British Rail Class 370 Explained

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British Rail Class 370
Advanced Passenger TrainPrototype
Interiorimage:APT 1st Class (8921266378).jpg
Interiorcaption:First-class saloon in a preserved vehicle.
(The plain blue seat covers are post-withdrawal replacements for the original tartan material.)
Service:1980–1986
Manufacturer:British Rail Engineering Limited
Factory:Derby Works[1]
Family:Advanced Passenger Train
Yearconstruction:1977–1980[2]
Yearservice:1979
Numberbuilt:3 full sets
(6 units plus 2 spare vehicles)
Numberpreserved:7 vehicles
Formation:7 cars per unit:
------
(full set is 2 units back-to-back)
Fleetnumbers:370001–370006
Operator:British Rail InterCity
Depots:Shields Road (Glasgow)[3]
Lines:West Coast Main Line
Trainlength:1470NaN0
Maxspeed:125mph
Traction Motors:4 × ASEA LJMA410F
Poweroutput: continuous
Electricsystem: overhead
Collectionmethod:Pantograph
Uicclass:2′(2′)(2′)(2′)(2′)(2′)2′+Bo′Bo′
Brakes:Hydraulic and hydrokinetic[4]
Multipleworking:Within class (max. 2 units)
Notes:Specifications given for seven-car units as at August 1981,[5] except where otherwise noted. A full set train would be formed of two units coupled back-to-back.

British Rail's Class 370 tilting trains, also referred to as APT-P (meaning Advanced Passenger Train Prototype), were the pre-production Advanced Passenger Train units. Unlike the earlier experimental gas-turbine APT-E unit, these units were powered by 25 kV AC overhead electrification and were used on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Glasgow Central. The APT-P is the most powerful domestic train to have operated in Britain, the eight traction motors fitted to the two central motor cars giving a total output of . This enabled the train to set the UK rail speed record of in December 1979, a record that stood for 23years until broken by a Eurostar Class 373 on the newly completed High Speed 1 line.[6]

History

The APT-P was unveiled to the public on 7 June 1978 and continued to be used for testing into 1986.[7] Due to ongoing technical problems with these pre-production units, and a lack of cash or political will to take the project forward, the planned APT-S (Advanced Passenger Train Squadron Service) production-series units were never built, but did influence the design of the later InterCity 225 sets designed for the East Coast Main Line electrification. The influence is strongest with the Class 91 locos which took many features from the APT power cars. The technology was later sold to Fiat Ferroviaria and used for improving their second generation Pendolino trains which are used worldwide, including on the West Coast Main Line as the Class 390.

Numbering

Units were numbered 370001-370006 (plus two spare cars labelled 370007) and were formed as follows:

A full train was made up of two units running back-to-back, with the two motor cars adjoining. The motor cars had no seating accommodation or through-gangway, so the two halves of the train were unconnected for passengers.

Withdrawal and preservation

All six units were withdrawn during 1985–1986, and most cars were quickly scrapped. The remaining cars are exhibited at Crewe Heritage Centre, a museum located next to Crewe station.

Models

In 1980, Hornby Railways produced a OO gauge five-car set model available as a train set with plain yellow fronts,[9] which was released as a five-car train pack with black fronts and window surrounds in 1981, until appearing in the 1983 catalogue when the train set was last produced. In 1984 it was discontinued from the Hornby range. However, it was featured in the 1985 catalogue, although no new models were produced that year.[10]

In 2020, Hornby Railways announced that as part of their centenary year range - and both the 40th anniversaries of the year it entered service and the original Hornby model a newly tooled OO gauge model of the BR Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train would be launched.[11] The APT-P will be available as part of a five-car train pack consisting of sets 370 003 and 370 004 with plain yellow fronts included are DTS, TFB, NDM (motorised), TFB and DTS[12] and a seven-car train pack included is the APT U Development coach, consisting of sets 370 001 and 370 002 with DTS, TBF, NDM (motorised), NDM (dummy), TBF and DTS in APT livery with black front and window surrounds[13] with the additional SKU' coaches available separately in four sets of two including TS, TU, TRBS, and TF[12] [13] with the additional NDM (motorised)[2] [14] and the APT U Development coach,(for the five-car pack)[15] for each set to form a realistic complete full rake train for both train packs.[12] [13]

See also

References

Sources

Literature

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Advanced Passenger Train – Prototype . The Crewe Heritage Centre . 1 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150624010914/http://creweheritagecentre.org/attractions/advanced-passenger-train-prototype/ . 24 June 2015 . dead . dmy-all.
  2. Web site: BR, Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train Non-Driving Motor (NDM), 49004, Era 7 . Hornby.com . 24 February 2021.
  3. Web site: Coxon . Dave . High speed pantograph testing in Scotland in October 1983 . Testing Times . 10 February 2023.
  4. Book: British Rail's Advanced Passenger Train – InterCity APT . 1979 . Chief Mechanical & Electrical Engineers' Department, British Railways Board . Derby . GM869/A10/1279 . 10 February 2023 .
  5. Book: Vehicle Diagram Book No. 210 for Electric Multiple Units (including A.P.T.) . LC501, LE201, LH101, LH201, LH401, LJ101, LK201 (in work pp. 428–441) . Barrowmore MRG . Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Department, British Railways Board . Derby . 10 February 2023 . 21 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150121172506/http://www.barrowmoremrg.co.uk/BRBDocuments/Diagram_Book_210_for_Issue.pdf . dead.
  6. News: Train smashes speed record. BBC News. 30 July 2003. 2 June 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20090427174714/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3108973.stm. 27 April 2009. live. dmy-all.
  7. Web site: Coxon . Dave . The Class 370 APT-P . Testing Times . 10 February 2023.
  8. Web site: BR 49006 25 kV AC Advanced Passenger Train Motor Car built 1978. Vintage Carriages Trust. 6 August 2018. 7 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180807124922/http://www.cs.vintagecarriagestrust.org/se/CarriageInfo.asp?Ref=1993. 7 August 2018. live. dmy-all.
  9. Web site: Hornby Railways Advanced Passenger Train Train Set. Hornby Railways Collector Guide. 30 January 2020.
  10. Web site: Hornby Railways Advanced Passenger Train Train Pack. Hornby Railways Collector Guide. 30 January 2020.
  11. Web site: Hornby BR, Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train. Hornby.com. 6 January 2020. 11 July 2020.
  12. Web site: Hornby BR, Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train, 370 003 and 370 004, 5-car pack - Era 7 . Hornby.com. 13 June 2020.
  13. Web site: Hornby BR, Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train, Set 370 001 and 370 002, 7-car pack - Era 7. Hornby.com. 13 June 2020.
  14. Web site: BR, Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train Non-Driving Motor (NDM), 49004, Era 7. Hornby.com. 28 June 2020.
  15. Web site: BR, InterCity APT-U Ex-TS Development Vehicle, Sc48204/977527 - Era 7. Hornby.com. 28 June 2020.

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