British Rail Class 323

"Class 323" redirects here. For the Japanese train, see 323 series.

British Rail Class 323
Northern Trains Class 323 at Liverpool Lime Street in 2021
Interior of a refurbished Arriva Rail North Class 323 unit
In service7 February 1994 – present
Manufacturer
  • Hunslet Transportation Projects
  • Holec Ridderkerk UK[a]
Order no.
  • DMS vehicles: 31112 & 31114
  • PTS vehicles: 31113[3]
Built atLeeds[4]
Replaced
Constructed1992–1995[4]
Refurbished
  • 2011–2013
  • 2018–2021
Number built43[5]
Number in service34
SuccessorClass 730 (West Midlands Railway)[6]
Formation3 cars per unit: DMS-TS-DMS[7]
Diagram
  • DMS vehicles: EA272
  • TS vehicles: EH296[3]
Fleet numbers323201–323243[7]
Capacity
  • As built: 284 seats
  • Refurbished: 277 seats[8]
OwnersPorterbrook
Operators
Depots
Lines served
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium alloy[3]
Train length70.18 m (230 ft 3 in)
Car length
  • DMS vehs.: 22.810 m (74 ft 10.0 in)
  • TS vehs.: 22.840 m (74 ft 11.2 in)
Width2.800 m (9 ft 2.2 in)
Height3.769 m (12 ft 4.4 in)
Floor height1.156 m (3 ft 9.5 in)
DoorsDouble-leaf sliding plug, each 1.305 m (4 ft 3.4 in) wide (2 per side per car)
WheelbaseOver bogie centres: 16.000 m (52 ft 5.9 in)
Maximum speed90 mph (145 km/h)[7]
Axle loadRoute Availability 3[13]
Traction system
Traction motors8 × Holec DMKT 52/24[5] asynchronous three-phase AC
Power output1,168 kW (1,566 hp) total[13]
Electric system(s)25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead
Current collector(s)Pantograph (Brecknell Willis)[7]
UIC classificationBo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′
Bogies
  • DMS vehicles: RFS BP62
  • TS vehicles: RFS BT52[15][d]
Braking system(s)Westcode EP (disc) and regenerative[7][e]
Safety system(s)
Coupling systemTightlock
Multiple workingWithin class (max. 4 units)[7]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Notes/references
Sourced from Webber 1999 unless otherwise noted.

The British Rail Class 323 is a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train built by Hunslet Transportation Projects and Holec. All 43 units were built from 1992 through to 1995,[4] although mockups and prototypes were built and tested in 1990 and 1991.[19]

Entering service in 1994, the 323s were among the last trains to enter service with British Rail before its privatisation in the mid-1990s. The units were designed to operate on inner-suburban commuter lines in and around Birmingham and Manchester with swift acceleration and high reliability. Of the 43 units built, 34 are in service with Northern Trains, with the remaining 9 being in storage.

The units are known for their rapid acceleration, being the fastest accelerating trains on the UK rail network, and also for the distinctive whining sounds generated by the traction electronics during acceleration or deceleration.

  1. ^ Webber 1999, Table 1 'Chronology'. "Hunslet TPL (Engineering and Project Management) becomes Holec Ridderkerk (Birmingham) Limited, latterly Holec Ridderkerk UK Limited: 15 March 1994".
  2. ^ Williams, Philip (23 March 1994). "Hunslet has had enough of 'misery line' battles". Birmingham Post. Midland Independent Newspapers. p. 9. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c Fox, Peter (1994). British Railways Pocket Book No. 4: Electric Multiple Units (7th ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. pp. 38–39. ISBN 9781872524603.
  4. ^ a b c "Class 323 Electric Multiple Unit Traction Upgrade". Institution of Mechanical Engineers. 5 May 2017. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Class 323". Modern Locomotives Illustrated. No. 228. Stamford: Key Publishing. December 2017. pp. 49–53.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference TRUK252 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Class 323 Driver's Manual (PDF). Northern Rail Limited. 19 May 2013. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ "New era of rail travel to begin as West Midlands Railway unveils electric train fleet". West Midlands Railway. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference FarewellTour was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Class 323 EMUs to remain in traffic with Northern". Rail Magazine. No. 886. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. August 2019. p. 30.
  11. ^ "Manchester depot revitalised". Rail Magazine. No. 975. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. 25 January 2023. p. 27.
  12. ^ "Exploring the "Elgar Line" to Hereford". Today's Railways UK. No. 261. November 2023. pp. 40–47.
  13. ^ a b Class 323 Electric Multiple Unit (PDF) (1A ed.). Derby: Porterbrook Leasing Company. November 2013. pp. 16, 19–20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  14. ^ a b Walmsley, Ian (23 February 2017). "A Traction Heart Transplant". Modern Railways. Stamford: Key Publishing. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  15. ^ Marsden, C. J. (2007). "Class 323". Traction Recognition. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 184–185. ISBN 978-0-7110-3277-4. OCLC 230804946. OL 16902750M.
  16. ^ Webber 1999, p. 56.
  17. ^ "Catalogue Description: RFS Industries Ltd, Records 1987–1989". The National Archives. DZ MD/574. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  18. ^ Webber 1999, p. 59.
  19. ^ "Class 323 Data Sheets". Porterbrook Leasing Company. Archived from the original on 10 November 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.


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