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Class 252 |
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the early 1970's, with a need to upgrade services, British Rail
developed a prototype high speed unit - the forerunner to the present
day Class 253 and 254's. The development of the HST's was meant purely
as a stopgap between conventional trains of the day, and the envisaged
mass introduction of the ill-fated APT fleet on a newly electrified
infrastructure. Such was the enthusiasm, the prototype Class 252
project went from drawing board to production unit in an amazing two
years. The unit, however, was introduced with some controversy. The
trade union movement of the day insisted that all trains traveling at
100mph or over should be manned by two drivers. The prototype unit
only catered for one. This was solved by placing a second seat to the
right and behind the central drivers position. Originally
classed as two locomotives and stock, the locomotives became Class 41
Nos. 41 001 and 41 002 respectively, emerging from Crewe works in 1972
closely followed by the Mk III coaching stock from the carriage works
in Derby. Uniquely for the time, the cabs of the power cars were
produced as separate units, produced from glass reinforced plastic and
simply bolted to the body. The single windscreen was produced in high
impact resistant safety glass nearly 1in (25mm) thick, designed to
withstand the impact of an average housebrick traveling at 190mph!
Livery was light grey with a rail blue stripe following the window
width the full length of the unit. Soon after introduction, the whole
unit was reclassified as a single DMU numbered 252 001, and took up
daily services in May 1975 hauling four weekdays only turns (07.45
Bristol Parkway - Paddington, 10.15 Paddington - Weston-super-Mare,
13.48 Weston - Paddington and the 16.45 Paddington - Bristol Temple
Meads) on the Western Region. Full catering services were provided.
With the introduction of the production sets the Class 252 was
withdrawn, the power cars going to the Research Centre at Derby, and
much of the passenger stock was absorbed into the Class 253/254 fleet.
Engine: Paxman Valenta 12-cyl 12RP200L V-type, super charged and inter-cooled, of 2500bhp at 1500rpm. The Class 252 Fleet - Click Here
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