Class 442 history and pictures from the Southern E-Group.
Eastleigh Works Centenary Open Days
Saturday 23rd - Monday 25th May 2009
© copyright photographs by Colin Duff
| Southern Electric Multiple Units |
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| Eastleigh works is closely associated with production of EMUs, not only for the Southern Region, though none on display at these Open Days were built there. Display of one of the Southern Electric Group's 4Cor Driving Motor cars - a type of unit which was built at Eastleigh - was discussed during the early stages of planning of the event. However as it is not Network Rail registered and access for large low loader lorries to the the works is not possible, there was no compliant nor economic way of getting it into the works. |
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| Following withdrawal of Class 442 units by South West Trains, the majority of the fleet was stored in Eastleigh Works. In fact this otherwise sad occurrence is largely responsible for bringing the works back to life. Happily Southern will now be using the majority of the fleet. Prior to the Open Days four units were left in store at Eastleigh. During the Open Days only two remained at Eastleigh, 2415 was was on display and 2422 was not on view. 2415 has subsequently moved to Chart Leacon and at the time of writing only damaged 2420 is now in store at Eastleigh. Class 442 history and pictures from the Southern E-Group. |
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| With Southern borrowing dual voltage Siemens Class 350 units - a single unit of the type being tested for its class safety case on DC but hitherto had never operated on DC - enthusiasts raised the question of whether pickup shoes were already fitted. Then someone reported something which had never been commented upon, namely that Class 350 units had been running since introduction with their pickup shoes held up with cable ties. Surely not, many thought, but this proved to be the case. When particular units were borrowed by Southern the ties were snipped and much to everyone's delight and relief the units worked on DC - presumably except for one member of the class the only previous occasion when they had worked on DC was during testing at the Siemens Wildenwrath test track in Germany. The above shot of a pickup shoe on 2415 shows the use of cable ties for this purpose is common! |