British Rail Class 503

British Rail Class 503
A British Rail Class 503 train in the Liverpool Loop tunnel.
A British Rail Class 503 train in the Liverpool Loop tunnel. This train was one of the original batch built by the LMS in 1938.
The interior of DMBS car 28690 at the Electric Railway Museum, Coventry.
The interior of DMBS car 28690 at the Electric Railway Museum, Coventry.
In service1938–1985
ManufacturerMetro Cammell, Birmingham RC&W
ReplacedMersey Railway electric units
Constructed1938 and 1956
Refurbished1971 (First class accommodation removed)[1]
1972 (End doors fitted)[1]
Scrapped1985
Number built
  • 19 full sets (1938)[1]
  • 24 full sets (1956)
  • 2 TS+DTS (1956)[1]
Number preserved1
Number scrapped44
Formation3 cars per trainset:
Diagram
  • BR EB203 or LMS 344A (DMBS)[2]
  • BR EH214 or LMS 368A (TS)[2]
  • BR EE202 or LMS 392A (DTS)[2]
Fleet numbers
  • 28672-28690 (DMBS 1938)
  • 28371-28394 (DMBS 1956)
  • 29702-29720 (TS 1938)
  • 29821-29846 (TS 1956)
  • 29271-29289 (DTS 1938)
  • 29131-29156 (DTS 1956)[3]
Capacity
  • 40 (First class)
  • 141 (Third Class)[4]
Operators
DepotsBirkenhead Central[5][6]
Birkenhead North[6][7]
Lines served
Specifications
Train length176 ft 11 in (53.92 m)[1]
Car length
  • 58 ft 0 in (17.68 m) (DMBS and DTS)[4]
  • 56 ft 0 in (17.07 m) (TS)[4]
Width9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) (less over body, greatest width over footsteps)
Height11 ft 5 in (3.48 m)[4]
Doors4 × Twin 3 ft 9 in (1.14 m) electro-pneumatic sliding doors per car[4]
Wheelbase41 ft 0 in (12.50 m) (Centres of bogies)
7 ft 6 in (2,290 mm) (Bogie)[4]
Maximum speed65 mph (105 km/h)[2]
Weight
  • Total: 77 t (76 long tons; 85 short tons)[4]
  • 37 t (36 long tons; 41 short tons) (DMBS)[9]
  • 20 t (20 long tons; 22 short tons) (TS)[10]
  • 22 t (22 long tons; 24 short tons) (DTS, 29131-29156)[11]
  • 21 t (21 long tons; 23 short tons) (DTS, 29271-29289)[12]
Traction systemBTH[1][4]
Traction motors4 × EE[4]
Power output
  • 135 hp (101 kW) per traction motor[4][13]
  • Total: 540 hp (400 kW)[14]
Tractive effort
  • 4 × 93 hp (69 kW) continuous[4]
  • Total: 372 hp (277 kW) continuous
HVACElectric heating, self-ventilated[4]
Electric system(s)650 V DC third rail or fourth rail[4]
Current collector(s)Contact shoe
UIC classificationBo′Bo′+2′2′+2′2′
BogiesSingle bolster[1]
Braking system(s)Westinghouse electro-pneumatic and straight air brakes
Coupling system
Multiple workingWithin class only
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Notes/references
End doors fitted for tunnel working from 1972.[1]

British Rail Class 503 passenger trains were 65 mph (105 km/h) electric multiple units. They were introduced in two batches: the first were in 1938, by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), with a further batch (built to a similar design) in 1956 by the then nationalised British Railways (BR). When introduced by the LMS, they were known officially as Class AM3. They were designed for, and operated on, the Wirral & Mersey lines from Liverpool to West Kirby, New Brighton and Rock Ferry. There were few places on their network of closely-spaced stations to attain their maximum speed, except for the open section between Moreton and Meols. All but one set were withdrawn and scrapped by 1985. The final set was used on special Merseyrail services until 1988; it was preserved and kept at the Electric Railway Museum near Coventry, until it moved on to the Locomotive Storage Ltd warehouse at Margate.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Class 503 recognition data". The Railway Centre. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ a b c d Vehicle Diagram Book No. 210 for Electric Multiple Units (Including A.P.T.) (PDF). Derby: British Railways Board. 1981. p. EB203, EE202, EH214. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2014 – via Barrowmore MRG.
  3. ^ Longworth 2015, pp. 18–19
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Maund 2009, p. 167
  5. ^ Gahan 1983b, p. 51
  6. ^ a b John Laker, Tony Ballantyne (Photography) (2013). Merseyrail Classes 502 and 503 Remembered (DVD). Middlesex: J & K Video.
  7. ^ Maund 2009, p. 213
  8. ^ Maund 2001, p. 82
  9. ^ Longworth 2015, p. 310
  10. ^ Longworth 2015, pp. 325, 327
  11. ^ Longworth 2015, p. 318
  12. ^ Longworth 2015, p. 320
  13. ^ Marsden 2008, p. 136
  14. ^ Marsden 1982, p. 120