#2530
British Rail Class 404
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by glossary of rail transport terms· from 1937· UK rolling stock class
3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. 3131 at National Railway Museum: The original uploader was Our Phellap at English Wikipedia .· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. BR Class 404 2 4-COR EMU no. 3131, Woking, 20 or 21 May 1988: michaelday_bath· CC BY 2.0
- 3. Class 404 "4COR" 3142: Joshua Brown from Ashford, Kent, United Kingdom· CC BY-SA 2.0
what is it?
The Southern Railway (SR) gave the designations 4-COR, 4-RES, 4-BUF and 4-GRI to the different types of electric multiple unit built to work the route between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour. The 4-COR type units survived long enough in British Rail ownership to be allocated TOPS Class 404. The COR designation had previously been used for the 6-PUL units and was reused by them during World War II when the Pullman car was stored, but this stock was different from the 4-COR 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 89 years ago, in 1937.
- 671 kW is about 8 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 27 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 80.8 m long: about 18 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 35 years (1937–1972).
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1937
- in service from
- 1937
- retired
- 1972
- status
- retired
- number built
- —
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- glossary of rail transport terms, coachwork type, Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, Eastleigh Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Works, Lancing Carriage Works, Metro-Cammell
- operators
- Southern Railway, British Rail, Southern Region of British Railways
- top speed
- 121 km/h
- power
- 671 kW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 600 - 750 V DC third rail
- wheel arrangement
- Bo′2′+2′2′+2′2′+2′Bo′
- formation
- Power car + 2 trailer cars + power car
- length
- 80.8 m
- weight
- 161 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q4970791, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 404 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.