Merseyrail

[teenagewasteland]

RE: Merseyrail

(10/06/2022 18:03)508134 Wrote:  How many units are currently out of service due to this fault?
Any further details on what has caused these wheel bearing faults on the units?

It's something to do with voltage returns that come through the wheel bearings from the live rail. The third rail voltage has increased to 750V in preparation for the introduction of the 777s, whereas the 507/508 stock work at around 500V. Consequently, some components are having difficulty coping with the increased electrical load.

[313201]

RE: Merseyrail
The track voltage was raised up to 750 volts back in the late 70s in preparation for the arrival of the 507 units on the northern line.

Over here in the wirral, we still had the 503s until the early 80s when merseyrail decided to replace them with the 508s which were originally intended for the wirral but were diverted down to the southern and worked down there until the class 455s were built.

Once the 455s started arriving, the 508s became surplus to requirements and 1 of the trailer coaches was removed and inserted into the 1st batch of 455s which were arriving as 3 coach sets, these sets became known as class 455/7 and are easily distinguishable from the other class 455 units of sub classes 455/8 & 455/9 which all have the same roof profiles over the 4 coaches of each set whereas the class 455/7s have 3 coaches with the same roof profile and the flattened roof of the ex class 508 coach.

Upon arrival of the first class 508s on the wirral which were stored at the old Mollington Street depot in Birkenhead, the 503s continued to soldier on as much as they could on a track voltage of 650 volts.

The 508s were renumbered from the 508/0 numbers they had such as 508043 as they were in there original 4 coach formations, but when they were reduced to 3 coach sets they became class 508/1 units for example the above unit number now became 508143 which it still carries today.

For the 508s to be introduced, track work was carried out anx the power supply on the wirral upgraded to 750 volts which resulted in the 503s being withdrawn from service.

For 3rd rail electrification 750 volts has become the standard power supply rating unless sothern have upgraded their system to a higher voltage which I have no information about.

The only trains in Merseyside which worked on a power rating lower than 650 volts were the trains on the Liverpool Overhead Railway which operated on 550 volts.

Hope this helps.

[ls1911]

RE: Merseyrail

(15/06/2022 11:51)313201 Wrote:  The track voltage was raised up to 750 volts back in the late 70s in preparation for the arrival of the 507 units on the northern line.

Over here in the wirral, we still had the 503s until the early 80s when merseyrail decided to replace them with the 508s which were originally intended for the wirral but were diverted down to the southern and worked down there until the class 455s were built.

Once the 455s started arriving, the 508s became surplus to requirements and 1 of the trailer coaches was removed and inserted into the 1st batch of 455s which were arriving as 3 coach sets, these sets became known as class 455/7 and are easily distinguishable from the other class 455 units of sub classes 455/8 & 455/9 which all have the same roof profiles over the 4 coaches of each set whereas the class 455/7s have 3 coaches with the same roof profile and the flattened roof of the ex class 508 coach.

Upon arrival of the first class 508s on the wirral which were stored at the old Mollington Street depot in Birkenhead, the 503s continued to soldier on as much as they could on a track voltage of 650 volts.

The 508s were renumbered from the 508/0 numbers they had such as 508043 as they were in there original 4 coach formations, but when they were reduced to 3 coach sets they became class 508/1 units for example the above unit number now became 508143 which it still carries today.

For the 508s to be introduced, track work was carried out anx the power supply on the wirral upgraded to 750 volts which resulted in the 503s being withdrawn from service.

For 3rd rail electrification 750 volts has become the standard power supply rating unless sothern have upgraded their system to a higher voltage which I have no information about.

The only trains in Merseyside which worked on a power rating lower than 650 volts were the trains on the Liverpool Overhead Railway which operated on 550 volts.

Hope this helps.

The Merseyrail network was meant to be a standard 750v dc all round. However testing revealed that in parts the voltage was as low as 400v dc basically down to old equipment.
Whereas the existing units could work quite happily with anything over about 450v dc there's no way the 777s will hence the upgrades to the network to get a constant 750v dc all around.

[childwallblues]

RE: Merseyrail
On 12/07/2022 I was at Didcot Station when 66788 passed through with 455814 and 455822 on their way from Stewarts Lane to the scrapyard at Newport. The consist included two barrier vehicles 64664 and 64707 which were formerly part of South Eastern Railways 508207 previously Merseyrail 508116 and new to South Western Trains as 508016. Quite a chequered life for these two carriages.

[ste]

RE: Merseyrail
Hi does anyone know if the track between Fazakerley and Kirkby is to been changed to two tracks rather than a single and how that will look at Kirkby station?

[ls1911]

RE: Merseyrail

(23/07/2022 23:49)ste Wrote:  Hi does anyone know if the track between Fazakerley and Kirkby is to been changed to two tracks rather than a single and how that will look at Kirkby station?

Remaining as 1 track

[507022]

RE: Merseyrail

(23/07/2022 23:49)ste Wrote:  Hi does anyone know if the track between Fazakerley and Kirkby is to been changed to two tracks rather than a single and how that will look at Kirkby station?

It’s single line (as previously mentioned) due to the M57 bridge, as far as Kirkby, then double track after Kirkby to Headbolt Lane, which will have 2 platforms to allow for a 15 min frequency

[508134]

RE: Merseyrail
Slightly off topic from recent discussions but what was the reason for the closure of the Hall Road depot in 1997?
Also, does anyone have the exact date for its last operation?

[H101GEV (Administrator)]

RE: Merseyrail

(25/07/2022 11:11)508134 Wrote:  Slightly off topic from recent discussions but what was the reason for the closure of the Hall Road depot in 1997?
Also, does anyone have the exact date for its last operation?

I'm not sure of the exact date unfortunately, but officially it was 31st May 1997 as that was the final day of the September 1996 working timetable, the last to show booked movements at Hall Road. Birkenhead Central's shed was closed at the same time. They might have been run down and abandoned in the weeks prior but I'm not sure.

The closure of both locations was an economy measure, concurrent with the fleet size being reduced from 63 units to just 53. The June 1997 timetable change was brutal: it saw swathes of six car workings reduced to three and was probably the height of the 'Miseryrail' era.

[507022]

RE: Merseyrail

(25/07/2022 20:04)H101GEV Wrote:  I'm not sure of the exact date unfortunately, but officially it was 31st May 1997 as that was the final day of the September 1996 working timetable, the last to show booked movements at Hall Road. Birkenhead Central's shed was closed at the same time. They might have been run down and abandoned in the weeks prior but I'm not sure.

The closure of both locations was an economy measure, concurrent with the fleet size being reduced from 63 units to just 53. The June 1997 timetable change was brutal: it saw swathes of six car workings reduced to three and was probably the height of the 'Miseryrail' era.

At its peak The Merseyrail network had 76 units and Hall Rd and Birkenhead North were responsible for maintenance. As you said, it was reduced to 63 when some 508s were sent to South Eastern ( I think) in the 1990s and became 508/2 or 508/3. We are now down to 56 with another (508143) at Derby.