British Rail Class 466

British Rail Class 466 Networker
Repainted Southeastern Class 466 466022 at Sheerness-on-Sea
In service	1993 – Present
Manufacturer	GEC Alsthom (Metro-Cammell)
Family name	Networker
Constructed	1993 - 1994
Refurbishment	2011 - 2014 (at Wabtec, Doncaster)
Number built	43 trainsets
Formation	2 cars per trainset
Fleet numbers	466001 - 466043
Capacity	168 Standard seats
Operator	Southeastern
Specifications
Car length	20.89 m (68 ft 6 in)
Width	2.81 m (9 ft 3 in)
Height	3.77 m (12 ft 4 in)
Maximum speed	75 mph (121 km/h)
Weight	Total - 72.4 tonnes (71.3 long tons; 79.8 short tons)
Power output	804 hp (600 kW)
Electric system(s)	750 V DC third rail
Gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Standard gauge

466018 at Bromley North operating the Bromley North Line shuttle

The Class 466 750 V DC third rail electric multiple unit (EMU) is a suburban EMU, which operates with Class 465 EMUs in southeast London and Kent on the Southeastern network. It is a member of the Networker family of trains.

Description

There are just 43 units, numbered 466001 to 466043.^[1]

Class 466 units are used by Southeastern Railway' Metro routes in multiple with Class 465/0, Class 465/1, Class 465/2 and other Class 466 units.^[2] Additionally, Class 466 units are now also operating on outer suburban routes with Class 465/9 units, although quite a few routes are being replaced with Class 375 Electrostars. They are also used as individual units on rural routes, mainly the Sheerness Line between Sittingbourne and Sheerness, and the Medway Valley Line from Strood to Maidstone West and Paddock Wood, displacing the Class 508/2s which operated these branch lines.

These two-car EMUs are formed of a driving motor carriage (DMOS: Driving Motor Open Standard) and a driving trailer carriage (DTOSL: Driving Trailer Open Standard Lavatory); all on board seating is standard accommodation. A Solid State Traction Converter package controls 3-phase AC Traction motors, which allows for Rheostatic or Regenerative Dynamic braking. Primary braking system is electro-pneumatically actuated disc brakes, which is blended with the Dynamic brakes. Tachometers on every axle of the unit provide for Wheel Slip/Slide Protection. A solid state Auxiliary Converter provides 110 V DC and 240 V AC supplies; this is the source of the loud buzzing noise which can be heard when the train is stationary. The Aux Converter is located on the driving trailer, along with the toilet. The units use air-operated sliding plug doors.^[3]

The Class 466 EMUs were built between 1993 and 1994 by GEC Alsthom (Metro-Cammell) in Birmingham, for the Network SouthEast sector of British Rail. They were inherited by Connex South Eastern and its successors South Eastern Trains and currently Southeastern. Each of these units is formed of 2 coaches that have dimensions of 20.89 × 2.82 m (68 ft 6 in × 9 ft 3 in) and a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h).

There are a total of 43 Class 466 EMUs on the UK rail network. These are all owned by Angel Trains, leased and operated by Southeastern Railway. All these units have recently been fitted with new information boards with automatic announcements.

Refurbishment

The Class 465/2s/9s & 466s are being repainted at Wabtec Rail, Doncaster into a variation of Southeastern's new livery, It is identical to the livery the 465/0s & /1s are receiving except the vinyl lower band has not been applied. The first 465/9 to be refreshed was 465906 but it was returned in an incorrect' livery of just fully painted yellow doors. Since then all units have returned in the correct livery. It seems the 465/2/9s have been put on hold (since April 2011), to allow Wabtec Rail to concentrate on repainting the 466s.^{[citation needed]} The first 466s to be sent up were 466022 & 466039.^{[citation needed]} 466022 returned one month later on its own and 466039 two months later. The 466s were sent up/returned as single units until recently when they have begun being sent up two at a time. Since March 2010 Wabtec Rail had been returning the 465s/466s on a monthly basis.

Production and numbering

Class	Introduced/Built	Manufacturer	Number Range	Comments
Class 466	1993-94	GEC Alsthom (Metro-Cammell)	466001-043	- Repainted units: 466003/005-006/022-023/026-027/032/034-035/038-039/042 (13 in total so far,2 Currently at Doncaster works (466027 & 466034))

Fleet details

Specification	Sub-class
	465/0	465/1	465/2	465/9	466
Currently owned by:	Eversholt Rail Group	Eversholt Rail Group	Angel Trains	Angel Trains	Angel Trains
Operated by:	Southeastern
Routes used on:	Metro	Metro	Metro	Outer Suburban	Metro and Outer Suburban
Built:	1991–1993 by BREL, York	1993–1994 by ABB, York	1991–1993 by GEC Alsthom (Metro-Cammell), Washwood Heath	1991–1993 by GEC Alsthom (Metro-Cammell), Washwood Heath	1993–1994 by GEC Alsthom (Metro-Cammell), Washwood Heath
Formation:	DMOS(A)-TOS-TOSL-DMOS(B)			DMOC(A)-TOS-TOSL-DMOC(B)	DMOS-DTOSL
Construction:	Welded aluminium alloy
Doors:	Sliding plug
Gangways:	Within 4-coach unit only				Within 2-coach unit only
Electrical Equipment:	GTO inverters
Traction motors:	Four Brush TIM970 three-phase induction motors of 280 kW		GEC-Alsthom G352AY three-phase induction motors of 280 kW
Couplers:	Tightlock
Bogies:	BREL P3/T3		SRP BP62/BT52		BREL P3/T3
Maximum speed:	75 mph (121 km/h)
Dimensions:	20.89 or 20.16 m (68 ft 6 in or 66 ft 2 in) × 2.82 m (9 ft 3 in)
Train brakes:	Primary: Disc, Secondary: Rheostatic (and Regenerative capable but currently not used)
Mass:	28.6–38.9 tonnes (28.1–38.3 long tons; 31.5–42.9 short tons)
Multiple working:	Within Class 365, Class 465 and Class 466. Additionally Class 319 by use of Coupling Changeover Switch for Assistance/Rescue purposes in the Thameslink corridor only.

February 2007 Collision

From the RAIB report (Crown copyright 2007):^[4]

On 5 February 2007 a bridge inspection unit working on the M20 was deployed over a railway bridge between Maidstone Barracks and Aylesford stations. The gantry on the bridge inspection unit was struck by a scheduled passenger train, causing significant damage to the leading carriage and wrecking the gantry. The train driver and the sole passenger were slightly injured. Nobody was on the gantry at the time.

At 22:25 hrs on 5 February 2007 Southeastern train 2T83, the 21:57 hrs Paddock Wood to Gillingham (Kent) struck the "Moog" gantry which was foul of the up line. The train was a 2 car electric unit of class 466 (466041) and was carrying a driver and one passenger.
The collision speed was 65 mph (105 km/h). The leading carriage suffered substantial damage to the cab and forward saloon areas. The driving cab roof was ripped open at the right hand side.

References

1. ^ about Kent Link Networkers - Kent Rail. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
2. ^ Kent Link Networker (Class 466 Phone) - Kent Rail. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
3. ^ Class 465 and 466 Page - Welcome to the Southern E-Group Web Site. Retrieved 2010-12-17
4. ^ "Collision between a train and a road vehicle, M20 overline bridge, Aylesford". RAIB. September 2007. http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/070926_R362007_%20Aylesford.pdf. Retrieved 3 March 2011. 

External links