Clacton Express Preservation Group - Class 309 EMU

Hello to everyone here. We have been running for a few months now but I never considered using this forum. For Those who haven't Heard of us, We Are the CEPG - Or Clacton Express Preservation Group. We were formed in August 2021, with our main goal to Purchase and restore BR Class 309 (AM9) "Clacton" EMU, No. 309 624. The Lavender Line, whom have owned the unit since 2018, decided to put it up for sale.

There was no other interest than spares for the unit, so without us saving the vehicles, It will end up at a breakers yard. We felt, as a near complete (and in good condition) Multiple Unit, It couldn't be let go for scrap.

The unit in question was built in 1962, By York Works. Ran GEML Services from London to Clacton until 1994, at which point 7 were Transferred to Longsight Depot to work Crewe-Manchester Services in 2000. 2 went forward to Departmental use (309616 and 309624), which is ultimately how they survived. Preserved in 2009 they went to the ERM, which sadly shut in 2018. 624 was then sold to the Lavender Line which is where it is today.

These units were the first in the UK to reach 100mph, and were highly regarded amongst crews and passengers Alike. They play a part in history and do not deserve to be brushed aside.

Currently we are at the stage of reached nearly £2000 in donations, which is a great achievement for a new group. We are still sorting out the final plans with the Unit's Purchase. A huge amount of infomation is still tied in NDA's, and we will announce more news on the purchase as soon as we are able to.

I know the biggest questions will be things such as "Where's its new home?", which in itself is the main NDA which is holding us back. once we have it confirmed from our desired home, a lot more things can be announced.

We still desperately need your help. Anything you can spare would be a huge leg up, not only for securing the intial purchase, but also the tools and equipment needed to start restoration work.

We aim to launch a website in early 2022, and start selling merchandise and memberships to help us raise more money.

Any other questions, Please do get in touch. I will aim to be active on this forum to answer as much as I am allowed to!

Here's a link to donate, If you are feeling generous. Help us save a vintage EMU today!
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=TTAANJMTHL7XC

 

Thank you Kind sir. As said we are still round the negotiating table, and are now at the slightly nail-biting stage of awaiting a final response. We all have our fingers firmly crossed.

 

Noting that the unit has buffers one assumes it can operate by loco haulage therefore there should be lines in East Anglia that would happily take on board a 4-car unit that could double as hauled stock - the Mid-Norfolk perchance or John Jolly at Mangapps Farm ?

 

All good shouts, Rest assured we are in talks with the railway which is best suited to our group's needs. I'm sure most individuals could guess logically where we are aiming for, As always though, we cannot afford to risk officially confirming anything, especially when words on the internet these days are treated like gospel. We dont want to say "We are talking to xxx railway" in case it all falls through, we end up looking inexperienced and amateurish, and the railway could wrongly be seen as villans by some for not supporting us, when they have every right to turn anyone away, it being their land.

 

If I were the owner of an AC EMU I'd be looking at conversion of the heating and lighting to "standard" loco hauled ETH spec. The main reason being that without doing this, you basically have an air brake only set which can only operate in the daytime and in the summer and doesn't look quite right behind a loco.

Whilst the latter is a disadvantage that is inescapable, making the lighting/heating user friendly would at least give the unit the very best chance of being useful for a railway - which would of course have to be one with ETH fitted diesels and a decent amount of scheduled running (which isn't as common as some believe).

Rather inconveniently for the 309 group, the Mid Norfolk has 30-odd air brake only coaches(?), alongside it's vacuum stock, rather a lot for a line which generally only runs two sets at a time.

On a personal level, I really enjoyed the SR EMU which ran a few times there, but it was damp so must have been a hard sell for public.

Sent from my moto g(8) power using Tapatalk

 

We have definitely considered what conversions need to be done to make it as flexible and user friendly as possible. ETH LH-Spec heating and lighting will most certainly be on the "To Do" list, but, it's current lighting system still is able to operate on its own, albeit only off its own batteries which of course throws up more challenges of its own.

But as it at least functions how it sits now, it's not a job we want to embark on currently as it could mean a lot more work may need to be done at the same time. therefore, it wont be a priority job. We believe as cash is always tight, we have to prioritise what needs to be done to get it serviceable to carry passengers, to initially "earn its keep". We have our own generator and charging unit, so While not a long term solution by any means, this can at least allow us to be self sufficient in the short term, as it gives us means to keep our batteries charged without the need to be "under the wires", as it were. Other conversions we are most definitely investigating is stuff like blue-star ect, but both are more long term goals.

Dampness is one thing we have on our side, despite being stored outside for the best part of 15 years, the vehicles are all watertight. Some seals on the double glazed windows are blown, but thats something that can be overcome.

We have plans and ideas on how best to operate the unit, taking into account several factors. But, considering they are essentially 3 Mk1's with cabs and hopper windows (cabs are also little visible if buffered to a loco) We think there isn't much to make it stand out terribly. You could even stick a contemporary LH Mk1 in the centre if it was overhauled to the same standard. not saying we will, just saying how its very feasible. It's not like a 303 with sliding doors or any 31x unit...

I appreciate the discussion anyhow, some very good points raised.
Best regards.

 

I seem to recall that Clacton units ran as four-car units with many carrying TSOs that had been converted from hauled Mk1 stock to replace the griddle cars.

 

Indeed they did, however that's not something we are feasibly looking at doing in the short term. Conversion work would most definitely be too costly, as it would involve basically carrying out the same "refurbishment programme" the units underwent in the 80s; All windows replaced and the interiors completely gutted and rebuilt.

However, lucky enough, one 309 TSO survives. It's sat at WCRC Carnforth, themselves having brought it for spares, but it's not done anything there. (Its still in it's first NW livery from 2000). Sadly its from set 623, not our 624 (Records indicate 624's TSO was scrapped in August 2004). But realistically, set Reformations happened within the 309 classes all the time, so its not really hard to justify using this vehicle.

As such, we are investigating the strong possibility of purchasing this vehicle, once the main set is restored ect. One downside is it's in a lot worse condition that our set, not having gone through the full departmental overhaul and subsequent regular exams. Indeed, the tyres on our unit are so fresh, that the TSO will quite likely look noticeably shorter if we marshalled it in there!

Thanks for the comment,
Regards.

 

Worth watching for a historical perspective.

This might be impertinent, (and possibly the wrong place to ask) but reading some of the comments below the video, the CEPG seem to have upset a couple of people. Anyone enlighten as to why?

 

Always wanted a model of the 309 and interest was piqued by these!
http://www.britanniapacific.co.uk/Overhead 309.htm
But ouch, the price!!!!!!
Have decided to scratch build a set using MK 1 coaching stock as a base.

 

We are aware, It's an ongoing issue from a few individuals who are spreading misinformation and trying to tarnish our work due to some personal conflict with one of our members. We've gained professional advice to continue ignoring the claims, rising to them and responding is a one way trip to feeding any conflict, so we are focusing on the preservation of the set and hoping it will calm down one day. We dont want anything to do with it all, we have more than enough to keep us occupied with the vehicles. I would say however, if you do come across anything that raises concern, drop the group a message or email and we can reassure anybody. It's not a nice situation for anyone at the CEPG, so we are just doing as advised and riding out the storm...

Regards,

 

We've been investigating the possiblity of 3d printing the CAD designs we have made of the vehicles. watch this space!

 

Thanks for the feedback. Hoping you are successful in your endeavours.
Remember riding on the 309s and spending an enjoyable morning at Shenfield photographing a few passing thro. Love the fact that you could see the speedo in the cab when two sets coupled together and watching them attain the ton.
Off topic but another scintillating run was behind a pair of 73 when they were operating on the Weymouth - Waterloo services just before the Wessex units were introduced!

 

I was lucky enough to sample these overnight when the Birmingham set returned to Manchester Airport then stabled at Stockport. I had a ride on the ecs returning to the airport for an early morning return to Birmingham and the ride was unbelievable; racing through the night at 100 mph was an exhilarating ride. Fortunately I got some night shots in both b/w and colour that remind me of these units.

 

I had only one trip on one of these units and that was heading home after the Weeley Festival. I was unfortunately too wrecked to remember much about it!

 

Been there (CAMRA bashes passim, Guild Hall Pompey). It's when you blearily remember there might be something you forgot, like where you went the previous day, you've got a problem!

The late Mr.Keith Floyd's seminal tome "Floyd on Hangovers" is a jolly useful little volume which can't be recommended too highly.

 

Used to get the occasional trip on these when some were transferred to Longsight in the 90s. I would get off the 323 at Stockport, and a minute or two later a 309 would pull in on the fast line platform so I would jump on that as far as Piccadilly, passing the 323 usually at Heaton Chapel.

used to sneak in the 1st class compartmen ts!

 

Travelled on these quite often in the early 1980's - was familiar with them from the 1960's. The usual formation had more power than a Deltic!

 

Bit late posting this here but we have some good news:

WE'VE DONE IT!
The CEPG are overjoyed to finally announce we have successfully completed the purchase of BR Class 309 EMU No. 624, Preventing it from being broken for spares and securing its future in preservation...
With this, we are proud to have successfully achieved the first big step in our organisation’s main goal. It’s been a long road with many setbacks but we are proud to say that 309 624 will continue to be preserved.…

Full Statement here:
https://www.facebook.com/CEPG.309624/