Class 401 2-BIL 2090 leads Class 405 4-SUB 4732 through Winchfield station on 27 September 1987, with a Woking to Basingstoke shuttle service in connection with the Basingstoke Rail Show. By far the oldest electric unit operating on the UK mainland national network at the time, albeit limited to specials such as this, this National Railway Museum owned 1930s built unit looks positively antique even compared to the more recent (1950) 4-SUB unit it is coupled to. The photographer on the platform is having to make a quick sprint for his train after photographing the special!

Class 405 4-SUB 4732 & Class 401 2-BIL 2090 call at Winchfield station on 27 September 1987 with a Basingstoke to Woking shuttle service in connection with the highly successful Basingstoke Rail Show. The 4-SUB units were built in numerous batches over a long time period, with this unit being one of the final ones to enter traffic. It was also the last to be overhauled, which is when it acquired this repaint into Southern Railway green livery. After the rest of the class were withdrawn in 1983 it was retained for specials such as this.

Class 411/9 3-CEP 1104 pulls away from Sturry on 8 May 1999 with the 14:33 Margate to Victoria Connex South Eastern service. 1104 only had a relatively short life in this form, being converted from standard Class 411 4-CEP 1613 shortly before this picture was taken by the removal of TSO 70536, but then being withdrawn just a few years later.

Class 411 4-CEP 1534 leads an unidentified classmate past Wanshurst Green with the 12:36 Margate to Victoria service on 15 March 1986. The dead straight line through the centre of Kent affords surprisingly few photographic locations. This reasonably open spot is at a footpath crossing near Bridgehurst Wood, and certainly in 1986 offered unobstructed views in both directions.

Class 411 4-CEP 1544 takes the Margate line at Faversham with the 10:05 Victoria to Ramsgate Network SouthEast service on 12 August 1995. The station and signal box can be seen in the background, while just out of sight on the left in the vee of the junction (the Canterbury line is on the left), the remains of the steam locomotive depot surprisingly had managed to survive the bulldozers. Both lines and the depot site are crossed by a long footbridge.

Class 411 4-CEPs 1550 & 1578 head away from Basingstoke on 30 August 1998 with the 09:01 Poole to Waterloo South West Trains service. 1550 retains Network SouthEast livery, whilst 1578 sports South West Train's minimal revision of the NSE colour scheme. Class 423 3552 can be seen stabled just in front of Basingstoke Signal Box.

Class 411 4-CEP units at Worplesdon in the rain. On 13 December 2003, South West Trains 1581 leads another classmate with the 10:57 Portsmouth Harbour to Waterloo service, while a 3 unit 12 car rake forming the 11:38 Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour disappears into the distance. Worplesdon is situated between Guildford and Woking.

Consecutively numbered Class 411 4-CEPs 1594 & 1593 pass Queen Street (near Paddock Wood) with the 14:43 Ramsgate to Charing Cross Network SouthEast service on 23 August 1999. Both of these units survived right to very end of 4-CEP operations in 2004.

I always thought the London & South East Davison's 'Jaffa Cake' livery was an excellent colour scheme. Not too brash and over the top, and unlike some liveries based on white, did not get grubby too quickly. Here we see Class 411 4CEP 1598 approaching Sevington with the 15:28 Dover Priory to Charing Cross service on 2 June 1989. This view has now been completely transformed, as the new high speed Channel Tunnel line now runs parallel, and cuts through the field visible in the background.

Once an everyday sight in Kent, now completely replaced by modern stock, Class 411/5 4-CEPs 1619 & 1530 pass Queen Street (near Paddock Wood) with the 10:00 Charing Cross to Ramsgate service on 15 March 1995, in a welcome bit of spring sunshine, but with a storm brewing in the background. These 1956 -63 built units were constructed specifically for the Kent main lines and spent over forty years reliably shuttling backwards and forwards between the capital and the Kent coast.

Class 411 4-CEP 2317 leads the 12:23 Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour service through a rain lashed Worpledson station on 13 December 2003. Although still wearing Connex South Central livery, the unit was being operated by that company successor - Southern.

Class 413 4-CAP units were formed in 1982 by combining two Class 414 2-HAP units. On 3 September 1988, 3308 leads another 4-CAP unit into Higham station with the 10:13 Charing Cross to Ramsgate service. It is immediately obvious that the train is made up of former two car units, with the redundant yellow end still visible on the third vehicle.

I'm not sure exactly what's going on here, but judging by the number of people in the cab something is afoot. Class 415 4-EPB 5444 leads the 14:32 Waterloo to Weymouth Network SouthEast service into Winchester on 28 June 1991. This is definitely unusual stock for this particular service, and in fact the class has always been more associated with Kent than Hampshire.

Under a threatening sky and neatly framed between the upper quadrant signal and the 1893 built South Eastern Railway signal box, former Class 416 2-EPB 930203 (65341 & 65355) heads north through Wye on sandite duties on 10 October 1998. Oddly this unit (which was scrapped in 2004) was not a single withdrawn Class 416 taken out of passenger service and converted for departmental use. It was in fact formed from half of two different units, with 65341 (renumbered to 977864) coming from 6227 and 65355 (renumbered to 977865) coming from 6241.

Class 419 Motor Luggage Van 68007 leads a formation of EMU stock as it passes Wanshurst Green (on the long section of dead straight track between Ashford and Tonbridge) with the 14:22 Ashford to London Charing Cross service on 15 March 1986. Ten of these useful vehicles were built between 1959 and 1961 principally for use on the boat trains to Dover and Folkestone. They also had the ability to run for a limited period on battery power.

Class 421 4-BIG 7059 (actually 4-CIG 1393 with the reinstatement of a buffet car) is propelled past Woodthorpe on the Great Central Railway by Class 33 D6535. It is working the 2C06 10:00 Loughborough to Quorn & Woodhouse North service during the line's Diesel Gala on 12 September 2009. The unit carries a number one higher than the last actual 4-BIG unit. I suppose being as it is being pushed this should really be in the Driving Trailers section, but for the sake of accuracy and despite being many miles away from the third rail, I'm still treating it as an EMU!

Not really the picture I was planning, but I suppose it does show something that is not possible on other preserved lines - a passing shot. Class 421 4-BIG 7059 (actually 4-CIG 1393 with the reinstatement of a buffet car) is propelled towards Quorn & Woodhouse on the Great Central Railway by Class 33 D6535, whilst working the 5C30 14:35 ECS from Loughborough. Meanwhile, D8098 gets in the way as it heads north 0C32 14:13 Rothley to Loughborough light engine move. This was during the Diesel Gala on 12 September 2009.

South West Trains Class 421 4-CIG 'Greyhound' unit 1315 & Class 423 4-VEP 3407 pass Battledown Flyover with the 11:30 Waterloo to Weymouth service on 30 March 2003. The line to Salisbury and Exeter diverges from the main line at Worting Junction, a little distance behind the train, and passes under the up main line under the bridge behind the first coach.

22 May 2010 marked the end of an era on Britain's railways, with the withdrawal from the national network of the last slam door EMUs. For five years after the removal of all other 'slammers', two Class 421 3-CIG units had operated the Lymington Branch in glorious isolation. their time finally ran out on 22 May, and crowds of photographers descended on the New Forest to witness the spectacle for the last time. 1497 Freshwater passes Milking Pound Bottom, near Battramsley with the 13:59 Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier service.

Class 421 3-CIG 1497 Freshwater approaches the occupation bridge at Milking Pound Bottom, near Battramsley on 22 May 2010 with the 1J35 14:29 Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier service, during the last day of the units operation on the branch. Note the two highland cattle wandering off in the distance. Several of these animals had crossed over the bridge while I was waiting for this train, and one of them was involved in a stand off with a couple of horse riders - neither wanting to pass on the bridge or back up!

Class 421 3-CIG 1497 Freshwater rounds the curve that takes the Lymington branch away from the mainline near Battramsley (Three Beech Bottom) with the 15:29 Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier service on 22 May 2010. As can be seen from the headboard, this was the last day of slam door EMUs on the branch, and indeed on the entire national network.

Class 421 3-CIG 1497 Freshwater crosses Lymington Harbour with the 16:14 Lymington Pier to Brockenhurst service on 22 May 2010, during the final day of slam door EMU operations. Mike and Dave Deacon's record breaking powerboat 'Hot Lemon V' in the foreground was just about to be fork lifted out of the water. In 2005 they broke the record for traveling round the coast of Britain - in a little over 31 hours!

Boat races train - train wins! Class 421 3-CIG 1497 Freshwater crosses Lymington Harbour with the 16:29 Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier service on 22 May 2010. This was the final day of slam door EMU operation on the branch, and hence every available vantage point on the quayside was crowded with photographers.

On the final day of slam door EMU operation on Britain's national railway network (22 May 2010), Class 421 3-CIG 1497 Freshwater crosses Lymington Harbour with the 16:44 Lymington Pier to Brockenhurst service. And before anybody asks, no I did not Photoshop the black headed gull into the picture, it just happened to fly past the appropriate moment!

Class 421 3-CIG 1497 Freshwater crosses the bridge linking Lymington Pier and Town stations on 22 May 2010 with the 17:14 train to Brockenhurst. A perfect day for photography, with hardly a cloud in the sky all day, which explains the large numbers of photographers out to record he scene.

Class 421 3-CIG 1497 Freshwater passes Milking Pound Bottom, near Battramsley with the 17:44 Lymington Pier to Brockenhurst service on 22 May 2010. Although the southern part of the line is largely in woods, the northern end crosses a large area of typical New Forest heathland, and there are various gaps in the lineside vegetation allowing a choice of photographic spots.

Class 421 3-CIG 1497 Freshwater rounds the curve at Milking Pound Bottom, near Battramsley with the 18:14 Lymington Pier to Brockenhurst service on 22 May 2010, during the final day of slam door EMU operations.

There is plenty of gorse near the Lymington Branch, so it was easy to get this artistic picture at Milking Pound Bottom, near Battramsley on 22 May 2010, as Class 421 3-CIG 1497 Freshwater heads south with the 18:29 train from Brockenhurst. Despite the fact that there were lots of photographers out to record the final day of slam door operation, there were so many different viewpoints in this area, and the photographers were so widely scattered, that I have managed to get a broadside view without including any of them!

The headboard says it all - 'Slamdoors say farewell to the Lymington Flyer'. Class 421 3-CIG 1497 Freshwater passes Three Beech Bottom, Battramsley in glorious evening light with the 18:44 Lymington Pier to Brockenhurst service on 22 May 2010 - the final day of slam door EMU operation on the national network.

With the low evening sun providing perfect illumination, Class 421 3-CIG 1497 Freshwater passes Three Beech Bottom, Battramsley on 22 May 2010 with the 19:14 Lymington Pier to Brockenhurst service on the final day of slam door EMU operation, both on this line and the entire national network.

A symphony in green! Class 421 3-CIG unit 1498 Farringford is one of only two slam door third rail electric units operating on the national network. Along with classmate 1497 (which is painted in corporate blue & grey livery) it spends all its time shuttling up and down the short Lymington Branch. It is seen here at Lymington Junction on 22 August 2007 with the 11:14 Lymington Pier to Brockenhurst South West Trains service.

Well away from the 750v third rail, Class 421 3-CIG 1499 stands at Lydney on the Dean Forest Railway on 19 August 2006. The South West Trains livery and Fratton depot sticker seem a little out of place in rural Gloucestershire, but then again Scottish Class 27 27066 on the left is even further from home! Even the humble slam door EMU eventually gets preserved, although it doesn't seem long ago that a trip to the Southern Region saw an unending procession of these units working most services.

Class 421 4-CIG 1725 received a coat of white paint in 1997 prior to Connex deciding on a new livery after taking over the franchise the previous year. This 'ghost' unit is pictured rounding the curve at Millbrook on 15 April 1997 with the 11:50 Bournemouth to Victoria service, while a Class 442 'Wessex' unit heads in the other direction with the 10:50 Waterloo to Poole train.

Class 421 4-CIG 1866, Class 423 4-VEP 3514, & Class 421 4-CIG 1805 approach Arundel with the Southern Electric Group 2Z62 11:02 London Bridge to Littlehampton 'Sussex Slammer' railtour on 19 November 2005. This tour was run to mark the end of slam door stock on the Southern, with the final few service trains working the following weekend. The tour had actually started from London Bridge in two sections, 3514 & 1805 running as the 2Z60 08:40 London Bridge to East Grinstead and 2Z61 09:25 East Grinstead to London Bridge, with 1866 following two minutes behind with the 2Z65 & 2Z66!

I wouldn't normally bother with this kind of going away shot, but the sheer novelty of a former Southern Region 750V DC EMU on the Cherwell Valley route between Oxford and Banbury was not to be missed. Class 421 4-CIG 1881 is pictured passing Kings Sutton on its final journey on 3 March 2010, hauled by 47739 Robin of Templecombe, as the 5Z47 10:25 Eastleigh to Barrow Hill.

Class 421 4-CIGs 7357 & 7418 arrive at Milford station with the 09:13 Portsmouth Harbour to Waterloo Network SouthEast service on 2 May 1987. Although 7357 sports the then relatively new NSE livery, the vast bulk of Southern Region units at the time still retained the 'Corporate Image' blue and grey livery as worn by 7418 at the rear of the formation.

Class 421 4-CIG 7385 arrives at Milford with the 12:33 Victoria to Brighton service on 2 May 1987. The platforms at Milford are staggered, with some evidence of Network SouthEast ownership showing here ( the red lamp posts), but no evidence of the new owners on the stock itself.

Class 421 4-CIG 7426 leads two other 4-CIG units forming a twelve coach train with the 12:50 Victoria to Hastings (via Lewes) service on 28 July 1984. The location is Wilmington, between Lewes and Eastbourne. Although most people think the Coastway Line is relatively flat, notice how the track dips considerably in the background.

In the last weak rays of the setting sun, ex-works Class 422 4-BIG 2112 contrasts markedly with its unidentified work stained companion unit, as it heads towards the capital with the 15:59 Brighton to Victoria service on 15 March 1986. Although obviously the former Southern Region dealt with a large quantity of units and sets were always being overhauled and repainted, it would only be a matter of months before all further unit would emerge in the new Network SouthEast livery. This therefore is one of the last batch of blue and grey repaints.

Class 423 4-VEP 3498 emerges from Shakespeare Tunnel on 11 May 1996 with the 08:55 Charing Cross to Ramsgate Network SouthEast service. The photo is taken from the footbridge that spans the far end of Dover Town Yard, which explains the overgrown siding to the left of the running lines. The steep footpath leads down from the road at the top of the cliff and allows access to the beach, fortunately providing an excellent photographic vantage point.

Highlighting one of the dangers of slam door stock, Class 423 4-VEP 3426 approaches Raynes Park on 4 March 1995 with a door on the lead vehicle swinging open. The train is the 10:51 Surbiton to Waterloo Network SouthEast service. I'm not sure whether anyone actually fell out, or as seems more likely the door wasn't shut properly and opened en-route, but it is certainly a graphic illustration of the problems with this type of stock.

Class 423 4-VEP 3525 passes Troy Town (near Edenbridge) with the 12:48 Three Bridges to Maidstone West Network SouthEast service on 15 March 1995. A short distance further on this line crosses over the Oxted to Uckfield line, both lines having their own station at nearby Edenbridge.

Class 423 4-VEP 7824 heads west through the pouring rain at Potbridge on 13 September 1986 with the 12:12 Waterloo to Basingstoke Network SouthEast service. Note the spray coming off the third rail as the collector shoe skims along the wet surface. On a technical note, this picture was taken with a 1980 vintage Canon FD 50mm f1.4 lens at full aperture and although obviously not perfect due to the large aperture, has produced a much better result than the more modern Canon EF 50mm f1.4 would be capable of. The more modern lens as well as being optically inferior (at least in my copies), also suffers from a very serious design fault (see Technical Notes).

Class 432 4-REP 3011 leads the 09:32 Weymouth to Waterloo service past Worting Junction on 24 May 1986. These units were the 'top of the range' of SR EMUs, complete with a full buffet car (the third vehicle). They were also easily the most powerful, being equipped with eight traction motors giving a total of 3200hp. This high power output was needed when they were used to propel 4-TC sets. It also meant that they had quite a turn of speed, and exceeded 100 mph on a number of occasions, although obviously not when in a 12 car formation, as here. The electrical equipment from the REPs was obviously built to last, as all the traction motors were salvaged from the units to build the much more modern looking Class 442s in the 1980s.

Despite their uncharitable 'Plastic Pig' nickname, I always thought the Class 442 units were the most stylish of the EMU designs of the last few years, and it seems a little premature to withdraw these high quality units after less than twenty years service, even allowing for the fact that the traction motors were salvaged from the 1960s built 4REP units! However on 3 February 2007 the final units were placed into store, and so the opportunity was taken to take a few last pictures. Here, 2405 passes Potbridge at high speed with the 13:05 Waterloo to Poole South West Trains service.

Class 442 'Wessex Electric' 2409 passes Potbridge with the 14:45 Waterloo to Poole Network SouthEast service on 16 March 1990. Utilising Mk 3 coach bodies with traction equipment from redundant 4-REP units they were a strange mix of ancient and modern, but at the time provided a quantum leap in speed and comfort on the West of England third rail routes.

Saturday 3 February 2007 was the final day in traffic for the Class 442 units with South West Trains, and as it turned out to be a perfect sunny day, a trip was made to the Basingstoke to Woking line to photograph the last workings. 2410 & 2412 are seen here approaching Potbridge with the 09:01 Poole to Waterloo service. Upon arrival at Waterloo the units were split, and 2412 worked a staff only tour to Windsor, Twickenham & Shepperton, leaving 2410 to work the 12:05 Waterloo to Poole.

Class 442s 2420 & 2415 approach Raynes Park on 4 March 1995 with the 07:41 Poole to Waterloo service. Unlike a lot of other Network SouthEast liveried stock (especially as privatisation loomed) the 'Plastic Pigs' always seemed to be kept spotlessly clean, as seen here. New Malden station can just be seen in the background, underneath the bridge.

444012 & 444020 arrive at Eastleigh with the 15:05 Waterloo to Southampton Airport Parkway South West Trains service on 21 March 2009. 66139 & 66174 are stabled in the yard in preparation for the following day's engineering work. Eastleigh is a shadow of its former self and despite the large amount of surviving track very little freight traffic is now to be seen here.

The moles have been busy in this field next to the Basingstoke to Woking line at Potbridge, as 450088 passes with the 10:54 Basingstoke to Waterloo South West Trains service on 3 February 2007. While taking more conventional pictures from the bridge, I noticed that a four coach train on the slow line would just fit in this gap viewed from a little way down the road. A lesson could be learnt by a number of other privatised railway companies from the external appearance of the South West Trains fleet, virtually without exception all the units seen on this day were in pristine clean condition.

While at Potbridge on 5 December 2007, I investigated the field near the bridge to see if it offered a more shadow free view of the slow lines than from the bridge. It certainly does, but the high voltage wires don't exactly add to the picture! 450127 & 450117 head west with the 11:12 Waterloo to Basingstoke South West Trains service.

Class 455 5915 arrives at Guildford on 14 December 1996 with the 12:14 Waterloo to Guildford Network SouthEast service. It is rounding the sharp curve from the Effingham Junction direction, which here meets up with two other lines (from Woking and Farnborough). This line diverged from the main West of England line at Hampton Court Junction, and offers an alternative route than via Woking. Note the steam age gradient post that the unit is about to pass, showing the end of a 1 in 307 downgrade and the start of a level section.

Class 455 5857 throws out a spark as it approaches Windsor & Eaton Riverside station with the 09:20 Network SouthEast service from Waterloo on 10 December 1989. A typically dull autumnal day, but at least the view here is reasonably open, which is not what it is like now. The tree growth has been astonishing here, and it summer it resembles a green tunnel!

458005 & 458004 catch a brief patch of weak sunshine as they run parallel with the A329 at Amen Corner, on the outskirts of Bracknell on 15 June 2010. They are working the 09:50 Waterloo to Reading South West Trains service. Built in 1998 - 2000, the Class 458s are hardly the most eye catching design of EMU, but a least they have made a half decent job of hiding the corridor connection on the front end. The car park on the left is for the UK headquarters of Dell Computers.

Under a threatening sky, 465901 leads the 12:57 Ashford International to Charing Cross Southeastern Trains service past Great Chart on 20 October 2007. 465901 is the first of the refurbished 'Networkers', emerging from Wabtec Rail, Doncaster in 2005.

375622 leads the 10:23 Charing Cross to Ramsgate & Dover Priory Southeastern Trains service past Great Chart on 20 October 2007. Although the majority of Class 375s are 750V DC only, the 375/6 sub-class is also equipped for 25kV AC overhead operation, although this is little used.

377465 leads two classmates past Copyhold Junction on 20 January 2007 with the 09:47 Victoria to Lewes and Hove Southern service. The line on the right is the little used Ardingly Branch, which was just about to receive an unexpected visitor in the shape of 37406 on a Pathfinder Tours railtour.