British Rail Class 423 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids British Rail Class 423
Class 423/1, no. 3445 at Waterloo East on 8 February 2003, with a service to Charing Cross. This unit is painted in Connex livery.
In service	1967-2005
Manufacturer	BREL York
Number built	Unknown
Formation	4 car per trainset
Operator(s)	South West Trains Southern South Eastern
Specifications
Car length	?
Width	9ft 3in (2.81m)
Height	12ft 9 1/4in (3.89m)
Maximum speed	90mph (145 km/h)
Weight	Total - 36F/266S
Power output	1,000hp (740kW)
Electric system(s)	750V dc third rail

Class 423/1, no. 3810 arriving at London Waterloo on 15 August 2003. This unit was one of the last to carry Network SouthEast livery. It was nicknamed the "Great Escape" after it was exported to Germany for a while for testing.

The Class 423 trains were special electric trains used in Britain. People also called them '4Vep' units. They were built by British Rail between 1967 and 1974. Most were made at York Works. Some parts of the first 20 trains were built at Derby Works.

These trains had a unique feature: you had to open the doors yourself! They ran mostly in South London, Kent, and Sussex. These trains were used until 2005. Newer trains like the Electrostar and Desiro units replaced them.

Images for kids

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  Class 423/1, no. 3445 at Waterloo East on 8 February 2003, with a service to Charing Cross. This unit is painted in Connex South Eastern livery.

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  Class 423/1, no. 3514 at London Victoria on 29 March 2003. This was the only unit to be painted in Southern's green livery and was one of the last units still in traffic with Southern.

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  Class 423/1, nos. 3414 and 3419 at London Waterloo on 19 July 2003. These units are painted in South West Trains livery. They have both since been withdrawn and scrapped.

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  Old meets new: A Class 423 next to a Class 444 at Portsmouth Harbour.

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  3417 in Clapham Yard in 2014.