 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2014) |
| British Rail Class 503 | |
|---|---|
 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. | |
.jpg) The interior of DMBS car 28690 at the Electric Railway Museum, Coventry. | |
| In service | 1938–1985 |
| Manufacturer | Metro Cammell, Birmingham RC&W |
| Replaced | Mersey Railway electric units |
| Constructed | 1938 and 1956 |
| Refurbished | 1971 (First class accommodation removed)[1] 1972 (End doors fitted)[1] |
| Scrapped | 1985 |
| Number built | |
| Number preserved | 1 |
| Number scrapped | 44 |
| Formation | 3 cars per trainset:
|
| Diagram | |
| Fleet numbers |
|
| Capacity |
|
| Operators | |
| Depots | Birkenhead Central[5][6] Birkenhead North[6][7] |
| Lines served |
|
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 176 ft 11 in (53.92 m)[1] |
| Car length | |
| Width | 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) (less over body, greatest width over footsteps) |
| Height | 11 ft 5 in (3.48 m)[4] |
| Doors | 4 × Twin 3 ft 9 in (1.14 m) electro-pneumatic sliding doors per car[4] |
| Wheelbase | 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m) (Centres of bogies) 7 ft 6 in (2,290 mm) (Bogie)[4] |
| Maximum speed | 65 mph (105 km/h)[2] |
| Weight | |
| Traction system | BTH[1][4] |
| Traction motors | 4 × EE[4] |
| Power output | |
| Tractive effort |
|
| HVAC | Electric heating, self-ventilated[4] |
| Electric system(s) | 650 V DC third rail or fourth rail[4] |
| Current collector(s) | Contact shoe |
| UIC classification | Bo′Bo′+2′2′+2′2′ |
| Bogies | Single bolster[1] |
| Braking system(s) | Westinghouse electro-pneumatic and straight air brakes |
| Coupling system | |
| Multiple working | Within class only |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 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.
- ^ 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) - ^ 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.
- ^ Longworth 2015, pp. 18–19
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Maund 2009, p. 167
- ^ Gahan 1983b, p. 51
- ^ a b John Laker, Tony Ballantyne (Photography) (2013). Merseyrail Classes 502 and 503 Remembered (DVD). Middlesex: J & K Video.
- ^ Maund 2009, p. 213
- ^ Maund 2001, p. 82
- ^ Longworth 2015, p. 310
- ^ Longworth 2015, pp. 325, 327
- ^ Longworth 2015, p. 318
- ^ Longworth 2015, p. 320
- ^ Marsden 2008, p. 136
- ^ Marsden 1982, p. 120