Did the Class 424 Carry Passengers?

[whhistle]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_424

Did the prototype ever carry passengers?
How long was it in service for?

 

[mallard]

I very much doubt it ever carried paying passengers, since only one carriage was ever built/converted. Looking at the pictures on the Southern Electric Group's website, there's a class 73 visible in the cab photo, so it's likely that the unit couldn't even move on its own (I suspect that the 424's control system, assuming one was even installed, wasn't compatible with the rest of the CIG, so it probably couldn't be driven from the new cab).

 

[507 001]

I very much doubt it ever carried paying passengers, since only one carriage was ever built/converted. Looking at the pictures on the Southern Electric Group's website, there's a class 73 visible in the cab photo, so it's likely that the unit couldn't even move on its own (I suspect that the 424's control system, assuming one was even installed, wasn't compatible with the rest of the CIG, so it probably couldn't be driven from the new cab).

The cab retained its original CIG master controller and EP brake valve. Whether they were plumbed in is a different matter however.
I believe that it was never actually attached to the rest of a CIG anyway, merely another redundant DT

 

[ChilternTurbo]

What became of the prototype? Wikipedia suggests that it was stored at Litchurch Lane until 2012 but I can't see anything about it being scrapped (although I presume it was?)

 

[D365]

Was indeed scrapped at that time.

 

[ChilternTurbo]

Was indeed scrapped at that time.

Thank you. I'm sad I never got to check it out - it was an interesting concept...

 

[JohnElliott]

I did wonder, when 4CIG 1399 was scrapped last year, whether anybody would suggest using the bits to make a replica 424.