Class 317's on the WCML

[AMD8806]

Hi all, I've been planning on building a class 317/2/3 using a Bachmann 150 as the base and purchasing the middle cars from bratchell. However before undertaking the project I thought it would be worth checking, did the 317/2s and 317/3s ever run out of london euston with this style of cab? or did they only stick to kings X and liverpool street?

 

[irishmail]

It was the origional 317,s that ran out of Euston until replaced by 321's.

[phil-b259]

I think the 317s used out of Euston were those displaced from the St Pancras - Bedford route once it got subsumed into Thameslink and re-equipped with 319s.

 

As noted they didn’t hang around on Euston services as NSE were already drawing up plans for the 321s - and when they arrived those 317s migrated a third time over to kings Cross to displace the slam door outer suburban units (which went over to the LTS lines out of Fenchurch Street IIRC)

Edited December 1, 2023 by phil-b259

[Pannier Tank]

1 hour ago, AMD8806 said:

However before undertaking the project I thought it would be worth checking, did the 317/2s and 317/3s ever run out of london euston with this style of cab?

 

No, Bletchley's allocation was Class 317/1 (317 301 to 317 348)

[08221]

They were fast when they got going compared to the 310s they replaced, but not as comfortable.

 

The motor coaches used to lurch violently on the up fast across the crossover south of Hemel Hempstead station - quite scary on occasions!

[08221]

A couple of my photos of 317s at Bletchley.

 

 

[AMD8806]

22 hours ago, Pannier Tank said:

 

No, Bletchley's allocation was Class 317/1 (317 301 to 317 348)

Oh bother, as I was internally hoping that I could use a Bachmann 150 as a base for it to save the extra hassle of building the cab, but ah nevermind.

[adb968008]

I’m interested to know how close the Bratchells centre cars align to the Bachmann outer cars… are the profiles close enough ?

 

i’m thinking of a 455/9, but also 150/0.

 

(I didnt realise they sell the centre cars separate).

 

 

[Derekstuart]

@AMD8806 hello. Jim Smith Wright of P4newstreet.com has produced an etch to convert the Bratchell model to a /1.

 

Here's some details of the kit. I haven't seen it or used it personally, but JWS is something of an expert and there's plenty of pictures on his website.

http://extra.southernelectric.org.uk/modelling/news/2008-bratchell-317-conversion-kit.html

 

I hope that helps. If you go to Jim's website and ask him, he's one of the most helpful and friendly modellers out there.

 

[Pete the Elaner]

On 01/12/2023 at 18:16, 08221 said:

They were fast when they got going compared to the 310s they replaced, but not as comfortable.

 

The motor coaches used to lurch violently on the up fast across the crossover south of Hemel Hempstead station - quite scary on occasions!

 

Are you taking the P?

The 317s were 100mph units. That is 30% faster than 75. Energy is square of speed, so a 30% speed increase is nearly 80% more energy for the suspension to dissipate. Drivers really pushed the trains back then too, so it is hardly a like for like comparison.

Being from the GE, I was more familiar with 312s than 310s, which were pretty similar & draughty as hell, both with passengers boarding/alighting but also with the wind howling in between the doors & their frames when running at speed. They were horrible things to travel in. The 317s were a lot more air tight, but I would criticise them for their seats being too low.

(We got 310s for a short time on the Clacton line & from a passenger's perspective, they were the same as 312s).