British Rail Class 370

British Rail's Class 370 tilting trains, also referred to as APT-P (meaning Advanced Passenger Train Prototype), were the pre-production Advanced Passenger Train units. Unlike the earlier experimental gas-turbine APT-E unit, these units were powered by 25 kV AC overhead electrification and were used on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Glasgow Central. The APT-P is the most powerful domestic train to have operated in Britain, the eight traction motors fitted to the two central motor cars giving a total output of 8,000 hp (6,000 kW). This enabled the train to set the UK rail speed record of 162.2 mph (261.0 km/h) in December 1979, a record that stood for 23 years until broken by a Eurostar Class 373 on the newly completed High Speed 1 line.[9]

Further information: Advanced Passenger Train

British Rail Class 370
Advanced Passenger Train – Prototype
Class 370 at Carlisle
First-class saloon in a preserved vehicle.
(The plain blue seat covers are post-withdrawal replacements for the original tartan material.)
In service1980–1986
ManufacturerBritish Rail Engineering Limited
Built atDerby Works[1]
Family nameAdvanced Passenger Train
Constructed1977–1980[2]
Entered service1979[3]
Number built3 full sets
(6 units plus 2 spare vehicles)[3]
Number preserved7 vehicles
Formation7 cars per unit:
DTS-TS-TRSB-TU-TF-TBF-M
(full set is 2 units back-to-back)
Diagram
  • DTS vehicles: LE201
  • TS vehicles: LH201
  • TRSB vehicles: LK201
  • TU vehicles: LH401
  • TF vehicles: LH101
  • TBF vehicles: LJ101
  • M vehicles: LC501
Fleet numbers370001–370006[3]
Operator(s)British Rail InterCity
Depot(s)Shields Road (Glasgow)[4]
Line(s) servedWest Coast Main Line
Specifications
Car body construction
Train length147 m (482 ft)[5]
Car length
  • DTS vehs.: 21.440 m (70 ft 4.1 in)
  • M vehs.: 20.400 m (66 ft 11.1 in)
  • Others: 21.000 m (68 ft 10.8 in)
  • (all including gangway portions)
Width2.720 m (8 ft 11.1 in)
Height
  • M vehicles: 3.397 m (11 ft 1.7 in)
  • Others: 3.510 m (11 ft 6.2 in)
Wheelbase
  • Over DTS/TBF veh. pivot centres:
    14.850 m (48 ft 8.6 in)
  • Over articulated vehicle pivots:
    15.900 m (52 ft 2.0 in)
  • Over M vehicle pivot centres:
    13.000 m (42 ft 7.8 in)
Maximum speed
  • Design: 155 mph (250 km/h)[6]
  • Service: 125 mph (201 km/h)
Weight
  • DTS vehicles: 35 t (34 LT; 39 ST)
  • TBF vehicles: 33 t (32 LT; 36 ST)
  • M vehicles: 67.5 t (66.4 LT; 74.4 ST)
  • Others: 24 t (24 LT; 26 ST)
Traction motors4 × ASEA LJMA 410 F
Power output3,000 kW (4,000 hp) continuous
Electric system(s)25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead
Current collector(s)Pantograph
UIC classification2′(2′)(2′)(2′)(2′)(2′)2′+Bo′Bo′
Bogies
  • M vehicles: BREL BP17
  • At articulations: BREL BT11
  • Others: BREL BT12
Minimum turning radius91 m (300 ft)
Braking system(s)Hydraulic and hydrokinetic[6]
Safety system(s)
Multiple workingWithin class (max. 2 units)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Notes/references
Specifications given for seven-car units as at August 1981,[8] except where otherwise noted. A full set train would be formed of two units coupled back-to-back.

History

The APT-P was unveiled to the public on 7 June 1978 and continued to be used for testing into 1986.[10] Due to ongoing technical problems with these pre-production units, and a lack of cash or political will to take the project forward, the planned APT-S (Advanced Passenger Train Squadron Service) production-series units were never built, but did influence the design of the later InterCity 225 sets designed for the East Coast Main Line electrification. The influence is strongest with the Class 91 locos which took many features from the APT power cars. The technology was later sold to Fiat Ferroviaria and used for improving their second generation Pendolino trains which are used worldwide, including on the West Coast Main Line as the Class 390.

Numbering

Units were numbered 370001-370006 (plus two spare cars labelled 370007)[3] and were formed as follows:

  • 48101-48107 - Driving Trailer Second
  • 48201-48206 - Trailer Second
  • 48401-48406 - Trailer Restaurant Second Buffet
  • 48301-48306 - Trailer Unclassified
  • 48501-48506 - Trailer First
  • 48601-48607 - Trailer Brake First
  • 49001-49006 - Non-Driving Motor[3]
Side Profile

A full train was made up of two units running back-to-back, with the two motor cars adjoining. The motor cars had no seating accommodation or through-gangway, so the two halves of the train were unconnected for passengers.

Withdrawal and preservation

All six units were withdrawn during 1985–1986, and most cars were quickly scrapped. The remaining cars are exhibited at Crewe Heritage Centre, a museum located next to Crewe station.[1]

  • Of these, six cars are formed into a single train:
    • 48103 - Driving Trailer Second
    • 48404 - Trailer Restaurant Second Buffet
    • 48603 - Trailer Brake First
    • 49002 - Non-Driving Motor
    • 48602 - Trailer Brake First
    • 48106 - Driving Trailer Second
  • A single Non-Driving Motor car does not form part of the train and is exhibited separately:

Models

In 1980, Hornby Railways produced a OO gauge five-car set model available as a train set with plain yellow fronts,[12] which was released as a five-car train pack with black fronts and window surrounds in 1981, until appearing in the 1983 catalogue when the train set was last produced. In 1984 it was discontinued from the Hornby range. However, it was featured in the 1985 catalogue, although no new models were produced that year.[13]

In 2020, Hornby Railways announced that as part of their centenary year range - and both the 40th anniversaries of the year it entered service and the original Hornby model a newly tooled OO gauge model of the BR Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train would be launched.[14] The APT-P will be available as part of a five-car train pack consisting of sets 370 003 and 370 004 with plain yellow fronts included are DTS, TFB, NDM (motorised), TFB and DTS[15] and a seven-car train pack included is the APT U Development coach, consisting of sets 370 001 and 370 002 with DTS, TBF, NDM (motorised), NDM (dummy), TBF and DTS in APT livery with black front and window surrounds[16] with the additional SKU' coaches available separately in four sets of two including TS, TU, TRBS, and TF[15][16] with the additional NDM (motorised)[2][17] and the APT U Development coach,(for the five-car pack)[18] for each set to form a realistic complete full rake train for both train packs.[15][16]

See also

References
  1. "Advanced Passenger Train – Prototype". The Crewe Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  2. "BR, Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train Non-Driving Motor (NDM), 49004, Era 7". Hornby.com. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  3. Marsden 1983, pp. 119–120
  4. Coxon, Dave. "High speed pantograph testing in Scotland in October 1983". Testing Times. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  5. Boocock & Newman 1976, p. 660, Table 1.
  6. British Rail's Advanced Passenger Train – InterCity APT (PDF). Derby: Chief Mechanical & Electrical Engineers' Department, British Railways Board. 1979. GM869/A10/1279. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  7. Tomorrow's train, today (PDF). London: British Railways Board. 1980. GM1000/A7/980. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  8. Vehicle Diagram Book No. 210 for Electric Multiple Units (including A.P.T.) (PDF). Derby: Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Department, British Railways Board. LC501, LE201, LH101, LH201, LH401, LJ101, LK201 (in work pp. 428–441). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Barrowmore MRG.
  9. "Train smashes speed record". BBC News. 30 July 2003. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  10. Coxon, Dave. "The Class 370 APT-P". Testing Times. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  11. "BR 49006 25 kV AC Advanced Passenger Train Motor Car built 1978". Vintage Carriages Trust. 6 August 2018. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  12. "Hornby Railways Advanced Passenger Train Train Set". Hornby Railways Collector Guide. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  13. "Hornby Railways Advanced Passenger Train Train Pack". Hornby Railways Collector Guide. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  14. "Hornby BR, Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train". Hornby.com. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  15. "Hornby BR, Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train, 370 003 and 370 004, 5-car pack - Era 7". Hornby.com. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  16. "Hornby BR, Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train, Set 370 001 and 370 002, 7-car pack - Era 7". Hornby.com. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  17. "BR, Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train Non-Driving Motor (NDM), 49004, Era 7". Hornby.com. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  18. "BR, InterCity APT-U Ex-TS Development Vehicle, Sc48204/977527 - Era 7". Hornby.com. Retrieved 28 June 2020.

Sources
  • Boocock, D.; Newman, M. (1976). "The Advanced Passenger Train". Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. 190 (62): 653–663. doi:10.1243/PIME_PROC_1976_190_069_02.
  • Marsden, Colin J. (1983). Motive Power Combined Volume. Ian Allan. ISBN 0711012849.

Literature

Further reading
  • Body, Geoffrey (1981). Advanced Passenger Train. Weston-super-Mare: Avon-Anglia Publications. ISBN 9780905466378. OCLC 16538327.
  • Clough, David N. (2016). APT: The Untold Story. London: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 9780711038240.
  • Derrick, Kevin (2010). Eighties Spotting Days, Out of the Ashes. Strathwood. ISBN 9781905276301.
  • Haresnape, Brian (1983). British Rail Fleet Survey 5: High Speed Trains. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 9780711012974. OCLC 153032242.
  • Marsden, Colin J. (1982). EMUs. Motive Power Recognition. Vol. 2. Ian Allan. pp. 54–57. ISBN 9780711011656. OCLC 16537600.
  • Nock, O.S. (1980). Two Miles a Minute. Cambridge: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 9780850594126. OCLC 7173075.
  • Williams, L.H. (1985). Advanced Passenger Train: A Promise Unfulfilled. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 9780711014749. OCLC 16684893.
  • Trains in the Eighties, 1: Inter-City 125s & APT. London: Ian Allan. 1980. ISBN 9780711010918. OCLC 43747550.
  • Kelly, Peter (February–March 1982). "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a total failure". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. pp. 38–40. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.
  • Allen, Geoffrey Freeman (February–March 1982). "Why APT is running nine years late". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. pp. 41–43. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.
  • "End of the line for prototype APT". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. May 1983. p. 16. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.
  • "APT: BR puts the record straight". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. November 1983. p. 19. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.
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