Rolling Stock
Silverlink inherited a fleet of Class 117, Class 121, Class 313 and Class 321s from British Rail.
To replace the Class 117 and 121s, seven Class 150s were transferred from Central Trains in summer 1999, with an eighth following in 2006. Pending their arrival Silverlink hired Class 31s from Fragonset to top and tail Mark 2 carriages on Bletchley - Bedford services in 1998/99.
In 2003 three Class 508s were transferred from Merseyrail for use on the Watford DC Line.
The Strategic Rail Authority decided to divert thirty four-carriage Siemens Desiro carriages from an order made by South West Trains to provide stock with faster acceleration for the West Coast Main Line operators. They were not allocated to a specific operator but a shared fleet used by both Silverlink and Central Trains, both being National Express TOCs.
While awaiting these to arrive, from September 2004 Silverlink introduced two former Virgin Trains Mark 3 sets hauled by Virgin Trains Class 87s and EWS Class 90s on peak hour Northampton services as well as hiring five Class 321s from National Express sister fleet One.
Metro services were operated by Class 313s on the electrified routes, with the Class 508s used exclusively on the Euston - Watford Junction service from 2003.
County services to Northampton and Birmingham were operated by Class 321s joined in 2005 by Class 350s.
The St Albans Abbey line was operated for many years by Class 313s, but later were usually operated by Class 321s with Silverlink Metro drivers and Silverlink County guards.
The non-electrified Bletchley - Bedford and Gospel Oak - Barking services initially used Class 117 and Class 121s before Class 150s took over in 1999.
Read more about this topic: Silverlink
Famous quotes containing the words rolling and/or stock:
“The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road.
A reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the shire.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)
“However low and poor the taking Snuff argues a Man to be in his own Stock of Thought, or Means to employ his Brains and his Fingers, yet there is a poorer Creature in the World than He, and this is a Borrower of Snuff; a Fellow that keeps no Box of his own, but is always asking others for a Pinch.”
—Richard Steele (1672–1729)