#3532
British Rail Class 304
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by British Rail· from 1960· class of 45 four-car (later three-car) electric multiple units
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1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Hugh llewelyn 304 006 (7850836098): Hugh Llewelyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
what is it?
The British Rail Class 304 (Originally classed as AM4) were AC electric multiple units designed and produced at British Rail's (BR) Wolverton Works. The Class 304 was produced for BR's new electric suburban services, enabled by the first phases of the West Coast Main Line electrification between Crewe and Manchester/Liverpool/Rugby. The units conformed to the 1959-design for alternating current (AC) electrical multiple units, and were externally very similar to the Class 305, Class 308 and the 1,200 V direct current (DC) Class 504 units.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 66 years ago, in 1960.
- Served for 36 years (1960–1996).
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1960
- in service from
- 1960
- retired
- 1996
- status
- retired
- number built
- 45
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- British Rail, Wolverton railway works
- operators
- London Midland Region of British Railways
- top speed
- —
- power
- —
- formation
- 4 cars per unit (as built), BDTSOL, Battery Driving Trailer Second Open Lavatory+MBS, Motor Brake Second+TCsoL, Trailer…
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q849797, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 304 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.