British Rail Class 505

British Railways Class 505 were 1,500 V DC electric multiple units (EMUs) introduced in 1931 by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR). Although assigned to TOPS Class 505 by British Railways, these units were withdrawn before the TOPS numbering system came into common use for multiple units, and the Class 505 designation is very rarely used.

Following the 1923 Grouping, the MSJAR company was owned jointly by the LMS and LNER. It operated a 13.7 km (8½ mile) route between Manchester London Road (now Manchester Piccadilly) and Altrincham in Cheshire. The MSJAR was electrified in the early 1930s and was the first installation of 1,500 V DC overhead railway electrification in Britain.

22 3-car EMUs and two spare power cars were built for the new electric service, which started on 11 May 1931. These trains were based at Altrincham depot and ran exclusively between Manchester and Altrincham for forty years.

In April 1971 all the Class 505 Altrincham Electric units were withdrawn when the line was converted from 1,500 V DC to 25 kV AC. Two centre trailer cars, M29666 and M29670 (MSJAR 117 and 121), were purchased by the Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society and moved to the Yorkshire Dales Railway (now Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway). In 1983 they were moved to the Midland Railway Centre (now Midland Railway, Butterley) in Derbyshire where they are undergoing restoration. Here they joined centre trailer coach M29663 (MSJAR 114) which had been bought by Derby City Council. This coach was broken up in 2006. No driving coaches have been preserved.

Description

The Altrincham Electrics were built with a wooden frame construction and individual compartments, with no corridors or gangways. They were coupled as 3-car sets and often operated in multiple as 6-car trains at rush hours.

The units were built by Metropolitan Cammell to an LMS design and were a much more conservative style of train than the Southport and Wirral line EMUs which the LMS introduced just a few years later.

Each 3-car Altrincham Electric comprised:-
*A motor coach, with driving cab, guard’s compartment, electrical equipment and third class passenger compartments. This coach was powered by four 328 hp. traction motors and also carried the unit’s pantograph.
*A centre trailer coach, with no driving cab. The centre car had a number of first class compartments, in addition to third class accommodation.
*A driving trailer coach, with third class compartments.

The third class compartments were later re-classified as second class by British Railways in 1956.

ee also

Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway

References

Rowse, Jonathan "Remembering the Altrincham Electrics" TRACTION 32-35 May 2006

External links

* [http://www.altrincham-electric.org.uk Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society]