I have fond memories of how comfortable were the seats in the Southern electric trains. Often used to go trainspotting at Victoria in my distant youth, with an occasional trip to Battersea Park. Pity about the noisy idiot in the last coach, but otherwise a very enjoyable video of a very capable train.
The other things I remember are the smell of the brakes and having two dim light bulbs between ten passengers. Last time I travelled on a slam-door was in 2005. I got off at St Mary Cray and jogged the length of the train to close a door that had been left open...
At various times I've: opened the door from the inside while moving, aged 6; travelled alone in a 'murder carriage'; stuck my head out the window for the first and last time only to look straight into some poor driver's eyes. They were the staple of my childhood and half my school days. These are the trains that still fill my dreams. The chance to say goodbye, if I'd known, would have been nice. Even so by 1995 they were everything wrong with rolling stock design and they needed to go.
Great to see again the suburban trains I grew up riding to school and later to work. A simple but effective design and I cannot recall ever being on one that broke down. The first time I ever boarded a "Networker" at Victoria, it failed before even leaving the station!
Great video Br signalman though with the EPB's i only rode on them once can't remember which stop i got of at but i got on one at London Victoria that was 18 years ago i don't live in the UK i live in Australia and that time i was on holiday with the family
did these used to run from victoria to bromley south?
and is the green livery an anomaly?
i have distinct memories from my childhood of their being green slam door trains running on the bromley south line, but ive never been able to place them, were green EPBs common?
did any trains have faded, in bad shape, green paintwork in the early 1990s?
@JackDavis16 The green livery was from the 1950's and that EPB was the only one painted back into in the 1990's as a heritage livery. There was also a CEP (one of the units with fewer doors) repainted into green in the early noughties for the same reason and this would probably have ran from Vic to Bromley South many times - although it would have been on the fast kent coast trains.
Me again. Is it the distinctive' ninger ninger ninger' sound that defines epb? How do the later sliding door trains stop then? I have noticed they have disc brakes but I thought I detected a pump running. Tim
Damn modern trains, even the sounds they make are politically correct :-P
That sound is the compressor which does provide the "Pnumatic" part of EPB, which stands for Electropnumatic brake, but nearly all trains are air braked. Most of the Southern Region EMUs had the same compressors, including the current 455s. The difference with EPB is that the air brakes are electrically controlled, which means they are applied and released quicker.
Thank you for the video. I travelled slam door trains from Surbiton to London frequently and loved them, however I am no spotter so please what does EPB stand for? Tim
For those that are interested the headboard on the front is the coat of arms of the British Transport Commission (and later British Railways). No transfer was ever made of it and the version here was handpainted by me. Only 5001 ever carried it. (It's currently in my garage). I also organised the last day's EPB runs. They may have been old fashioned but they were good reliable old workhorses.
Not sure what you mean by "higher quality" Most of the modern trains I travel on are about as comfortable as sitting on a park bench. The EPB's (and CIG's and DEMU's) of my youth had lovely bouncy seats (with jazzy upholstery) Modern train builders could learn a thing or two from 50's and 60's BR in that respect.
There is some ludicrous romanticisation here (and, one thinks, some heavy irony on the part of the rail staff).
By the early 1990s, these units were seriously outmoded. They had to go. There seems to be a British character trait which actively *resents* higher quality in anything.
By all means get rid of them,but the replacements should be as reliable,or better than their predecessors.Networkers have a piss poor failure rate,and are nowhere near as comfortable as the interior sprung seats
it states this is your last chance to travel in real luxury so why get arid of them in the 1st place .. we only have our selfs 2 blame 4 the loss of slam door trains to much liveing wraped in cotton wool thanks to Health and Safty..
my cousin got his finger slammed in the door o n his way to school!
lost a fingernail. but it grew back, it hurt like hell. I travelled to London
Bridge on these trains back when u could smoke, absolutely disgusting... those
were the days.
bluedoris88 2 weeks ago
i was there
class37100 1 month ago
I have fond memories of how comfortable were the seats in the Southern electric trains. Often used to go trainspotting at Victoria in my distant youth, with an occasional trip to Battersea Park. Pity about the noisy idiot in the last coach, but otherwise a very enjoyable video of a very capable train.
mvjedforest 1 month ago
i like the "this is your last taste of luxury" so true :/
bwarrrrk 2 months ago
I'm no train spotter but those were by far the most cosy trains I been in back in early nineties I would say?
TheBottledair 7 months ago
The other things I remember are the smell of the brakes and having two dim light bulbs between ten passengers. Last time I travelled on a slam-door was in 2005. I got off at St Mary Cray and jogged the length of the train to close a door that had been left open...
regregex 1 year ago
At various times I've: opened the door from the inside while moving, aged 6; travelled alone in a 'murder carriage'; stuck my head out the window for the first and last time only to look straight into some poor driver's eyes. They were the staple of my childhood and half my school days. These are the trains that still fill my dreams. The chance to say goodbye, if I'd known, would have been nice. Even so by 1995 they were everything wrong with rolling stock design and they needed to go.
regregex 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
if u listen at 0013 u can here a fart lol
stevepoop1 1 year ago
if u listen at 1:58 u can here a fart lol
stevepoop1 1 year ago
its at 13second u can here her fart lol
stevepoop1 1 year ago
@stevepoop1 And it gets noticed at 0:26!
regregex 1 year ago
Great to see again the suburban trains I grew up riding to school and later to work. A simple but effective design and I cannot recall ever being on one that broke down. The first time I ever boarded a "Networker" at Victoria, it failed before even leaving the station!
dajwilkinson 1 year ago
An EPB!!!! Great video, thanks for sharing.
TwoEPB 1 year ago
As far as I'm concerned, it's not a proper train unless it goes "Uuuum -mum-mum-mum-mum-mum-mum-mum" when you're sitting on it waiting to leave :)
RobinYorks 1 year ago 5
Great video Br signalman though with the EPB's i only rode on them once can't remember which stop i got of at but i got on one at London Victoria that was 18 years ago i don't live in the UK i live in Australia and that time i was on holiday with the family
DKS225 1 year ago
did these used to run from victoria to bromley south?
and is the green livery an anomaly?
i have distinct memories from my childhood of their being green slam door trains running on the bromley south line, but ive never been able to place them, were green EPBs common?
did any trains have faded, in bad shape, green paintwork in the early 1990s?
any ideas would be great
JackDavis16 2 years ago
@JackDavis16 The green livery was from the 1950's and that EPB was the only one painted back into in the 1990's as a heritage livery. There was also a CEP (one of the units with fewer doors) repainted into green in the early noughties for the same reason and this would probably have ran from Vic to Bromley South many times - although it would have been on the fast kent coast trains.
RobinYorks 2 years ago
Me again. Is it the distinctive' ninger ninger ninger' sound that defines epb? How do the later sliding door trains stop then? I have noticed they have disc brakes but I thought I detected a pump running. Tim
meccabumbleswan 2 years ago
Damn modern trains, even the sounds they make are politically correct :-P
That sound is the compressor which does provide the "Pnumatic" part of EPB, which stands for Electropnumatic brake, but nearly all trains are air braked. Most of the Southern Region EMUs had the same compressors, including the current 455s. The difference with EPB is that the air brakes are electrically controlled, which means they are applied and released quicker.
ChrisCooper312 1 year ago
Thanks for that. Does elecro pneumatic boil down to an elecrically powered air pump system? If not then I need to mug up some more!
meccabumbleswan 2 years ago
Basically - yes!
viscount812 2 years ago
Thank you for the video. I travelled slam door trains from Surbiton to London frequently and loved them, however I am no spotter so please what does EPB stand for? Tim
meccabumbleswan 2 years ago
Refers to the braking system employed. Electro Pneumatic Brakes.
viscount812 2 years ago
I used to love working these trains. Unfortunately we lost them quite early on the South Western side.
TheDepotCat 2 years ago
Many thanks Mr Mackley. I suspect many of the enjoyable times I spent in the early 1990's travelling on EPB's were enhanced by your efforts.
robyorksw 2 years ago
For those that are interested the headboard on the front is the coat of arms of the British Transport Commission (and later British Railways). No transfer was ever made of it and the version here was handpainted by me. Only 5001 ever carried it. (It's currently in my garage). I also organised the last day's EPB runs. They may have been old fashioned but they were good reliable old workhorses.
Gordon Mackley, former SE Performance Manager.
ElectricTraction 2 years ago 5
Good for you,glad someone kept it.5001
was unceremoniously scrapped last year
l think.l seem to recall we got about 100,000 miles per failure out of the EPB's
HAP's and so on,and in 20 years l only
konked out twice on them.Not bad really.
As you say,good old reliable workhorses.
Used to get HAPs on the Hastings-Brightons in the 70s and 80s.Happy days,
excuse the pun!
AG3304 2 years ago
Well done Gordon for what you did, the board was excellent, and as you say these units done the job they were designed to do very well.
Funny I was not planning to film this last run, I was at Victoria for the Skirl of the Bagpipes railtour which I went on(video will follow soon).
BRsignalman 2 years ago
Not sure what you mean by "higher quality" Most of the modern trains I travel on are about as comfortable as sitting on a park bench. The EPB's (and CIG's and DEMU's) of my youth had lovely bouncy seats (with jazzy upholstery) Modern train builders could learn a thing or two from 50's and 60's BR in that respect.
RobinYorks 2 years ago
There is some ludicrous romanticisation here (and, one thinks, some heavy irony on the part of the rail staff).
By the early 1990s, these units were seriously outmoded. They had to go. There seems to be a British character trait which actively *resents* higher quality in anything.
RobinCarmody 2 years ago
By all means get rid of them,but the replacements should be as reliable,or better than their predecessors.Networkers have a piss poor failure rate,and are nowhere near as comfortable as the interior sprung seats
were.EPB's were probably old fashioned
when new,compared to some kit built for
export at the same time.But they were very
reliable,and on a commuter railway,that's
what counts,in my humble 30 years' experience...
AG3304 2 years ago
I think it was privatisation that brought about the end of these trains. A real shame to see such brilliant class end. Brilliant footage!
rorymacve 3 years ago
Thanks everyone for the kind comments, yes it was a shame when they went.
BRsignalman 3 years ago
1995 and they were replaced by the Networker class 465 and 466, hope this helps.
networker465918 3 years ago
43 years, thats a long time!
NSE50Lion 3 years ago
Ah good old girls, what a bloody shame!
mikesndbs 3 years ago
electric powerd but
micricjac 3 years ago
13 days before I was born. I guess I mist some great haulage! Hummmmmmmmmmmmmm.
robertmbishop 3 years ago
Electro Puenamtic Brake..Hummmmmmmmmmm
sussexmews 3 years ago
what does epb mean?
JoeRoss1993 3 years ago
it states this is your last chance to travel in real luxury so why get arid of them in the 1st place .. we only have our selfs 2 blame 4 the loss of slam door trains to much liveing wraped in cotton wool thanks to Health and Safty..
toppackage 3 years ago
your rigth there i hate health and safety
bronzeonion 3 years ago
ahh a proper train.
i was on the railtour with these units, a couple of weeks before this i think.
macstar2002 3 years ago
that was 4 days after i was born tehe i wish i could have seen them in sevice
shaepy273 3 years ago
Lovely to see the old girl once again
dawtheknaw 3 years ago
Brilliant
Class377Ash 3 years ago