Peter Skuce Reports (2 - West Anglia + Lea Valley)

PETER: Lea Valley Lines/West Anglia Main Line modernisation through the years....

During the mid 1950s British Railways electrified the Lea Valley Line between London Liverpool Street – Chingford/Enfield Town with chunky, heavy duty, sturdy steel gantries holding both the catenary wire and contact wire itself. Electrification of the West Anglia Main Line to Cheshunt (as well as the branch line to Hertford East), Harlow and Bishops Stortford was approved and this was completed in 1969.

At the same time, British Railways built fifty two 3 carriage length Class 305/1 EMU trains with Standard Class only accommodation, in compartments, to work inner suburban services between London Liverpool Street – Hackney Downs – Chingford/Enfield Town/Hertford East. For the outer suburban London Liverpool Street – Cheshunt – Harlow – Bishops Stortford route, British Railways built nineteen 4 carriage length Class 305/2 EMU trains with both First Class cabins and Standard Class accommodation. Both Classes 305/1 and 305/2 were fitted with four GEC WT380 traction motors with a maximum speed of 75 mph. They were maintained at Ilford Depot on the Great Eastern Main Line.

In 1980, British Rail built sixty one 4 carriage length Class 315 EMU trains to replace both the ageing Class 305/1 EMU trains and to replace Class 306 working London Liverpool Street – Shenfield Great Eastern Metro electric service. They were of the PEP design and were based on the Great Northern 3 carriage length Class 313 EMU train dating from 1976, however were designed to only operate on 25,000 Volts AC and have a TSO vehicle. They also featured automatic doors, which were designed to operate in Driver Only Operation and the interiors, which were open plan, complete with gangways, featured a different seating layout with low back seats. Unusually the trains feature two different types of traction motors, units 315801 – 315841 feature Brush TM61-53 and units 315842 – 315861 feature GEC G310AZ traction motors. They all have a maximum speed of 75 mph.

When Network SouthEast was formed in June 1986, they announced plans to extend electrification north of Bishops Stortford to Cambridge and to replace the Class 305/2 EMU trains with Class 317 EMU trains, featuring open plan seating, toilets and First Class cabins, cascaded from both Midland Main Line and Northampton Line. The extension of the electrification to Cambridge was completed in 1987 and services were formed of Class 317 EMU trains. During their introduction onto the West Anglia Main Line, the Class 317 were slowly externally repainted in Network SouthEast livery and internally received a seat retrim into ‘blue blaze’ moquette.

However, during 1988-90 some brand new Class 321/3 EMU trains destined for Great Eastern services London Liverpool Street – Shenfield – Ipswich/Southend Victoria were introduced into service on the London Liverpool Street – Cambridge route. Finally in 1992 the Fen Line between Cambridge – Ely – Kings Lynn was energised at 25,000 Volts AC. The introduction of Class 317 bought the end of guards being employed on board trains to ensure doors were closed and giving the starting signal to the driver, as the trains are Driver Only Operation (DOO for short).

Additionally in 1992, the Stansted Airport branch line was opened and five brand new 4 carriage length Class 322 EMU trains, based on the Class 321 EMU train, were dedicated to the half hourly express service. Externally the bodysides were painted in white with green stripe with Network SouthEast wording and branded for Stansted Express. The interiors were fitted with carpets throughout, vertical luggage stacks, a large First Class cabin seating 28 passengers to the 2+2 layout and Standard Class also featured the 2+2 seating layout (as opposed to 2+3 layout aboard the Class 321). Automated voice public address was fitted with information in English and several other European languages. For the first time ever, wheelchair parking spaces were provided by the two toilets in the TSO vehicle and a BT public payphone was also provided.

In 1994, when the railway network was privatised, Network SouthEast ceased to exist and National Express took over West Anglia and Great Northern sectors to create WAGN Railway. During the period 1998 – 1999 WAGN Railway refurbished the twenty four strong fleet of Class 317/2 EMU trains, dating between 1985 – 86 in the 317349 – 317372 range, at Railcare Wolverton Works. The refurbishment featured the following enhancements:

* Fully carpeted throughout

* New dado side panels and repainted wall ends

* Installation of bespoke high back seating to 2+2 layout

* Improved glazed overhead luggage racks

* Improved interior saloon lighting diffusers

* Application of a new livery similar to South West Trains

The interior colour scheme matched the Class 365 Networker Express EMU trains working on Great Northern services between London Kings Cross – Stevenage – Cambridge/Peterborough.

Upon the completion of the refurbishment, each train was reclassed to the 317/6 subclass and were thus renumbered 317649 – 317672.

Because the Class 322 required refurbishment and also due to the growth of Stansted Airport, WAGN Railway decided to refurbish nine Class 317 for the Stansted Express Rail Air Link service. The refurbishment featured the following enhancements:

* Application of new Stansted Express livery

* Replacement of original lino flooring with carpets throughout 

* New dado side panels and repainted wall ends 

* Installation of wheelchair parking area in the TSO vehicle, located next to the toilets 

* The toilets were refurbished with new flooring, dado panels and ceiling. One toilet replaced by RVAR curved teardrop accessible toilet

* The existing seats in the 2+3 layout were replaced by new high back bespoke seats to the 2+2 layout 

* Replacement of some seats with two vertical luggage stacks per a vehicle 

* Replacement of existing overhead luggage rack with new transparent design 

* Replacement of First Class cabin in TCO vehicle (which then became TSO vehicle) with new First Class cabin in DTCO vehicle 

with new high back bespoke seats to the 2+1 layout 

* Improved interior saloon lighting diffusers 

* Replacement of pressure ventilation by installation of air conditioning equipment 

* Repainted ceilings.

The introduction of the refurbished trains doubled the service from half hourly to a quarter hourly ‘turn up and go’ frequency.

When the Anglia franchise commenced in April 2004, all twenty four members of the Class 317/6 EMU train fleet were cascaded to West Anglia. Then in 2005, 'ONE' Railway refurbished the Class 315 Metro EMU trains, at Bombardier Derby Works, with the following enhancements:

* Installation of DPTAC EAO series 56 circular ‘easy to see, easy to press’ yellow LED Passenger Door Control buttons

* New ‘easy to clean’ vinyl flooring

* New dado side panels and repainted wall ends

* Retrimmed seats in new moquette

* Replaced window frames

* Application of one Railway livery of blue bodyside with black window surrounds

During the course of 2011, National Express introduced a fleet of thrity brand new, 4 carriage length Bombardier Class 379 Electrostar EMU trains onto both Stansted Express and London Liverpool Street – Harlow Town – Bishops Stortford – Cambridge routes. They have very bland and basic interiors with a rather plain grey/white colour scheme, featuring 2+1 layout in the First Class cabin and 2+2 layout in Standard Class accommodation, complete with universal accessible toilets.

Finally Abellio Greater Anglia have recently completed a programme of refurbishing the interiors of the twenty four, 4 carriage length Class 317/6 EMU trains, at Clacton, with the following enhancements:

* Replacing carpets with ‘easy to clean’ vinyl flooring

* New dado side panels and repainted wall ends

* Repainted sanchlions/poles and luggage rack tip

* Retrimmed seats in new seat moquette trim

To bring them up to similar standards as the Bombardier Class 379 Electrostar EMU trains and thus therefore creating a fleet of 54 brand new or refurbished trains serving the West Anglia Main Line between London Liverpool Street – Cambridge. Peter.