British Rail Class 323

British Rail Class 323
British Rail Class 323
	; West Midlands Railway Class 323 at Aston in 2019 ; Interior of a refurbished Arriva Rail North Class 323 unit
In service	7 February 1994 – present
Manufacturer	Hunslet Transportation Projects; Holec Ridderkerk UK;
Built at	Leeds
Replaced	Class 116; Class 304; Class 305; Class 308; Class 309; Class 310; Class 312;
Constructed	1992–1995
Refurbishment	2011–2013; 2018–2021;
Number built	43
Formation	3 cars per unit: DMS-TS-DMS
Capacity	As built: 284 seats; Refurbished: 277 seats;
Operator	Current:; Northern Trains; West Midlands Railway; Former:; Central Trains; First North Western; London Midland; Northern Rail; Regional Railways;
Depot(s)	Current:; Soho (Birmingham); Allerton (Liverpool); Future:; Manchester International; Former:; Bletchley (Milton Keynes); Longsight (Manchester);
Line(s) served	Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove line; Cross-City Line; Chase Line; Crewe–Manchester line; Glossop line; Stafford–Manchester line; Chat Moss line; Liverpool–Wigan line;
Specifications
Car body construction	Aluminium alloy
Train length	70.18 m (230 ft 3 in)
Car length	DMS vehs.: 22.810 m (74 ft 10.0 in); TS vehs.: 22.840 m (74 ft 11.2 in);
Width	2.800 m (9 ft 2.2 in)
Height	3.769 m (12 ft 4.4 in)
Floor height	1.156 m (3 ft 9.5 in)
Doors	Double-leaf sliding plug, each 1.305 m (4 ft 3.4 in) wide (2 per side per car)
Maximum speed	90 mph (145 km/h)
Traction system	As built: Holec GTO-VVVF; Post-2016: Alstom IGBT-VVVF;
Current collection method	Pantograph (Brecknell Willis)
UIC classification	Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′
Bogies	DMS vehicles: RFS BP62; TS vehicles: RFS BT52;
Braking system(s)	Westcode EP (disc) and regenerative
Safety system(s)	AWS; TPWS; (plus provision for BR ATP);
Coupling system	Tightlock
Multiple working	Within class (max. 4 units)
Gauge	Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Track gauge/data' not found.

The British Rail Class 323 electric multiple units were built by Hunslet TPL from 1992-96. Forty-three 3-car units were built for inner-suburban services around Birmingham and Manchester. These trains were the last vehicles to be built by the struggling manufacturer Hunslet before it collapsed.

Class 323, no. 323209 waiting at Birmingham New Street on 24th September 2003. This unit was operated by Central Trains (now West midlands Trains) and is painted in Centro livery.

British Rail Class 323 Media

Class 323 on approach to Crewe in 1999, still in BR-era Regional Railways/Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive livery.
Central Trains Class 323 at Birmingham New Street in Centro livery in 2007
London Midland Class 323 at Birmingham New Street in 2014
Northern Rail Class 323 in de-branded First North Western livery at Manchester Piccadilly in 2007

Notes

↑ Hunslet Transportation Projects Limited (HTPL) sold its Birmingham-based design, engineering, and project management functions – including responsibility for the Class 157 and 323 contracts – to the Dutch electrical engineering firm Holec [nl] in March 1994.^[1]^[2]
↑ Between Birmingham and Bromsgrove.^[10]
↑ The Alstom IGBT system delivers improved reliability, though – in order to avoid the need for expensive recertification – it is configured to emulate as exactly as possible the control and electromagnetic interference characteristics of the original system.^[11]
↑ Both types of bogie are derived from the British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) BT13 design.^[13] RFS Industries was formed in 1987 through a buy-out by former BREL managers of British Rail's Doncaster Wagon Works.^[14]
↑ The regenerative system is the primary brake for the train in normal operation, blended with the friction brakes as required. Emergency braking uses the friction brakes alone, at a force 30% above the normal 'full service' application.^[15]

References

↑ Webber 1999, Table 1 'Chronology'. "Hunslet TPL (Engineering and Project Management) becomes Holec Ridderkerk (Birmingham) Limited, latterly Holec Ridderkerk UK Limited: 15 March 1994".
↑ Williams, Philip (23 March 1994). "Hunslet has had enough of 'misery line' battles". Birmingham Post (Midland Independent Newspapers): 9. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110029928/hunslet-has-had-enough-of-misery-line/. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 "Class 323 Electric Multiple Unit Traction Upgrade". Institution of Mechanical Engineers. 5 May 2017. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 ^4.4 "Class 323". Modern Locomotives Illustrated (Stamford: Key Publishing) (228): 49–53. December 2017.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 ^5.4 ^5.5 Class 323 Driver's Manual (PDF). Northern Rail Limited. 19 May 2013. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
↑ "New era of rail travel to begin as West Midlands Railway unveils electric train fleet". West Midlands Railway. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 "Class 323 EMUs to remain in traffic with Northern". Rail Magazine (Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media) (886): 30. August 2019.
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named P5-1.
↑ "Manchester depot revitalised". Rail Magazine (Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media) (975): 27. 25 January 2023.
↑ "Exploring the "Elgar Line" to Hereford". Today's Railways UK (261): 40–47. November 2023.
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 Walmsley, Ian (23 February 2017). "A Traction Heart Transplant". Modern Railways (Stamford: Key Publishing). https://www.modernrailways.com/article/traction-heart-transplant. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
↑ Marsden, C. J. (2007). "Class 323". Traction Recognition. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 184–185. ISBN 978-0-7110-3277-4. OCLC 230804946. OL 16902750M.
↑ Webber 1999, p. 56.
↑ "Catalogue Description: RFS Industries Ltd, Records 1987–1989". The National Archives. DZ MD/574. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
↑ Webber 1999, p. 59.

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[3] Hunslet Transportation Projects Limited (HTPL) sold its Birmingham-based design, engineering, and project management functions – including responsibility for the Class 157 and 323 contracts – to the Dutch electrical engineering firm Holec [nl] in March 1994.^[1]^[2]

[12] Between Birmingham and Bromsgrove.^[10]

[14] The Alstom IGBT system delivers improved reliability, though – in order to avoid the need for expensive recertification – it is configured to emulate as exactly as possible the control and electromagnetic interference characteristics of the original system.^[11]

[18] Both types of bogie are derived from the British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) BT13 design.^[13] RFS Industries was formed in 1987 through a buy-out by former BREL managers of British Rail's Doncaster Wagon Works.^[14]

[20] The regenerative system is the primary brake for the train in normal operation, blended with the friction brakes as required. Emergency braking uses the friction brakes alone, at a force 30% above the normal 'full service' application.^[15]

[FOOTNOTEWebber1999Table_1_.27Chronology.27._.22Hunslet_TPL_.28Engineering_and_Project_Management.29_becomes_Holec_Ridderkerk_.28Birmingham.29_Limited.2C_latterly_Holec_Ridderkerk_UK_Limited:_15_March_1994.22-1] Webber 1999, Table 1 'Chronology'. "Hunslet TPL (Engineering and Project Management) becomes Holec Ridderkerk (Birmingham) Limited, latterly Holec Ridderkerk UK Limited: 15 March 1994".

[2] Williams, Philip (23 March 1994). "Hunslet has had enough of 'misery line' battles". Birmingham Post (Midland Independent Newspapers): 9. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110029928/hunslet-has-had-enough-of-misery-line/. Retrieved 4 December 2022.

[Traction-4] 3.0 ^3.1 "Class 323 Electric Multiple Unit Traction Upgrade". Institution of Mechanical Engineers. 5 May 2017. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.

[MLI-5] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 ^4.4 "Class 323". Modern Locomotives Illustrated (Stamford: Key Publishing) (228): 49–53. December 2017.

[ttw1-6] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 ^5.4 ^5.5 Class 323 Driver's Manual (PDF). Northern Rail Limited. 19 May 2013. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[730_Intro-7] "New era of rail travel to begin as West Midlands Railway unveils electric train fleet". West Midlands Railway. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.

[Rail886-8] 7.0 ^7.1 "Class 323 EMUs to remain in traffic with Northern". Rail Magazine (Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media) (886): 30. August 2019.

[P5-1-9] 8.0 ^8.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named P5-1.

[Rail975-10] "Manchester depot revitalised". Rail Magazine (Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media) (975): 27. 25 January 2023.

[11] "Exploring the "Elgar Line" to Hereford". Today's Railways UK (261): 40–47. November 2023.

[ModernRailwaysMarch2017-13] 11.0 ^11.1 Walmsley, Ian (23 February 2017). "A Traction Heart Transplant". Modern Railways (Stamford: Key Publishing). https://www.modernrailways.com/article/traction-heart-transplant. Retrieved 29 November 2022.

[TRC1-15] Marsden, C. J. (2007). "Class 323". Traction Recognition. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 184–185. ISBN 978-0-7110-3277-4. OCLC 230804946. OL 16902750M.

[FOOTNOTEWebber199956-16] Webber 1999, p. 56.

[17] "Catalogue Description: RFS Industries Ltd, Records 1987–1989". The National Archives. DZ MD/574. Retrieved 29 November 2022.

[FOOTNOTEWebber199959-19] Webber 1999, p. 59.

[note 1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[note 2]

[11]

[note 3]

[12]

[note 4]

[note 5]

[1]

[2]

[10]

[13]

[14]

[15]

British Rail Class 323
West Midlands Railway Class 323 at Aston in 2019 Interior of a refurbished Arriva Rail North Class 323 unit
In service	7 February 1994 – present
Manufacturer	Hunslet Transportation Projects Holec Ridderkerk UK^{[note 1]}
Built at	Leeds^[3]
Replaced	Class 116 Class 304 Class 305 Class 308 Class 309 Class 310 Class 312
Constructed	1992–1995^[3]
Refurbishment	2011–2013 2018–2021
Number built	43^[4]
Formation	3 cars per unit: DMS-TS-DMS^[5]
Capacity	As built: 284 seats Refurbished: 277 seats^[6]
Operator	Current: Northern Trains West Midlands Railway^[7] Former: Central Trains First North Western London Midland Northern Rail Regional Railways^[4]
Depot(s)	Current: Soho (Birmingham)^[8]^[4] Allerton (Liverpool)^[7] Future: Manchester International^[9] Former: Bletchley (Milton Keynes)^[4] Longsight (Manchester)^[4]
Line(s) served	Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove line^{[note 2]} Cross-City Line Chase Line Crewe–Manchester line Glossop line Stafford–Manchester line Chat Moss line Liverpool–Wigan line
Specifications
Car body construction	Aluminium alloy^[8]
Train length	70.18 m (230 ft 3 in)
Car length	DMS vehs.: 22.810 m (74 ft 10.0 in) TS vehs.: 22.840 m (74 ft 11.2 in)
Width	2.800 m (9 ft 2.2 in)
Height	3.769 m (12 ft 4.4 in)
Floor height	1.156 m (3 ft 9.5 in)
Doors	Double-leaf sliding plug, each 1.305 m (4 ft 3.4 in) wide (2 per side per car)
Maximum speed	90 mph (145 km/h)^[5]
Traction system	As built: Holec GTO-VVVF Post-2016: Alstom IGBT-VVVF^[11]^{[note 3]}
Current collection method	Pantograph (Brecknell Willis)^[5]
UIC classification	Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′
Bogies	DMS vehicles: RFS BP62 TS vehicles: RFS BT52^[12]^{[note 4]}
Braking system(s)	Westcode EP (disc) and regenerative^[5]^{[note 5]}
Safety system(s)	AWS TPWS^[5] (plus provision for BR ATP)
Coupling system	Tightlock
Multiple working	Within class (max. 4 units)^[5]
Gauge	Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Track gauge/data' not found.