Class 313 returns on the Northern City Line to Moorgate

Built by British Rail Engineering Limited between February 1976 and April 1977 at Holgate Road Carriage Works, the Class 313 was the first production series of the second generation of Electrical Multiple Units for British Rail and the first trains to have dual power functionality; taking power from both the 25kv Over Head Line Equipment and the 750v Third Rail.
In 2013, 313121 was refurbished for use with Network Rail (the infrastructure company) to test European Rail Traffic Management Signalling, which is slowly being implemented in parts of London. The refurbishment included ERTMS equipment installed throughout the train, cameras and TV screens so VIPs can watch how the signalling system works, desks and monitoring equipment, battery banks to power said equipment, the installs of kitchen and a toilet.
The train has tested ERTMS on the Thameslink Core and the Heathrow Airport Branch of the Great Western Railway. The train is now testing the signalling system in the Northern City Line, which shall enable Automatic Train Operation.

[@lewisdwyer1536]

That dude trying to board killed me 😆😆

[@Ed_Gilbert]

Looks like someone tried to get on the wrong train at the start!

[@AlexMetroman]

There were no trains left at that point. Thankfully he was only going southbound!

[@Ed_Gilbert]

@@AlexMetroman It certainly made the video more entertaining than usual!

[@Subfrequenz]

He tried to get on right until the last second. Definitely an optimist 😂

[@chrisrowe7503]

It's like a boss revisiting their old workplace after getting a promotion.

[@jayharper1894]

I miss the great northern line and its timewarp feel.. just a few months before the 313's all went im so glad i managed a few evenings and trips just taking it in, the 717's just dont feel right

[@radioratUK]

Love how your omnipresence captured the run at every Northern City station.

[@AlexMetroman]

Thank you!

[@SJTrains2024]

the guy at 1:04 really thought that this was a passenger service

[@ysaviationtrains2313]

Always there will be a confused passenger who can't identify their train.

[@caramelldansen2204]

Seeing this shape with that yellow livery in an underground station with the phrase "Northern line"... I thought I'd finally found a fellow enlightened classes 507 & 508 enjoyer

[@AlexMetroman]

You have. I've done some Driver's Eye Views and some filming around the Merseyside area. Stay tuned!

[@spongebot64]

Funny looking destinations "Pan Up Pete" and "Torrevieja"

[@dannywalche8170]

Torrevieja is a town in Spain just outside Alicante, I can only assume that someone has a holiday home there. I'd love to see trains in Torrevieja as the railway was pulled up in the 70's.

[@bobwood856]

The DC hum is so much nicer than the horrible AC screech!

[@PeterWTaylor]

Built in the days when trains had comfortable upholstery. Sadly passenger comfort is no longer a priority.

[@brianwilder5878]

"Network Southeast" still alive and kicking in "2022", never used this line but seems in need of a good "make over"!!

[@samuelfellows6923]

🥰 - my childhood train, great to see it has been up-cycled by network rail, most of these vintage rolling stock has been painted yellow and used for testing - hopefully one of its siblings has been preserved at the national railway museum and l will be able to see it and go on it as a heritage ride 😊

[@kieranstravels]

Fantastic video. It's nice to see the old girl stretching her legs on her former home once again.

[@AlexMetroman]

Thank you!

[@jacksonmacmanus1001]

it would be nice to see a NSE liveried train down there again, even if it was a 717 just painted in NSE livery

[@owenchuarbx]

A somber remembrance that she's the last dual voltage PEP standing and perhaps the last one to also have pantographs (with 314s and 315s retired). All Southern 313s, 507s and 508s do not have pantographs.

[@_Edo]

Mate there’s 6 of them left on the GEML… go and have a ride while you can

[@lukastrains793]

315's are still here

[@joelharris1335]

The Merseyrail class 507 & 508 units haven't got long either! They due to be replaced by the Stadler class 777 units, two 508s have already gone for scrap and a 507 following the derailment in Kirkby.

[@caramelldansen2204]

@@joelharris1335 I hope they save some... 😭 Not sure who could take these old girls on, but they deserve being remembered.

[@ysaviationtrains2313]

The last part of the video where it changes electricity power, you can see how the tail end lights grows brighter for a second. Really does show its age.

[@danielsellers8707]

Looks like the Merseyrail 507 & 508 in yellow. With hindsight I'm surprised the 313s were never nicknamed the "AC/DCs" due to their dual voltage systems and the rock band AC/DC being popular when they were new...

[@AlexMetroman]

They're of the same 'family' of trains which includes 313s, 314s, 315s, 507s and 508s.

[@Leoliontrains]

1:02 Poor guy who's trying to open the door thinks this is a passenger train lol 😂😂🤣🤣💀

[@EndIessProductions]

Ngl I would’ve made the same mistake bc of my stupidity

[@bowlerstuff9589]

Its actually working and not broken down for once

[@lycian123]

I was working in the City (for PO Telecoms) during the seventies and a friend suggested taking this train after college we attended nearby. I commuted from Sutton to work so to see a pantograph rise was a bit different. He also later persuaded me to go on one of the last trains from Broad Street. This was when Liverpool Street was the setting for ‘The Elephant Man’ and had the worst station in London. Personally I think it still is.

[@tombaxter6228]

Nice to see a 313 in its natural Habitat again. We've got a few 318's on the Argyll line in Glasgow, still...

[@313rail]

Love how theres someone try to get on 🤣

[@danielemerson312]

The Haunted Line really hasn't been the same since they brought in modern rolling stock. If I were in charge, not only would I re-introduce the old trains (or use modern replicas), but I would redecorate each station and train in a grainy greyscale colour scheme, just to really freak people out.

[@joshuahalla.k.a.controlla6333]

Great video. ☺️

[@AlexMetroman]

Thank you!

[@wklim2201]

I’m glad this engineer unit is okay after I saw it was break down at K Olmpoic until Southern’s 313 (2nd unit) released this engineering unit and take it to Eastleigh or deport for repaired. 👍

[@lukastrains793]

Ah so thats why I saw it at Hornsey depot

[@therickychannel6292]

Driver forgot to raise the pantograph lol 😂

[@JackTheOfficeWorker]

Very Nice

[@SouthLondonRailwayPhotography]

Excellent shot to end on 😂

[@peaxn]

ahh yes my love.. the old train

[@satorsquare2362]

For a second I thought the thumbnail looked very similar to something up North.

[@Andrewjg_89]

Network Rail Class 313 😍

[@caramelldansen2204]

Why is it PEP-type EMUs (507s, 508s, seemingly the 313s from this video, etc) have this growling combustion-engine-like rumble to them when they're not in motion? Example: 1:14

[@FabianEason]

I think its the air compressor for the brake system

[@quas392]

this is the air compressor yeah

[@tescotrain]

It's the compressor for the brakes. You can hear it on most EMUs

[@Ron_TTE]

Isnt that just a worker train

[@AlexMetroman]

Nope.

[@Martindyna]

A bit rude of the driver to not have told the guy that the train was not in service when he poked his head out of his cab and saw him expecting to get on the train (whether he was drunk or not) 0:34 Why does the train stop at the stations instead of cruising through ?

[@AlexMetroman]

That wasn't the train driver. That was an engineer ensuring that the pantograph was down before going into the tunnel. None of the crew work for the Train Operating Company that runs through this station nor are customer facing and they are under no obligation to help the passenger besides making sure that he is a safe enough distance away to start the train. Also, the time it would take to escort an intoxicated person away from the station would delay the train which was running on a tight schedule. As a member of railway staff (not for Great Northern), I helped the man get to where he was going whilst I waited for the train to return from Moorgate.

[@Martindyna]

@@AlexMetroman Thanks ! Why does the train stop at every station rather than just cruising through?

[@AlexMetroman]

No worries! It stopped at each station as the engineers required the train to so the readings could be more accurate.

[@Martindyna]

Interesting video. Are there any special arrangements for the Class 313 to run on the 4 rail system, e.g. additional earthing of the running rails ?

[@AlexMetroman]

Thank you! The line is no longer fourth rail since National Rail took over. The negative rail is still visible in the middle in places having just been left there (albeit off the insulator pots which have been removed) but is not connected. The line is powered by use of the third rail at 750vDC.

[@Andrew9687]

Excellent video, really enjoyed it. I wonder if there was a reason why the driver didn’t switch back to overhead power in the platform at Drayton Park like normal service trains?

[@AlexMetroman]

Thank you! The driver tried, but sometimes it's better to do it without the third rail in the way.

[@truly4001]

Correct. Tripcock reset is temperamental on the 313s since it cannot decide between third rail and AC use.

[@UKTransport232]

Wow, great to see that, 313s suit that line much more than 717s, also what does the 'Pan Up Pete' on the blinds mean?

[@AlexMetroman]

One of the drivers, Pete, had a few issues getting the pan(tograph) raised whilst driving the train after it spent a few years in storage out in the elements. It's an inside joke amongst the crew.

[@UKTransport232]

@@AlexMetroman ah that's nice, thanks for explaining

[@Nooticus]

@@AlexMetroman lmao thats very funny!

[@macweed3358]

How can this train fit in the tube tunnels it looks out of space

[@AlexMetroman]

The tunnels aren't tube gauge, they're built to National Rail gauge.

[@EnfieldExplorer]

Do you know when these run?

[@AlexMetroman]

Yes.

[@_Edo]

A certain branch of rail enthusiasts (commonly referred to as “trainspotters”) have been observed, on various occasions, to be waking up at 12, 1 or 2 AM to see rare unit workings at even later times of night. The whole experience generally lasts a couple of seconds, and I struggle to understand where you find the fun in this. Is it the photographs or video footage you’re after? And what does that do for you?

[@AlexMetroman]

I'm sure a lot of women have said the same thing to you, that it only lasted a few seconds and that they don't know where you find the fun in it! But in all seriousness, I record the railway as a lot of it won't be around in the form it is for much longer and it's worth capturing that for historic purposes. My photographs have been used in magazines, books and even official publications from companies like TfL.

[@paulwheeler4283]

Pan up Pete and Torrevieja can someone fill me in

[@AlexMetroman]

'Pan up Pete' - One of the drivers, Pete, had a few issues getting the pan(tograph) raised whilst driving the train after it spent a few years in storage out in the elements. It's an inside joke amongst the crew. 'Torrevieja' - One of the drivers has a property there.

[@macweed3358]

What depot do these trains park at, does anyone know

[@AlexMetroman]

It's based at Eastleigh, but stables at Hornsey for the testing on the East Coast Mainline and Northern City Line.

[@AlfrescosEmporium]

What are these trains for?

[@AlexMetroman]

This particular train tests the new ERTMS signalling system and Automatic Train Operation.

[@koksy]

What's the significance of Pan Up Pete?

[@AlexMetroman]

One of the drivers, Pete, had a few issues getting the pan(tograph) raised whilst driving the train after it spent a few years in storage out in the elements. It's an inside joke amongst the crew.

[@gkeaoyrge]

Was that guy at the beginning pissed as a fart or something?

[@AlexMetroman]

Yes.

[@gkeaoyrge]

@@AlexMetroman Christ. Nice video btw!

[@AlexMetroman]

Thank you!

[@azuma892]

They should've let him on. 😂

[@smogmonster1876]

Horrible dingy creepy stations.

[@dez3540]

I have to disagree - I think they have a nice charm to them.