settled down to a relatively boring and little reported existence on the Central Division. Regular haunts included the South London line and Wimbledon – West Croydon line, until the latter closed.
With privatisation under the Connex South Central the fleet remained in NSE livery with the exception of 456024 which acquired the Connex white and yellow livery and was named Sir Cosmo Bonsor who had been chairman of the South Eastern Railway. In 2000 the franchise passed to the Go Ahead Group and was rebranded “Southern”.
Refreshment Time
Southern took time to review the acquired stock and decided that the relatively new 456 units should undergo a “refresh” which would include a repaint. 456006 went to Wolverton for assessment which took over a year but eventually in April 2006 the update was agreed, the unit returning to Selhurst on 18 September. Corrosion rectification, plus new flooring and installation of an internal CCTV system were undertaken, plus an external livery change into the new Southern standard livery was applied.
The corrosion work was sub-contracted to TXM who provided a self managed yet integrated team of skilled vehicle builders, welders and fabricators, cutting out areas of corrosion, predominantly on the roof, body side, sole bar and floor area of the vehicles and re-welding in new material sections.
There are comments that 456013 was to receive an experimental cab-cooling system, whilst 456022 had an experimental air conditioning system in the cabs to see if the working environment could be improved. It seems these ideas were not progressed.
However part of the work was also to remove the toilets – they were locked out of service every winter and all water drained from them as If they froze it led to pipes cracking. Also there was new interior panelling, new seat covers and new handrails. In this new configuration the seating capacities were unchanged – DMSO – 79, DTSO – 73, but with more circulation space.
456006 returned in an incomplete livery and was later vinyled with a panoramic view of London to reflect TfL’s investment in rail services.
After the first unit refurbishing typically took a month 456024 (which had been painted in Connex livery and was named Sir Cosmo Bonsor) for example moved to Wolverton on 17 November and returned on 21 December. The nameplates were retained. 456022 was the last unit to be refurbished (and in NSE livery) moving to Wolverton on 27 June 2007. It returned along with 456013 on 31 July.
Seating plans following refurbishment:
And the external livery is the standard Southern greens, white and yellow door markers.
There was a reluctance for the refresh to require significant expenditure. Southern envisaged the 455 fleet having a limited life and given the lack of compatibility with later builds the 456 were slated for withdrawal by 2020. A passenger information system was added in 2009 not having featured in the “refresh”. However circumstances change and on 8 May 2012 it was announced that the class 456 would move to SWT with the cost of the additional units being met by DafT taking a reduction in the SWT premium payments to enable the additional costs to be met. The DafT announcement trumpets the extra seats for commuters despite the seating reduction which will actually apply to the 456s, but deriving from longer trains on certain services resulting from deployment of the 456s..
By the end of November 2013 Southern had stood down ten units from active service and by mid-December they were being moved by road for a fuller refurbishment – which will cost £10m according to owners Porterbrook – to be undertaken at Wolverton, near Milton Keynes, previously known as Railcare, but now owned by Knorr-Bremse RailServices (UK) Limited who acquired the site following the demise of Railcare.
South Western to use 456 units
From January 2014 the class are to move to SWT finally reaching the lines originally expected to see them over 20 years ago. On one side of the equation Southern will lose a small non-standard fleet which can be replaced by adding to the 377 fleet and changing stock diagrams. SWT can find ways of using the units to increase capacity. In addition SWT are planning to re-equip the 455 units and will need additional resources whilst that fleet is undergoing conversion from dc to ac motors, although the current supply will remain dc as now.
The announcement was highly specific about the trains which will grow in size between March 2014 and December 2014 and I indicate alongside the possible unit requirements, although there is some guesswork and this is not factual:
Mainline services:
0515 from Yeovil Junction (6 car to 9 car) – extra 159
0543 from Salisbury (6 car to 9 car) – extra 159
0600 from Haslemere (5 car to 8 car) – 2 x 450 in place of 1 x 444
0642 from Basingstoke (6 car to 8 car) – extra 456
0650 from Portsmouth Harbour via Eastleigh (8 car to 12 car) – extra 450
0844 from Alton (5 car to 8 car) – 444 to 2 x 450
1620 to Exeter (6 car to 8 car) – extra 158
1720 to Exeter (6 car to 9 car) – extra 159
1723 to Basingstoke (8 car to 12 car) – extra 450
1741 to Basingstoke (8 car to 12 car) – extra 450
1750 to Exeter (6 car to 8 car) – extra 158
1841 to Basingstoke (8 car to 12 car) – extra 450
Suburban services:
0717 from Guildford via Cobham (8 car to 10 car) – extra 456
0807 from Guildford via Cobham (8 car to 10 car) – extra 456
0817 from Woking (8 car to 10 car) – extra 456
1702 Guildford via Woking (8 car to 12 car) – extra 450
1732 Guildford via Woking (8 car to 12 car) – extra 450
1757 Twickenham via Kingston (8 car to 10 car) – extra 456
1848 Guildford via Cobham (8 car to 10 car) – extra 456
Windsor lines:
1705 Aldershot via Richmond (4 car to 8 car) – extra 450
1713 Teddington via Richmond (8 car to 10 car) – extra 456
Additional services:
0722 from Raynes Park – 4 x 456
0922 from Raynes Park – 4 x 456
During the next couple of years SWT will be short 2 x class 455 as they are away for retractioning and it is likely that the 456 will cover the relevant diagrams as the 455 units are tightly diagrammed.
The extra 456 units cannot provide the diesel units required – so one conjecture is that the Lymington branch will be 456 operated, although this will require driver training. It seems almost certain that they will release 450s from the Guildford – Ascot services to strengthen the main line. The SWT press release cannot be relied on too closely as it does at one point refer to acquiring 48 units, there are in fact only 24 of them and 48 coaches. And the other oddities relate to the 444 units in the morning peak which do not appear to be redeployed. Once the revised operations commence confirmation of the patterns would be nice.
The announcement also states that the units will be refurbished to match the class 455 units operated by SWT. Subsequently Porterbrook who own the units have published a brochure on the plans being formulated.
The most obvious change revealed is the reduction in seating – the DMSO will be 59 and the DTSO(W) will only seat 54 with much more standing space. Some decisions appear not to have been taken as yet and the following are currently possibilities:
a) Conversion from GTO to IGBT control, current reliability is good at 25,000 miles per technical incident so this may not be progressed
b) Addition of gangways between units has been considered but is not recommended due to cost
c) Air conditioning has been considered but again is unlikely due to cost
Other aspects are more certain:
a) In addition to the current saloon CCTV forward facing CCTV will be added
b) 8 units will be fitted with passenger counting equipment
c) Units will comply with the disability regulations – this will require changes to ensure the units can remain in service past the 2020 deadline for compliance.
d) A new interior with stainless steel door surrounds
e) Wider door apertures to allow two passengers to board at the same time
f) A new Passenger Information System through the Tightlock coupling to match the SWT standard.
g) New “Grammer” seats to match the class 455 units and in a bay of four it is planned that they will be arranged around a window.
h) LED lighting to replace the fluorescent tubes
i) The remote monitoring system will be upgraded to the SWT system which downloads the collected data remotely, Arrowvale Electronics provide the system used in Desiro so presumably they will also be the supplier for this requirement.
What will the new seating plans look like?
DMSO above, DTSO(W) below
These show removal of the three abreast seating, wider gangways, more standing space and what looks like two wheelchair spaces. These drawings are incomplete as they no longer show the doors into the cabs or doors between units, so may not be final.
Heavy maintenance on these units is defined as follows:
C4 – 400,000 miles in a range of +15,000, -10,000 to take 5 days. This is largely a deep clean and attention to wheels, bogies and brake gear using new or overhauled components.
C6 – planned 7 – 8 years over lease duration to take 20 days. This would be a heavy overhaul to bring the units back to good condition, covering bodywork, passenger facing systems and equipment (doors and door systems) and seats.
Paint – as part of C6.
The next C6 will therefore be due around 2021-22 and these will be the last SWT units with EE507 motors. So will they also be replaced with modern ac motors to give a consistent fleet and a longer life (remembering that some of the motors fitted to this fleet had already seen service in earlier units).
So a new chapter begins for the class 456, and of course a new livery – the standard inner suburban SWT livery which is defined in the diagram below.
