British Rail Class 503
| British Rail Class 503 | |
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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.
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The interior of DMBS car 28690 at the Electric Railway Museum, Coventry.
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| In service | 1938–1985 |
| Manufacturer | Metro Cammell, Birmingham RC&W |
| Replaced | Mersey Railway electric units |
| Constructed | 1938 and 1956 |
| Refurbishment | 1971 (First class accommodation removed) 1972 (End doors fitted) |
| Scrapped | 1985 |
| Number built |
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| Number preserved | 1 |
| Number scrapped | 44 |
| Formation | 3 cars per trainset:
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| Diagram |
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| Fleet numbers |
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| Capacity |
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| Operator(s) | |
| Depot(s) |
Birkenhead Central Birkenhead North |
| Line(s) served |
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| Specifications | |
| Train length | 176 ft 11 in (53.92 m) |
| Car length |
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| Width | 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) (less over body, greatest width over footsteps) |
| Height | 11 ft 5 in (3.48 m) |
| Doors | 4 × Twin 3 ft 9 in (1.14 m) electro-pneumatic sliding doors per car |
| Articulated sections | 3 |
| Wheelbase | 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m) (Centres of bogies) 7 ft 6 in (2,290 mm) (Bogie) |
| Maximum speed | 65 mph (105 km/h) |
| Weight |
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| Traction system | BTH |
| Traction motors | 4 × EE |
| Power output |
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| Tractive effort |
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| Train heating | Electric heating, self-ventilated |
| Electric system(s) | 650 V DC third rail or fourth rail |
| Current collection method | Contact shoe |
| UIC classification | Bo'Bo'+2'2'+2'2' |
| Bogies | Single bolster |
| 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 | |
| End doors fitted for tunnel working from 1972. | |
British Rail Class 503 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 officially known 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, and this preserved set is kept at the Electric Railway Museum near Coventry.
When introduced by the LMS, the class was officially known as Class AM3. The two batches were almost identical, a difference being that the 1938 stock had passenger door-open buttons mounted on the doorleaf itself, whereas on the 1956 the buttons were on the bodyside next to the door. Motor units could be identified from the driving trailers by the ventilation louvres in the bodyside near the car ends which led to ducting down to the motors. Originally, these trains featured a flat front. Emergency end doors were added, in 1972, as part of a Department of Transport directive for when working in a tunnel.
The trains were fitted with four position marker lights on the front, which were used throughout their life as indicators to signalmen - both top lights for Rock Ferry, both right-hand lights for West Kirby, and one top light for New Brighton.
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Wikipedia