Southeastern News - Class 508

End of Connex Livery

With 508207 departing for overhaul at Wabtec Doncaster on February 8th the livery of the former Connex company has disappeared from the former Southern Region. No tears were shed by passengers, nor many by staff, by the demise of the Connex South Eastern operation and the disapperance of the none too distinguished livery finally draws the line under an unsatisfactory period. Here 508207 is approaching Edenbridge on 2nd February with the 10:03 London Bridge to Tunbridge Wells service. Photographer Colin Price says he only took the photograph because it was a nice wintery sunny day and was not expecting the unit to go to overhaul yet, thus was fortuitous to catch the livery in its final week.

Southeastern - new livery variation

Just when you thought Southeastern were about to achieve a homogenous livery over their whole fleet, not only is a completely new dark blue livery introduced for their forthcoming Class 395 fleet, but on recent repaints the current livery has been modified to include the blue/lilac doors as appearing on the Class 395s. This is illustrated, left, on recently refurbished 508203 pictured at Wateringbury by Stephen Hodgson. The webmaster thinks that the blue doors are a dignified improvement on the previous use of in-your-face yellow!

Contrasting the most recent livery and Connex livery at Tonbridge on 28th January 2008. Clean 508208 was working the 08:29 Redhill to Strood service whilst filfthy 508207, the last 508 unit in Connex livery, had just arrived with the 08:56 Tunbridge Well to Tonbridge working.

Southeastern's six 508s to be reprieved?

From the December 10th 2006, timetable change the number of diagrams for Southeastern class 508 units reduced from nine to just four diagrams, GI391- GI394. As a result half of the former Southeastern fleet of twelve has being placed into "warm" store. 508202, 508206 and 508209 moved to Chart Leacon for store on 14th December 2006 and on 19th December 508204 piloted 508201 and 508205 from Gillingham to Chart. 508212 remains in storage at Gillingham Depot. This unit has been out of service for many months and its Track Safety Certificate has expired. Additionally, it has been used as the depot's "Christmas Tree" (ready source of spare parts). 508204 is legendarily unreliable and it has now been exchanged with the stored previously better performing 508205. So the remaining fleet of six comprises 508203, 508205, 508207, 508208, 508210 and 508211, though 508210 is out of service and has recently exchanged a trailer with 508212. It was confidently expected that these would also be withdrawn in the near to medium term future however news is coming in that from 1st June these units are to have C3/C4 exams plus interior and exterior refurbishment done at Wabtec Doncaster.