NIR Class 450
The Class 450 was a type of diesel multiple unit formerly used by Northern Ireland Railways. They were affectionately nicknamed 'Thumpers' and 'Castles' by rail enthusiasts.
History
In the mid 1980s, Northern Ireland Railways was in the process of upgrading its rolling stock. Having already purchased three new locomotives, it then proceeded to purchase replacements for its Class 70 diesel multiple units. A total of nine three car trains were constructed by British Rail Engineering Limited between 1985 and 1987 intended to supplement the existing Class 80 DMUs then in service. The trains were constructed using underframes of existing Mark 1 coaching stock, altered to and new Mark 3 bodyshells. Because of this, they bore a strong resemblance to the British Rail Class 150, British Rail Class 210, British Rail Class 317, British Rail Class 318 and British Rail Class 455, as they use Mark 3 bodyshells. These were combined with refurbished power units and traction motors from the withdrawn Class 70 unitsThe power cars of the Class 450 units were named after various Northern Irish castles. They entered service in a cream, orange, and red livery.
On Thursday 9 March 1995, a 450 Class train was used to form a royal train when Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the Dargan Bridge, composed of two cars from 455 coupled to two cars from 459.
The Class 450 operated on the same principle as the prototype Class 210 DMUs on the British network, in that they consisted of a single power car containing the traction and generating equipment, an intermediate trailer car and a driving trailer as permanently formed 3 car sets. An additional "8" was added to the start of all the cars so that they could be used by Translink's computer system.
In 2005, the entire fleet underwent an extensive refurbishment to bring them up to a similar standard to the newly introduced Class 3000 units, enabling them to remain in service for at least another 5 to 7 years. This took them up to the point where they became "life-expired."
In 2011, the entire Class 450 fleet, together with the remaining Class 80 units, was listed by NI Railways for disposal.
Current status
The entire Class 450 fleet was withdrawn from service in 2012, following the arrival of enough Class 4000 units to displace the 450 units serving the Larne Line and Portrush branch. Eight out of the nine units have been cut up for scrap. The sole remaining example has been purchased for preservation by the Downpatrick and County Down Railway.| Number | Power Car Name | Intermediate Number | Driving Trailer Number | Status | Notes |
| 451 | Belfast Castle | 791 | 781 | Scrapped | Cut up at York Road. Scrapped in Ahoghill, Sunday 29 April 2012. |
| 452 | Olderfleet Castle | 792 | 782 | Scrapped | Cut up at York Road. scrapped in Ahoghill, Sunday 22 April 2012. |
| 453 | Moiry Castle | 793 | 783 | Scrapped | Cut up at Adelaide Depot. Scrapped at Ahoghill, Tuesday 21 May 2013. |
| 454 | Carrickfergus Castle | 794 | 784 | Scrapped | Cut up at Adelaide Depot. Scrapped at Ahoghill, Monday 13 May 2013. |
| 455 | Galgorm Castle | 795 | 785 | Scrapped | Cut at Ballymena and scrapped at Ahoghill, Tuesday 31 Jan - Wednesday 1 February 2017. |
| 456 | Gosford Castle | 796 | 786 | Scrapped | Cut up and scrapped in Ballymena, Wednesday 1 May 2013. |
| 457 | Bangor Castle | 797 | 787 | Scrapped | Cut up at Adelaide Depot. Scrapped at Ahoghill, Monday 20 May 2013. |
| 458 | Antrim Castle | 798 | 788 | Preserved | Moved from York road depot on the 27th and 28th of September 2014 and is now preserved at the Downpatrick & County Down Railway. |
| 459 | Killyleagh Castle | 799 | 789 | Scrapped | Cut up at Adelaide Depot. Scrapped at Ahoghill, Wednesday 15 May 2013. |
Withdrawal Timeline
| Date | Event |
| September 2011 | Units 451 and 452 withdrawn with camshaft failure. |
| 22 January 2012 | Units 453 and 457 withdrawn and moved to Bangor centre siding. Units 454 and 459 withdrawn and moved to parcels siding. |
| 18 February 2012 | Unit 455 worked a MRSI farewell tour for the 450 Class, visiting areas such as and. |
| 2 March 2012 | Unit 458 works the last 450 Class passenger service with the 18:45 service from to. |
| 30 March 2012 | Units 455 and 456 moved to railway yard, Unit 458 moved to parcels siding. All three units remained in stock in case of an emergency requirement, but were not called upon. |
| 22 April 2012 | 452 Cut up at York Road and later scrapped at Ahoghill. |
| 29 April 2012 | 451 Cut up at York Road and later scrapped at Ahoghill. |
| 1 July 2012 | All Class 450 units officially withdrawn from stock. |
| 3 February 2013 | Unit 458 moved from Belfast Central parcel siding to York Road |
| May 2013 | Unit 456 Scrapped at Ballymena |
| 12 May 2013 | Units 454 and 459 moved from Belfast Central parcel siding to Adelaide Depot, and scrapped a few days later |
| 19 May 2013 | Units 453 and 457 moved from Bangor to Adelaide Depot, and scrapped a few days later |
| 27 September 2014 | 458's Driving Trailer moved by road from York Road depot, Belfast, to the Downpatrick & County Down Railway |
| 28 September 2014 | 458's Intermediate and Power Car moved by road from York Road depot, Belfast, to the Downpatrick & County Down Railway |
| 31 January 2017 | 455's Driving Trailer and Intermediate scrapped at Ballymena. |
| 1 February 2017 | 455's Power Car scrapped at Ballymena. |
Operations
Originally they operated on suburban services on the Larne and Bangor Lines, occasionally serving the Newry Line as well, with occasional appearances on the Derry line.With the arrival of the Class 3000 trains in 2003, the 450s still had to be retained, as the 3000s were only a like-for-like replacement of the old Class 80 units. By the year of their withdrawal, the Class 450 units had mostly been relegated to weekday services on the Larne Line and the Portrush Line shuttle, however at weekends there were enough Class 3000 trains to operate these services.
The gradual entry into service of the Class 4000 trains in 2012 saw the Class 450 units each displaced by a new Class 4000 unit as one became available, until they were all finally withdrawn.
Fleet details
In Preservation
One example of the class has been preserved, by the Downpatrick & County Down Railway. Unit 458 Antrim Castle was moved by road from York Road Depot, Belfast, over the weekend of 27–28 September 2014. During a two-day operation, the set was split into Driving Trailer, Intermediate and Power Car at Belfast and then, one-by-one, the carriages were taken by lorry to Downpatrick where they were reassembled. The Driving Trailer arrived on 27 September 2014, with the Intermediate and Power Car arriving the following day. The complete 458 successfully ran under its own power on 11 October 2014, and one week later on 18 October 2014, made a surprise appearance at the Irish Traction Group's Diesel Gala—the first time the unit had carried passengers since withdrawal by NIR in 2012.The DCDR stated that it planned to convert 458 into a standby buffet train.