|
The British Rail Class 319 is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit train capable of operating on 25 kV AC from overhead wires or 750 V DC from a third rail. They were built by BREL York for use on north-south cross-London services. Built in two batches in 1987–88 and 1990, the units were primarily used on the then-new Thameslink service operating from Bedford to Brighton and various other destinations south of London. The majority of the fleet remained in use on the Thameslink route after its reshaping and privatisation in 1997. Some of the fleet were also used on various services operated by Connex South Central and its successor Southern, including flagship expresses between London Victoria and Brighton. With the delivery of new rolling stock for Thameslink services commencing in 2015, some have been redeployed with London Midland and Northern Rail. ==Description== In the 1980s, there were plans for a rail service that would link and . These services would cross London in a north-south direction, and thus became the first passenger route for many years to cross London from north to south. These services were branded Thameslink by Network SouthEast, which operated the services. As the Thameslink service was to use a route with 25 kV AC OHLE north of Farringdon and along the branch to Moorgate, and 750 V DC third-rail electrification south of Farringdon, the Class 319 trains were built with dual-voltage capabilities, making them very versatile.〔(Class 319 ) - Welcome to the Southern E-Group Web Site. Retrieved 20 March 2011.〕 They were also the first British Rail units to use modern thyristor control in place of a camshaft and resistor bank. The body shape of the Class 319 is slightly different from contemporary electric units due to restrictions in the loading gauge in Kings Cross tunnel, which meant that other dual-voltage units were not suitable. They were also required to have emergency end doors in the cabs,〔Thameslink - Moorgate Branch: Local instructions/Working over book (July 1999)〕 due to the twin single-bore layout of Smithfield tunnel preventing normal train evacuation. Two sub-classes of Class 319 units were originally built. Over the years, units have been refurbished, creating five sub-classes, of which four still exist. Class 321 passenger units and Class 325 postal units were developed from the Class 319 design,〔 using similar traction equipment and the same steel body design, with revised cab designs. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「British Rail Class 319」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|