The Class 450 is a type of diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...

 (DMU) used by Northern Ireland Railways

Northern Ireland Railways

NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland...

.

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 BREL

BREL

British Rail Engineering Limited , was the railway systems engineering division of British Rail, until the design and building of trains in the UK was privatised in 1993. On 31 October 1969, the company was incorporated as British Rail Engineering Limited.-Main products:The vast majority of BREL's...

 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 1600 mm gauge

Irish gauge

Irish gauge railways use a track gauge of . It is used in* Ireland * Australia where it is also known as Victorian Broad Gauge* Brazil where it is also known as Bitola larga no Brasil....

 and new Mark 3

British Rail Mark 3

British Rail's third design of standard carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train...

 bodyshells. Because of this, they bear a strong resemblance to the British Rail Class 150

British Rail Class 150

The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...

, British Rail Class 210

British Rail Class 210

The British Rail Class 210 was a type of diesel-electric multiple unit built in the late 1970s. The class was intended to be a modern replacement for the ageing 'first generation' types in use on the Southern Region of British Railways but the prototypes built did not manage to secure production...

(based on), British Rail Class 317

British Rail Class 317

The British Rail Class 317 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches, from 1981-82 and 1985-87. They were the first of several classes of British Rail EMU to be based on the all-steel Mark 3 bodyshell, departing from the "PEP"-aluminium design which had...

, British Rail Class 318

British Rail Class 318

The British Rail Class 318 is an electric multiple unit train, which operates exclusively in the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport network in West Central Scotland. The units were introduced fully on 29 September 1986 as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast Line between and...

 and British Rail Class 455

British Rail Class 455

The British Rail Class 455 is a type of electric multiple unit drawing power from a 750 V DC third rail. Built by BREL at York works in the early and mid-1980s, they were initially categorised as Class 510 as the successor to the Class 508...

, as they use Mark 3 bodyshells. These were combined with refurbished power units and traction motors from the withdrawn Class 70 units (there were only eight Class 70 units available to be salvaged, so the equipment for the ninth train came from a withdrawn Class 80 train, powercar 88). The power cars are named after Castles.

Number	Name
8451	Belfast Castle Belfast Castle Belfast Castle is set on the slopes of Cavehill Country Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland in a prominent position above sea level. Its location provides unobstructed views of the city of Belfast and Belfast Lough.-History:...
8452	Olderfleet Castle
8453	Moiry Castle
8454	Carrickfergus Castle Carrickfergus Castle Carrickfergus Castle is a Norman castle in Northern Ireland, situated in the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, on the northern shore of Belfast Lough. Besieged in turn by the Scots, Irish, English and French, the castle played an important military role until 1928 and remains one of the best...
8455	Galgorm Castle
8456	Gosford Castle Gosford Castle Gosford Castle is situated in Gosford, a townland of Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, close to the border with County Down. Construction of the castle began in 1819 and finished in the 1850s. It was commissioned by Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford and the architect was Thomas...
8457	Bangor Castle Bangor Castle Bangor Castle in Bangor, Northern Ireland, was completed in 1852 for The Hon Robert Edward Ward. This imposing building is not so much a castle as an elegant mansion in the Elizabethan-Jacobean revival style. It has 35 bedrooms and incorporates a huge salon for musical recitals...
8458	Antrim Castle Antrim Castle Antrim Castle or Massereene Castle was a castle in Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was erected in stages between 1610 and 1666. It was destroyed in 1922 and finally demolished in the 1970s.- History:...
8459	Killyleagh Castle Killyleagh Castle Killyleagh Castle is a castle in the village of Killyleagh, County Down, Northern Ireland. It dominates the small village and is believed to be the oldest inhabited castle in the country, with parts dating back to 1180. It follows the architectural style of a Loire Valley château, being redesigned...

The Class 450 operate along the same lines as the prototype Class 210

British Rail Class 210

The British Rail Class 210 was a type of diesel-electric multiple unit built in the late 1970s. The class was intended to be a modern replacement for the ageing 'first generation' types in use on the Southern Region of British Railways but the prototypes built did not manage to secure production...

 DMUs on the British network

Rail transport in Great Britain

The railway system in Great Britain is the oldest in the world, with the world's first locomotive-hauled public railway opening in 1825. As of 2010, it consists of of standard gauge lines , of which are electrified. These lines range from single to double, triple, quadruple track and up to twelve...

, in that they consist of a single power car containing the traction and generating equipment (numbered 45x), an intermediate trailer car (numbered 79x) and a driving trailer (numbered 78x) as permanently formed 3 car sets. An additional "8" has been added to the start of all the cars so that they can be used by Translink's

Translink (Northern Ireland)

Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company , a public corporation in Northern Ireland which provides the public transport in the region. NI Railways, Ulsterbus and Metro are all part of Translink....

 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 will take them up to the point where they are expected to become "life-expired".

In 2011, the entire Class 450 fleet, together with the remaining Class 80 units, was listed by NI Railways for disposal.

451 broken camshaft, withdrawn at York Road

452 not in service after failing on the Portrush Branch. Potentially withdrawn at York Road.

453 in service

454 in service

455 in service

456 in service

457 in service

458 in service

459 in service

Operations

The Class 450 stock operate almost exclusively on the Belfast to Larne line during weekdays (as there are not enough Class 3000 sets to serve this route) and a set is stabled at Coleraine for use on the Portrush branch. The set that is stored at Coleraine is only used on the Portrush Branch on the weekdays (Monday to Friday) as on weekends there is a C3K to fill in their service. They are expected to be withdrawn in 2012 and replaced by new trains that were ordered in 2009. However according to Translink's capital expenditure plan, they plan to invest £1.8m improving these trains to the financial year 2010/11 at least, suggesting that they may be retained beyond the entry of the new Class 4000 units, to provide a further enhancement to NIR's fleet.

Fleet details

Class	Operator	No. Built	Year Built	Cars per Set	Unit nos.
Class 450	Northern Ireland Railways	9	1985	3	8451 – 8459