British Rail Class 506
The British Rail Class 506 was a 3-carriage electric multiple unit (EMU). This type was built for local services between Manchester, Glossop and Hadfield on the Woodhead Line.
| British Rail Class 506 | |
|---|---|
 A Class 506 train stored at Longsight depot, 1983 | |
| In service | 14 June 1954–7 December 1984[1] |
| Manufacturer | Metro Cammell and Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company |
| Number built | 8 trainsets |
| Formation | 3 carriages per trainset |
| Operator | British Rail |
| Depot(s) | Reddish Electric Depot |
| Line(s) served | |
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 177 ft 10 in (54.20 m) |
| Width | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) |
| Height | 12 ft 8+1⁄4 in (3.867 m) |
| Weight | 104 t (102 long tons; 115 short tons) (total) |
| Current collection method | Pantograph |
| Gauge | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Track gauge/data' not found. standard gauge |
The eight units were introduced in 1954. The Class 506 made improvements over the steam trains they replaced. They served the Glossop and Hadfield service for 30 years. The units were replaced in 1984 when the line was converted to AC power supply. One Class 506 train was set aside for preservation, but had rotted beyond restoration. Only the cab of one of the carriages had survived.
Construction and design
In 1938, the London and North Eastern Railway ordered eight three-car trains.[2] They were not built until 1950. The trains entered service in June 1954.[3][4]
Operational history
When the Class 506 entered service, the number of suburban trains per day was increased from 17 to 31. The journey time between Manchester and Hadfield/Glossop was reduced by one third. These were improvements from the steam trains the Class 506 replaced.[5] Within three months after entering service, four times more passengers used the Glossop service.[5]
The Class 506 rarely go east of Hadfield. This was because the trains had low gearing and the risk of overheating.[4] Test runs east of Hadfield were conducted in 1969. This was done to see a possible use through the Woodhead Tunnel.[6]
In March 1983, Reddish Electric Depot was closed. This meant Class 506 trains were transferred to Longsight depot. They had be hauled by diesel locomotives to and from Longsight for maintenance and storage. This was because the Class 506 did not match the 25 kV AC electrical supply.[7][5]
Withdrawal and preservation
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In 1981, the Woodhead line was closed east of Hadfield.[5] At this point, the Class 506 trains were nearing 30 years old. The units ran for the final time on 7 December 1984. Following this, the Manchester to Hadfield/Glossop line switched to AC electrical supply. Class 303 trains were moved from Glasgow to replace the Class 506.[5][3]
After withdrawal, unit '04 was set aside for preservation. The rest were sent to Vic Berry for scrap. They were recycled there in April 1985.[8]
The West Yorkshire Transport Museum had secured unit '04 for preservation. The train was first based at the Dinting Railway Museum. It was then moved to the former Bradford Hammerton Street Depot. Eventually, the unit ended up on the Midland Railway – Butterley.[9]
At this point, the train's body had rotted severely. The unit was sold to C F Booth for recycling in August 1995. The cab end of the motor carriage was salvaged.[9] This piece is currently owned by The Cab Yard in Wales.[10]
British Rail Class 506 Media
A Class 506 (left) at Guide Bridge in 1967.
Related pages
References
- ↑ Gillham 1988.
- ↑ "Class 506". Rail Express (224): 26–27. January 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fry 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Swain 1990.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Glover 2003.
- ↑ "Motive power miscellany". Railway World (Shepperton: Ian Allan) 30 (345): 93. February 1969.
- ↑ "Readers' round-up". Rail Enthusiast (EMAP National Publications): 50. August 1983. . .
- ↑ Butlin 1988.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "THE CLASS 506 STORY". thewoodheadsite.org.uk. Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- ↑ "The Cabs". The Cab Yard. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
Sources
- Glover, John (2003). Eastern Electric. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0711029342 – via Internet Archive.
- Gillham, John C. (1988). The Age of The Electric Train. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 9780711013926 – via Internet Archive.
- Fry, Eric, ed. (April 1990). Railcars and Electric Stock. Locomotives of the L.N.E.R. Vol. Part 10B. Lincoln: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. pp. 141–143. ISBN 0-901115-66-5.
- Swain, Alec (1990). Overhead Line Electric Multiple-Units. British Rail Fleet Survey. Vol. 11. Shepperton: Ian Allan. pp. 21–24. ISBN 0-7110-1902-9.
- Butlin, Ashley (1988). Butlin, Jenny (ed.). DMU & EMU Disposal. Norwich: Coorlea. p. 89. ISBN 0-948069-08-2.
Other websites
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).. |
- The Glossop Line Class 506 Electric Multiple Units – LNER Encyclopedia