40 years of 313s

[sandwhich]

Forty Years ago tomorrow (Nov 8th 1976) Class 313 units were introduced on Great Northern services out of London to Welwyn G C & Hertford North. they replaced diesel hauled and diesel railcar services which had run for a maximum of 18 years, which in turn they had replaced steam mainly the Class N2 tanks that themselves had run for around 40 years from 1920 until gradual replacement from 1958 to 1961. The 313s are expected to go in 2018 replaced with a new build.
Many of the original Drivers on the 313s were in fact involved on N2s as both Drivers and Firemen, some others as Firemen so they saw all three types of traction on these services, although of course the electric service is running to Moorgate via Drayton Park formally part of London Underground.
These units have lasted much longer than originally expected but I believe that they are now probably beginning to look very sorry for themselves.

[R. pike]

But can still leave an IC125 dead in the water 0-75 mph.

[Mickey]

The railway or the British tax payer certainly got there monies worth back with those units we still have them running the services across the North London line(s) since they were first introduced on the NLL services back in the middle 1990s between North Woolwich & Richmond (although these days they run between Stratford Low Level & Richmond) and which they themselves had replaced some old 'clapped out' x2 car southern region EMUs that were running the services for a few years before they arrived in the early 1990s.

I grew to like the 313s during the 1990s although I preferred them in there original British Rail blue livery with full yellow front ends as running during the 1970s & 1980s between Moorgate & Welwyn Garden City & Hertford North but I wasn't so keen on there Railtrack & Network Rail 'silly' liveries of the late 1990s & 2000s.

Mickey

[sandwhich]

The allocation of 313s is 44 at Great Northern, 19 on Southern coastal services and 1 which has been used with regards new signalling and radio systems. It is thought that once the full Thameslink service is up and running there would be enough surplus 377 units to replace the Southern based units, we shall see!
Whatever may be said about these units, yes Mickey they have had there moniesworth out of them.

[Mickey]

Also they're 'good runners' they usually give a smooth ride especially on long straight welded track or on long shallow curves although from memory they can rock gently from side to side sometimes but it's nothing to write home about.

Mickey

[Hatfield Shed]

The only significant fault from a passenger perspective was occasional incidents of the doors opening while moving, which was quite rapidly sorted out. Compared to the Cravens cars and BR mk1 slam door stock they were a major improvement. I'll take the slight 'rock and roll' tendency - and I think that was largely damped out by some early mods - over the shake rattle and vibrate and leakiness of the previous options any day. The great loss was no forward view, the one thing that the Cravens cars provided in compensation for having your fillings rattled loose.

And here's a thing, in forty years of fairly regular use, never had a 313 fail while I have been travelling. (I live in the former GN main line inner sub area.)

[Mickey]

The great loss was no forward view, the one thing that the Cravens cars provided in compensation for having your fillings rattled loose.

Yeah your right there Hatfield Shed I actually 'learn't the road' from riding in the front seats behind the driver on a Cravens unit by the age of 11 years old in 1968!!. I actually knew the fast & slow lines signalling all the way from Welwyn Garden City to Kings Cross and from Kings Cross to Welwyn Garden City!!.

Some drivers would drive a Cravens unit with the driving compartment blinds up behind the drivers back but some drivers when boarding the cab of the Cravens unit at Welwyn Garden City would lower all the blinds down which was bit of a drag so you couldn't see the road ahead!!. Ha ha ha...

Mickey

[sandwhich]

When you think back to pre Nov 8th 1976, the GN services had really been neglected compared to other London routes where it was mostly a complete sweep out of steam stock with dmu or emus. The GN had loco hauled Mark 1 block enders in the peak hour services right until the end plus totally unsuitable Cravens dmus plus Rolls Royce 3 car units that were soon consigned for scrap. Electrification was mooted then put off over many years and finally got the go head in 1971. Because of very little change over many years staff sometimes had difficulty in adapting to change especially the Northern City Line.
The future as regards the new trains and the proposed introduction of a metro style service does look interesting. Time will tell.

[mickj.signalman]

Worked 313's from day one whilst a guard at Kings Cross. Three pictures attached from those days, if I remember correct Hornsey Depot (up side) had a plaque made with '313 Squadron' on it.

[R. pike]

My first ride on one was Jubilee day 1977. Hitchin to Moorgate. One thing i remember distinctly of that trip was seeing exposed tube tunnels between Finsbury Park and Drayton Park.Some big earth moving machine had dug down to them and taken a big bite. I'd love to find a picture of them.

Edit to add..

I can find pictures of the insides of these tunnels..

http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/Dra ... ation.html

[Mickey]

I remember a lot of work going on at the south end of Finsbury Park station on the Up side between Finsbury Park 4 (box) and the area of the former East Goods yard sidings around 1974/75 when a lot of earth was dug out of the ground to build the 'fly under' to descend from Finsbury Park station towards Canonbury Junction on the North London line & Drayton Park station on the Moorgate line.

Mickey

[Mickey]

From memory when I was at Camden Road box on the North London line (1992-2004) and we had the 313 units running from there introduction on the North Woolwich-Richmond services during the mid/late 1990s they would run in the following mode of traction.

Outward journey-

North Woolwich station to Stratford low level station in DC mode
Stratford low level station to Dalston Kingsland station in AC mode
Dalston Kingsland station via the no.2 lines to Camden Road station in DC mode
Camden Road station to South Acton station in AC mode
South Acton station to Richmond station in DC mode

Return journey-

Richmond station to South Acton station in DC mode
South Acton station to Camden Road station in AC mode
Camden Road station via the no.2 lines to Dalston Kingsland station in DC mode
Dalston Kingsland station to Stratford low level station in AC mode
Stratford low level station to North Woolwich station in DC mode

Mickey

[sandwhich]

Its come to mind that for a period of time four 313s 61/62/63/64 were allocated to Clacton for local services to Colchester but eventually came back to Hornsey.

[Mickey]

Intersteing three pictures they convey the new era of change in them that I remember at that time.

The feeling was akin to waking up after a 'night on the drink and looking at the world in the cold light of day' when finally the 'shinny new railway' had arrived and the last of the old railway had finally been swept away by 1976/77 and replaced by continuous multi-aspect colour light signalling between Kings Cross & Sandy controlled by Kings Cross PSB the electrification of the route between Kings Cross & Royston including the Hertford branch and the 313 units replacing the Craven & Rolls Royce units on the suburban services amongst a number of other changes.

Mickey

[Dave Cockle]

313's also saw a short period of use on the West Anglia lines to Cheshunt/Chingford/Enfield Town/(Hertford East?)

This was to enable the remaining 305 EMU's to be withdrawn. I remember there was some gauging issues at collector shoe level and the rails on the bridge where Liv St - Chingford line crossed the Coppermill Jn. - Stratford had to have extra packing placed under them. This was to avoid the shoe gear striking the bridge weybeams in the six foot.