508 123 refurbishment

[507 001]

Hi,

probably a bit of a long shot but does anybody have a picture of 508 123 whilst it was on display at Southport around February 2002?

I distinctly remember that it was sitting in one of the non-electrified platforms and that just one carriage had been refurbed (albeit it was very different to the final fleet-wide refurb). I have no recollection what the interior was like!

Thanks in advance

Rob

 

[8J]

Have a look at this thread of 123 at Eastleigh in 2002 (ish)

http:// http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=64849

 

[MCR247]

The link doesn't work

 

[8J]

Not too sure why. Worked fine when I posted it. Mods could you possibly check this out?

 

[cjmillsnun]

You need to edit the link and remove the first http:// from the link

 

[RobShipway]

Try:
http://album.atomic-systems.com/showPic.php/68947/Merseyrail07.jpg

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=64849

 

[507 001]

Cheers for the links guys, however, when it actually returned to merseyside it was wearing silver and black, anybody know of any pictures of it in that condition? (The grey and black was far nicer than the livery they actually received when squadron returns started in '03/'04)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The best shot of it I can come up with is on google, search for "508123 refurb" and keep scrolling down and you'll find it.

 

[Andymccabe13]

I've also been searching for the pictures of it in southport, no luck though

 

[prod_pep]

There is a photo of 508123 in the Merseyrail experimental colours on page 83 of Merseyrail Electrics - The Inside Story by T.B. Maund (NBC Books), plus one of the interior on page 87.

The carriage had two potential new liveries on each side, although I haven't seen a photo of the other side and can't remember exactly what it looked like. It was displayed on platform 6 of Southport though so it was difficult to see the other side at the time. There were also two slightly different versions of the Arriva livery, but the picture of the off-side of this was formerly hosted on Fotopic and I can't find it now.

Internally, the picture mentioned above shows three different styles of seating and very different vestibule partitions. The internal PIS displays were green and show "Train to Kirkby".

 

[Andymccabe13]

The livery and interior of today is in my eyes the worst of the lot!

I wish I knew it was in southport when it was, I do have the book and have just realised where I seen those pictures.

 

[prod_pep]

The livery and interior of today is in my eyes the worst of the lot!

I wish I knew it was in southport when it was, I do have the book and have just realised where I seen those pictures.

I do agree! Although graffiti attacks are rare now, they were quite common when the units were first refurbished and the legacy of the removal process lives on today with 'M' logo after 'M' logo missing or damaged. It's a dull livery with little to no ability to withstand weathering and graffiti.

The interiors are certainly aesthetically a huge improvement over the low-backed seats with unappealing yellow tartan cloths of the past, but quite a few 508s in particular look tired and in need of a spruce up - not great for only 10 years of service. I don't particularly like the choice of moquette or the floor colouring, to be honest. The green tartan from BR days was a personal favourite, and although the old interiors looked very dated by the time they were replaced, they certainly stood the test of time well.