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It's a happy 60th birthday to Glasgow's electrified suburban rail network! The British Rail Class 303, or the "Blue Train" as it was commonly known, were the trains built to operate the revolutionised route from November 5, 1960.https://twitter.com/NetworkRailSCOT/status/1324408507974766599
These trains were designed by British Rail engineers and 91 were built in total by Pressed Steel in Linwood, near Paisley. Initially for the North Clyde, though they appeared south of the river too, when the Cathcart Circle was electrified in 1962.
Electric trains cut up to 10 minutes off journeys compared to the steam services they replaced. These modern trains were a step-change, with cleaner, roomier carriages. The doors were pneumatically operated, with push buttons for passengers to open & close. A novelty at the time!
Their introduction wasn't without incident. Transformer explosions led to the reintroduction of steam services for a time, until changes were made and electric trains once again took to the rails.
At their introduction, small children (and no doubt some adults) would rush to the front, where a drivers-eye view was available through a partition. At refurbishment though, this feature was removed. To better protect train drivers, toughened windscreens were introduced too.
They were joined in 1979 by our Class 314 fleet when the Argyle Line opened. Most retired in 1989 when our Class 320s arrived, and the remaining 40 worked out their final decade of service, departing ScotRail on 30 December 2002.
Do you have memories or photos of the Blue Trains? Where did you go on them?
We'd love to hear from you.
Happy Birthday to Glasgow's suburban rail network. 60 years old today.
We'd love to hear from you.
Happy Birthday to Glasgow's suburban rail network. 60 years old today.
