London Transport Traction Group: Project 483

As vivarail has found a way to powering a 484 using forklift batteries, prehaps thats an avenue to explore, i'm not sure how big they are, or how many it would take, but it should be more cost effective than installing a raft of battery packs.

 

We're watching what Vivarail are doing with the 484 deliveries with great interest. But we have also got a quote for doing it properly with a raft of battery packs.

 

Oh well, that's the obvious if slightly dull explanation then. A shame really, I was hoping for some pioneering preserved 4th rail action. (Still, I've toured the Northern Line on the LT Museum's example.)

Good luck with your project.

 

Who gets sent down the shop to buy 500 HP2s then...?

 

And where could you put 500 HP2 batteries in line? In the grab rails of course! These tube train designers thought of everything.

 

Energy capacity ~ 20 Watt-hour per cell x 500 = 10 kWh, so you could run the train for several minutes.

 

Given its only a couple of stops, I wonder how much a suitcase generator continuously running could top it up?

 

No, the air compressors would flatten them before you got it up to pressure.

 

I suppose the question is where could you fit the batteries all the control gear, etc is under floor mounted, so really it would mean the batteries would have to go inside the vehicles somewhere,

Now, here's a question, what is under the seats? for instance if some of the seating bays are empty cases, could these be turned to battery storage locations, with suitable ventilation ports etc, and of course outwardly looking, you wouldn't know it, as it would retain the original appearance. spread between the two cars, with suitable connectors and wiring between the coaches and a shore line plug in point faired into the body shell on each car to allow charging . Is there any risk to passengers if a unit is modified in this way?

 

I recall working 483 001 from Winchester to Eastleigh after it had worked it's inaugural test run from Eastleigh works without a guard.
The front cover of the seating bench had been removed and there were a series of wire pully's to open/ close the door.
The main thing I recalled about that trip, only platform three at Eastleigh could be used and there was a points failure so we were stuck outside
Eastleigh for about an hour.

 

Like many other people no doubt, I had planned a trip to the IoW in December to have a last ride on the '38 tube stock before they were withdrawn from service. Unfortunately, that nasty Mr. Covid put paid to that idea so I was glad to have had a day trip to the Island in September. I took some video footage while I was there and if anyone would like to see it, it's on YouTube; to make easier viewing, I divided it into two shorter films:





Hope they're of interest.

 

Martin, if these are anything like either the 1972 or 1995 stock that I was trained on with the Underground, there is very little spare room under the seats. The longitudinal ones at the ends have the wheels underneath obviously, but the bay seats also had all sorts of pipework, isolation valves, compressor switches etc. Making one of these into a feasible battery powered vehicle will not be a small undertaking, as one doesn't have the luxury of underframe space like the Vivarail trains.

Edit - oops, didn't check the date on the post, but it's still valid comment..

 

From the LTTG website they now have the answer about where to put the batteries in the train.
"we have secured two serviceable Class 483 units for preservation, 483006 and 483008. which will be moved to an interim storage site. We are not proposing to use these units as hauled coaching stock, but to work with Clayton Equipment Ltd to convert one of them into a sustainable Battery Electric Multiple Unit."
May not be long now till they cross the Solent to the interim storage site (asuming it is not in the IoW?).

 

I don’t seem to be able to find this news on their website. Where is it proposed to put the batteries? Perhaps in one car of the unit, and then have 3 cars for passenger use? Or is the second unit for spares?

 

It's at http://www.lttractiongroup.co.uk/project-483.html#/
with "More details of our restoration and conversion plans will be added here once we are able to access our units"

 

on the home page of their site is the line "We would intend that the train be able to power itself by using one of the cars as a battery-carrying vehicle powering the other three cars."

 

That makes sense, seems the obvious answer.

 

I wonder if the IOWSR will try to get another car , most likily from the unit to be scrapped and gut it, if its not already gutted and use that as a battery vehicle, , if the idea is for it not to be a passenger carrying vehicle, could it also have a departmental use,? weed killing etc, either that or fit a diesel gen set in it, rather than batteries if its a more practical solution for the IOWSR, if they want the unit to be able to run independent from having another loco power it.

 

Morning All,

Among the old VHS tapes that I've been digitalising during lockdown, I found some footage of the 1938 ex London Transport tube stock running on the Isle of Wight in 1995. This was soon after their arrival on the Island and when they were in Network SouthEast livery. I have now edited this footage into two shorter videos and the first one is now on YouTube. I hope you like it:



TTFN,

 

That NSE livery really freshened them up and made them look quite modern. The dinosaur livery and then LT red not so much!