Britain Rail

Class 442

Wessex Electric

 

A mention should also be made of the names originally allocated to these sets. As per the 4 REP units which preceded them, the buffets were the vehicles which received the nameplate. From the outset, the name allocation stood as follows:

After the commencement of the Portsmouth workings in Spring 1992, further naming ceremonies took place from that Summer onwards, subsequently producing:

Finally, there are still the fleet modifications of 1998 to touch upon, in addition to the latest line of overhauls, and, somewhat sadly, the end of the Wessex Electrics' association with the South Western Division. Beginning with the first mentioned, internal rearrangement of the buffet vehicles occurred, units being dragged to Crewe works. This involved a considerable reduction in the size of the Guard's compartment in favour of more Standard Class seating, and the insertion of bike racks. This alteration coincided with the application of a whole new livery: previously, the existing Network SouthEast scheme had merely been modified with the addition of an orange stripe.

 

We now move onto the overhaul programme and subsequent decline: in January 2006, dispatching of Class 442 units from Bournemouth Depot to Bombardier at Ilford, began. The 4th of the month saw record-breaking unit No. 2401 ''Beaulieu'' towed to the East London suburb behind a Class 47, inaugurating a refurbishment scheme which would, initially, indicate a happy future existence for the fleet on their current stomping ground. Unfortunately, this was not to be, and by November 2006 it had become clear that operating company South West Trains was dispensing with the Class 442s. Indeed, this decision has partly been made to further standardise the train fleet, but leasing costs appear to have been a significant determinant - as of 2006, the leasing cost per unit per day stood at £1,750. Also, the embarrassing situation of the Washwood Heath-built Class 458s being withdrawn so soon after entering service, presented itself. Subsequently, the leasing company offered South West Trains the troubled ''Juniper'' fleet at a much reduced leasing rate, which would allow for a convenient stock reshuffle. Class 458s could replace numerous Class 450 ''Desiro'' units on suburban diagrams, allowing the latter to assume an increased number of Portsmouth diagrams. Consequently, Class 444 units would be released from the Portsmouth line, allowing them to gravitate to the Bournemouth trunk route, taking over from the now non-standard Class 442 fleet.

 

Decline of the Wessex Electrics began in late October 2006, with the reduction of the type's number of diagrams from 21 to 17. Further reductions in usage were earmarked for 10th December of the same year, coinciding with the start of the Winter timetable. The units officially go off lease on 3rd February 2007, but it is envisaged that all scheduled workings (excepting stock shortages and emergencies) of the type will cease on 13th January. The demise also marks the closure of Bournemouth depot, an action which is hoped to bring significant cost savings.

 

 

No. 2405 ''City of Portsmouth'' is viewed from its First Class end at London Waterloo on 15th

June 2004. The latest line of refurbishments have seen the sliding door at the cab end of the

driving trailers repainted into yellow, to conform to disability criteria. David Glasspool

 

 

The buffet car is the heaviest vehicle out of the total of five which constitute a unit. It weighs

54.10 tonnes, which compares with the 39.06 tonnes of each driving trailer, and the 35.26

and 35.36 tonnes of each respective trailer vehicle. Buffet car No. 62948 ''Meridian Tonight'',

of unit No. 2410, is seen at London Waterloo on 27th February 2004. David Glasspool

 

 

No. 2422 presented itself at London Waterloo on 15th June 2004, underneath the renewed

trainshed. Restoration of the latter was mostly complete by the Summer of the previous year.

David Glasspool

 

 

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