British Rail Class 489

The British Rail Class 489 (or GLV) is a type of electric multiple unit, specially converted for use on Gatwick Express trains, from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport.

British Rail Class 489 (GLV)
489107 at Wirksworth Station on 17 April 2003. This unit is one of two preserved on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in Derbyshire.
In service1984-2005[1]
ManufacturerBR
Order no.30452[2]
Built atAshford/Eastleigh[2]
ReplacedClass 427
Constructed
  • 1959 (original build)
  • 1983-84 (conversion)[2]
Entered service1984[1]
RefurbishedBritish Rail Engineering Limited Eastleigh (conversion)[3]
Number built10
FormationSingle car (DMLV)[1]
DiagramEX561[4]
Design codeGLV
Fleet numbers
  • (48)9101-(48)9110 (unit)
  • 68500-68509 (car)[1]
CapacityLuggage space only[5]
Operator(s)
Depot(s)Stewarts Lane[2]
Line(s) servedBrighton Main Line
Specifications
Car body constructionSteel[4]
Car length19.495 m (63 ft 11 1⁄2 in) (over body)[4][1]
Width2.826 m (9 ft 3 1⁄4 in)[1]
Height3.861 m (12 ft 8 in)[4]
DoorsTwin-leaf slam[5]
Articulated sectionsSingle car
Wheelbase
  • 14.173 m (46 ft 6 in) (bogie centres)
  • 2.667 m (8 ft 9 in) (cab-end bogie)
  • 2.591 m (8 ft 6 in) (trailing bogie)[4]
Maximum speed90 mph (140 km/h)[5]
Weight40.5 t (39.9 long tons; 44.6 short tons)[2]
Traction systemElectric
Traction motors2 × EE507 of 185 kW (248 hp)[2]
Power output370 kW (500 hp)
Train heatingElectric[4]
Electric system(s)660-750 V DC third rail[1]
Current collection methodContact shoe
BogiesSR mk4 powered and unpowered (one of each)[4]
Braking system(s)EP[4]
Coupling systemAutomatic drophead buckeye[4]
Multiple working1951, 1957, 1963 and Gatwick Express stock[5]
Headlight typeOriginally tungsten,[4] later halogen
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Notes
Units converted in 1983-84 from Class 414/3 DMBS vehicles, to operate with Class 488.[1][2]
489104 passing through Clapham Junction on 19 July 2003. This unit was used on Gatwick Express services between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport until withdrawal in 2005.
489108 at London Victoria on 18 March 2003. This unit carries the InterCity Gatwick Express livery.
489110 at London Victoria on 18 March 2003. This is one of the final two units in service with Gatwick Express.

The units were converted from Class 414 driving motors cars, by Eastleigh Works in 1983-84, for use on the new Gatwick Express service. They were used to allow push-pull operations, on the London-end of the rakes of Class 488 stock, with a Class 73 locomotive at the other end and both used for propulsion. The units were used as baggage cars.

Units were given unit numbers in the range 489101-489110, with individual carriages numbered 68500-68509. However, purely for aesthetic purposes, only the last four digits of the set numbers were shown, to fit with the traditional Southern style (maintained until privatisation by British Rail's Southern region) - older (pre-TOPS) units were originally assigned four-digit numbers. The units were originally painted in BR Blue/Grey livery, which was quickly replaced by InterCity livery. The final livery carried by these units is a variation of the InterCity livery, with a claret stripe and Gatwick Express lettering.

Operations

Upon privatisation of British Rail, the Gatwick Express franchise was won by National Express.

Gatwick Express

Immediately after privatisation, the Class 489 fleet was exclusively used by Gatwick Express on all their London Victoria-Gatwick Airport shuttles. However, new units, in the form of Class 460 'Juniper' units were built from 2000, with the aim of completely replacing the old stock. By 2002, sufficient new trains were in service to allow six Class 489 units to be removed from traffic, leaving four units retained as cover in case of failure of one of the new trains. Two of these subsequently withdrawn so that by the end of 2004, only two units (nos. 489104/110) were still in use, as reliability of the 'Juniper' units had not improved sufficiently to totally replace all the old trains. They were finally withdrawn in 2005, following improvements to the "Juniper" fleet reliability.

Other operators

Since finishing with Gatwick Express, several units have been sold to other operators.

Network Rail

Network Rail have purchased four units, 489102, 489105, 489106 and 489109. They were stored for several years, but were returned to use in early-2006 as deicing and load-bank vehicles.

Preservation

Four units have been preserved on heritage railways. Two of the units were donated by Porterbrook Leasing in 2003 to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in Derbyshire, which now uses one as a buffet car and the other a museum. The final two units in use with Gatwick Express were preserved in early 2006.

Another unit, 489108, was bought by a private owner for preservation at Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre, but it was sent for scrap in May 2009.

Fleet status

The final Gatwick Express units were withdrawn in 2005. Both of these units (nos. 489104/110) had been withdrawn in 2000 and 2001 respectively, but were overhauled and returned to use in 2002. They replaced units 489103/108, which were withdrawn from traffic as they were due overhaul.

Network Rail returned its two units to service in 2006, following a period in store.

The current status of the fleet is shown below.

Key: In service Withdrawn Preserved Scrapped


Unit no. Vehicle nos. Operator Withdrawn Status
DMLV ex-DMBSO
489101 68500 61269 Gatwick Express 2002 Preserved
489102 68501 61281 Arlington Fleet Group Ltd - In service as de-icing unit (stored 2000-06) now translator vehicle and barrier coach.
489103 68502 61274 Gatwick Express 2002 Scrapped (2003)
489104 68503 61277 Gatwick Express 2005 Preserved
489105 68504 61286 Arlington Fleet Group Ltd - In service as a translator unit/barrier coach.
489106 68505 61299 Network Rail - In service as de-icing unit
489107 68506 61292 Gatwick Express 2002 Preserved
489108 68507 61267 Gatwick Express 2003 Scrapped (2009)[6]
489109 68508 61272 Network Rail - Scrapped at Eastleigh Works (August 2012)
489110 68509 61280 Gatwick Express 2005 Preserved

Unit 489110 was used in the opening episode of Doctor Who series 11, "The Woman Who Fell To Earth".

References
  1. Longworth 2015, pp. 87, 149-150
  2. Fox 1994, p. 77
  3. "GLV (Class 489)". Southern E-Group. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  4. "Vehicle Diagram Book No.210 for Electrical Multiple Units (including A.P.T.)" (PDF). Barrowmore MRG. BRB Residuary Ltd. EX561. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  5. "Class 488, 489". The Railway Centre. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  6. "Preserved Coaching Stock of British Railways: Amendment sheet number 102" (PDF). RCTS. May 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2016.

Sources
  • Fox, Peter (1994). Electric Multiple Units. British Railways Pocket Book No.4 (7th ed.). Platform 5. p. 9. ISBN 9781872524603.
  • Longworth, Hugh (2015). British Railways Electric Multiple Units to 1975. Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 9780860936688. OCLC 923205678.
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