Mersey Railway electric units

Mersey Railway electric units
Mersey Railway electric train leaving Birkenhead Park
In service1903–1957
Manufacturer
ReplacedSteam locomotives and carriages
Constructed1903, 1923 and 1936[1]
Scrapped1956–1958
Number built12
Number scrappedAll
SuccessorLMS Class AM3
Formation
  • MF+TF+TT+TT+MT (1903 stock)
  • MF+TF+TT+MT (1923 stock)
  • TT+TT+TT (1936 stock)[1]
Fleet numbers
Operators
Specifications
Car length18 metres (59 ft 1 in)
Width2.62 metres (8 ft 7 in)
Weight20 tonnes (20 long tons; 22 short tons)
Traction system
Electric system(s)600 V DC third and fourth rail[4]
Current collector(s)Contact shoe
BogiesBaldwin equalised[2]
Braking system(s)Air-brakes
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)

Mersey Railway electric multiple units were electric multiple units introduced on the underground Mersey Railway, now a part of Merseyrail, in 1903. In the early 1900s the railway was bankrupt as it used steam locomotives that left a dirty atmosphere in the tunnel and passengers preferred the ferries. However, the railway was rescued by Westinghouse Electric, who electrified the railway and provided the first electric multiple units. The cars were supplemented in 1908, 1923 and 1925 and finally in 1936 to allow the progression from 4-car, through 5-car, and finally to 6-car trains. In 1938, when the Wirral Railway was electrified, the units were modified to allow through running between the two systems. In 1956–57 the cars were replaced by units similar to those used on the Wirral Railway.

  1. ^ a b c d Longworth 2015, p. 18
  2. ^ a b Longworth 2015, pp. 311, 316, 318–319
  3. ^ a b c Longworth 2015, p. 311
  4. ^ Marsden 2008, p. 72


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