British Rail Class 502
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British Rail Class 502 was a type of electric multiple unit originally built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway. The trains were designed in the late 1930s to replace older electric trains built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway on the lines from Liverpool Exchange station to Southport and Ormskirk. These lines were electrified with a Direct Current (DC) third rail.
The Class 502s were DC-only sets and operated as both 3-car and 2-car sets during their lifetime. A very modern design for the time, they were equipped with air-operated sliding doors. They were similar to (but slightly larger than) the Class 503s operating on the Wirral. Virtually all electric suburban passenger trains in Great Britain now follow the basic layout pioneered by the Class 502s, with two sets of double-leaf air operated sliding doors on each side of each carriage.
Liverpool Exchange station closed in 1977, being replaced by the new underground stations at Moorfields and Liverpool Central as part of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. The electrification was also extended to Kirkby and Garston - and were served by Class 502s.
All Class 502s were withdrawn by 1980 and were replaced by new Class 507 units. One 2-car set has been preserved and was restored to original LMS condition, complete with the maroon livery. This set is currently in remote storage at MOD Kineton and is owned by the National Railway Museum.
It is alleged that NRM are looking at disposing of this Unit as it no longer features as part of its long term display plans. There an email list look at this at Class 502 Email List
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