The British Rail Class 411 ( 4CEP)

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...

s were built at

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census. The town ...

works from 1956–63 for the newly electrified main lines in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. These units, which used the

British Railways Mark 1 British Rail Mark 1 is the family designation for the first standardised designs of railway carriages built by British Railways (BR) from 1951 until 1974, now used only for charter services on the main lines or on preserved railways. Followin ...

bodyshell, were based on the earlier Southern Railway 4 COR design, built in 1937. Variants of the class 411 design included the Class 410 and Class 412 4 BEP units, which contained a buffet car in place of a standard trailer. They were later used on services in

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

and

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

; following the

privatisation of British Rail The privatisation of British Rail was the process by which ownership and operation of the Rail transport in Great Britain, railways of Great Britain passed from government control into private hands. Begun in 1994, the process was largely compl ...

in 1995, the units were used by the

Connex South Central Connex South Central was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Connex that operated the South Central franchise from 26 May 1996 until 25 August 2001. History On 26 May 1996, Connex commenced operating the Network SouthCe ...

Connex South Eastern Connex South Eastern was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Veolia Transport, Connex that operated the South Eastern franchise from October 1996 until November 2003. History On 13 October 1996 Veolia Transport, Connex comm ...

and

South West Trains Stagecoach South Western Trains Limited, trading as South West Trains (SWT), was an English train operating company owned by Stagecoach, which operated the South Western franchise between February 1996 and August 2017. SWT operated the majori ...

franchises. They were replaced by

Juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

, Desiro, and

Electrostar The Bombardier Electrostar (sold as the ADtranz Electrostar until 2001) is a family of electric multiple-unit (EMU) passenger trains manufactured by Bombardier Transportation (formerly Adtranz) at their Derby Litchurch Lane Works in England be ...

units. The fleet's lifespan was 49 years. These units are the longest-lived BR Mark 1 EMUs.

Description

A total of 133 units were built, as two different types. The majority of units were 'standard' passenger-only units, complemented by units containing a buffet car.

Standard units

The standard units contained passenger seating only, and formed the backbone of the new fleet. 111 units were built in several batches, initially numbered in the range 7101-7211. Units 7101-7104 were the

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

units initially designated 4COR(EPB). These were followed by 'Phase 1' units (7105-7153) and subsequently 'Phase 2' units (7154-7211). Units were formed of two outer driving motors cars with 2nd class (later Standard Class) seating in open saloons, sandwiching two intermediate trailer cars – one a corridor second and the other a First/Second corridor composite.

4 BEP units

The 4 BEP units were similar to the standard units, but contained a buffet car in place of the second class open trailer. The buffet trailer had a dining room, a large kitchen pantry, and a buffet counter with some seats. 22 units were built, initially numbered in the range 7001-7022. The first two units (7001-7002) were prototypes, and were followed by 'Phase 1' units (7003-7012) and 'Phase 2' (7013-7022). The 4 BEP fleet were classified as Class 410 by British Rail under the new computer numbering system introduced in 1968.

Vehicle numbering

The numbering of individual vehicles and details of when units were built are shown in the table below.

Refurbishment

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, British Rail recognised that the 4 CEP fleet was in need of refurbishment. This was carried out at BR's

Swindon Works Swindon Works was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1843 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It served as the principal west England maintenance centre until closed in 1986. History In 1835, Parliament approved the construction of the Great ...

. Refurbishment included moving the guard's compartment from both the motor cars to one of the intermediate trailers. Many of the 4BEP fleet were converted to standard units, since the requirement for buffet cars had declined. The first refurbished unit was no. 7153, which was later renumbered to 1500. This unit was experimentally refurbished in 1975 at

Eastleigh Works Eastleigh Works is a locomotive, carriage and wagon building and repair facility in the town of Eastleigh, in the county of Hampshire in England. History LSWR The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) opened a carriage and wagon works at Eas ...

. Following evaluation, the contract for the refurbishment of the rest of the fleet was awarded to BR's

. At the same time, units were renumbered from their original sequence into the later BR standard system reflecting TOPS class and sub-class, though in Southern Region style, only the last four digits were carried - so for example 411 501 was abbreviated to 1501. Units were renumbered in order of refurbishment, not reflecting their original numerical order. Subsequent refurbished standard units were renumbered in the range 1501–1621, and reclassified as Class 411/5. Only seven 4 BEP units were retained and refurbished, being renumbered in the range 2301–2307, and reclassified as Class 412/3. The remaining 4BEP units were converted into 4CEP units by replacing the buffet car with a standard trailer converted from conventional locomotive-hauled coaching stock. Refurbished buffet cars had a small dining room, while a second class room, seating 24, took the place of the buffet.

4 TEP units

Between 1983 and 1986, several 4 Big units required extensive refurbishment. To cover their workings, four temporary 4 TEP units were created, formed of three carriages from a refurbished CEP unit, with an unrefurbished buffet car from a BEP unit. The units were renumbered in the range 2701–2704. They were based at Brighton depot and operated mostly on the London to line. The units were disbanded by 1986, once the refurbishment programme was complete, and were reformed as standard 4 CEP units. The unrefurbished buffet carriages were scrapped. Unit formation are given below:

Final operations

After rail privatisation in the mid-1990s, the different divisions of British Rail were divided up into different franchises. The three former SR division; South-Eastern, South Central and South-Western; all operated 4 CEP units, and are dealt with separately here.

Connex South Central

The South Central (SC) division, operated as

, briefly operated 4 CEP units in the period 1995–1998. Three standard units were converted to Class 411/6 by fitting them with high-speed Mk.6 motor bogies. These units were renumbered into the series 1697–1699. They were chiefly employed on

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

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express services. However, as the units were non-standard in the SC fleet, they were withdrawn and transferred to South West Trains.

South Eastern Trains

411602 at Wandsworth Road on 7th September 2001

The South Eastern (SE) division inherited the largest fleet of 4 CEP units. The franchise was originally operated by Connex South Eastern, but after Connex lost the franchise it became

South Eastern Trains South Eastern Trains (stylised as Southeastern) was a publicly owned train operating company that operated the South Eastern Passenger Rail Franchise between November 2003, when it took over from Connex South Eastern, and 1 April 2006, whe ...

. In 1996, when the franchise was awarded, a fleet of 85 standard units were in traffic. Many of these were quickly withdrawn from traffic, or transferred to the SW division. In early 1999, five units were converted to Class 411/9 3CEP units, with the removal of the second class open trailer. These removed trailers had not had so much work carried out on them at the time of refurbishment (as they were basically unchanged apart from cosmetic appearance and installation of hopper windows) and many had become severely corroded. This was necessary, as some stations could only accommodate 11 carriages. A further 13 units were later converted. The 3 CEP units were renumbered into the series 1101–1118. The Connex fleet contained two 'celebrity' units. The first, no. 1592, was repainted by staff at

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...

depot into its original Green livery, to commemorate the final months in traffic for these units. The second, no. 1602, was the only 4 CEP unit repainted into Connex livery, after it received derailment damage outside

London Bridge station London Bridge is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Southwark, south-east London. It occupies a large area on three levels immediately south-east of London Bridge, from which it takes its name. The m ...

, and had to be repaired at

works. Both of these units were popular with railtours and excursion trains. Withdrawal of units started in 1999, after they were replaced by new Class 375 'Electrostar' units. The original aim was to totally replace the 4 CEP fleet by 2000. However, poor reliability of the new units saw the 4 CEP's retained beyond this date. By the end of 2002, the fleet was again being reduced, with many standard units being sent to

Immingham Immingham is a town and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England, on the south-west bank of the Humber, Humber Estuary, northwest of Grimsby. It was relatively unpopulated until the early 1900s, when the Great Central Railway began de ...

for scrap. The 3 CEP units were all withdrawn by March 2003, as units in traffic beyond this date had to be fitted with TPWS equipment. In the event, only seven units, nos. 1562, 1590, 1592, 1593, 1594, 1602 and 1615 were retained. By the beginning of 2004, the seven units were withdrawn as they were due overhaul. They were replaced with units cascaded from South West Trains, which included the three Class 411/6 units. However, these units were themselves slowly retired, and it was expected the final units would have been withdrawn from service before the end of 2004. However, the Class 411/6 units were eventually withdrawn in July 2005, following the introduction of refurbished Class 465/9 "Networkers". Units 1697 and 1699 were sent for scrap, but 1698 was retained for working railtours. Due to a unit shortage It was later reinstated in August 2005, and remained in traffic until late September. It was one of three units to work a

to Weymouth railtour, the others being 4 Cig 1866 and 4Vep 3545. Following this, it was quickly despatched for scrap.

South West Trains

The South West (SW) division franchise was won by the

Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group is a transport group based in Perth, Scotland. It operates buses and express coaches in the United Kingdom. Stagecoach was originally founded in 1976 as ''Gloagtrotter'', a recreational vehicle and minibus hire business. Dur ...

and was operated as

(SWT). SWT did not inherit any standard 4 CEP units, but it did operate the seven 4 BEP units. However, in 1996, a shortage of trains led to SWT hiring two sets (nos. 1568 and 1589) on a short-term lease. These units were quickly followed by more, until by 1998, SWT had a fleet of 29 standard 4 CEP units. These were gradually overhauled, and were employed on a range of duties, including services to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

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and Weymouth. Additionally, units commonly worked services on the

Lymington Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest (district), New Forest district of Hampshire, England. The town faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a Roll-on/roll-off, car ferry s ...

branch. The fleet stayed reasonably static until 2002, when SWT reformed several sets. The buffet cars from the 4 BEP units were inserted into seven standard units, which were renumbered 2321–2327 (reclassified as Class 412/2). The displaced carriages were inserted into the 4 BEP units, which were renumbered 2311–2317 (reclassified as Class 412/1). The reason behind this was that the 4 BEP units had faster acceleration, and the buffet cars were no longer used. Therefore, the reformations allowed a higher

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

in the faster units. By 2003, SWT had ordered new trains, to replace all its

slam door trains A slam-door train or slammer is a set of railway coaches, a diesel multiple unit (DMU) or electric multiple unit (EMU) that were designed before the introduction of automatic doors on railway carriages in the United Kingdom and other count ...

. These were designated Class 444 for express trains and Class 450 for suburban trains. The first units to be replaced were the units in the 232x series, which were due for early withdrawal. Of the seven sets, one, set no. 2323, was withdrawn in 2002 due to fire damage, but was later converted back to a standard unit. Another, set no. 2326, was reduced to a 3 CEP, for operating the "

Lymington Flyer The Lymington branch line is a railway that runs from Brockenhurst to Lymington in the New Forest, England. The line is around long, and is single track throughout its length. It diverges from the South West Main Line at Lymington Junction. ...

" service on the

branch, and was renumbered 1199. The remaining five units lasted until December 2003, when they were withdrawn. One, set no. 2325 was preserved, whilst the rest were scrapped. BR 4-BEP 3204

The standard units lasted until early 2004, when they were either withdrawn and scrapped, or transferred to South Eastern Trains. One of the 4 BEP units, no. 2314, was converted into a 3CEP to replace no. 1199, and was renumbered 1198. Of the remaining six 4 BEP units, four were withdrawn in October 2004, leaving just two units remaining in traffic into 2005. The 3 CEP unit, no. 1198, was withdrawn at the end of December 2004, and was preserved by the EMU Preservation Society on the

Dartmoor Railway The Dartmoor line is a railway line in Devon, England. From , the line runs alongside the Tarka Line to the site of the former Coleford Junction where it diverges west to . Previously a heritage line, it is owned by Network Rail. The route w ...

before moving in 2008 to the

Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway () is a volunteer-run heritage railway in South Wales, running trains between a Whistle Inn Halt railway station, halt platform opposite the Whistle Inn public house (famed for its collection of Davy lamp, ...

and then in 2013 to the

Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway The Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway is a preserved standard gauge heritage railway with its headquarters and main station at Chinnor in South Oxfordshire, England. It runs along the foot of the Chiltern Hills, Chilterns escarpment. Al ...

. A replacement came in the form of 3Cig unit no. 1499. The final two 4 BEP units 2311 and 2315, soldiered on in traffic until withdrawal in March 2005. They were both later preserved at the

Eden Valley Railway The Eden Valley Railway (EVR) was a railway in Cumbria, England. It ran between Clifton Junction near Penrith, Cumbria, Penrith and Kirkby Stephen via Appleby-in-Westmorland. Passenger traffic ended in 1962 and the line was reduced to the tr ...

as 4CEPs.

Further use and departmental units

Over the years, several unit have seen further use as departmental units. These are listed below: *7102 – Converted to Tractor Unit 932080. Scrapped in 1996 *1500 – Converted to Tractor Unit 932081. Scrapped in 1996 *1505 – Converted to Route-learning Unit 930082 for use by Southern, including removal of end-gangways. Later converted to static training unit at

Selhurst Selhurst is an area in the London Borough of Croydon, England, south-east of Charing Cross. Historically in Surrey, the area is bounded to the west and south by Thornton Heath and Croydon and to the east and south by South Norwood and Woo ...

depot. Sent for scrap in September 2005. *1512 – Used as a 3-car Tractor Unit by

depot. Scrapped in June 2005 after being replaced by a Class 73

electro-diesel locomotive An electro-diesel locomotive (also referred to as a dual-mode or bi-mode locomotive) is a type of locomotive that can be powered either from an electricity supply (like an electric locomotive) or by using the onboard diesel engine (like a dies ...

. *1545 – Converted to 3 car test unit 932545 and exported to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. Converted to AC Overhead Line and DC Dual Voltage and was a test bed for IGBT and Adtranz Traction Package. Scrapped there in 2002. *1620 – Converted to test unit 932620 for central door locking trials. Then used for paint trials at

. Scrapped in November 2005.

Accidents and incidents

*On 4 January 1969, units 7181 and 7117 formed a passenger train that overran a signal in thick fog and ran into the rear of a parcels train near ,

. As a consequence, three cars of unit 7181 were written off. *On 15 July 1970, unit 7015 collided with a

lorry A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructio ...

on an

occupation crossing Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

between and ,

due to errors by the crossing keeper. The driver of the lorry and the guard of the train were killed. *On 28 January 1993, unit 1521 overran the buffers at Ramsgate Depot, with one driving carriage left perched precariously above houses.

Preservation

Four complete units have been saved for preservation. *4 BEP unit no. 2325 (containing 3 coaches of ex 1537, ex-7105) has been preserved by the EPB Preservation Group, is currently split in different locations with the centre cars being at the

Epping Ongar Railway The Epping Ongar Railway is a heritage railway in south-west Essex, England, run by a small number of paid staff and a team of volunteers. It was the final section of the Great Eastern Railway branch line, later the London Underground's Centra ...

and the driving ends at Eastleigh Works. This set was the first of the production units to be built, and it is hoped to restore it to its original condition. in January 2014, the two motor coaches were moved by road and rail to Eastleigh Works for this to begin. As of September 2016 one driving end is stripped and the other is in store. *4 BEP unit no. 2304 has been preserved by the EMU Preservation Society on the

. It was moved in May 2008 from the

to the

until August 2013, immediately prior to that railway's closure pending re-organisation. This unit was converted from former 4 BEP unit 1198 (ex-2314, ex-2304, ex-7175) for use on the

Lymington Branch Line The Lymington branch line is a railway that runs from Brockenhurst railway station, Brockenhurst to Lymington in the New Forest (district), New Forest, England. The line is around long, and is single track throughout its length. It diverges ...

. In 2019 the unit was renumbered to 2304 and a former BEP buffet coach 69345 was purchased to be attached to the unit. *4 BEP units nos. 2311 and 2315 (which contains the other coach of 1537, ex-7105) are preserved on the

. These were the final two 4BEP units in service with

. *Both driving motor coaches from unit no. 1589 (ex-7178) were preserved on the

, but was scrapped in September 2021. Its TBC carriage can be found at

Snibston Discovery Park Snibston is an area and former civil parish east of Ravenstone, now in the parish of Ravenstone with Snibstone, in the North West Leicestershire district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. Originally rural, part of Snibston was transform ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

, and its TSO carriage was in now disbanded Cig 1393, at the

Whitwell & Reepham railway station Whitwell and Reepham railway station, also known as Whitwell station, is a former station situated in Norfolk, England. The station closed in 1959 and is a notable stop on the Marriott's Way long-distance footpath. It is being restored as a ra ...

. *The TBC 70345 from unit no. 1500 (ex-7153), which was also in 1547, is currently preserved In a Private Garden in Sutton Bridge. The full list is shown below. Complete units are highlighted:

Fleet details

;Unrefurbished Units ;Refurbished Units

Modelling

Bachmann Bachmann is a surname of Switzerland and Germany. It originates as a description of the bearer as dwelling near a brook (''Bach''), such as a farm "Hofstatt am Bach" also called "Bachmanns Hofstatt" near Hinwil or Dürnten (recorded 1387), or the " ...

have released a 00 gauge model of the 4-CEP in 2009, with 4-BEP due out in mid 2021. An N Gauge version of the 4-CEP was released in late 2011 by Graham Farish.

Gallery

File:1592 at Dover Priory.jpg, Class 411 4 CEP no. 1592, at on 27 April 2003, whilst forming a special excursion train around

and

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

. This unit was specially repainted into its original Southern Green livery, to commemorate the retirement of the 4CEP fleet from service. This unit has been withdrawn from service in 2004 and has since been scrapped. File:1602 at Dover Priory.jpg, Class 411 4CEP no. 1602, at Dover Priory on 27 April 2003. This was the only 4 CEP unit to be painted in the

livery, after it suffered damage in a

collision In physics, a collision is any event in which two or more bodies exert forces on each other in a relatively short time. Although the most common use of the word ''collision'' refers to incidents in which two or more objects collide with great for ...

in 1999, and had to be repaired at

Eastleigh works Eastleigh Works is a locomotive, carriage and wagon building and repair facility in the town of Eastleigh, in the county of Hampshire in England. History LSWR The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) opened a carriage and wagon works at Eas ...

. This unit lasted in operation until 2004, and has since been scrapped. File:2325 departing London Waterloo.jpg, Class 412 4BEP no. 2325, departing

London Waterloo Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a major central London railway terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Undergroun ...

on 15 August 2003. This unit was reformed in 2002, with the addition of a buffet car. It was withdrawn by

later in 2003, and is now preserved at the

. File:1521 at Waterloo East.jpg, Class 411 no. 1521 at Waterloo East station in 1988, in British Rail's "Jaffa Cake" express livery. File:CEP (Corridor Electro-Pneumatic) in a Quarry - geograph.org.uk - 639863.jpg, 1198 immediately following preservation in 2005 former South West Trains Class 411/9 on the

following withdrawal in December 2004.

References

External links

EMU Preservation Society – owners of preserved set 1198.Eden Valley Railway – owners of preserved sets 2311 and 2315.
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20131204151248/http://www.southernelectric.org.uk/features/historical-features/brfleet_cep.html Southern Electric Group – Information on Class 411/412 and other EMUs.{{British Rail EMU

411 411 may refer to: * The year AD 411, the four hundred and eleventh year of the Gregorian calendar * 411 BC * 4-1-1, a telephone directory assistance number in the United States and Canada ** By extension, a slang term for "information" * 411.com, ...