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British Rail Class 508

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British Rail Class 508
Merseyrail Class 508 at Hightown
The interior of a Merseyrail-refurbished Class 508 unit
In service17 December 1979 – 16 January 2024[1]
ManufacturerBritish Rail Engineering Limited
Order no.
  • 30979 (DMSO vehicles)
  • 30980 (TSO vehicles)
  • 30981 (BDMSO vehicles)[2]
Built atHolgate Road Works, York
Family nameBREL 1972
ReplacedClass 503
Constructed1979–1980
Refurbishment
Number built43
Number scrapped41
Successor
Formation
  • As built, 4 cars per unit:
  • DMSO-TSO-TSO-BDMSO
  • After 3-car conversion:
  • DMSO-TSO-BDMSO[2]
Diagram
  • DMSO vehicles: EA208
  • TSO vehicles: EH218
  • BDMSO vehicles: EI203[2]
Design code4PER[4]
Fleet numbers
  • 508/0: 508001–508043
  • 508/1: 508101–508143
  • 508/2: 508201–508212[5]
Capacity
  • As built: 320 seats
  • As three-car: 234 seats
  • Three-car modified: 222 seats
  • 508/2 units: 219 seats
  • As refurbished: 192 seats
Operator(s)
Depot(s)
Line(s) served
Specifications
Car body constructionSteel underframe and body frame, aluminium body and roof
Car length
  • DM vehs.: 19.800 m (64 ft 11.5 in)
  • Trailers: 19.920 m (65 ft 4.3 in)
Width2.820 m (9 ft 3.0 in)
Height3.582 m (11 ft 9.0 in)
Floor height1.146 m (3 ft 9.1 in)
DoorsDouble-leaf pocket sliding, each 1.288 m (4 ft 2.7 in) wide (2 per side per car)
WheelbaseOver bogie centres:
14.170 m (46 ft 5.9 in)
Maximum speed75 mph (120 km/h)
Weight
  • DMSO vehicles: 36.15 t (35.58 LT; 39.85 ST)
  • TSO vehicles: 26.72 t (26.30 LT; 29.45 ST)
  • BDMSO vehicles: 36.61 t (36.03 LT; 40.36 ST)[2]
Traction motors
  • 8 × GEC G310AZ
  • or 8 × Brush TM61-53
  • (82 kW (110 hp) each, 4 per motor car)
Power output656 kW (880 hp)
Train heatingElectric heating (ducted warm air)
Electric system(s)750–850 V DC third rail[2]
Current collection methodContact shoe
UIC classificationBo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′
BogiesBREL BX1
Minimum turning radius70.4 m (231 ft 0 in)
Braking system(s)Electro-pneumatic (disc) and rheostatic[2][5]
Safety system(s)
Coupling systemTightlock
Multiple working
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Notes
Specifications as at August 1982[8] except where otherwise noted. The additional TSO vehicles, removed as part of three-car conversion, were inserted into Class 455/7 units.[2]
508138 bearing the 'Revised' livery, one of six 508s to receive this colourful variant.
A Class 508 in Connex livery leaving Norwood Junction.
508301 arrives at London Euston in October 2007, one month before becoming part of the London Overground fleet.
A Silverlink 508 at South Hampstead.

The British Rail Class 508 electric multiple units ("EMUs") were built by BREL at York works in 1979-80. They were the fourth variety of BR's then-standard 1972 design for suburban EMUs, eventually encompassing 755 vehicles and five classes (313/314/315/507/508). They have mostly worked on the Merseyrail network since 1983, and continue to do so, now refurbished by Alstom's Eastleigh Works.

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ Russell, David (March 2024). "Final Merseyrail Class 508 withdrawn". Units. Rail Express. No. 334. p. 22.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Fox, P. (1994). British Railways Pocket Book No. 4: Electric Multiple Units (7th ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-872524-60-3. OCLC 655645349.
  3. ↑ Marsden, C. J. (2007). Traction Recognition. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 228, 248–251. ISBN 978-0-7110-3277-4. OCLC 230804946. OL 16902750M.
  4. ↑ Marsden, C. J. (1982). EMUs. Motive Power Recognition. Vol. 2. London: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 4, 6. ISBN 978-0-7110-1165-6. OCLC 16537600.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Class 508". The Railway Centre. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ↑ Maund, T. B. (2001). Merseyrail Electrics: The Inside Story. NBC Books. pp. 78, 82, 85. OCLC 655126526.
  7. ↑ Llewelyn, Hugh (2016). EMUs: A History. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. pp. 520–521. ISBN 978-1-4456-4983-2. OCLC 1064706206.
  8. ↑ Vehicle Diagram Book No. 210 for Electric Multiple Units (including A.P.T.) (PDF). Derby: Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Department, British Railways Board. August 1982. EA208, EH218, EI203 (in work pp. 18–19, 290–291, 390–391). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via Barrowmore MRG.
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