SWR outgoing Metro fleet withdrawals (complete)

[Deepgreen]

Lovely photo. I was in the 508 trailer on the left. An excellent day out. It did everything it promised. I've known the 455s pretty much all my life. I was seven when they started running on the central division. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine they would be popular enough to fill two sell out railtours 40 years later. The two tours passed at Guildford again about an hour later. Simultaneous north and southbound departures.

Indeed - too dark by then for a good photo, though. It seems to have been a very successful day all round.

 

[Class455]

455870 and 455873 are out in service today. They appear to be doing Wimbledon to Chess South shuttles all day.

 

[442Haz]

See - told you it wasn’t the end just yet!

 

[LUYMun]

See - told you it wasn’t the end just yet!

It’s either the end right now or not yet, given the wide range of end of lease dates I’ve read here and elsewhere between New Year’s and March.

 

[442Haz]

It’s either the end right now or not yet, given the wide range of end of lease dates I’ve read here and elsewhere between New Year’s and March.

We're looking at some point in Jan I strongly suspect

 

[Invincible]

We're looking at some point in Jan I strongly suspect

Possible some 455s might be kept at Wimbledon untill the lease expires so they could be still used if the 701 rollout slows (but currently looks like it will keep up).

 

[tfw756rider]

I've heard (from someone else who heard) that 3 455s are being kept until the end of 2026 as spare units.

 

[Goldfish62]

I've heard (from someone else who heard) that 3 455s are being kept until the end of 2026 as spare units.

I don't know how many more times this needs repeating, but a handful are being retained as strategic spares until the end of March 2026 when the leases expire (ie NOT the end of 2026). This has been stated several times on these forums by those in the know and also by the MD of SWR himself on the 455 farewell tour.

Notwithstanding the above the rumours to the contrary will no doubt persist until the very last unit is scrapped!

 

[tfw756rider]

I don't know how many more times this needs repeating, but a handful are being retained as strategic spares until the end of March 2026 when the leases expire (ie NOT the end of 2026). This has been stated several times on these forums by those in the know and also by the MD of SWR himself on the 455 farewell tour.

Notwithstanding the above the rumours to the contrary will no doubt persist until the very last unit is scrapped!

Apologies, I hadn't seen that.

 

[442Haz]

I don't know how many more times this needs repeating, but a handful are being retained as strategic spares until the end of March 2026 when the leases expire (ie NOT the end of 2026). This has been stated several times on these forums by those in the know and also by the MD of SWR himself on the 455 farewell tour.

Notwithstanding the above the rumours to the contrary will no doubt persist until the very last unit is scrapped!

Good to see somebody actually in the knows reporting facts on the ground. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Bigfoot]

At least one pair of 455 is out today.

 

[tfw756rider]

At least one pair of 455s is out today.

The pair mentioned in post #4022?

 

[Tickle]

I don't know how many more times this needs repeating, but a handful are being retained as strategic spares until the end of March 2026 when the leases expire (ie NOT the end of 2026). This has been stated several times on these forums by those in the know and also by the MD of SWR himself on the 455 farewell tour.

Notwithstanding the above the rumours to the contrary will no doubt persist until the very last unit is scrapped!

To be specific it is 6 units that will remain on lease to SWR and at XWP until March. 5712, 5716, 5717, 5721, 5727 & 5732

 

[tfw756rider]

To be specific it is 6 units that will remain on lease to SWR and at XWP until March. 5712, 5716, 5717, 5721, 5727 & 5732

Thanks. XWP of course being Wimbledon Park C.S.D. (Carriage Servicing Depot).

 

[CallmeDave]

No 455s out
458533 is on Surbiton Hampton Crt shuttles all day
This according to LRR app.

 

[Snow1964]

Possible some 455s might be kept at Wimbledon untill the lease expires so they could be still used if the 701 rollout slows (but currently looks like it will keep up).

It is very tight with 701s now as virtually every train passed for service (which I think is about 33 units) is required when full service resumes Monday 5th January (after Christmas and engineering work period)

A few 455 units are retained as substitutes up to end March (but might go earlier), all depends on progress with getting 701s in service (and it is about 3-4 units per month currently).

A wild card is it is not yet clear how well 701s cope with ice and snow (and there is plenty forecast for that week commencing 5th January), so I suspect good chance 455s will be in service most of January, but then become rare by mid February as more 701s creep in service.

 

[NSEWonderer]

701s deal snow and ice a lot better than 455s ever do, that going by adhesion handling of them so far and 16 shoes!

They also have an Ice mode feature to help out if required.

 

[D365]

701s deal snow and ice a lot better than 455s ever do, that going by adhesion handling of them so far and 16 shoes!

Improved adhesion handling is due in no small part to the fact that 701s, as you would expect, are fitted with a modern WSP (wheelslip protection) system.

 

[Mainwaring]

No 455s out
458533 is on Surbiton Hampton Crt shuttles all day
This according to LRR app.

Morning, it's actually 530 on the shuttle today, just got off it (proof attached!).

 

[WWTownEnth]

It is very tight with 701s now as virtually every train passed for service (which I think is about 33 units) is required when full service resumes Monday 5th January (after Christmas and engineering work period)

A few 455 units are retained as substitutes up to end March (but might go earlier), all depends on progress with getting 701s in service (and it is about 3-4 units per month currently).

A wild card is it is not yet clear how well 701s cope with ice and snow (and there is plenty forecast for that week commencing 5th January), so I suspect good chance 455s will be in service most of January, but then become rare by mid February as more 701s creep in service.

When are we likely to see 458/4s replaced with 701s? I assume this will be the last piece in the rollout puzzle but a quick back of envelope calculation suggests that this should be possible (in part at least) before the 701/5s enter traffic.

 

[Goldfish62]

When are we likely to see 458/5s replaced with 701s? I assume this will be the last piece in the rollout puzzle but a quick back of envelope calculation suggests that this should be possible (in part at least) before the 701/5s enter traffic.

I would have thought they'll be a priority to go next due to there only being three units in the fleet and thus very non-standard.

 

[WWTownEnth]

I would have thought they'll be a priority to go next due to there only being three units in the fleet and thus very non-standard.

My apologies. Stupidly I wrote 458/5 when I meant 458/4…..now edited

 

[DelW]

When are we likely to see 458/4s replaced with 701s? I assume this will be the last piece in the rollout puzzle but a quick back of envelope calculation suggests that this should be possible (in part at least) before the 701/5s enter traffic.

IIRC way back when the first 458/4s were being created, but SWR had already decided they weren't going to be put onto the Direct as planned, it was suggested that they'd be stored for the duration of the minimum guaranteed lease period, then (probably) scrapped. I think that took them into somewhere in 2027, which might still be the likely end-of-lease withdrawal point.

Unfortunately that discussion was in an old thread, and I can't think of a search term that might find it without turning up loads of other stuff as well ...

 

[Deepgreen]

It is very tight with 701s now as virtually every train passed for service (which I think is about 33 units) is required when full service resumes Monday 5th January (after Christmas and engineering work period)

A few 455 units are retained as substitutes up to end March (but might go earlier), all depends on progress with getting 701s in service (and it is about 3-4 units per month currently).

A wild card is it is not yet clear how well 701s cope with ice and snow (and there is plenty forecast for that week commencing 5th January), so I suspect good chance 455s will be in service most of January, but then become rare by mid February as more 701s creep in service.

Well, I don't know about "plenty" - the Met Office's yellow warning is for around 1cm in the south east on the 2nd, and then becoming less cold with rain. That 1cm would probably be enough to shut today's network down, though...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Dec 2025 ==

701s deal snow and ice a lot better than 455s ever do, that going by adhesion handling of them so far and 16 shoes!

They also have an Ice mode feature to help out if required.

As no 701 has encountered any significant snow in service yet, to the best of my knowledge, we just can't know either way.

 

[slicedbread]

When are we likely to see 458/4s replaced with 701s? I assume this will be the last piece in the rollout puzzle but a quick back of envelope calculation suggests that this should be possible (in part at least) before the 701/5s enter

I wonder if 701s replacing 458s is the last step or is it 701s displaying some of the 450s?

 

[JonathanH]

I wonder if 701s replacing 458s is the last step or is it 701s displaying some of the 450s?

Does running down the 458/4s (and indeed the end of the 455s) allow another run down of Bournemouth depot, while 450s aren't yet needed back on main line services?

 

[WarrenTManager]

Does running down the 458/4s (and indeed the end of the 455s) allow another run down of Bournemouth depot, while 450s aren't yet needed back on main line services?

No. Diesel C4s start again. Plus Diesel C6 to come. I would think Bournemouth will be quite busy.

 

[NSEWonderer]

Well, I don't know about "plenty" - the Met Office's yellow warning is for around 1cm in the south east on the 2nd, and then becoming less cold with rain. That 1cm would probably be enough to shut today's network down, though...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Dec 2025 ==


As no 701 has encountered any significant snow in service yet, to the best of my knowledge, we just can't know either way.

Whilst no 701 has encountered any significant snow in service they've experienced Icing, so have the 710s which our their other DC counterpart. The Ice mode feature is pretty effective and is simple in design, its more so to deal with the conductor rail if its icing up and causing power issues.

 

[WWTownEnth]

Does anyone know when the scrap drags are likely to resume? Next Monday 5th?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jan 2026 ==

Aside from the six units being retained as spares until March (5712, 5716, 5717, 5721, 5727 & 5732) how many 455s are left on SWR?

 

[Bikeman78]

Does anyone know when the scrap drags are likely to resume? Next Monday 5th?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jan 2026 ==

Aside from the six units being retained as spares until March (5712, 5716, 5717, 5721, 5727 & 5732) how many 455s are left on SWR?

5710
5719
5729
5737
5870
5871
5873

There might be others.