460 "Darth Vader" units

[Buttsy]

Following the conversion of these to 458/5 units, are there 2 spare driving motor coaches at all? If so, would it not be possible to use this as a 2 car unit on the Lymington branch in order to free up a DMU for somewhere else on the network?

 

[edwin_m]

I believe the spare end coaches will be the ones that carried luggage on Gatwick Express, as these were the most difficult to convert to passenger use. So there may be a possiblility of a 2-car third rail postal EMU* but not a passenger one.

*Before anyone runs away with it, this is not a serious suggestion.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

You'd need to make new doors for them, as the 2 sets of doors from the former 'luggage cars' are being used to replace the roller/shutter doors on the luggage cars that are being converted.

 

[hwl]

Following the conversion of these to 458/5 units, are there 2 spare driving motor coaches at all? If so, would it not be possible to use this as a 2 car unit on the Lymington branch in order to free up a DMU for somewhere else on the network?

Provided you don't mind the lack of doors, windows, seats, interior etc as they are all needed to be used on the conversion of the other ex luggage driving cars...

 

[jopsuk]

as far as I know, the passenger doors and windows from the four left-over driving carriages are being used to equip the four being converted, to give them two sets of doors, windows throughout- and possibly the seats are being used too?

I'm not entirely sure, but I think the motor bogies may be getting fitted to trailer carriages as required?

With all that removed, you've bascially got four shells. I'd imagine if there's any sense the remaining useable parts will be stripped down and potentially a body shell retained in case of crash damage.

 

[Buttsy]

Wiki (and I know it's not always correct) show the Luggage van as a DMLFO, which implies there is a 1st class section in it. Was this quite small?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


I hadn't seen how the driving vans were being converted. Oh well, bang goes that idea then....

 

[tsr]

Wiki (and I know it's not always correct) show the Luggage van as a DMLFO, which implies there is a 1st class section in it. Was this quite small?

Yes. And it didn't have the usual seats in it, either - there were "lounge style" seats (or, to be accurate, shapeless, vaguely sofa-like things).