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| carbody = Steel The exception to this is vehicle E69108 which was originally a BR Class 123 Buffet Vehicle No. W59831. This was converted to a 309 griddle car but retained its B4 bogies, becoming the only vehicle in the class with this type. This vehicle also had 36 seats in the Buffet area compared to 24 in the other units.

Operations

When built, units were originally planned to be used on the Original Proposed East Coast Main Line Electrification Scheme, however, when this was abandoned the units were deployed on Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) express services from London Liverpool Street to Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze (also marketed as the Sunshine Coast Line) which is what gained them the class nickname Clacton Express. Trains would be formed of three units in a ten-car formation (i.e. one two car unit, and two four car units). The train would divide at Thorpe-le-Soken, with one of the 4-cars units used on the Walton section, and the remaining six cars continuing to Clacton. The Clacton portion usually included the griddle car unit, and was always the second to leave Thorpe-le-Soken, being the rear (London end) portion of the coastbound train. The choice of building units with only two coaches may seem unusual, but these were intended only for use in strengthening pairs of four coach units at peak times to produce a ten coach train, and with this in mind they only had second class accommodation.

In the 1970s many of the units were reformed. The two-car units were augmented to four-car units.

In 1973-74 units 605–608 with the addition of TSK with TCK converted former Mk1 SK and CK coaches which formed in to 4 car sets.

In 1978 units 601–604 with the addition of TCK and TSOL converted former Mk1 CK and TSO coaches which formed in to 4 car sets.

In the early 1980s units 611-618 had the griddle cars were taken out of use and replaced by TSOL from 601 to 604 and TSK from 605 to 608.

601-608 were augmented to 3-car units until refurbishment work in 1985–86

In 1986-87 refurbishment work required the addition of 8 Mk1 TSO coaches to be converted to TSO trailers for units 611–618 with the borrowed TSOL and TSK trailers all being converted to TSOL trailers and reformed back into 601–608.

thumb|left|The front of a Class 309 train in blue/grey BR livery with original 'wrap around' cab windows at London Liverpool Street station

thumb|left|The front of a Class 309 train in blue/grey BR livery with modified front windows at London Liverpool Street station

The entire fleet was refurbished in the period 1985–1987, with the single-glazed wooden framed windows replaced by aluminium-framed double-glazed units with hopper ventilators. Another change was 2 + 2 seating in open saloons replacing the second class compartments, this change producing an increase in seating capacity.

The first refurbished units outshopped were painted in the bold new London and SouthEastern "Jaffa Cake" livery. However, this was soon superseded by the equally bold Network SouthEast livery, which was introduced in 1986. Coinciding with the refurbishment work, in 1985 electrification spread north from Colchester to Ipswich, and later to Harwich and Norwich. This meant the Class 309 units were soon introduced on fast trains to Ipswich and Harwich.

In 1989, new Class 321/3 units were introduced onto GEML services partially replacing both class 309 and Class 312 diagrams. The "Clacton Express" units however continued until May 1992 in main service and then a reduced fleet operated a few rush hour services until January 1994. The last units were withdrawn on 22 January 1994, despite their recent and expensive refurbishment. After working a final railtour (15 January 1994) and the week of normal services a final Saturday diagram was run with 309626/613/616 ending on the 1800 Liverpool Street - Clacton. However, not all units were immediately scrapped, and seven were retained for possible reuse around Manchester on suburban trains. These units were stored at Blackpool.

Finally, one vehicle from 309623 survives; its TSO was purchased by West Coast Railways in 2003 for eventual spares use. It has, however, remained unrestored at Carnforth MPD, still in its Regional Railways livery.

Preservation

Several attempts since their original withdrawal from the London to Clacton route in 1994 have been made to preserve a Class 309 by a number of organisations that have never come to much more than attempts. Preservation actions have included trying to originally preserve 309605 and 309606 at Ilford in spring 1994, an attempt around their completion of First North Western services to preserve a unit (309623), then and at least one other time all not coming to any fruition. However, once no further work was found for them in test train use, units 309616 and 309624 were successfully preserved by AMPSRail Limited in 2009, and went to the Electric Railway Museum, Warwickshire. However, when this was forced to close in 2018, the sale of 624 was used to fund transport costs for 616, and the two sets were split up, both going to different homes.

616, still in the care of AMPSRail, ended up at the Tanat Valley Light Railway in Oswestry. Here it has remained as a static exhibit with the interior now used as a Cafe and tea room, titled "The Clacton Cafe"

624 was sold to the Lavender Line and arrived in 2018. Minor conservation work was carried out, but due to changing priorities at the railway, the set was put up for sale in 2021. In March 2022, the unit was purchased by the CEPG, funded by a private benefactor. It remained at the Lavender line in storage while options for future preservation were explored.

In May 2024, it was announced that the long-term future of 624 had been secured. BDTC 75965 and MBS 61928 have been donated to the East Anglian Railway Museum, where a full restoration of both vehicles has been committed to. Due to a lack of space at the EARM DTS 75972 has been donated to the Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway who intend to restore it to operational condition.

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading

  • Class 309 History
  • Electric Railway Museum Limited - Owners of the preserved units From 2009-2018