British Rail - EMU
4 Vep unit 3417 "Gordon Pettitt"
The unit on arrival at East Grinstead, 17 January 2009
(Derek Hayward)
The unit on arrival at East Grinstead, 17 January 2009
(Derek Hayward)
4 Vep unit number 3417 'Gordon Pettitt' was formally handed over by South West Trains to the Bluebell Railway on Saturday 17 January 2009 at East Grinstead.
Right: Photos of unit 3417 on the main line thanks to Hentis-Rail. The upper photo is at Poole, the lower at Holes Bay (18 and 11 June 2005)
Tom Waghorn's photo below shows the hand-over ceremony for the unit, presented to the Bluebell by South West Trains. The speakers were Roy Watts (BPRS Chairman), Mac Macintosh (former Engineering Director SWT), Gordon Pettitt (former General Manager of the Southern Region of British Rail), Ginnie Waddingham (Mayor of East Grinstead), and Graham Flight (Chairman of Bluebell Railway PLC).
Gordon Pettitt, former general manager of the Southern Region of British Rail, stands next to the Vep unit named after him. (Andrew Strongitharm)
Report on the East Grinstead Open Day including links to many more photos and videos.
Departure: Although only on site for a few days, the Bluebell needed to honour its commitment to ensure that the 4 Vep is looked after. Following the hugely successful Open Day, the East Grinstead site reverted to a construction site and therefore became inaccessible, thus isolating the unit.With construction works due to start at East Grinstead and the unit in an exposed position, the Bluebell Railway accepted the offer of short term accommodation at Eastleigh railway works.
Knights Rail generously sponsored the move to the works where it is under cover and back on the 3rd Rail. Along with LSWR B4 No.96 " Normandy", it represented the Bluebell at the Eastleigh 100 event in May 2009.
All this has happened very quickly (it left at 12.50 on 22nd January in a special move organised at remarkably short notice) and we are grateful to everybody who has made this move possible an excellent example of team work co-operation to ensure that the unit will be in a much safer store.
Return to the Bluebell: The unit was able to attend the Swanage Railway Diesel Gala in May 2010, and has now returned to the Bluebell, arriving on 2nd September 2010 to play its part in the opening ceremony for the new platform a few days later, as seen in the photos at the bottom of this page.
Photos: Right: The departure from East Grinstead, 22 January 2009 (Gavin Bennett)
Below Right: Later in the day Clive Emsley happened to be at Eastleigh Station and managed to take this photo of the set there.
The end of steam on the Southern and the advent of the 4 Vep
The Southern Region of British Railways had a plan to electrify much of its system. Stage 1 of this plan was the Kent Coast electrification, which was completed in 1962. The second stage (planned for 1964) would have involved secondary routes: Redhill to Tonbridge, Reigate to Guildford, Sanderstead to Oxted, Oxted to East Grinstead, Oxted to Lewes, Eridge to Tunbridge Wells, Christ's Hospital to Shoreham and Ash Junction to Wokingham. This stage was not progressed and a couple of the lines were closed instead! Stage 3 was intended to cover Woking (actually Pirbright Junction) to Weymouth, Basingstoke to Salisbury and Winchester to Alton.What finally materialised from Stage 3 of the plan was Woking to Bournemouth Central, with an extension to Branksome in order to access a new EMU maintenance depot built on the approaches to the site of the former Bournemouth West station (closed in 1965). The depot incorporated the old Bournemouth West carriage shed.
Left: In dry storage at Eastleigh, April 2009 (Richard Salmon).
The opening of Stage 3 allowed BR(S) to achieve its goal of finally ridding itself of steam locomotives in July 1967. Thereafter, regular fast trains to Bournemouth were formed of "TC" trailer units (either 3 or 4-car), all these being converted from loco-hauled BR Mark 1 carriages. These were powered by 4 Rep tractor units to Bournemouth, where a class 33/1 (BRCW Type 3 fitted with push-pull control), took the train (without the Rep unit) on to Weymouth and propelled it back.
The 4 Vep (later BR class 423) was designed for semi-fast/stopping services with 2+3 seating and a door to virtually every seating bay on both sides. The first twenty units (7701-20) were delivered in 1967 and were allocated to the new Bournemouth electric multiple unit depot. The original livery of 7717 was overall blue with small yellow warning panels and cast aluminium double arrows below its driving cab side windows. Orange curtains were fitted in the second class areas.
Right: Visitors boarding our 4 Vep at Eastleigh on 23rd May 2009 - the unit, along with LSWR loco "Normandy" represented the Bluebell at the 100th anniversary celebrations of the works (David Chappell)
Over their years of service, alterations were made to the Vep fleet. It was found that the curtains in second class were superfluous and these were removed. The sliding glass ventilators caused draughts during the winter and were largely superfluous, so these were sealed closed; some being later replaced by full sidelights. In the late 1980s, it was decided to renumber the fleet from the 77xx series to the 423 0xx series; only the last four digits being painted on the ends. By this time the 4Rep tractor units (originally numbered 3001-15) had been renumbered prior to their replacement and 7717 became (42)3017.
The units were built with a large guard's van area in the motor coach. After the parcels and mail business diminished, it was decided to convert part of this area into two seating bays. This work was undertaken at Eastleigh Works during the 1990s . As this job took longer than the overhaul on the other three cars, the latter usually left with the first complete motor coach available, hence our unit having the motor coach formerly in unit 7775. Units fitted with modified vans were renumbered into the 423 4xx series; once again, only the last four digits being painted on the ends. (42)3417 was later refurbished throughout including new strip lighting in the passenger areas.
Type: 4 Vep (Class 423) 4-car Electric Multiple Unit
Built: 1967, BREL York (62236 built in 1969)
Unit No: 3417 (423 417), previously 7717, 3017
Unit name: "Gordon Pettitt"
Vehicle Nos: DTCsoL 76262, MBSO 62236, TSO 70797 & DTCsoL 76263
Maximum speed: 90mph
To Bluebell: 17 January 2009
Owner: Bluebell Railway plc
Location: East Grinstead.Right: 3417 at Corfe Castle while visiting the Swanage Railway for their annual Diesel gala and beer festival, 8 May 2010 (Ian Dixon)
Opening of East Grinstead Platform, 4 September 2010
Nearly 1500 tickets were sold over the Saturday and Sunday when we officially opened our new platform at East Grinstead. Passengers were able to travel a few hundred yards over the viaduct and down to Imberhorne North, within sight of the tip.
Above: 73208 hauling 3417 breaks the opening banner at East Grinstead (Michael Hopps).
Passengers boarding the first timetabled train to leave the station southwards since 1958 (Richard Salmon).
Left: The 4 Vep travels over Hill Place viaduct (Michael Hopps).
Last updated by Richard Salmon, 20 October 2010, with thanks to Martin Skrzetuszewski and Ian Dixon.
