Merseyrail on the Wirral Photos by Gavin Morrison

With Merseyrail about to embark on a new era with the Stadler Class 777 EMUs expected to enter service in the not too distant future, it is a good time to look back to the days of the Class 503s, 507s and 508s.

The Class 503s were introduced in two batches, the first nineteen in 1938 by the LMS and were designed specifi cally for the Liverpool Central to West Kirby and New Brighton services that operated over the tunnel section of the then independent Mersey Railway between Birkenhead Park and Liverpool and then on the newly electrifi ed lines in the Wirral.

The Mersey Railway operated the Liverpool Central to Birkenhead Park and Rock Ferry lines which split underground at Birkenhead Hamilton Square station. After nationalisation, the Mersey Railway became part of British Railways and in 1956 a further 24 sets were constructed to replace the old Mersey Rail trains which were of American design and had been introduced between 1903 and 1936.

All the Class 503s were modifi ed with emergency end doors to allow operation in the single track sections of the new Liverpool tunnels that were opened in the 1970s. Withdrawal of the majority of the class came in 1984 and 1985 when they were replaced by the Class 507s and 508s.

The Class 507s and 508s are used throughout the Merseyrail system both on the north and south side of the Mersey and were built by BREL at York between 1978 and 1980. Both types were intended for Merseyrail, although the 508s were initially placed in service working out of London Waterloo.

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Two Class 503 units headed by M28377M (DMBS b. 1956) and M29143M (DTS b.1956) are seen in the bay platforms at Rock Ferry on th eptem er . ote that even though these sets were uilt in ritish Railways days they still carry an suffi as they were to a former LMS design.

A couple of Class 503s Nos. M28382M and M28388M (both DMBS b. 1956) are seen in the sidings at New Brighton awaiting their ne t duty on th pril . otice the driver walking y the side of the conductor rail which, ecause it is a station area, has a protective wooden ar along the outside of the rail.

(BELOW) With the iron ore unloading cranes at Bidston Dock in Birkenhead visible in the distance, No. 508136 leaves Leasowe with a West Kirby to Liverpool train on the 6th August 1990. The signal box, level crossing gates and semaphore signals were still in use at this date.

No. 508131 is leaving Bidston station with a West Kirby to Liverpool train on 1st May 2013 and is about to cross Bidston West Junction, which had by this time been single tracked and was used as a turn back siding.

No. 507013 is arriving into Birkenhead Green Lane and has just left the short tunnel section from Birkenhead Central. The date is June 26th 2015. On June 26th 2015, No. 508125 emerges from the tunnel under the Mersey at Birkenhead Central with a train for either Ellesmere Port or Chester.