class 310

[Phoenix]

just thought it start a convo about 310's cause well i feel they hardly ever really thought about.:cry:

 

[Newtonhall]

just thought it start a convo about 310's cause well i feel they hardly ever really thought about.:cry:

Notre what 310 looks likedont get much variey in Blackpool lol

 

[P156KWJ]

I like them...

 

[87015]

TOP units, much missed. Certainly doesn't feel six years ago since they finished in LTS land, cursing as yet another 312 appeared and was duly flagged... Never been back to Shoeburyness since!!

Very much top bracket of EMUs, 2nd only to 304s for me.

 

[P156KWJ]

maybe they should use units like that back in the west midlands. This is what one would look like... http://fictitiousliveries.fotopic.net/p48851026.html

 

[33056]

304s? absolute rattle buckets compared to a 310. I did have a 304 out of Euston the night after the 1987 hurricane - couldn't read my book or even doze without nearly getting flung off the seat.

87015, do you remember the LTS when it was all 302s or 310s ?

 

[Z12XE]

just thought it start a convo about 310's cause well i feel they hardly ever really thought about.:cry:

I used to like that little roar that the braking system made when the brakes were released.
10 years ago on the LTS was great fun, yea everything was as rough as hell, but it had character!

 

[Phoenix]

shame really that the units are either being cut up or rotting in shoeburyness.

 

[87015]

304s? absolute rattle buckets compared to a 310. I did have a 304 out of Euston the night after the 1987 hurricane - couldn't read my book or even doze without nearly getting flung off the seat.

87015, do you remember the LTS when it was all 302s or 310s ?

304s were good fun though, plenty of cracking bouncy runs on the evening Trent Valley Flyer to get back from a days West Mids ranger in the early 90s (post roarers the standard move was an 87 or 310 up to Brum then a general "intersting stuff" dayout ). Never had one south of Bletchley myself though although the old man had plenty.

Had a fair few 302s on LTS but they were gone before really focused on doing 310s on a semi-regular basis. Never keen on the 308/312s down there - (well, I was taken along until around 2000! ) - as they were "Eastern Rubbish"- Bletchley machines all the way! See the phots of 'em at Booths and think what a waste - if only I had a few millions!!

 

[Phoenix]

See i loved the 310's the most, I used to catch them every week to town when i was alot younger, The best thing was the slam door's the comfy seat's and the slightly blueish purple midline livery with the midline logo near the cab now that was good.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
See i loved the 310's the most, I used to catch them every week to birmingham from marston green when i was alot younger, The best thing was the slam door's the comfy seat's and the slightly blueish purple midline livery with the midline logo near the cab now that was good.

 

[Z12XE]

shame really that the units are either being cut up or rotting in shoeburyness.

I always thought that scrapping the 312s as quick as they did was madness. there was nothing wrong with them as they were Mark 2 construction and they had been looked after and were in an excellent condition.

Yea they would have needed central locking, but that shouldn't have been too much of a problem as they sealed up a lot of the doors

 

[theblackwatch]

Suspect I'm the only person here who can claim to have had a 310 out of Manchester on a Hadfield/Glossop service! (It only happened once AFAIK.)

 

[Bonemaster]

I always thought that scrapping the 312s as quick as they did was madness. there was nothing wrong with them as they were Mark 2 construction and they had been looked after and were in an excellent condition.

Yea they would have needed central locking, but that shouldn't have been too much of a problem as they sealed up a lot of the doors

The 312 scrapping was a waste especially given there modern construction, however 310s only survived longer in store as they were suitable for rebuilding as the ill fated Networker classic design

 

[87015]

Suspect I'm the only person here who can claim to have had a 310 out of Manchester on a Hadfield/Glossop service! (It only happened once AFAIK.)

I'd imagine so! 304 to Carlisle though?

 

[theblackwatch]

I'd imagine so! 304 to Carlisle though?

No I can't clain that - 309 into Euston Downside CS though! What was your 304 on?

 

[87015]

No I can't clain that - 309 into Euston Downside CS though! What was your 304 on?

Crewe-Carlisle relief during hurricane season. Was only a baby so I don;t remember it but the old man swears at Penrith some rather tipsy normals got on and one proclaimed "this train is prehistoric"!!!!!!! Outrageous!

Never did the 309s on Man Apts-Euston, couldn't justify the expense of a Euston-Manchester validity when there was so much else out, regretted now... Did do a parallel departure from Bletchley on a goyle to Bedford with a 309 flying past on the DF !!

 

[37402]

Very much top bracket of EMUs, 2nd only to 304s for me.

How about 323's?

 

[theblackwatch]

Crewe-Carlisle relief during hurricane season. Was only a baby so I don;t remember it but the old man swears at Penrith some rather tipsy normals got on and one proclaimed "this train is prehistoric"!!!!!!! Outrageous!

Never did the 309s on Man Apts-Euston, couldn't justify the expense of a Euston-Manchester validity when there was so much else out, regretted now... Did do a parallel departure from Bletchley on a goyle to Bedford with a 309 flying past on the DF !!

My main memories of the 304s were on trips to/from Crewe in the 80s, catching one to/from Stockport. The track must've been quite rough, as the seats were like trampolines!

Sadly I never did any Airport-Eustons with the 309s either, my one trip down the WCML ((and back) was on a Railtours North West Preston-Euston charter.

Looking through some old notes, I did also discover a 303 I had from Altrincham to Manchester back in 1990.

Going back n topic, I can also remember flagging 310s on the Cross City line in about 1993 as they were too modern! (I was after 304s and 1st Gen DMUs at the time!)

 

[87015]

25/06/94 - fairly typical of the time, fond memories of such days :grin:

321404, 0534 Euston-Birmingham, L.Buzz-M.Keynes
90014, 0610 Euston-Glasgow, M.Keynes-Rugby (arse, skoda junk on S47!!!)
321404, 0534 Euston-Birmingham, Rugby-Coventry
47811, 0604 Padd-Manchester, Coventry-New St
47851, 0717 Manchester-Eastbourne, New St-Int’l
37408, 0946 Birmingham Int’l-Holyhead, Int’l-Stafford
310075, 1020 Rugby-Crewe, Stafford-Crewe
304019, 1204 Crewe-Manchester, Crewe-Sandbach
305518, 1229 Deansgate-Crewe, Sandbach-Crewe
310101, 1248 Liverpool-Birmingham, Crewe-Stafford
304002, 1351 Crewe-Rugby, Stafford-Rugby
321433, 1354 Euston-Birmingham, Rugby-Cov
304042, 1604 Coventry-Wolverhampton, Cov-New St
304033, 1554 Redditch-Lichfield, New St-Lichfield TV
304002, 1720 Crewe-Rugby, Lichfield-Rugby
87031, 1720 Preston-Euston, Rugby-M.Keynes
321404, 1931 M.Keynes-Euston, M.Keynes-L.Buzz

 

[Kneedown]

How about 323's?

323's? You mean "Frankie Howerd's"?
Only leccy i ever had the pleasure of actually having a drive on (so far)
Got collared on PNB at New St once to conduct a New St Driver onto Allerton depot (only a few yards from Allerton Station as it was then!) Took it all the way from Soho. I enjoyed it, but i kept dropping the DSD as when we got up to 90 the windblast was so loud you couldnt hear the Vigilance bleep!

 

[Tom C]

Liverpool to Birmingham has never been the same since the 310's were taken off, loudest EMU's on the patch.

I do remember one of the last diagrams for the 310's was a stupidly early run from Birmingham to Northampton and return which ment it was nearly impossible to bash it from down here.

309's were my personal favorite and it was fun trying to them because the diagrams would change so frequently.

Suspect I'm the only person here who can claim to have had a 310 out of Manchester on a Hadfield/Glossop service! (It only happened once AFAIK.)

Can't say I ever had a 310 but I did have a 309!!!!!!!

87015, do you remember the LTS when it was all 302s or 310s?

I remember it very fondly standing at Limehouse and Upminster getting pics of the peak hour 12 cars. It was also a very easy way of getting some 1st gen by jumping off at Barking and going to Gospel Oak.

Its also sad that there are so few videos/DVD's with footage of the AC Electrics, would love to be able to see them "in action" again even if it is historic.

 

[AlexS]

No chance of any surviving out of the remaining units, I don't think - their only current reason for survival is asbestos contamination.

A great shame, many fond memories of them - including one rather hair raising occasion when we hit a shopping trolley on the Wolves to Birmingham line at 70 mph and the whole unit lurched upwards, luckily landing again and continuing onwards without a pause!

 

[Galvanize]

Its also sad that there are so few videos/DVD's with footage of the AC Electrics, would love to be able to see them "in action" again even if it is historic.

Indeed. In 1996, Train Crazy produced a video about the AC EMUs from 302-310 (including 304s which were only just withdrawn, but using old footage from 1994). Goes on with loads of action shots (sadly repeated location shots such as 302s at Limehouse), then goes "10 years ago in the summer of 1986......you wouldn't of seen a class 310 anywhere near LTS! All 49 were based at Bletchley."
I thought they should of included the 312s for the sake of completeness, but the narrator said "The 312s do not come into the scope of this video, being fairly modern stock, built as recent as 1975."

A bit of footage of the 309s on that as well which was quite good as well, showing the 2 car ECS out of Man Picc to Longsight after working morning services from Crewe/Brum. Narrator's comments on them summed 'em up quite well!
"Without a doubt, one of the must elusive trains.......possibly in the world are the class 309s. Displaced from Great Eastern services, these handsome 100mph units dodged the scrapyard, and were accuqired for use in the north west. Since their arrival, they've been seriously underused! During the making of this video, we spent many long hours in search of the 309s, and finally tracked them down to just THREE trains daily, on mondays to fridays. The Lack of use makes these superb trains even more special......."

Sadly it's no longer available, and the DC slammers got more tributes on video/DVD than the AC ones, which is a bit of a shame

I only remember travelling on 310s a couple of times from Fenchurch Street to Upminster, regret not doing more

 

[Tom C]

No chance of any surviving out of the remaining units, I don't think - their only current reason for survival is asbestos contamination.

Don't think many are left in any case.

Know there is a 302 driving trailer at a museum in Essex but there are no 309's, 310's or 312's saved and I don't think a 308 survived either.

There are other units which are often forgotten like the 506's on the Glossop line and 504's on the Vic to Bury line, know one survived at the East Lancs does anyone know if it does anything?

 

[theblackwatch]

Don't think many are left in any case.

Know there is a 302 driving trailer at a museum in Essex but there are no 309's, 310's or 312's saved and I don't think a 308 survived either.

There are other units which are often forgotten like the 506's on the Glossop line and 504's on the Vic to Bury line, know one survived at the East Lancs does anyone know if it does anything?

There's a 308 DT at Walthamstow, along with a 307 Driving car. I'm pretty sure one car of the 504 has been used at the ELR during Thomas events, although I don't know if this still happens now they have a 101.

 

[Juniper Driver]

310's didnt they have not very good brakes?

Although as an inexperienced driver during my brake handling in 1988 I didn't find them too much of a problem.

 

[Kneedown]

A bit of footage of the 309s on that as well which was quite good as well, showing the 2 car ECS out of Man Picc to Longsight after working morning services from Crewe/Brum. Narrator's comments on them summed 'em up quite well!
"Without a doubt, one of the must elusive trains.......possibly in the world are the class 309s. Displaced from Great Eastern services, these handsome 100mph units dodged the scrapyard, and were accuqired for use in the north west. Since their arrival, they've been seriously underused!

When we learnt Manchester Airport from Crewe end i tried and tried to get on a 309 with no joy, but did get a few 305's (or was it 308's?) as well as the Frankie Howerd's.
Had more luck when i learnt Liverpool a year or so later. With the complexity of the track between Slade Lane and Picc i thought it prudent to devote a day just plugging up and down between Stockport and Picc.... and just "happened" to get a few runs on a 309!

 

[Nym]

it's quite fun between slade ln. and picc, spent about 30mins stairing at the track screen on the info desk trying to work it out lol

so far I know Fast, Slow, East, the odd sideing and thats about it, Oh, and G

 

[Kneedown]

it's quite fun between slade ln. and picc, spent about 30mins stairing at the track screen on the info desk trying to work it out lol

It's no fun when your heads pounding and you're staring at a route learning diagram trying to work out what signal takes you where, and if its your signal in the first place!

You can learn a route for as long they'll let you, but you never truly know it until a good while after you start driving over it.

 

[theblackwatch]

Can't say I ever had a 310 but I did have a 309!!!!!!!

Out of interest, when did one go to Hadfield/Glossop - a railtour or service train?