• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Southern Class 455 Withdrawal

Status
Not open for further replies.

Southern Dvr

Member
Joined
13 Oct 2010
Messages
875
The reality is that passenger numbers are increasing, service frequency and train length are not following the trend with shorter trains and less frequent services. Sorting the 455s, at least the ones that had been C4 overhauled recently would have allowed for a return to service should / when the demand is there. However DfT have decreed that they go, so go they must!! What we will never know is whether that was based on a 379/387 cascade or not. I was led to believe it was.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Bikeman78

Established Member
Joined
26 Apr 2018
Messages
4,495
So essentially Southern would have to take them on lease for another 6 months or a year ‘in case anything arises’ sounds expensive and the DfT didn’t want Southern to keep them on lease so might have been beneficial but there was no money for it.
One could argue that if they aren't needed now, they haven't been needed since March 2020. Seems bizarre to scrap them as the trains are filling up again.
 

Class455

Established Member
Joined
19 May 2016
Messages
1,394
Last edited:

warwickshire

On Moderation
Joined
6 Feb 2020
Messages
1,883
Location
leamingtonspa
5Q55 66744 with the Arlington Vans and 455845 and 455821 on the 1033 Stewarts Lane to Newport Docks Simms scrap move through West Brompton on time. However 455845 and 455821 was in the final week together on The East Croydon to London Bridge circuit during the Thursday and Friday of that week.
 

75D

Member
Joined
16 Oct 2021
Messages
11
Location
Horsham
Only one set of units parked at the sidings by the level crossing in Horsham this evening, 455801 on the road end
 

Razorblades

Member
Joined
17 Dec 2021
Messages
308
Location
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
455813 and 455842 will depart Selhurst for the final time in less than an hour:

Hang on, that's an inter-depot working to SL, rather than the scrap run to Newport.

EDIT to add: based on the departure time of the Newport ghoulex, the units will be late for their own funeral :s
 
Last edited:

physics34

Established Member
Joined
1 Dec 2013
Messages
3,681
Hang on, that's an inter-depot working to SL, rather than the scrap run to Newport.

EDIT to add: based on the departure time of the Newport ghoulex, the units will be late for their own funeral :s
I suspect that as they get cleared from stew lane, more units stored elsewhere will take their place. Theres a couple at streatham hill... and still those at hove and horsham.
 

Class455

Established Member
Joined
19 May 2016
Messages
1,394
Hang on, that's an inter-depot working to SL, rather than the scrap run to Newport.

EDIT to add: based on the departure time of the Newport ghoulex, the units will be late for their own funeral :s
Sorry, should have been clearer of the significance of that move - it’s the last pair of 455’s to leave Selhurst - potentially for good unless any of the units stored at Hove or Horsham need to go there for any reason
 

Snow1964

Established Member
Joined
7 Oct 2019
Messages
6,025
Location
West Wiltshire
I suspect that as they get cleared from stew lane, more units stored elsewhere will take their place. Theres a couple at streatham hill... and still those at hove and horsham.
Just out of interest would those at Hove or Horsham need to go via Stewart’s Lane, or could they go direct via Havant then either via Basingstoke or Salisbury.

Sussex-London-Wales seems lot more indirect
 

warwickshire

On Moderation
Joined
6 Feb 2020
Messages
1,883
Location
leamingtonspa
Just out of interest would those at Hove or Horsham need to go via Stewart’s Lane, or could they go direct via Havant then either via Basingstoke or Salisbury.

Sussex-London-Wales seems lot more indirect
Probably via Stewarts Lane to decommissionin the unit. Plus handover checks.
 

Jturner98

Member
Joined
2 Jan 2021
Messages
283
Location
Kent
This might of been asked before but what actually is involved with decommissioning? I can assume it involves removing any branding and giving the unit back to the lease company is an acceptable condition (even if that involves scrap)
 
Joined
1 Sep 2018
Messages
467
Location
Malvern to Minffordd
This might of been asked before but what actually is involved with decommissioning? I can assume it involves removing any branding and giving the unit back to the lease company is an acceptable condition (even if that involves scrap)
Branding certainly isn't removed, just watch any scrap drag videos. Sometimes equipment like GSM-R is removed for re-use somewhere else, but most likely it'll follow everything else into the shredder.
 

Dart34518

Member
Joined
1 Jun 2015
Messages
106
Newports next victims: 5832 & 5818 due off tomorrow. Should be a gap until 07/06/22 after this due to the BH etc.
 

Class455

Established Member
Joined
19 May 2016
Messages
1,394
Newports next victims: 5832 & 5818 due off tomorrow. Should be a gap until 07/06/22 after this due to the BH etc.
66744 being the loco for today’s move.
Not sure if anyone knows what the 455 scrap schedule is for next week in terms of what units are going?
 

warwickshire

On Moderation
Joined
6 Feb 2020
Messages
1,883
Location
leamingtonspa
5Q55 1033 Stewarts Lane to Newport Docks Simms being hauled by 66744 Crossrail with the Arlington vans taking 455832 and 455818 for scrap through Shepherd's Bush on time..
 

PZ 08895

Member
Joined
12 Apr 2022
Messages
14
Location
Horsham
Branding certainly isn't removed, just watch any scrap drag videos. Sometimes equipment like GSM-R is removed for re-use somewhere else, but most likely it'll follow everything else into the shredder.
The shoes will need to be removed (and appear to be in the photos of the scrap moves) as they will not be in gauge for some of the route. Hope the GSM-R radio 'block' is removed, if not the drivers display, as the SIM card is sealed into it and is Network Rail Telecom property, not TOC or ROSCO. The GSM-R radios will only have recently been upgraded to version 4.
 

158747

Member
Joined
5 Aug 2010
Messages
330
Location
Trowbridge
So are the brakes on the 455 units not functional at all when being towed and therefore totally reliant on the loco and barrier wagons for braking?
The brakes are functional on the 455s, the barrier vehicles are used as the couplings are not compatible with the GBRF 66s and also they have equipment on board to translate the loco’s air brakes with the brakes on the 455s. When similar moves are operated by Rail Operations Group, barrier vehicles are not required as their locos are fitted with coupling adaptors and the brake translation equipment is fitted within the loco.
For an unbraked move a lot more barriers are required for additional brake force. On 26 April when unbraked 365506 was taken to Newport Docks, in addition to the four unbraked vehicles of the 365, there were also two locos at the front followed by one barrier coach, with a further four barrier coaches at the rear. The speed of this train was also a lot slower at 40 mph.
 

BingBong50

Member
Joined
17 Jan 2014
Messages
130
Location
Coulsdon
The brakes are functional on the 455s, the barrier vehicles are used as the couplings are not compatible with the GBRF 66s and also they have equipment on board to translate the loco’s air brakes with the brakes on the 455s. When similar moves are operated by Rail Operations Group, barrier vehicles are not required as their locos are fitted with coupling adaptors and the brake translation equipment is fitted within the loco.
For an unbraked move a lot more barriers are required for additional brake force. On 26 April when unbraked 365506 was taken to Newport Docks, in addition to the four unbraked vehicles of the 365, there were also two locos at the front followed by one barrier coach, with a further four barrier coaches at the rear. The speed of this train was also a lot slower at 40 mph.
Many thanks for explaining this.
 

Juniper Driver

Established Member
Joined
17 Jul 2007
Messages
2,073
Location
SWR Metals
So are the brakes on the 455 units not functional at all when being towed and therefore totally reliant on the loco and barrier wagons for braking?
Not that I know of.They don't do unfitted freight trains anymore as far as I know.Previous reply explains it better.
Saw 455815 and 45584? Heading from Clapham to Stew Lane a day or two ago.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top