‘Slam-door’ trains to Class 387 in 40 years

Gatwick Express had the humblest of beginnings - launched in May 1979 with a regular 15-minute service from Victoria.

With practically no money to spend, it simply created more luggage space in 12 standard (and quite uncomfortable) 20-yearold Class 423 ‘4-VEP’ four-car EMUs by taking out the backs from a few seats.

The service was branded Rapid City Link, although the trains (renamed ‘4-VEG’) were only externally distinguishable by fluorescent coloured strips over the slam doors. Regular Brighton Line commuters failed to differentiate between Gatwick and normal services, and complained about being surrounded by tourist luggage.

There were also operating problems because the units were attached to other services originating from or destined for Horsham, Brighton and Bognor Regis, which resulted in an excess of trains to these southerly destinations. A major resignalling programme around Croydon was proposed to overcome this, and allow Gatwick services to run independently and at speeds of up to 90mph on the main line.

Rail had taken 40% of the airport business when the Gatwick Express brand was launched on May 14 1984, the start of the new timetable. It was attracting 2.5 million passengers a year - more than twice that of the Euston-Manchester InterCity route, and almost nine times more than King’s CrossEdinburgh. Passengers switched to rail for Gatwick because its fares were relatively cheap, and it saved them the hassle of parking their car or hiring an expensive taxi.

For the new Gatwick Express service, the Government still baulked at the idea of new trains, and the next ‘make do’ task was to scour the BR network for suitable cascaded rolling stock to modify. The easy answer was to divert relatively modern air-conditioned Mk 2F open coaches rendered surplus by the introduction of High Speed Trains to the Great Western, East Coast and Midland Main Lines and the North East-South West corridor.

There was also a surplus of work for Southern’s dedicated fleet of Class 73 electro-diesels, so it was decided to modify 12 (later 13) of them to push-pull operation, using ten Driving Trailers fashioned from elderly Class 414s (‘2-HAPs’), with increased luggage space and updated electrics to make them compatible. Ten First Class Mk 2Fs were procured, plus 57 Second Class, and they were initially coupled into nine-coach formations.

The service began with a promise of 30-minute services from 0515 to 2300 out of London, requiring seven sets to be available for a 105-minute circuit (including 25 minutes at Gatwick to turn round).