Prewar EMU is sent for partial scrapping
THE type first appeared in 1938 when introduced by the LMS, subsequently surviving the Second World War Two, the Beeching Axe, and the cutters’ torch – but time has sadly caught up with Class 503 4SUB EMU No. 4732, as its owning charity has decided that, facing an array of varying circumstances, the full three-car consist is no longer a viable project.
The Heritage Electric Train Trust trustees made the difficult decision to send two of its cars for scrap and focus preservation efforts on just one vehicle in order to improve its chances of success.
Built by Metropolitan Cammell and the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company for use on newly electrified lines out of Liverpool, the type could be seen across the Wirral and Mersey lines.
Grouping pioneer
The original LMS batch was first classed as AM3; 19 were built as part of the first lot, before BR built a second batch of 24 in 1956. The differences were almost non-existent, with passenger door buttons on the bodysides added to the BR version. The first batch was considered a highly advanced design, with airoperated sliding doors controlled by the guard, replacing the conventional slam-door design.
Withdrawals began in 1980, and the final unit finished service on March 29, 1985. A farewell tour for the class then ran on April 13.
One unit was earmarked for preservation. Formed of car
Nos. 28690, 29720 and 29289, it was the last of the original fleet built in 1938 to have entered service and was initially kept in operational condition, running special trips along the Merseyrail network until 1988. Later sold, two cars moved to the now-closed Steamport museum in Southport.
In 1996, these then moved to the site of the Coventry Electric Railway Museum before the third was acquired from Birkenhead, returning the unit to its original three-car set-up. As such, it is currently just one of only two prewar main line EMUs still in its original formation, with the National Railway Museum’s SR Class 401 2BIL being the only other such example. However, this claim will shortly be consigned to history when two of the three Class 503 cars are scrapped.
Having moved to the Locomotive Storage Facility warehouse in Margate in 2017, a new home had to be found as the current venue is set to open as the One:One Museum, and the unit’s current condition meant it could not remain there for display.
A HETT statement said: “HETT has taken the decision not to pursue with the restoration of its three-car Class 503 Wirral EMU and will be retaining only the driving motor brake second car as a future project; that car will be moving to an alternative storage site soon. Both the driving trailer and centre trailer cars are to be disposed of.
“This decision by the trustees has not been taken lightly and is based on sound reasoning of the realistic position this unit now finds itself in and what prospects present themselves for the vehicle’s future.
“There is no prospect of the unit ever running again under its own power. The infrastructure that would permit this does not exist and the unit will never be of the standard required for main line running. The absence of any spare parts makes this prohibitively expensive.
Low on support
“The support needed to fund the continued existence of the unit has failed to materialise to a significant level and current support will only fund the monthly cost of very basic storage of one coach.
“The trailer cars are in very poor condition and would require extensive renovation to be brought up to display standard. HETT feels the display of a single vehicle in the future will offer the same interpretation value as a full unit and that the considerable reduction in associated costs will make that a more viable option over the next decade.”
By March 5, all three vehicles had been moved to Cockshute sidings – the final location that all three were to be seen together. The two destined for scrap were being stripped of recoverable components, but HETT announced that the cab of the driving trailer being cut up was to be donated to The Cab Yard and would join the extensive collection held at the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway. The final vehicle was due to move on to a new, unconfirmed home at some point in the near future.