ER Class 303 (AM5) 3 car EMUs - did they ever have a fourth car added (circa 1969) ?

[Rail-Online]

Hi,

I know very little about ER suburban EMUs, but here is 423  at Enfield Town in 1969 and it appears to be either pulling (impossible) or having an additional coach added.  Were they ever extended to 4 coaches?

 

I don't think this could be a loose carriage as it is not at the buffer stops and it is not a parcels vehicle.

 

Cheers Tony

[woodenhead]

It's a class 305 not 303 (these were scottish units with sliding doors).

 

Enfield Town has a crooked platform, I am guessing the other carriages are around the bend so it looks like a single carriage when it isnt.

[Trevellan]

Hi Tony. A number of class 305 (AM5) units were reformed in the 1990s, including 305 414 gaining a class 302 driving trailer. However, I don't recall seeing any of the 3-car units reformed to 4-car.

 

I'm sure there'll be an online resource somewhere if you dig deep enough!

 

 

[woodenhead]

3 minutes ago, Trevellan said:

Hi Tony. A number of class 305 (AM5) units were reformed in the 1990s, including 305 414 gaining a class 302 driving trailer. However, I don't recall seeing any of the 3-car units reformed to 4-car.

 

I'm sure there'll be an online resource somewhere if you dig deep enough!

 

 

The units in the picture are all over blue, it's 1970s, the first carriage of the second unit is before the points, the second and third are over the point and into the headshunt - it's two units coupled, not one unit and one carriage.

[Trevellan]

3 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

The units in the picture are all over blue, it's 1970s, the first carriage of the second unit is before the points, the second and third are over the point and into the headshunt - it's two units coupled, not one unit and one carriage.

 

I'm not sure what we're disagreeing on.  🙂  Yes, definitely 1970s and yes, an optical illusion.

 

I lived on the West Anglia route from childhood until 2013 and effectively grew up with the 302s, 305s, 307s and 308s. The all-blue era was awful as the units looked so drab. Blue/grey made them look so much better.

[woodenhead]

Sorry was just quoting in case the OP thought that it may still be a loose carriage at the end.

 

Nothing to disagree about in your post. 😀

[Johann Marsbar]

6 minutes ago, Trevellan said:

 

I'm not sure what we're disagreeing on.  🙂  Yes, definitely 1970s and yes, an optical illusion.

 

I lived on the West Anglia route from childhood until 2013 and effectively grew up with the 302s, 305s, 307s and 308s. The all-blue era was awful as the units looked so drab. Blue/grey made them look so much better.

 

Didn't think it was that drab...........at least the unmodernised surroundings added character......

 

 

 

[Trevellan]

1 minute ago, Johann Marsbar said:

 

Didn't think it was that drab...........at least the unmodernised surroundings added character......

 

 

Ah, dear old Hertford East. The hours I spent there...

[Wickham Green too]

You can just see the corner of the second carriage overhanging the first.

 

Nothing wrong with a smart, out of the shops all blue loco, unit or carriage .................. trouble is they didn't stay nice an' shiny for more than five minutes.

[darrel]

Definitely not a class 303. Although if anyone has a photo of a class 303 running as a 4 car in the Manchester area in the 1960s I would love to see it.

 

 

 

When they went to Manchester for transformer mods they sent them out for test runs with two motor coaches. Never seen a photo though