#2620
British Rail Class 502
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by London, Midland and Scottish Railway· from 1939· class of British electric multiple unit
2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Sandhills 1979001 1: Geoffrey Skelsey· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. Class 502 EMU at Tebay: Rhmeuk· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The British Rail Class 502 was a type of electric multiple-unit passenger train, originally built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at its Derby Works. Introduced in 1940 and withdrawn by 1980, they spent the whole of their working lives on the electrified railway lines north of Liverpool. The trains were designed to replace older electric trains built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway on the lines from Liverpool Exchange railway station to Southport and Ormskirk.
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 87 years ago, in 1939.
- 701 kW is about 8 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 20.1 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 41 years (1939–1980).
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1939
- in service from
- 1939
- retired
- 1980
- status
- retired
- number built
- 152
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- London, Midland and Scottish Railway
- operators
- London, Midland and Scottish Railway, British Rail
- top speed
- 113 km/h
- power
- 701 kW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 630 V DC Third rail
- wheel arrangement
- Bo′Bo′+2′2′+2′2′
- formation
- 3 or 2 cars:, MBSO+TSO+DTCO, MBSO+TSO, MBSO+TCO
- length
- 20.1 m
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q4970829, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 502 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.