Class 456
Eventually, the
twenty-four strong Class 456 fleet would receive a Selhurst allocation, but like
the SE Division’s ‘’Networker’’ fleet, the type was first dispatched to
Strawberry Hill Depot on the SW Division for commissioning into service. Here,
the branch line to Shepperton could be used for test running. Delivery of units
from York to Strawberry Hill commenced in December 1990, and passengers could
look forward to a pair of distinct advantages of the type over their Class 455
counterparts: the presence of high-backed seats and toilets. However, problems
were already afoot for the units, and these were not mechanical faults, but
rather in-cab ergonomics. The type was to be driver-only operated – i.e. there
would be no guard and rather, the driver would rely on a series of television
monitors on station platforms to observe when it was safe to close the automatic
doors and depart. It transpired that the Class 456’s driver’s cab window proved
too small for the television monitors to be adequately viewed when sitting at
the controls. Consequently, the driver’s seat required modifications to allow it
to slide sideways, permitting a clear view of display monitors. This work, which
saw the type travel further afield on the SW Division to Fratton, delayed their
entry into revenue-earning service by nine months. However, on 7th November
1991, the Secretary of State for Transport Roger Freeman announced in the
Commons that on 30th September of that year, the first modified Class 456 units
had gone into passenger service.
Since the outset, it was intended for the fleet’s main stomping ground to be the
South London Line, running frequent single-unit shuttles between London Bridge
and Victoria in the off-peak (and pairing with additional units during peak
periods). Their South Eastern Division interest has surfaced in recent years
with the appearance of the type on Tattenham Corner services from Charing Cross.
The toilets, originally requested by SW Division passengers after the deployment
of the lacking Class 455 fleet, have had a peculiar history themselves. For
approximately three months during the year, over the winter season, they are
locked out of use. At Selhurst, the toilets are completely drained of all fluid
and subsequently closed until the warmer weather emerges. This is apparently to
prevent any frost damage, which may cause pipe cracking.
On 12th April 1996, it was announced that the April 1994-created ‘’Network
SouthCentral’’ shadow franchise had been awarded to French company CGEA (Compagnie
Générale d'Entreprises Automobiles). Indeed, the franchise trading name was
swiftly changed to ‘’Connex SouthCentral’’, and by May of that year, the former
Central Division London suburban network had been branded ‘’South London
Metro’’. The re-branding of suburban services was not just a cosmetic exercise;
timetable changes also occurred. The four trains an hour London Bridge to
Sydenham service saw its frequency increased to every ten minutes, whilst the
Sydenham to Crystal Palace Loop saw the recommencement of frequent off-peak
services. However, Crystal Palace to Beckenham Junction services were reduced
from two an hour to just one an hour. In October 1996, two units, Class 455 No.
455804 and Class 456 No. 456024, emerged in the prevailing Connex pale grey and
yellow livery to visually promote the new ‘’Metro’’ services. The remaining
twenty-three Class 456 units were to retain their existing Network SouthEast
schemes for the next decade, their younger age and, on average, lower mileage
seeing that they would be refurbished after the Class 455 fleet.
In late 2005, a 456 unit was dispatched to Wolverton Works, reportedly in
connection with a proposed refurbishment scheme. Such a programme began to
emerge early in the following year, when members of the class were saw operating
with a plain, rubbed-down exterior. Indeed, in late 2006, piecemeal dispatch of
the fleet to Wolverton Works began, with units between sandwiched in-between Mk
1 barrier vehicles, hauled by a Class 47. By May 2007, delivery of refurbished
units from Wolverton to Selhurst had begun. The work had included new interior
panelling, new handrails, and new seat covers, in addition to the most
conspicuous change: that of the livery.
On 13th October 2004, No. 456010 was observed trundling out of London Bridge with a Victoria
service via the South London Line, just before the evening peak began. A formation of two Class
465 units is seen approaching the ''high-level'' platforms, on the left. David Glasspool
On 21st January 2006, two of the class are seen stabled underneath the endangered
trainshed of 1866 vintage, as viewed from the ''high-level'' platforms. David Glasspool
On 13th October 2004, No. 456017 is seen having arrived at Clapham Junction with a Sutton to
London Victoria service. This is the closest the Class 456 fleet get to their initially intended area
of work, the South Western Division. David Glasspool
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