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Description

Sixteen Class 325 units were built for Royal Mail by ABB at Derby during 1995-96. They are technically very similar to the Class 319s, sharing the same traction equipment and body design, but are fitted with 'Networker' style cabs.

• Four cars made up each set, each car with 2 roller-shutter doors per side, and no bodyside windows. There are no gangway connections between cars. One non-driving vehicle has the traction equipment and has a pantograph to collect power from the 25kv AC overhead wires. The bogies at the cab ends also had shoes to pick up power from 750v DC third rail on the Southern Region. Maximum speed is 100mph.

• Unusually for modern EMUs, these units are fitted with conventional buffers and buckeye couplings at the cab ends, and are capable of being hauled by locomotive without requiring translator vans. When self propelled, the Westcode 3 step brake system is used (in common with other second generation BR multiple units) but when loco-hauled, the brakes are applied and released by means of the conventional distributor fed twin pipe system. The individual vehicles within each unit are coupled by a semi-permanent bar arrangement.

Livery

• The livery is Post Office red, originally with two yellow stripes running along the lower bodyside before turning sharply backwards and pointing up towards the roof, with yellow warning panels on the cab fronts. On the middle of the body side there are large Royal Mail logos.
  • The livery of units 325004/005/006 featured Scottish Crowns in the Royal Mail branding and above the vehicle numbers. The other 13 units had English Crowns, and EIIR above the vehicle numbers.

• The units were repainted between 2014 and 2017 in a plainer livery without the yellow stripes, but with larger branding. The Scottish trio lost their distinct identity.

• To mark the official opening of the Royal Mail Scottish Distribution Centre at Shieldmuir, on 8th October 1998 vehicle 68311 of unit 325006 was named 'John Grierson' after the Scot who pioneered documentary film making, including the classic 1936 film 'Night Mail'. The terminal had been brought into use on 16th February 1998. The nameplates were removed when the unit was repainted in Spring of 2017.

Routes of Operation

• In the units early years the mail units ran on the following duties
  • Willesden to Tonbridge
  • Willesden to Warrington and Shieldmuir
  • Willesden to Edinburgh (via Doncaster)
  • Willesden to Low Fell (Gateshead)

• Initially the units were operated by Rail Express Systems (Res), which became part of EWS in 1996. In 2003 Royal Mail adopted a road/air policy and began winding down "Mail on Rail" and the units went into store.

• During the later period of EWS operation, the class 325s were used on the following Anglo-Scottish services:
  • 1S04 16:01 Willesden PRDC - ECML - Edinburgh (ended September 2003)
  • 5S04 23:35 Edinburgh - Motherwell
  • 1M90 13:23 Shieldmuir - WCML - Willesden PRDC (ended September 2003)
  • 1S06 20:28 Willesden PRDC - WCML - Shieldmuir (ended May 2002)
  • 5M89 11:18 Motherwell TMD - WCML - Warrington RMT (ended May 2002)
  • 1S96 16:00 Shieldmuir - WCML - Willesden PRDC (was 325 until May 2000)

Operation by GB Railfreight

• From December 2004 some of the class 325 units were reactivated for operation by GBRf which had been awarded a short term contract.
• Initially the reliability of the 325s was poor and the units were sometimes hauled by class 87 locos, which GBRf had taken on a Thunderbirds.
  • In the first half of 2006 some of the class 325s had the motor vehicles removed for overhaul, and ran as coupled 3-car non-powered units, hauled by locomotives.

• The Regular Mon - Fri service each way between Shieldmuir and Willesden PRDC was as follows:
  • 15:31 1M44 Shieldmuir to Warrington (then forming 1A97 19:30 to Willesden)
  • 16.26 1S96 Willesden to Shieldmuir arr 23:07
  • These trains were each usually formed of three class 325 units.
• Greater demand at Christmas time saw an additional 3 pairs of services run each way between Shieldmuir and Willesden (1M29/1S29 1M30/1S30 1S55/1M85) .

• Class 325s were sometimes used on the ECML as diversions from the WCML.
  • 325005 operated a driver training run between Shieldmuir and York on Wednesday 22 November 2006.

• Unit 325009 was temporarily numbered as 325017 from December 2005 after it swapped MPMV vehicles with 325010 (which was stored out of use and scrapped in 2012). 325017 reverted to 325009 in November 2008, but retained MPMV 68349.

• GBRf's contract with Royal Mail ended in 2010.

Operation by DB Schenker / DB Cargo

• DB Schenker took over the Royal Mail rail operations and responsibility for managing the Class 325 fleet, in from June 2010.
• The units were occasional hauled by Class 90 or Class 66 locomotives.
• The fleet consisted of 15 units: 325001-09/11-16.

• In July 2024, Royal Mail announced that it would stop moving mail by its own rail fleet, with the class 325s withdrawn from service.

• The final Class 325 mail runs on Friday 20th September 2024 were:
  • 1S24 12:26 Willesden - Shieldmuir, units 325005 + 325009
  • 1M27 12:35 Shieldmuir - Willesden, units 325001 + 325002
  • 1M55 14:19 Shieldmuir - Daventry, units 325014 + 325011
  • 1S55 20:44 Daventry - Shieldmuir, units 325011 + 325014
• In the following week, two southbound empty trains ran:
• On Saturday 21/09/24 as 5M31 06:07 Mossend to Crewe with 325009
  • On Tuesday 24/09/24 as 5M27 12:23 Mossend to Willesden with 325005, 325014 & 325011
• Five Class 325 Units; 003, 006, 007, 012 and 013 remained at Mossend.
  • On 16/10/2024, diesel loco 66104 hauled 325003 & 325012 as 4Z25 0848 Mossend Down Yard to Arpley Sidings.
• Motor vehicles (MPMV) from units 006/007/013 were removed by lorry and scrapped by EMR Glasgow.
  • on 07/11/2024, diesel 37510 hauled 325013 & 325006 (minus MVPMs) as 5Q76 0015 Mossend - Newport Docks
  • On 10/12/2024, diesel loco 66067 hauled 3-car 325007 (minus MPVM) as 4Z25 1700 Mossend - Newport ADJ.

Unusual workings

• On 6th July 2005 GBRf hired 47200 from Cotswold Rail to haul 325005 on 1Z95 19:30 Shieldmuir - Aberdeen Guild Street, and 1Z96 11:30 return the next day.
  • The train conveyed mail to Aberdeen which would normally go by air, but due to restrictions in force for the G8 conference at Gleneagles, it had to go by rail.

• On 16th March 2008, 47848 hauled a class 325 unit from Shieldmuir to Ayr, then back to Glasgow, for Driver training.

• On 13th February 2010, 66728 hauled 2 class 325 units from Polmadie to Fort William (4Z98), for Driver training ahead of GBRf taking over operation of North Blyth - Fort William ALCAN trains.

See also...

Internal Links

• Class 325 Formations
• Class 325 Photo Gallery

External Links

• Wikipedia Class 325 page
• Railforums.co.uk - Royal Mail to cease using trains