List of British Rail electric multiple unit classes

This page lists every electric-powered multiple unit allocated a TOPS classification or used on the mainline network since 1948 (i.e. British Railways and post-privatisation). British Rail operated a wide variety of electric multiple units for use on electrified lines.
 AC units operate off 25 kV alternating current (AC) from overhead wires. Where clearances for the overhead wires on the Great Eastern Main Line and London, Tilbury and Southend railway routes were below standard, a reduced voltage of 6.25 kV AC was used. The Midland Railway units used 6.6 kV AC. Under the computer numbering, AC units (including mixed-voltage units that can also work off a DC supply) were given a class in the range 300-399.
 DC units operate off 650-850 V direct current (DC) from a third rail on the Southern Region and North London, Merseyside and Tyneside networks. The Manchester-Bury Railway line used 1,200 V DC from a side-contact third rail. The Manchester South Junction & Altrincham and "Woodhead" and initially the Great Eastern Railway routes used 1,500 V DC from overhead wires. Under the computer numbering, DC units were given a class in the range 400-599.

AC EMUs and dual-voltage EMUs
 First generation 

 TOPS class Pre-TOPS class Name or Information Image Ex-MR units   Lancaster-Morecambe-Heysham Class 300   Proposed parcels units   AM1 25kV AC prototype units Class 302 AM2 London-Tilbury-Southend 100px Class 303 AM3 Strathclyde 100px Class 304 AM4 Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham 100px Class 305 AM5 Chingford, Enfield 100px Class 306 AM6 Shenfield (inner-suburban) 100px Class 307 AM7 Southend (outer-suburban) 100px Class 308 AM8 Eastern Region lines 100px Class 309 AM9 Clacton Express 100px Class 310 AM10 Euston outer-suburban 100px Class 311 AM11 Strathclyde 100px

Second generation
 TOPS class Built for Current Operator(s) Builder Number built Image Class 312 BR Eastern Region(Great Eastern and Great Northern suburban) andBR London Midland Region(Euston suburban) (out of service) BREL York 1966-74 49 x 4-car sets 100px Class 313 BR Eastern Region(Great Northern suburban) London Overground, First Capital Connect BREL York 1975-78 64 x 3-car sets 100px Class 314 BR Scottish Region(Argyle Line) First ScotRail BREL York 1979 16 x 3-car sets 100px Class 315 BR Eastern Region(Great Eastern suburban) National Express East Anglia BREL York 1980-81 61 x 4-car sets 100px Class 316 (I) (AC Networker prototype) (never used in passenger service, now out of service) converted from class 210 and 313 cars 1 x 4-car set 100px Class 316 (II) (test unit) (never used in passenger service, now out of service) converted from class 307 1 x 3-car set Class 317 Network SouthEast('Bedpan' and Great Northern lines) National Express East Anglia, First Capital Connect BREL York 1981-85 72 x 4-car sets 100px Class 318 Provincial ScotRail(for Strathclyde PTE) First Scotrail BREL York 1985-87 21 x 3-car sets Class 319 Network SouthEast(Thameslink services) First Capital Connect, Southern, Northern BREL York 1985-88 86 x 4-car sets 100px Class 320 Provincial ScotRail(for Strathclyde PTE) First ScotRail BREL York 1986 22 x 3-car sets 100px Class 321 Network SouthEast(Great Eastern and Euston services); andRegional Railways(for West Yorkshire PTE) National Express East Anglia, Northern Rail, London Midland BREL York 1986-89 117 x 4-car sets 100px Class 322 Network SouthEast(Stanstead Express service) First ScotRail BREL York 1988-90 5 x 4-car sets 100px Class 325 Rail Express Systems(for Royal Mail) FirstGBRf ABB Derby 1995 16 x 4-car units 100px

Modern Generation

These use electrical switching devices (thyristors and transistors) and have electronic power control.

 TOPS class Built for Current Operator(s) Builder Number Built Image Class 323 Regional Railways(for West Midlands PTE and Greater Manchester PTE) Northern Rail, London Midland Hunslet 1992-93 43 x 3-car sets 100px Class 331 original classification of Class 332 - - - Class 332 Heathrow Express Heathrow Express Siemens/CAF 1997-2002 9 x 4-car sets5 x 5-car sets 100px Class 333 Arriva Trains Northern(for West Yorkshire PTE) Northern Rail Siemens/CAF 2001-03 18 x 4-car sets 100px Class 334Juniper ScotRail(for Strathclyde PTE) First ScotRail Alstom Birmingham 1999-2001 40 x 3-car sets 100px Class 341Networker proposed units for Crossrail - (never built) - Class 342Networker proposed units for CTRL Domestic Services - (never built) Class 345Aventra Crossrail Crossrail (TfL Rail) Bombardier Derby 2016-2019 70 x 9-car sets (initially 7-car sets until 2019) 100px Class 350Desiro Silverlink, Central Trains London Midland Siemens 2004-05 30 x 4-car sets 100px Class 357Electrostar LTS Rail c2c Adtranz/Bombardier Derby 1999-2002 74 x 4-car sets 100px Class 360Desiro First Great Eastern, Heathrow Connect National Express East Anglia, Heathrow Connect Siemens 2002-06 21 x 4-car sets5 x 5-car sets 100px Class 365Networker Network SouthEast(Great Northern and South Eastern services) First Capital Connect ABB York 1994-95 41 x 4-car sets 100px Class 371Networker proposed units for Thameslink 2000 - (never built) - Class 375Electrostar Connex South Eastern, South Eastern Trains Southeastern Adtranz/Bombardier Derby 1999-2004 10 x 3-car sets102 x 4-car sets 100px Class 376Electrostar South Eastern Trains Southeastern Bombardier Derby 2004-05 36 x 5-car sets 100px Class 377Electrostar Southern Southern Bombardier Derby 2001-05 28 x 3-car sets154 x 4-car sets 100px Class 378Capitalstar London Overground London Overground Bombardier Derby 2008-2011 Class 380Desiro First ScotRail (not yet in service) Siemens (under construction) Class 381Networker proposed Network SouthEast express units - (never built) -

High Speed Trains
 TOPS class Built for Current Operator(s) Builder Number Built Image Class 370APT-P prototype Advanced Passenger Train (out of service) BREL Derby 1979 6 x 7-car half sets2 spare cars108x108px Class 373TGV Eurostar EurostarIZY various builders 1992-95 14 x 8-car half sets64 x 10-car half sets1 spare car 100px Class 390Pendolino Virgin West Coast Avanti West Coast Alstom Birmingham 2001-05 53 x 9-car sets 100px Class 395Javelin Southeastern Southeastern Hitachi2007-009 29 x 6-car sets99x99px

DC EMUs
Southern Region units
The Southern Railway and its successor, the Southern Region of British Rail, used three letter codes to classify their DC EMU fleets, as shown after the TOPS class numbers.
Pre-Nationalisation
 TOPS class SR class Name or Information2Nol2SLSouth London2WimWimbledon-Croydon3Sub4Buf4DDDouble Deck EMU4Gri4Lav4Res6CitLondon Bridge-Brighton6PanPantry units6PulPullmanLondon Victoria-BrightonClass 4012BilClass 4022Hal2PanClass 4035BelClass 4044CorClass 4054Sub

Mark 1 and 2 Bodyshell
 TOPS class SR class Name or InformationClass 4104BepClass 4114CepClass 4124BepClass 4134Cap2 x 2Hap permanently coupledClass 4142HapClass 4154EPBClass 4162EPBClass 4182Sap2Hap units with declassified 1st Class accommodationClass 419MLVLondon-Dover/Folkestone boat trainsClass 4204BigClass 4214Cig3Cop2 units still in use, on Lymington Branch LineClass 4224Big8DigClass 4234Vep4VopClass 4274VegFirst stock used for Gatwick ExpressClass 4304RepClass 4316RepClass 4324RepClass 4383TC4TCClass 4808VabClass 482 (I)8MigClass 488Gatwick Express TrailersClass 489GLVGatwick Express driving trailersClass 499TLV

Tube stock
 TOPS class SR class Name or Information ImageClass 482 (II)Waterloo & City Linesold to LU100pxClass 483Isle of Wightex LU 1938 stock100pxClass 4854Vecex LU Standard stock100pxClass 4863Tisex LU Standard stock100pxClass 487Waterloo & City Line100px

Modern EMUs
 TOPS class SR class Name or InformationImageClass 424Networker Classic PrototypeClass 4425WesWessex Expressleft|100px|British Rail Class 442 no. 2407 "Thomas Hardy" at Moreton railway station in Dorset on 10th April 2006.Class 4445DesDesiro100pxClass 4454PepSecond Generation EMU prototype - 4 car100px|4 PEP unit No.4002 in the sidings at Wimbledon depot.Class 4462PepSecond Generation EMU prototype - 2 carClass 447Proposed Battersea BulletClass 4504DesDesiro100pxClass 455100pxClass 456100pxClass 457DC Networker prototype100pxClass 4584JopJuniper100pxClass 4608GatJuniper - Gatwick Express100pxClass 465Networker - 4 car100pxClass 466Networker - 2 car100pxClass 471Proposed Networker - Main Line Express

Other DC units
The 500 series classes were reserved for DC (third/fourth rail) EMUs not from the Southern Region. This included the DC (third/fourth rail) lines in North London, Merseyside and Greater Manchester. The DC electric network around Tyneside had been de-electrified by the time TOPS was introduced, and the stock withdrawn or transferred to the Southern Region.


TOPS classes
ClassInfoImageClass 501  North London stock100pxClass 502  Liverpool-Southport-Ormskirk stockClass 503  Mersey-Wirral stock100pxClass 504  Manchester-Bury stock100pxClass 505  Manchester-Altrincham stockClass 506  Manchester-Hadfield/Glossop stock100pxClass 507  Merseyside stock100pxClass 508  Merseyside stock100pxClass 510  Original classification of Class 455

Pre-TOPS classes
 Ex-LNER Units (Tyneside stock)
 Ex-LNWR Units (North London stock)
 Ex-LYR Units (Manchester-Bury stock)

Battery electric multiple unit (BEMU)
This was a one-off unit, withdrawn before the introduction of TOPS.
 79998/79999

Related pages
 British Rail locomotive and multiple unit numbering and classification
 SR multiple unit numbering and classification
 British Rail coach designations

References

Other websites
 The Railway Centre 
 departmentals.com

Classes
Category:British railway-related lists