THE EMUPS – SALIENT HISTORY OF 1198

 

Date

location

what happened (These are the events and incidents of significance in the past half century of this unit’s history)

unit no

24/11/1960

Eastleigh

1198 as 7175 is new into traffic on this day: sent to Ardingly for store

7175

June 1961

Ramsgate

Allocated for South East Division (SED) services as phase 2 of the Kent Coast Electrification

7175

May 1967

Ramsgate

re-paint: into Blue with full yellow ends

7175

May 1970

Ramsgate

livery change to Blue/grey

7175

05/05/1983

Ramsgate-Swindon

sent for refurb: loses TSK: gets TRBS instead

7175

03/11/1983

Swindon - Fratton

now numbered 2304: our unit allocated to SWD still in blue/grey

2304

Dec. 1988

Fratton

rebogied: greyhound mods carried out, these are followed by test runs during which our unit made it to 107mph on Haslemere bank

2304

April 1989

Fratton

re-livery into NSE

2304

02/06/1996

Fratton

HSE Hygiene ruling: TRBS taken out of use

2304

Dec. 1997

Fratton

RE-livery into SWT

2304

20/09/2002

Fratton

remarshalling: TRBS substituted for TSO: unit renumbered 2314

2314

29/05/2004

Fratton

TSO removed: unit now in current form: renumbered 1198

1198

11/06/2004

Fratton

As 1198 our unit makes first solo run: Southampton-Waterloo and back: re-allocated to Bournemouth depot for use on Lymington line

1198

24/12/2004

Lymington line

1198's last run in service for SWT: last working the 20.44 Lymington to Brockenhurst

1198

27/12/2004

Bomo-Fratton

last ECS working under own motors: shoegear to be removed at Fratton

1198

12/01/2005

Fratton-Meldon

After the EDs were turned away the week before because nobody at Fratton had removed the shoegear: eventually 1198 was hauled to Meldon via Eastleigh and Westbury. Works on the unit mainly consisted of a repaint into the line’s ‘Atlantic Coast Express green’ livery

1198

03/10/2006

Meldon

2nd mans side ETH recept fitted, ETH now serves DMSA and TBC with heat and whole unit with light. Fitness to run signed off

1198

14/10/2006

Dartmoor Rly

Diesel Gala day 1: 1198 ran with TC 8017 and various locos: ETH worked fine: supplied from 47/7 through the TC, Gala only went ahead after EMUPS provided the members to act as stewards.

1198

15/10/2006

Dartmoor Rly

Gala day 2: 1198 ran with TC 8017 and various locos: ETH worked fine: supplied from 47/7 through the TC. 

1198

15/04/2007

Meldon

Graffiti attack; cleared 'tags' from side of 1198 and 61743

1198

25/09/2007

Meldon

1198 given FTR: bogie height, which had been a concern, is within allowed limits

1198

07/10/2007

Okehampton

Okehampton – Coleford  two return 60mph Test Runs with 73117. Training B&WR Drivers on Westcode Control: EMU & Cl73 Familiarisation. 1198 was thus the last CEP to run at over 25mph!

1198

12/10/2007

Okehampton

1198 Had 'C' Clean equivalent with the day before the diesel gala. Cleaning army of 12 volunteers. ECT appointed manager then said he didn’t want the CEP in service. Result was upset volunteers for wasting their time: 08937 had to TnT the 73 all day with No Heat/Light Mk2's: and one Coleford Rake was short formed to 4 coaches: leading to complaints.

1198

07/04/2008

Meldon

Shattered outer 1/4 light skin removed to prevent further attacks by making it look dealt with. 61742 will donate a replacement

1198

12/04/2008

Meldon

1198 moved to shed road for window replacement and exam

1198

25/04/2008

Meldon

1198 split and pipes bagged and attached for the move

1198

30/04/2008

Meldon

DMSB leaves Meldon, first vehicle to move from Dartmoor Rly to Pontypool & Blaenavon Rly, over the next few days the TBC follows the DMSB, and finally the DMSA

1198

08/05/2008

Furnace Sidings

DMSA arrives: unit is all now in Wales

 

11/05/2008

Furnace Sidings

1198 is coupled together and makes her first test runs on the P&BR in multiple with 73128 to great acclaim

1198

14/06/2008

Furnace Sidings

DMSA north side rollered blue. Small details to be gone over by brush later

1198

15/06/2008

Furnace Sidings

DMSA rollering finished during shunt in platform: 1198 moved to DXS

1198

20/06/2008

Furnace Sidings

DMSB and TBC north side rollered  blue: only small details to be done

1198

27/06/2008

Furnace Sidings

DMSA painted on 2nd man's side

1198

24/08/2008

Furnace Sidings

Unit in service Transport Gala, first time an EMU has ever carried passengers in Wales

1198

25/08/2008

Furnace Sidings

1198 in service Transport Gala, the unit has since then, been used on several occasions and plenty more are planned

1198

 

Our unit has had four numbers in the 50 years it has been in service. Starting with the pre-TOPS number of 7175, which it carried until its 23rd year when it went for refurbishment at Swindon. Amongst the changes, the unit was given a TOPS allocation of 412 304, however, the SR system of only using four digits was continued, and our unit was simply known as 2304. It then became 2314 and is now 1198.

 

Above is a picture by Stephen Parker showing our unit as 2304 at Waterloo, post refurb, note the buffet car (second carriage back with the ‘blank’ section where the kitchen area was) and also the older motor bogie under the driver’s cab, the bogies were changed in 1988, when the ‘Greyhound’ modifications were carried out, and our unit now has ex-REP motor bogies and B5S trailing bogies. The buffet car is sadly no longer in existence.

 

The leading carriage is 61737, the DMSB. CEPs were built with a driving motor coach and a trailer, and while it only happened on very rare occasions, mainly during exams or re-marshalling, they could operate as two 2-car units (although the DMSB has no batteries MG or aux cut in/out and would have been problematic.) The DMSA 61736, would have worked with the TBC 70573.

 

In its current form, 61737 is missing its ‘partner’ carriage, which is why the ETH fitted to just the DMSA end will not heat the DMSB.

 

For a brief period, the CEPs (TOPS class 411) and BEPs (class 412) swapped the buffet cars, this was after the buffets had been withdrawn, and the idea was to put the closed buffets into CEPs due for withdrawal, while increasing the seating in the greyhound modified units with TSO coaches from CEPs. As a result, our unit became 2314, and the ill-fated CEP that swapped its TSO for a buffet car became 2324. Here is a shot of the interior of 2324’s buffet car, taken at Fratton after withdrawal, it was taken while parts were being salvaged for the EPBPG’s BEP, 2325.

It is uncertain why once they gained TSOs and became CEPs, the seven ex-BEPs were not reclassified as class 411 CEPs, maybe as they were greyhound units, it was decided against this, or maybe as they were all due for withdrawal in a few years it was simply easier to change one number on the sheets and unit ends.

 

Maintenance

Since preservation, EMUPS has been working to keep 1198 in the best possible condition. However, when one considers the major events in its history (built 1960 and refurbished 1983) it was due another refurbishment around 2006. However SWT did a very good job of maintaining their stock.

 

We therefore have had about an extra decade’s grace, and are now tackling the inevitable effects of not just a refurbishment, but one of a unit that has not been ‘on the juice’ for the past five or so years. Damp needs to be treated constantly if the heaters aren’t on.

 

Gutters are a source of rot and are under constant observation and being worked on as required.

 

Interior-wise, we have started work on DMSB 61737 for a number of reasons; [1] If we could get the unit into the top shed, it would be the one probably left outside. [2] It has a few easily identified issues, some centering around the area behind the drivers cab; this used to be a guards brake, but was turned into passenger accommodation in 1983, and some welding is needed. [3] At Whistle Inn, the end of this carriage usually partially overhangs the platform end, and has a couple of doors locked out of use anyway.

 

The work is…

[1] remove seating,

[2] remove luggage racks,

[3] remove window trim and melamine interior with aly supports,

[4] remove Swindon-fitted softwood and other rotten wood,

[4] wirebrush whole area,

[5] weld any holes,

[6] treat whole of interior metalwork,

[7] remove and reseal all aluminium window surrounds, replacing any steamed window glass,

[8] fit new hardwood (as Eastleigh) around windows for melamine and trim to attach to,

[9] fit new melamine (or if in good condition, old melamine),

[10] replace all trim,

[11] refit luggage racks,

[12] refit seating.

 

The plan is to work along the worst i.e. Whistle inn platform facing side of this vehicle, and then stop when complete. The other side will follow later, but hopefully by then we will have shed space and work on the DMSA 61736 and TBC 70573 can take place under cover. The last work will thus be on DMSB 61737’s drivers side, which is not in too bad condition.

 

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