British Rail Class 203
British Rail Class 203 | |
---|---|
Hastings Line | |
Specifications | |
Maximum speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) |
Weight | 55 long tons (56 t; 62 short tons) |
Prime mover(s) | English Electric 4SRKT Mark II |
Power output | 500 bhp (370 kW) at 850 rpm |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The British Rail Class 203, initially classified 6B, was a type of
Operations
The units were delivered in 1958 in then-standard
In 1963, the number of buffet cars was reduced to five to reflect falling demand, with units 1031 and 1032 losing the carriages; 1031 was converted to standard 6L (202) formation while 1032 lost another car to replace a damaged car in another unit and ran with two TFKs, downgraded to TSK, from Class 201; the rest of these units were used in the formation of 3R(206) "Tadpole" units 1201-1206. The TSKs were later transferred to a 6S(201) unit and replaced with two standard 6L(202) TSOs and 1032 became another standard Class 202 unit. The two buffet cars removed from the units were stored and later converted for departmental use.[1]
Between 1972 and 1977 two units worked a
At least one Class 203 unit was repainted in all-over Rail Blue with the carriage numbers repositioned higher, before all five remaining buffet units became blue and grey. Yellow squares and later yellow ends were added during repainting. In the 1980s the remaining five buffet cars were withdrawn and scrapped. The remaining five Class 203s became five-car units, with one shortened to four cars to run the
Upon the completion of this scheme almost all Class 201, 202 and 203 units were withdrawn, although a motor brake second open and trailer composite corridor (TCK) were used briefly to reinstate
Technical details
Power car (two per six-car set)
- Introduced: 1958
- Weight: 55 tons
- Engine: English Electric 4-cylinder type 4SRKT (Supercharged Redesigned K-type Transport) Mark II supercharged to 500 bhp (370 kW) at 850 rpm
- Transmission: Electric, two English Electric type 507 traction motors of 250 hp (190 kW)
- Maximum tractive effort: Not known
- Driving wheel diameter: Not known
- Coupling code: Not known
- Train heating: Electric
Preservation
Two vehicles survive:
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 1-85414-287-9.
- ^ Welch p.92
- ^ Welch p.58
- ^ Welch p.46
- ^ Welch p.47
Further reading
- Fox, Peter; Knight, Steven (1988). Multiple Unit Pocket Book. British Rail Pocket Book No.2 (Summer 1988 ed.). Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 55. OCLC 655236737.
- Marsden, Colin J. (1982). DMUs. Motive Power Recognition. Vol. 3. Ian Allan. pp. 98–101. OCLC 16599282.
- Vehicle Diagram Book No. 230 for Diesel Electric Multiple Unit Trains (including H.S.T.) (PDF). British Railways Board. September 1987. DB202, DH202, DH304 – via Barrowmore MRG.