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Home > British Rail Class 488

1 Description

The British Rail Class 488 are unpowered electrical multiple unit trailer sets, converted for the Gatwick Express service from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport.

The sets were converted from conventional loco-hauled coaching stock in 1983-84. Two variations were converted, 2-car sets (containing first class accommodation) and 3-car sets (containing only standard class accommodation).

2 Current Operations

After privatisation, the entire Class 488 fleet passed to the Gatwick Express franchise.

2.1 Gatwick Express

Immediately after privatisation, the Class 488 fleet was used exclusively on Gatwick Express trains. They were painted in the Gatwick Express variation of InterCity livery, although some sets were later reliveried with Continental Airlines advertisements. From 2000 onwards, new trains in the form of Class 460 units were introduced to replace the old stock. By 2004, just six sets, formed into three 5-car rakes, were still in use with Gatwick Express.

2.2 Network Rail

After retirement from Gatwick Express, several sets have been purchased by Network Rail for use as test-trains or simply as break-force runners. Sets have been repainted into either the now obsolete Railtrack blue/lime green livery, or the new Network Rail yellow livery. Two sets, nos. 8307 and 8309, have been reclassified as Class 910 departmental units and renumbered as 910002 and 910001 respectively.

3 Preservation

So far, one set has been preserved

• 8317 - Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

4 Fleet Details

Politics	Business	Finance

Topics: British Rail Class 488 Gatwick Sets Express Converted Network...

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