BRITISH RAIL CLASS 421

The British Rail 'Class 421' (or 4Cig) electrical multiple units were built at BR York Works from 1964-1972.

Contents

Description

Standard units

4Big units

Vehicle numbering

Refurbishment

8Mig units

8Dig units

Current operations

South Eastern Trains

South Central / Southern

South West Trains

Further use

Preservation

Fleet details

Description

Units were built in two batches, and were initially introduced on services on the Brighton Main Line. Later units were introduced on services to Portsmouth. These units replaced older Southern Railway-designed units, such as the 5Bel "Brighton Belle" units, and 4Cor units. These trains were known commonly as "slam-doors".

Standard units

The standard units contained only passenger accommodation, and formed the bulk of the fleet.
Units consisted of two driving trailer, sandwiching an intermediate motor coach, and an intermediate trailer.
Units were built in two batches. 'Phase 1' units were built from 1963-66 for the Brighton Line, and were numbered 7301-7336. These were followed from 1970-72 by the 'Phase 2' units, built primarily for the Portsmouth line, numbered 7337-7438.

4Big units

The 4Big units were similar to the standard units, but contained a buffet car in place of the intermediate trailer.
These units were also built in two batches. 'Phase 1' units were built from 1965-66, and were numbered 7031-48. 'Phase 2' units were built in 1970, and were numbered 7049-7058.
The 4Big fleet were initially classified as 'Class 420' by British Rail under the new computer numbering system introduced in 1968.

Vehicle numbering

The numbering of individual vehicles and details of when units were built are shown in the table below.

Phase	Type	Unit Nos.	Years Built	DTCsoL	MBSO	TSO ( ★ TRSB)	DTCsoL
Phase 1	4Cig	7301-7336	1964-65	76076-76111	62017-62052	70695-70730	76022-76057
	4Big	7031-7048	1964-65	76112-76129	62053-62070	69301-69318 ★	76058-76075
Phase 2	4Cig	7337-7366	1970	76581-76610	62287-62316	70967-70996	76611-76640
		7367-7437	1970-72	76717-76787	62355-62425	71035-71105	76788-76858
		7438	1972	76859	62430	71106	76860
	4Big	7049-7058	1970	76561-76570	62277-62286	69330-69339 ★	76571-76580

Refurbishment

Units were facelifted from 1985-93.

8Mig units

In 1983, two temporary 8Mig units, numbered 2601-2602, were formed whilst the 4Big fleet underwent asbestos removal. Therefore, four standard 'Phase 2' 4Cig units, numbers 7401-7404, were reformed with conventional locomotive-hauled miniature buffet carriage (RMB). Each 8Mig unit was formed by marshalling the RMB coach in between two units, one of which was reduced to three carriages, with the removal of the intermediate trailer (TSO). Thus, in effect, each 8Mig unit was effectively formed of 4Cig + RMB + 3Cig. The formations of the units are listed below:

8Mig unit No.	4Cig unit					RMB coach	3Cig unit
	Unit no.	DTCsoL	MBSO	TSO	DTCsoL		Unit no.	DTCsoL	MBSO	DTCsoL
'2601'	'7401'	76751	62389	71069	76822	1872	'7402'	76752	62390	76823
'2602'	'7403'	76753	62391	71071	76804	1873	'7404'	76754	62392	76825

These units were only used during the summer of 1983, after which enough asbestos-free 4Big units were available. The two 8Mig units were disbanded and the four 4Cig unit reformed. The 4Cig units have since been renumbered several time, as shown below:

Unrefurbished		Facelifted
74xx series	12xx series	18xx series	8Dig unit	18xx series
7401	1201	1868	-	-
7402	1202	1860	-	-
7403	1203	1869	-	-
7404	1204	1875	2001	1802

8Dig units

In 1992, four 8Dig units, numbered 2001-2004, were formed by semi-permanently coupling a 4Cig and a 4Big unit. The units were dedicated to London Victoria to Brighton express services, which were operated as the 'Capital-Coast Express'.
The 8Dig units were formed from four 'Phase 2' 4Big units, and two 'Phase 1' and two 'Phase 2' 4Cig units. The 'Phase 1' units, numbers 1901/02 (recently renumbered from 1715/16), were fitted with Mk.6 motor bogies. Interestingly, one of the 'Phase 2' 4Cig units, no. 1875 (ex. 7404), had previously been part of 8Mig unit 2602. Unit formations are listed below:

8Dig unit no.	4Cig unit					4Big unit
	Unit no.	DTCsoL	MBSO	TSO	DTCsoL	Unit no.	DTCsoL	MBSO	TSRB	DTCsoL
'2001'	'1875'	76754	62417	71072	76850	'2262'	76779	62392	69333	76825
'2002'	'1902'	76100	62041	71768	76046	'2254'	76732	62379	69306	76803
'2003'	'1801'	76777	62415	71095	76848	'2255'	76740	62378	69310	76811
'2004'	'1901'	76082	62023	70701	76028	'2259'	76748	62386	69318	76819

The units were disbanded in 1996, after replacement by dedicated Class 319/2 units. The various 4Cig and 4Big units were reformed and gained their original numbers, except unit 1875, which was renumbered to 1802.

Current operations

After rail privatisation in the mid-1990s, the different divisions of British Rail were divided up into different franchises. The three former SR division; South-Eastern, South Central and South-Western; all operated 4Cig units, and are dealt with separately here.

South Eastern Trains

'South Eastern Trains' (SET) operated a small fleet of three 'Phase 1' and 22 'Phase 2' 4Cig units. The franchise was originally operated by Connex as Connex South Eastern.
All but one of the 'Phase 2' units continued to carry the obsolete Network SouthEast livery. One unit, no. 1870 was repainted into Connex yellow and white. The three 'Phase 1' units were painted in white undercoat livery, since their use was originally only supposed to be short-term. However, despite this, the units remained in traffic for seven more years, from 1997 to 2004. They were popularly known as "Ghosts" by rail enthusiasts.
From 2003, units started to be withdrawn, having been replaced by the second batch of the new "Electrostar" units. The three 'Phase 1' units had gone by mid-2004. The final unit, no. 1843, lingered on for several months longer than its classmates, and was eventually withdrawn in mid-November 2004. All the SET units have been scrapped.

South Central / Southern

The South Central Division inherited the largest fleet of 4Cig units. Originally, this included all remaining 'Phase 1' units, although some later transferred to South Eastern Trains, 35 'Phase 2' units, and the four 8Dig units. The remaining few 4Big units were also used on the former Central Division.
The South Central franchise was initially won by Connex South Central, who applied their yellow and white livery to most stock. In 2000, they lost the franchise to the Go-Ahead Group, who operated the franchise as 'South Central'. In 2004, this was changed to 'Southern'. Four 'Phase 1' units (nos. 1735/38/40, 1908) and eight 'Phase 2' units (nos. 1854/56-62) received Southern's new green livery.
In 1997, the remaining 4Big units were withdrawn. Eight of these units were transferred to South West Trains. The remaining eleven unit were heavily rebuilt at Eastleigh Works, with compartments removed and opened out, and the buffet carriages withdrawn. The modified units were reclassified as 'Class 421/7', and renumbered into the 1401-1411 range. The units were also known as 3Cop units, which denoted their intended use, dedicated to East Coastway and West Coastway services out of Brighton. Two units received names, a rarity for slam-door EMU stock.

★ 1408 - Littlehampton Progress 2000

★ 1409 - Operation Perseus
In 2004 some units were augmented to four carriages, with the addition of a 'Phase 1' intermediate trailer (and thus became 4Cop units).
From 2003, Southern started to replace its slam-door fleet with new Class 377 Electrostar units. In general, the 'Phase 1' units were withdrawn first due to their age, but as deliveries of the Electrostars increased, some 'Phase 2' units were also withdrawn. By late-2004 only a handful of 'Phase 1' units and 4Cop units remained in service. The final 'Phase 1' units in traffic were units 1704/08/11/12/14/17/43 and 1901, with the final unit, no. 1704, being withdrawn in February 2005. The final 4Cop units, nos. 1404/10/11 were withdrawn in March 2005.
The 'Phase 2' units lasted longer, and two, nos. 1805 and 1866 were retained beyond August 2005, when slam-door trains lost all diagrammed work. They lasted until 19 November 2005, when they worked a farewell railtour, following which they were withdrawn.

South West Trains

'South West Trains' inherited a small fleet of twelve 'Phase 2' 4Cig units, and the larger fleet of 22 "Greyhound" units, which had been modified to allow faster acceleration.
In 1997, the fleet was augmented with the addition of eight 4Big units from Connex South Central. These operated with the counter in the buffet carriages out of service. By 1999, the units had been stored.
In 1999 eight additional "Greyhound" units were converted from the redundant 4Big units. The units were reclassified as 'Class 421/8', and renumbered in the range 1392-1399. The modifications included the removal of the buffet carriages, which were replaced by spare intermediate trailers from 4Cep units. Most of these trailers came from 4Cep units that were converted to 3Cep units, but a few came from withdrawn units. These trailers were immediately recognisable as they have a different body profile to the rest of the unit. The buffet carriages were withdrawn, although many were saved for preservation.
In December 2004, unit no. 1394, was reduced to a three car unit, with the removal of its Cep trailer. It was reclassified as 'Class 421/7', renumbered to 1499, and dedicated to the "Lymington Flyer" service, replacing the previous incumbent unit, no. 1198.
Withdrawals of units started in mid-2004, as many new Class 444 and Class 450 "Desiro" units have entered service. By the end of 2004, just a handful of units remained in traffic. The final few units were withdrawn in May 2005, with the last units in traffic being 1304/09/12/16, 1392/95-98, 1499 and 1881/90. The final slam-door service ran on 26 May from London Waterloo to Bournemouth using units 1396, 1398 and 4Vep 3536. Following withdrawal, two units, nos. 1304 and 1881 were transferred to "warm-storage" for use by Southern, if required. Most of the other units were sent for scrap, with the exception of nos. 1392 and 1499.

Services on the Lymington Branch Line are now operated as a "heritage" operation using one of two refurbished 3Cig units, nos. 1497 and 1498. The two units have been repainted into their original liveries, and were launched into service on 12 May 2005.

Further use

Following withdrawal from normal service, several vehicles have seen further use in departmental service.

★ 3Cop unit 1401 was employed as depot shunter at Ashford Chart Leacon depot. It was made redundant when Chart Leacon stopped overhauls of slam-door stock and was sent for scrap in July 2005.

★ MBS 62356 (ex-unit 1850) has been converted into an ultrasonic test train vehicle for use by Network Rail. It has been renumbered 999606.

★ The rest of unit 1850, namely DTC 76629, TS 71036 and DTC 76789, were owned by Network Rail to provide spares for 999606 but have now been scrapped at Booths.

Preservation

So far, five complete units have been preserved. In addition, numerous buffet cars from 4Big units have also been preserved. The full list is shown below, and complete units are highlighted:

★ 'Phase 1' unit 1753 has been preserved by the Network SouthEast Railway Society and is stored at a private location.

★ 'Phase 2' "Greyhound" unit 1393, a former 4Big unit, is preserved on the Great Central Railway. It is operated in push-pull mode with the line's Class 33 locomotive, this unit became the first 4-CIG in preservation to operate in Push/Pull move with the lines Class 33, D6535 (33116).. A BIG buffet car has arrived from Coventry Rly Centre and displaced the CEP TSO, recreating a BIG again. See Class 411 section for more on the TSO.

★ 'Phase 2' "Greyhound" unit 1399, also a former 4Big unit, is preserved on the Dartmoor Railway. This unit is stored pending a professional restoration.
See CLASS 424, which states 'One vehicle, no. 76112 from 'Phase 1' 4Cig unit 1749 was rebuilt as a prototype in 1997. It was displayed to the public at London Victoria, paired with unrebuilt DT 76747 from 4Big unit 2256, for comparisons purposes. Since the project was shelved, the vehicle remains stored at Derby. The unrebuilt DT with which it was paired later became part of 4Cig unit 1399, which has since been preserved.'

★ 4Cig unit 1392 and 3Cig unit 1499 are preserved at the Dean Forest Railway. The latter was previously dedicated to services on the Lymington Branch Line. Both are in need of some work as vandals have been busy.

★ It was hoped that unit 1705 (formerly 7301), the first-built unit, would be preserved by Southern, for use on special excursion trains. Unfortunately, its poor condition precluded this and it was eventually scrapped.

★ South West Trains have retained two 'Phase 2' 3Cig units for use on the Lymington branch.

Unit Number (current in bold)					Type	Phase	DTCsoL	MBSO	TSO ( ★ TSRB)	DTCsoL	Livery	Location	Notes
7032	2101	'2251'	-	-	4Big	Phase 1	-	-	69302 ★	-	Network SouthEast	Coventry Railway Centre	To be moved to join 1393 ★ at Great Central Railway
7034	2110	'2260'	-	-	4Big	Phase 1	-	-	69304 ★	-	Network SouthEast	Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust	-
'7036'	2104	2254	2002	-	4Big	Phase 1	-	-	69306 ★	-	BR(S) Green	Spa Valley Railway	-
'7040'	2105	2255	2003	-	4Big	Phase 1	-	-	69310 ★	-	BR(S) Green	Dartmoor Railway	-
'7046'	2108	2258	-	-	4Big	Phase 1	-	-	69316 ★	-	BR(S) Green	Riccarton Junction	Waverley Route heritage centre.
'7048'	2109	2259	2004	-	4Big	Phase 1	-	-	69318 ★	-	BR(S) Green	Colne Valley Railway	-
7051	'2203'	-	-	-	4Big	Phase 2	-	-	69332 ★	-	Network SouthEast	Dartmoor Railway	-
7053	'2205'	-	-	-	4Big	Phase 2	-	-	69339 ★	-	Network SouthEast	Coventry Railway Centre	-
'7055'	2207	2112	2262	2001	4Big	Phase 2	-	-	69333 ★	-	BR(S) Green	Lavender Line	-
7057	'2209'	-	-	-	4Big	Phase 2	-	-	69335 ★	-	LNER Green/Cream	Wensleydale Railway	-
'7058'	2210	-	-	-	4Big	Phase 2	-	-	69337 ★	-	BR Green	Hastings Diesels	Operates with preserved Class 201 unit 1001.
7327	1127	'1753'	-	-	4Cig	Phase 1	76102	62043	70721	76048	Connex	Network SouthEast Railway Society	-
7337	-	1816	'1303'	-	4Cig	Phase 2	-	62287	-	-	South West Trains	Lincolnshire Wolds Railway	-
7373	-	1819	'1306'	-	4Cig	Phase 2	-	-	71041	-	South West Trains	Hever railway station	-
7376	1276	2251	1394	'1499'	3Cig	Phase 2	76726	62364	-	76797	South West Trains	Dean Forest Railway	Dedicated to the "Lymington Flyer" service.
7390	1290	2255	2003	'1392'	4Cig	Phase 2	76740	62378	70273	76811	South West Trains	Dean Forest Railway	TSOL 70273 is ex-4Cep unit 1530 (ex-7124).
7396	1296	2258	'1393'	-	4Cig	Phase 2	76746	62384	70527	76817	South West Trains	Great Central Railway	TSOL 70527 is ex-4Cep unit 1589 (ex-7178).
7397	1297	2256	'1399'	-	4Cig	Phase 2	76747	62385	70508	76818	South West Trains	Dartmoor Railway	TSOL 70508 is ex-4Cep unit 1595 (ex-7159).
7414	1214	1883	'1497'	-	3Cig	Phase 2	76764	62402	-	76835	BR Blue/Grey	South West Trains	Retained for use on Lymington branch.
7423	1223	1888	'1498'	-	3Cig	Phase 2	76773	62411	-	76844	BR Green	South West Trains	Retained for use on Lymington branch.

Fleet details

Only two units now remain in service, 3Cig units nos. 1497 and 1498, which are used on the Lymington Branch Line.
'Original-condition Units'

Class	Type	No. built(Converted ★ )	Year built(Converted ★ )	No. range	Withdrawn	Notes
'Class 420'	4Big	18	1965-66	7031-7048	1986	Facelifted 1985-86, and renumbered 2101-2112.
		10	1970	7049-7058	1988	Facelifted 1986-88, and renumbered 2201-2210.
'Class 421'	4Cig	36	1963-66	7301-7336(later 1101-1136)	1993	Facelifted 1986-1993, and renumbered into 17xx range.
		102	1970-74	7337-7438(later 1201-1300)	1993	Facelifted 1987-1993, and renumbered into 18xx and 13xx range.
'Class 421'	8Mig	2 ★	1983 ★	2601-2602	1983	Converted back to standard 4Cig.

'Facelifted units'

Class	Type	No.Converted	YearConverted	No. range	Operator	Units nos.	Withdrawn	No. preserved
'Class 421/3'	4Cig	53	1986-93	1701-1753	SET	1701/42/48	06/2004	1
					Southern	1702-14/17/19-22/24-27/31/33-48/50-53	02/2005
'Class 421/4'	4Cig	87	1987-93	1801-18261831-1891	SET	1806-1813/39-43/70-73/75-79	11/2004	-
					Southern	1801-1805/31-35/37/45-48/50/51/53-69/74	11/2005
					SWT	1880-1891	05/2005
'Class 421/5'	4Cig	22	1990-92	1301-1322	SWT	1301-1322	05/2005	-
'Class 421/6'	4Cig	8	1994	1901-1908	Southern	1901-1908	01/2005	-
'Class 421/7'	3Cop	11	1997	1401-1411	Southern	1401-1411	03/2005	-
	3Cig	3	2004-05	1497-1499	SWT	1497-1499	-	1
'Class 421/8'	4Cig	8	1999	1392-1399	SWT	1392-1399	05/2005	3
'Class 422/0'	8Dig	4	1992	2001-2004	South Central	2001-2004	1996	-
'Class 422/1'	4Big	10	1985-86	2101-2112	BR	2101-2112	1989	-
'Class 422/2'	4Big	10	1986-88	2201-2210	South Central	2203-06/8-10	1997	-
'Class 422/3'	4Big	12	1989	2251-2262	South Central	2251-62	1997	-
					SWT	2251/54-56/58/59/61/62	1999