LNER electric units
| LNER Tyneside electric units | |
|---|---|
 North Tyneside set at North Shields, 1967 | |
| In service | 1937–1967 |
| Manufacturer | Metro-Cammell |
| Replaced | NER electric units |
| Number built | 132 cars (64 sets) |
| Formation | 2-car sets |
| Operators | London and North Eastern Railway British Railways |
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 112 ft 7 in (34.32 m) |
| Car length | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Wheel diameter | 3 ft 7 in (1,090 mm) |
| Traction motors | 2x Crompton Parkinson 154 hp (115 kW) |
| Electric system(s) | 600 V DC third rail |
| Current collector(s) | Contact shoe |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Notes/references | |
| [1] | |
In 1937 the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) received a fleet of articulated electric multiple units for use on the Tyneside Electric lines. These lines linked the English city of Newcastle upon Tyne with the coast at North Shields and South Shields. They were in service until electric services stopped in 1967.
History
[change | change source]Construction
[change | change source]In June 1935, the LNER ordered 132 cars from Metro-Cammell to replace the old trains from the early 20th century. 64 two-car sets were made from 128 cars. The remainder were two luggage vans and two parcel vans, both single units. The traction motors were sourced from Crompton Parkinson. Westinghouse supplied the electrical control equipment. The new Tyneside units were the only articulated EMUs to be in regular service in Britain, until the Eurostar trains appeared in 1993.[2][3][a]
Service
[change | change source]
The new trains entered service on 30 July 1937. Round trip times were shortened from 63 minutes to 53.[1]
The trains were originally painted red and cream. During the Second World War, they were recoloured blue and off-white. This was made to make enemy planes harder to spot the trains. In the post-war times, British Railways recoloured the trains again to green. Towards the end of their service life, some trains had some yellow on their front.[4][5]
When built, the trains had some first-class seating. This was changed on 4 May 1959, when British Railways decided to make all of the seats second-class.[6]
Demise
[change | change source]During the 1960s, less people took the trains. The South Tyneside service had 2.5 million passengers in 1961, which was less than 3.5 million in 1956. This may have been caused by the increase in automobile usage, housing development away from railways, and bus competition.[7]
In March 1962, Dr. Richard Beeching made a speech at Newcastle. He noted about the falling finances on both the North and South Tyneside electric services.[7] In addition, the cost of renewing the electrical infrastructure was becoming too expensive.[8][5]
The South Tyneside line was the first to be de-electrified on 6 January 1963. Diesel multiple units were used as replacements.[8][9] On 6 March 1967, a new timetable showed that more diesel trains were to be transferred from the Western Region. These replaced the remaining electric trains on the North Tyneside line. The last of the electrics were pulled from service on 17 June of the same year.[10][5][11]
Related pages
[change | change source]Notes
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Glover 2003, p. 14.
- ↑ Glover 2003, p. 13-14.
- ↑ Marsden 2008, pp. 62–63.
- ↑ Glover 2003, p. 14-15.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Marsden 2008, p. 63.
- ↑ RCTS 1990, p. 133.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Glover 2003, p. 16.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Glover 2003, p. 17.
- ↑ Peel 2013, p. 245.
- ↑ Glover 2003, pp. 17–18.
- ↑ Peel 2013, p. 324.
Explanatory notes
[change | change source]- ↑ The Advanced Passenger Train appeared between the introduction of the Tyneside EMUs and the Eurostar trains. These were also articulated trains, but never entered full-time service.
Sources
[change | change source]- Glover, John (2003). Eastern Electric. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0711029342.
- Marsden, Colin J. (2008). The DC Electrics. Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-86093-615-2.
- RCTS (1990). Locomotives of the L.N.E.R., part 10B: Railcars and Electric Stock. ISBN 0-901115-66-5.
- Peel, Dave (2013). The Unusual and the Unexpected on British Railways: A Chronology of Unlikely Events, 1948-1968. Fonthill Media. ISBN 9781781552346.
Other websites
[change | change source]- The LNER Tyneside Electric Multiple Units - LNER Encyclopedia