British Rail Class 310

British Rail Class 310
Class 310 train in British Railways plain blue calls at Harrow and Wealdstone station. The driving cab features wrap-around windows as originally fitted to these trains.

Class 310 train in British Railways plain blue calls at Harrow and Wealdstone station.

The British Rail Class 310 is a slam-door electric multiple unit introduced in 1966 as part of the West Coast Main Line electrification project. Constructed at Derby Carriage Works, they consisted of four carriages - a second class driving trailer, a second class trailer, a second class motor car (with guard's/luggage compartment above which the pantograph was mounted) and a composite (1st and 2nd class) driving trailer. The maximum speed was 75 miles per hour. A glass partition behind the driver's cab enabled passengers in the leading and rear coaches to have an excellent view of the line ahead or behind.

Original livery was overall rail blue, later amended to the familiar blue and grey colour scheme.

Initially they were primarily used on local services from London Euston to Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Birmingham, and within the West Midlands. They were also the first EMUs to be based on the Mark 2 bodyshell, which featured semi-integral construction.

During the mid 1980s they underwent their heavy C1 repair at Wolverton which included new flat windscreens, a corridor connection between the TSO and the MBS, and a PA system among other things.

The main fleet of class 310/0 was replaced on the Euston commuter routes with Class 317/1 units which began to enter service on the route in late 1987, however the 317s were then superseded by the new build of Class 321/4 within about 2 years.

All Class 310 units that survived into the 21st century were withdrawn between 2001 and 2004.

Sub-classes

• 310/0 - four car units. All 310s were originally 310/0s.

• 310/1 - three car units modified for use in the Midlands.

Privatisation

All 310/0 units came under the control of LTS Rail (now c2c). They were replaced by Class 357 units.

The thirteen 310/1 units came under the control of Central Trains. All were withdrawn by 2002, replaced by a mixture of Class 170 and Class 323 units.

Departmental Usage

In 2002 vehicles from two class 310/1 units, numbers 310109 and 310113, were used to create a single four-car departmental unit, 960201 which could operate on either AC or DC lines for test purposes. The set consisted of two driving cars, a class 310 power car with Hitachi equipment and either a standard class 310 25kV power car or a modified 650v 3rd rail vehicle from a 4-VEP unit. One of these two vehicles was included in the formation depending upon where the unit was operating (25kV OLE or 3rd rail). To facilitate 3rd rail running shoegear was fitted to each driving car. The unit was known as the 'Hitachi Verification Train' or 'V Train' and was used by Hitachi to test and prove its traction equipment in the UK. The subsequent order for the class 390 Javelin trains benefitted from this exercise. The V train was scrapped at Shoeburyness in 2007. Look here for some details and pictures of the train on AC, Dc and CTRL lines[1]Testing Hitachi's V train.

Preservation

There is some talk of seeing a Class 310 preserved, but due to asbestos, at best this would be a stripped carriage.