Description
The first fifteen units were delivered to Longsight Depot, Manchester from April 1960 as four-car sets, and were originally numbered 001-015. Built by British Rail's Wolverton Works, these units were an aesthetic improvement over the AM2 (Class 302) units previously built at York and Doncaster; they featured a new design cab end with a raked back upper area, following a Design Panel recommendation, and emerged in Multiple Unit Green livery, lined out with yellow. The units followed the two-car 1,200V DC Class 504 units off the production line at Wolverton, a class which shared many design features with the first AM4 units. The units were arranged into four-car sets, consisting of: a Driving Trailer Brake Open vehicle with 82 second class seats (saloon) and a Guard's compartment; a Trailer Composite with 19 first class seats (compartment) and 60 second class seats (saloon), and two toilets; a Motor Brake with 96 second class seats (compartment) and a Guard's compartment; a Driving Trailer with 82 second class seats (saloon), two toilets, and battery equipment. One result of the Motor Brake vehicle having a compartment design was that the window layout on all vehicles was designed to suit, having a narrow window either side of each door. The units were tested on the Styal line prior to the start of electric services between Crewe and Manchester.
A further twenty units followed in 1961, numbered 016-035 and intended for the Crewe-Liverpool service, although as this local service only required three or four units daily they were principally used elsewhere, for services around Manchester and Birmingham. These units differed from the first batch by having a slightly different body design, with wide saloon windows replacing the narrow compartment-style windows. The Motor Brake vehicles had a different internal layout, with 72 second class seats in saloon layout. This improved layout was adopted for the final batch of AM4s, as well as later batches of AM5 (Class 305) units and AM8 (Class 308) units. Some of this second batch were loaned temporarily to the Eastern Region for use between Liverpool Street and Shenfield/Southend-on-Sea during the conversion of this route from 1,500V DC to 6.25kV/25kV AC, while Class 306 and Class 307 units were being rebuilt.
The third and final batch of AM4 was another ten units, numbered 036-045, which were almost identical to the second batch and intended for use on the Crewe-Rugby section.
Surprisingly, the AM4s were the only AC units of the 1959 design to wear the lined-out version of Multiple Unit Green livery, with Classes 305 and 308 emerging in comparatively drab plain green. This pleasant appearance was lost, however, when repainted into all-over Rail Blue. The units spent their whole careers operating between Crewe and Manchester/Liverpool/Birmingham/Rugby/Northampton. Some units were occasionally operated to London Euston (notably at the very beginning of electric services, before all the AM10 units were delivered) or Preston, but only rarely. Because of their operation on much of the West Coast main line, the units attained substantial mileage at their 75 mph maximum speed each day on their workings, unlike those employed on suburban services elsewhere.
Read more about this topic: British Rail Class 304
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