Mersey Railway electric units
| Mersey Railway electric units | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
Mersey Railway electric train leaving Birkenhead Park
|
|
| In service | 1903–1957 |
| Manufacturer | |
| Replaced | Steam locomotives and carriages |
| Constructed | 1903, 1923 and 1936 |
| Formation |
|
| Fleet numbers |
|
| Operator(s) | |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 18 metres (59 ft) |
| Width | 2.62 metres (8 ft 7 in) |
| Traction system |
|
| Electric system(s) | 600 V DC third and fourth rail |
| Current collection method | Contact shoe |
| Bogies | Baldwin equalised |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Mersey Railway electric multiple units were electric multiple units introduced on the underground Mersey Railway in 1903. In the early 1900s the railway was bankrupt as it used steam locomotives that left a dirty atmosphere in the tunnel and passengers preferred the ferries. However, the railway was rescued by Westinghouse Electric, who electrified the railway and provided the first electric multiple units. The cars were supplemented in 1908, 1923 and 1925 and finally in 1936 to allow the progression from 4-car, through 5-car, and finally to 6-car trains. In 1938, when the Wirral Railway was electrified, the units were modified to allow through running between the two systems. In 1956–57 the cars were replaced by units similar to those used on the Wirral Railway.
In the early 1900s the Mersey Railway was bankrupt. The steam locomotives then used left a dirty atmosphere in the tunnel that mechanical ventilation was unable to remove. Passengers preferred the ferries. However, the railway attracted the attention of George Westinghouse, an American looking for business for his UK works, the British Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Ltd that opened at Trafford Park in 1899. Westinghouse considered the railway would be profitable with electric traction and undertook to fund electrification, promising to complete in eighteen months.
In 1903, 24 motor cars and 33 trailers were provided by Westinghouse. The stock was of an American design, with a clerestory roof and open gated ends. Unheated accommodation was in saloons and the wooden bodies were British built, the bogies had been made by Baldwin Locomotive Works in America. All cars were 8 feet 7 inches (2.62 m) wide, the motor cars were 59 feet (18 m) long and weighed 36 1⁄2 long tons (37.1 t) and the trailers 58 feet (18 m) long and weighed 20 long tons (20 t). First and Third Class cars were provided, the first class seats being natural rattan, the third class seats being moulded plywood. The livery was maroon with white roofs and "Mersey Railway" in gold left on the upper fascia panels. Air-brakes were provided with storage reservoirs that were recharged at the terminal stations. The motor cars were powered with Westinghouse motors controlled by the Westinghouse low voltage multiple unit train control system.
...
Wikipedia