British Rail Class 504
The British Rail Class 504 was a unique type of electric multiple unit that ran on 1,200 V DC third rail with side-contact current collection. All other mainline UK third rails have the electric "shoe" on top of the rail. The type was used only on the Bury Line between Manchester and Bury. They were built in 1959 at Wolverton Works, and the body was a standard type used for several electrification schemes of the time, but the high DC voltage through a side-contact third rail was unique in Britain. The trains replaced the previous five-car units built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) for the route, which had inaugurated this electrification scheme in 1916.
| British Rail Class 504 | |
|---|---|
A Class 504 in Bury in blue and grey livery in 1982. | |
| In service | 1959–1991 |
| Manufacturer | British Railways |
| Order no. |
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| Built at | Wolverton Works |
| Family name | 1959 EMU |
| Replaced | LYR electric units |
| Entered service | 1959 |
| Number built | 26 sets |
| Number preserved | 1 set |
| Number scrapped | 25 sets |
| Formation | 2 cars per trainset DMBS+DTS |
| Diagram |
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| Fleet numbers |
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| Capacity |
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| Operators | British Rail |
| Depots | Bury |
| Lines served | Bury Line |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Steel |
| Train length | 133 ft 3+1⁄2 in (40.627 m) |
| Car length | 64 ft 0+5⁄8 in (19.523 m) (over body) |
| Width | 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) (over body) |
| Height | 12 ft 7 in (3.84 m) (over vents) |
| Entry | 3 ft 9 in (1.14 m) |
| Doors | Slam |
| Articulated sections | 2 |
| Wheelbase |
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| Maximum speed | 65 mph (105 km/h) |
| Weight |
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| Traction motors | Four English Electric |
| Power output | 4 × 141 hp (105 kW) Total: 564 hp (421 kW) |
| HVAC | Electric |
| Electric system(s) | 1,200 V DC side contact third rail |
| Current collector(s) | Contact shoe |
| Bogies | Gresley |
| Braking system(s) | Air (EP/Auto) |
| Coupling system |
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| Multiple working | Within class only |
| Headlight type | Tungsten |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
All were withdrawn in 1991 when the line was closed for conversion to form part of the Manchester Metrolink light rail system. One unit, No. 65451+77172, is preserved at the East Lancashire Railway.