{"id":4630,"date":"2022-12-14T17:44:36","date_gmt":"2022-12-14T17:44:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/?p=4630"},"modified":"2022-12-14T17:44:36","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T17:44:36","slug":"313-farewell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/?p=4630","title":{"rendered":"313 Farewell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wednesday 7th December 2022 to Tuesday 13th December 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LMS Coronation Pacific No. 6233 ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ at Worting Junction working The Railway Touring Company’s “The Bath & Bristol Christmas Market” 1Z82 0847 London Victoria to Bristol Temple Meads – 10\/12\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This week, Yoshi and I took a trip along the Southern Railway West Coastway route to witness the final days of the Class 313 electric multiple units (EMU), saw LMS Coronation Pacific No. 6233 ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ storming past Worting Junction and took in some Great Western Castle Class HST’s in frosty conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Class 313<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In preparation of spending a day on the Western Coastway route to see Class 313 emu’s, we had pre-booked our Southern Daysave ticket well in advance, and paid extra for next day delivery to avoid the postal strikes. It was a good job we did, as the ticket still took four days to arrive. So, on Friday 9th December we set off on a South Western Railway (SWR) service for Southampton (where we saw a couple of passing Class 66 hauled freight workings) to pick up a Southampton to London Victoria train which would take us to Barnham where we changed platforms to get a Class 313 operated shuttle to Bognor Regis. These are the last days of the Class 313’s and we hoped to record some of the units still in service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three-car Class 313’s were the first production, second generation, EMU’s built as a direct result of trials in 1972 with the PEP prototypes on British Rail Southern Region. I remember seeing at least one of the PEP units at Wimbledon on my first train journey to London in the early 1970’s. I may not have been an avid rail enthusiast at the time, but I’d clearly read about the new trains being introduced by British Rail. None of the prototypes survive and they were all cut up by 1990. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PEP Unit No. 4002 in the sidings at Wimbledon – 27\/08\/1982<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The production-run classes which are most visibly similar to the PEP\u00a0Stock are the dual voltage 750 V DC third rail \/ 25 kV AC overhead power collection Class 313, the 25 kV AC Classes 314 and 315, and the 750 V DC Classes 507 and 508.\u00a0We covered the 507’s and 508’s earlier in the year when we visited Stockport. You can read about that adventure here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fleet of 64 three car sets were built by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) in York in 1976\/1977 and were intended for the then newly modernised and electrified Great Northern inner suburban lines. The front end doors were designed for evacuation in an emergency in a single bore tunnel and the fleet were constructed to take in the slightly restricted loading gauge between Drayton Park and Moorgate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Class 313 No. 313008 at Finsbury Park with a service to Moorgate – 30\/10\/1980<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Upon privatisation, the 313’s were operated by Silverlink Railways and West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) and later, in 2007, the class were transferred to London Overground who ran them until September 2010. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

19 Class 313’s were modified for DC pick up only at Wolverton works and transferred to Southern to operate on the Coastway services out of Brighton from May 2010. These were deliveries into GTR Southern green and white with pictogram route branding. The remaining Great Northern members of the class were all withdrawn from service and scrapped by the end of 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yoshi gets up close to Class 313 No. 313207 at Bognor Regis having worked in with the 2P26 1053 service from Littlehampton – 09\/12\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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When the Class 313’s were transferred to GTR Southern from May 2010 the sets were overhauled and the interiors refurbished with new seating in low-density 2+2 style using high backed seating – 09\/12\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Southern Class 313 onboard diagram – 09\/12\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Faded branding detail applied the intermediate coach of Coastway Class 313 No. 313207 (and other members of the class) on transfer to GTR Southern promoting the route Portsmouth, Chichester, Bognor, Littlehampton, Worthing, Brighton, Lewes, Seaford and Eastbourne – 09\/12\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In 2017 No. 313201, the first of the class to be built and therefore the oldest operational EMU in use in the UK, was repainted into as near as possible the BR blue\/grey livery and it is believed the unit is destined for the National Collection. Because of disability reasons, the unit has contrasting colour doors and is seen here at Barnham – 09\/12\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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On transfer to GTR Southern, the fleet was repainted in GTR Southern white and green. Class 313 No. 313210 at Brighton having arrived with <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Not being used on the day of our visit, Class 313 No. 313216 in the sidings at Brighton – 09\/12\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Class 313 No. 313206 at Brighton having arrived with the 1453 service from Seaford – 09\/12\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Class 313 No. 313203 has a short rest at Brighton prior to working the 1511 Brighton to Seaford service – 09\/12\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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