Class 508
| British Rail Class 508 | |
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Merseyrail Class 508 No. 508115 at Hall Road
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The interior of a Merseyrail refurbished Class 508
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| In service | 1979 - Current |
| Manufacturer | BREL |
| Order no. |
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| Built at | BREL York |
| Family name | BREL 1972 "PEP" |
| Replaced | British Rail Class 503 |
| Constructed | 1979-80 |
| Entered service | 17 December 1979 |
| Refurbishment |
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| Number built | 43 trainsets |
| Number scrapped | 12 trainsets fully scrapped 3 trainsets partly scrapped |
| Formation |
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| Diagram |
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| Fleet numbers |
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| Capacity |
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| Operator(s) | |
| Depot(s) | |
| Line(s) served | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Steel underframe and body frame, aluminium body and roof |
| Train length |
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| Car length | 19.8 m (65 ft 0 in) (over body) |
| Width | 2.82 m (9 ft 3 in) (over body) |
| Height | 3.58 m (11 ft 9 in) |
| Entry | 1.146 m (3 ft 9.1 in) |
| Doors |
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| Articulated sections |
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| Wheelbase | 14.170 m (46 ft 5.9 in) (bogie centres, per car) |
| Maximum speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) |
| Weight |
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| Traction motors | GEC G310AZ or Brush TM61-53 |
| Power output | 656 kW (880 hp) from 8 x GEC G310AZ electric motor (82.125kW each) |
| Train heating | Electric-ducted warm air |
| Electric system(s) | 750/850 V DC third rail |
| Current collection method | Contact shoe |
| UIC classification | Bo'Bo'+2'2'+Bo'Bo' |
| Bogies | BX1 |
| Braking system(s) | Disc and rheostatic |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Coupling system | |
| Multiple working | Within class and Class 507 |
| Headlight type | Fluorescent and tungsten |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Notes | |
| One TSO removed during 1980s, transferred to Class 455/7 | |
British Rail Class 508 (or 4PER) electric multiple units (EMUs) were built by BREL York works in 1979-80. They were the fourth variant of BR's 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. The Class 508 unit is now 38 years old, making them among the oldest units still in service on the UK mainland rail network, after the Class 313 and Class 507.
The class was developed for Merseyside following extensive trials and testing of the 4Pep/2Pep stock built in the early 1970s. Testing of Class 313 took place on the Northern Line on Merseyside, using 313013/063 which were loaned from the Great Northern Line of the Eastern Region to Hall Road depot. Original plans were drawn up for 58 Class 508s to be constructed, although costing issues limited the eventual number to 43. However, following planning and building, British Rail decided to divert the 508s to work alongside much older first-generation 4Sub EMUs in the London Waterloo area. The first unit was delivered to Strawberry Hill depot on 9 August 1979. Based at Wimbledon Park depot, they soon became problematic due to their non-standard dimensions and brake problems caused by leaf fall. Once a new build of Class 455 EMUs were complete, the Class 508s were slowly sent to their originally intended home on the Merseyrail network. Driver training began at Kirkdale on 17 February 1982, and the first Class 508 began service on the Northern Line the following month. The first Wirral Line service commenced on 8 June 1984, and the Class 508s had completely displaced the Class 503 fleet by the end of March 1985. The fleet was then working in parallel with the already well-established fleet of Class 507 EMUs across the River Mersey, which had been working on Merseyside since 1978.
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