Encyclopedia

British Optical Association The British Optical Association (BOA) was founded in 1895 as the first professional body for ophthalmic opticians (optometrists) in the world. It ran the first professional examinations in optics and provided the Secretariat for a number of other optical bodies including what would eventually become the Association of Optometrists and the World Council of Optometry.
British Ornithologists' Union The British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) aims to encourage the study of birds ("ornithology") in Britain, Europe and throughout the world, in order to understand their biology and to aid their conservation.
British Ornithologists' Union checklists The British Ornithologists' Union checklists are a series of books published by the British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) documenting the status of bird in various regions of the world. Each volume contains a systematic list of bird species recorded in the area.
British Orthodox Church The British Orthodox Church is a small Oriental Orthodox jurisdiction, canonically part of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Its mission is to the people of the British Isles, and though it is completely Orthodox in its faith and practice it remains British in its ethos.
British Overseas Airways Corporation The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd.
British photography British photography refers to the tradition of photographic work undertaken by committed photographers and photographic artists in the British Isles. This includes those notable photographers from Europe who have made their home in Britain and contributed so strongly to the nation's photographic tradition, such as: Oscar Rejlander; Bill Brandt; Hugo van Wadenoyen; Ida Kar; and Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen.
British poetry British poetry ( like British literature) is a term rarely used, as almost all poets of the British world (whether of the British Isles, the British Empire, or the United Kingdom) are clearly identified with one of the various nations within those areas.
British police strikes in 1918 and 1919 The Police Strikes of 1918 and 1919 resulted in the British Government putting before Parliament its proposals for the Police Bill, which established the Police Federation as the representative body for the police. The Bill also barred policemen from belonging to a union or affiliating with any trade body outside of the new Police Federation.
British protected person The status of British protected person (BPP) is a status held by certain persons under the British Nationality Act 1981. It is not traditionally considered a form of British nationality - as British protected persons are not Commonwealth citizens in British nationality law, they do not have full civil rights in the United Kingdom.
British Parliamentary Style British Parliamentary style debate is a common form of academic debate. It has gained support in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, Africa, and United States, and has also been adopted as the official style of the World Universities Debating Championship and European Universities Debating Championship.
British Peoples Party (2005) The British Peoples Party, also known as "BPP - Putting Britons First" is the third incarnation of a name used by other far right political parties in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 18 September 2005 by Eddy Morrison and John G.
British PGA Matchplay championship The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a matchplay golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the British newspaper the News of the World, and was commonly known by the paper's name.
British Pharmacopoeia Published annually, the British Pharmacopoeia (BP) is the only comprehensive and authoritative collection of quality standards for UK medicinal substances. It is an essential reference for all individuals and organisations involved in pharmaceutical research, development, manufacture and testing.
British Phosphate Commission The British Phosphate Commission (BPC) was a board comprised of Australian, British and New Zealand representatives who managed extraction of phosphate from Christmas Island, Nauru and Ocean Island from the 1920s until the 1960s.
British Pipeline Agency British Pipeline Agency Ltd (BPA) is a joint venture between BP Oil UK and Shell UK. The company owns and operates the UK oil pipeline network of oil and gas pipelines which transport petroleum products and natural gas around the UK.
British Plant Communities (series of books) British Plant Communities is a five-volume work, edited by John S. Rodwell and published by Cambridge University Press, which describes the plant communities which comprise the British National Vegetation Classification.
British Poetry since 1945 (Penguin) British Poetry since 1945 is a poetry anthology edited by Edward Lucie-Smith, and published in 1970 by Penguin Books. It was a careful attempt, by sub-classification, to take account of the whole span of post-war British poetry; including poets from The Group, the London-centred movement of which Lucie-Smith himself had assumed leadership from Philip Hobsbaum.
British Police Cadets In the UK, there are a number of Volunteer Police Cadet schemes for young people aged between 14 and 18. These groups are designed to provide a sense of what it's like to be a police officer, by getting cadets involved in various police related activities, such as crime prevention projects.
British Power Boat Company The British Power Boat Company was formed on 30 September 1927 when Hubert Scott-Paine bought and renamed the Hythe Shipyard with the intention of transforming it into one of the most modern mass production boat building yards in the country. Together with his chief designer, Fred Cooper, the company produced many racing boats which won numerous awards around Europe, including Miss Britain III.
British Power Boat Company Type Two 63 ft HSL Known as the "Whaleback" from the distinctive curve to its deck, the Type 2 HSL (High Speed Launch) was used to rescue Allied aircrew from the sea after they were shot down during the Second World War.
British Pregnancy Advisory Service The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) is a British non-profit organisation whose stated purpose is to "[support] reproductive choice by advocating and providing high quality, affordable services to prevent or end unwanted pregnancies with contraception or by abortion."BPAS homepage - About BPAS BPAS was founded in 1968, shortly after abortions were legalised in Britain.
British Press Awards 2006 The British Press Awards is an annual ceremony that has celebrated the best of British journalism since the 1970s. A financially lucrative part of the Press Gazette's business they have been described as "the Oscars of British journalism", or less flatteringly, "The Hackademy Awards".
British Protected designation of origin Protected designation of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indication (PGI) and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) are geographical indications defined in European Union Law to protect regional foods. The legislation came into force in 1992.
British Psychological Society The British Psychological Society (BPS) is the representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. The BPS is a charity, and along with advantages, this imposes certain constraints on what the society can and cannot do - it cannot campaign on issues which are seen as political, for example the age of consent of homosexuality.
British Quiz Championship The 'British Quiz Championship, also termed the British Quizzing Championship was run in 2004 as part of the World Quizzing Championship - as staged at various world-wide locations, such as Old Trafford Stadium on July 3, 2004), is the United Kingdom's most prestigious (non-TV based) quiz competition. In 2005 it will be run on August 27, the World event having been staged on 2 July.
British racing green British racing green or BRG, otherwise known as brunswick, hunter, or forest green, takes its name from the green international motor racing colour of Great Britain. Although there is still some debate as to an exact hue for BRG, currently the term is used to denote a spectrum of deep, rich greens.
British railway signals Modern British signalling is based on a two, three and four aspect colour light system using non-permissive block rules. It is a basic progression of the original semaphore signalling that can still be found on many secondary lines.
British replacement of the Trident system The British replacement of Trident is a proposal to replace the existing Trident weapons system based on four Vanguard class submarines each armed with 16 Trident II Submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Although it remains at the hypothetical stage, it is increasingly becoming an issue in UK politics.
British rock British rock and roll, or British rock, was born out of the influence of rock and roll and rhythm and blues from the United States, but added a new drive and urgency, exporting the music back and widening the audience for black R & B in the U.S.
British royalty and urban legends There are many urban legends associated with British royalty. Given that hereditary monarchy is centred on the principles of inheritance, family relationships and legitimacy, it is hardly surprising that most rumours about royals have focused on these three areas.
British rule in Burma British rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the Anglo-Burmese Wars through the creation of Burma Province as a colony of British India to the establisment of the Crown Colony of Burma and finally independence. Various portions of Burmese territories, including Arakan, Tenasserim were conferred to the British after British victory in First Anglo-Burmese War.
British Rabbit Council The British Rabbit Council (or BRC) is a society of rabbit lovers across the UK. It was formed in 1934 when The National Rabbit Council of Great Britain and her Dominions and The British Rabbit Society merged.
British Racing Partnership British Racing Partnership (BRP) was a Formula One constructor from the United Kingdom, established by Alfred Moss, Stirling Moss's father, in the late 1950s to run cars for Stirling, when not under contract with other firms.
British Radio Car Association The British Radio Car Association (or BRCA) is an organisation to promote the construction and racing of all types of radio controlled cars in the United Kingdom. They coordinate BRCA affiliated clubs in the UK, and offer insurance for any accidents that might occur.
British Rail British Railways (BR), which later traded as British Rail, ran most of the British railway system from the nationalisation of the 'Big Four' British railway companies in 1948 until the privatisation of its railway services in stages between 1994 and 1997.
British Rail 10100 British Railways 10100 was an unusual experimental diesel locomotive known informally as 'The Fell Diesel'. It was the joint production of Davey Paxman & Co, Shell Refining & Marketing Co & Lt-Col LFR Fell, built for them by the LMS at Derby.
British Rail 18000 18000 was a prototype mainline gas turbine locomotive built for British Railways in 1949 by Brown Boveri. It had, however, been ordered by the Great Western Railway in 1940, but construction was delayed due to World War II.
British Rail APT-E The APT-E (meaning Advanced Passenger Train Experimental) tilting train was the prototype Advanced Passenger Train unit. It was powered by gas turbines, the only multiple unit so powered that was used by British Rail.
British Rail brand names British Rail created many brand names for its products, designed to catch the eye and imagination of current and potential travellers and freight users. These included brands both for services and for multiple units.
British Rail British United Traction British United Traction produced 11 lightweight diesel multiple unit vehicles for British Railways during the 1950s, numbered 79740-79750. They were of three different types (DMS, DMBS and TS), and could be made up into two- or three-car units.
British Rail coach designations The London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway both developed a system of identifying carriages by means of alphabetic codes. When British Railways was formed in 1948, it decided to adopt the former LNER method of carriage classification.
British Rail Class 02 The British Rail Class 02 were a class of twenty 0-4-0 diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotives built by the Yorkshire Engine Company in 1960 (first ten, D2850-D2859) and 1961 (D2860-D2869) for service in areas of restricted loading gauge and curvature such as docks. They had the door to the cab at the rear, with a railed veranda behind the cab; this feature was very unusual on British Rail locomotives although was used on many Yorkshire Engine Co.
British Rail Class 03 The British Rail Class 03 locomotive is, together with Class 04, one of BR's most successful smaller 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunters. The class, numbering 230 examples, was built by British Railways' Swindon and Doncaster works in 1957-1962 and numbered D2000-D2199 and D2370-D2399 (later 03004 to 03399).
British Rail Class 04 The British Rail Class 04 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunting locomotive class, built between 1952 and 1962 and were the basis for the later Class 03 built in the British Railways workshops. The Class 04 locomotives were supplied by the Drewry Car Co.
British Rail Class 07 The British Rail Class 07 locomotive is an off-centre cab shunter for use in Southampton Docks, to replace SR USA Class steam locomotives. An 0-6-0 diesel-electrical shunter built by Ruston & Hornsby, 1962.
British Rail Class 10 The British Rail Class 10 railway locomotive was a variation on the Class 08 diesel-electric shunter in which the English Electric engine was replaced by a Blackstone engine and traction motors were either GEC or BTH. The locomotives were built at the BR Works in Darlington and Doncaster over the period 1953-62.
British Rail Class 100 The British Rail Class 100 diesel multiple units were built by Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Company Limited from 1956 to 1958, designed and built in collaboration with the Transport Sales Dept. of T.
British Rail Class 101 The British Rail Class 101 diesel multiple units were built by Metro-Cammell at Washwood Heath in Birmingham from 1956 to 1959, following construction of a series of prototype units. This class proved to be the most successful and longest-lived of all BR's First Generation DMUs, with the final five units being withdrawn on 24 December 2003.
British Rail Class 107 The British Rail Class 107 diesel multiple units were built by the Derby Works of British Railways and were introduced in 1960. The class looked similar to the later Class 108 units, but were heavier - having been built out of steel.
British Rail Class 114 The British Rail Class 114 diesel multiple units were built by BR Derby from 1956 to 1957. Forty-nine 2-car units were built, numbered 50001-49 for driving motors (later renumbered 53001-49) and 56001-49 for driving trailers (later renumbered 54001-49).
British Rail Class 124 The Class 124 was a class of initially six car Diesel Multiple Units used and built specifically for the trans-pennine route. They were progressively shortened during their lifetime, finally finishing as three-car sets.
British Rail Class 13 The British Rail Class 13 was formed because in 1965 it was found necessary to provide more powerful shunters for the Tinsley Marshalling Yard. This was provided by permanently coupling together two Class 08 shunters as a 'master' and 'slave' unit, the latter with its cab removed.
British Rail Class 144 The British Rail Class 144 "Pacer" diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by BREL Derby from 1986-1987. A total of 23 units were built, replacing many of the earlier First-generation "Heritage" DMUs.
British Rail Class 150 The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier First-generation "Heritage" DMUs.
British Rail Class 153 The British Rail Class 153 "Super-Sprinter" is a diesel multiple unit. These single cars units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by Leyland from 1987-88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92.
British Rail Class 155 The British Rail Class 155 "Super-Sprinter" is a diesel multiple unit. These DMU's were built by British Leyland at Workington (using Leyland National bus components) in 1987 as part of British Rail's replacement of its ageing diesel fleet.
British Rail Class 157 Class 157 was the designation applied to a range of Diesel multiple unit trains planned for regional use, in particular for the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive. As well as the class number, British Rail reserved carriage numbers in the 526xx and 576xx series for these units.
British Rail Class 159 The British Rail Class 159 known as "South Western Turbo" by Network SouthEast (in reality a member of the Sprinter family) is a diesel multiple unit, built from 1992-93 by BREL at Derby Works. The units were built as Class 158 units, but were rebuilt by Babcock Rail in Rosyth before entering traffic.
British Rail Class 165 The British Rail Class 165 "Network Turbo" diesel multiple units were built by BREL at York Works from 1990-92. These units are suburban trains, with an express version appearing later in the form of Class 166 "Network Express Turbo" units.
British Rail Class 166 The British Rail Class 166 "Network Express Turbo" diesel multiple units were built by ABB at York Works from 1992-93. These units are the express version of the Class 165 "Network Turbo" units.
British Rail Class 180 The British Rail Class 180 "Adelante" is a type of British diesel multiple unit, built by Alstom between 2000 and 2001 at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. The units are express trains built for First Great Western to supplement their High Speed Train fleet.
British Rail Class 185 The Class 185 is a diesel multiple-unit passenger train built by Siemens in Germany for the British train operating company TransPennine Express. Fifty-one of these three-carriage units in operation, and have replaced most of the current Class 158 fleet and all of the Class 175 fleet.
British Rail Class 21 British Rail Class 21 was a class of 1000hp or 1100hp Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives built by North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow. 58 were built nos D6100-D6157, and they were originally allocated to the Eastern Region for commuter services into London.
British Rail Class 210 The British Rail Class 210 was a type of DEMU built in the late 1970s. The class was intended to be a modern DEMU to replace the ageing types in use on the Southern region of British Railways however the prototypes built did not manage to secure production for the class and they were withdrawn in the 1980s.
British Rail Class 22 The British Rail Class 22 or "Baby Warship" was a class of diesel-hydraulic designed for the Western Region and built by North British Locomotive Company. Like most North British products, they were poor (although they were one of NBL's better diesel locomotive products) and were all withdrawn between 1967 and 1972.
British Rail Class 220 The Class 220 Voyager is a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation for the British train operating company Virgin CrossCountry. They are the mainstay of those long-distance trains in Britain that do not terminate in London (although they are also used for services between Holyhead and London Euston).
British Rail Class 253 Class 253 and Class 254 were the classifications allocated to the production High Speed Train units. The former class was used for Western Region sets, operating out of London Paddington, and the latter for Eastern Region sets, operating out of London King's Cross, since these regions used different formations - the Western Region [WR] used 2+7 sets, whilst the ER preferred 2+8 sets with a second buffet car.
British Rail Class 27 British Rail's Class 27 comprised 69 diesel locomotives built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRCW) during 1961 and 1962. They were a development of the earlier Class 26; both were originally classified as the BRCW Type 2.
British Rail Class 28 The British Rail Class 28 (originally Metropolitan-Vickers Type 2) diesel locomotives, or 'Metrovicks' as they were popularly known, were built as part of the British Railways Modernisation plan. Built with low-speed Crossley 8-cylinder two stroke engines, they represented an experiment in two stroke versus four stroke engines for diesel-electric traction.
British Rail Class 302 The British Rail Class 302 was a type of Electric Multiple Unit introduced onto British Rail in the late 1950s. The class were 4-car units and used throughout their working lives on the London-Tilbury-Shoeburyness route.
British Rail Class 303 The British Rail Class 303 electric multiple units, also known as "Blue Train" units, were introduced in 1960 for the electrification of the North Clyde and the Cathcart Circle lines in Strathclyde. They were initially classified as AM3 units before the introduction of TOPS.
British Rail Class 304 The British Rail Class 304 electric multiple units were built for suburban use on the first phases of the West Coast Main Line electrification between Crewe and Manchester/Liverpool/Rugby. commissioned by British Rail in England.
British Rail Class 310 The British Rail Class 310 is a of slam-door electric multiple unit introduced in 1966 as part of the West Coast Main Line electrification project. They consisted of four carriages - a second class only driving trailer, a second class only trailer, a second class only motor car (with guard's/luggage compartment above which the pantograph was mounded) and a composite (1st and 2nd class) driving trailer.
British Rail Class 312 The British Rail Class 312 is a type of electric multiple unit built from 1975-78 intended for use on outer-suburban passenger services. It was the last class of multiple unit to be constructed to the Mark 2 bodyshell, and also the last with slam doors.
British Rail Class 313 Class 313 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York Works from 1976-77, these being the first second-generation EMUs to be constructed for British Rail. They were also the first dual-voltage units to be built, capable of drawing power via 25 kV AC overhead, or 750 V DC third-rail, and the first units in Britain to have fully automatic couplers which allowed both physical coupling and also the connection of control electric and air supplies to be carried out without the need to leave the cab.
British Rail Class 317 The British Rail Class 317 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York Works in two batches, from 1981-82 and 1985-87. They were the first of several classes of British Rail EMU to be based on the all-steel Mark 3 bodyshell, departing from the "PEP"-aluminium design which had spawned the earlier Class 313 to Class 315.
British Rail Class 318 The British Rail Class 318 is an electric multiple unit train, which operates exclusively in the SPT network in West Central Scotland. The units were introduced fully on 29th September 1986 as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast Line between Glasgow and Ayr/Largs/Ardrossan.
British Rail Class 319 The British Rail Class 319 electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches from 1987-1988 and 1990. The trains were introduced for new north-south cross-London services from Bedford to Brighton, and since privatisation the aforementioned services have been operated by Thameslink and First Capital Connect, the former TOC having been merged with 'wagn' to form the latter TOC at 0200 BST on 1st April 2006 as a result of refranchising.
British Rail Class 321 The British Rail Class 321 electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-1991. The design was very successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde PTE and Stansted Express respectively.
British Rail Class 332 The British Rail Class 332 is the type of electric multiple unit train used on the Heathrow Express between London Paddington station and Heathrow Airport. The fleet was built in 1998 by Siemens and CAF at the latter’s factory in Zaragoza, Spain.
British Rail Class 35 The British Rail Class 35 is a class of mixed traffic Bo-Bo diesel locomotive with hydraulic transmission. On account of their Mekydro-design hydraulic transmission units, the design became known as the Hymeks.
British Rail Class 357 The British Rail Class 357 Electrostar electric multiple unit was built by ADtranz, Derby (now owned by Bombardier Transportation) from 1999 to 2002. The Electrostar family, which also includes Classes 375, 376 and 377, is the most numerous type of EMU built in the post-privatisation period of Britain's railways.
British Rail Class 365 The British Rail Class 365 "Networker Express" are dual-voltage (25kV AC and 750V DC) electric multiple units built by ABB at York from 1994-95. These were the last units to be built at York works before it closed.
British Rail Class 370 British Rail's Class 370 tilting trains, also referred to as APT-P (meaning Advanced Passenger Train Prototype), were the pre-production Advanced Passenger Train units. Unlike the earlier experimental gas-turbine APT-E unit, these units were powered by 25kV AC overhead electrification and were used on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Glasgow Central station.
British Rail Class 375 The British Rail Class 375 Electrostar electric multiple unit train was built by Bombardier Transportation (previously ADtranz) at their Derby Works, from 1999 to 2005. The Electrostar family, which also includes Classes 357, 376 and 377, is the most numerous type of EMU introduced since the privatisation of British Rail.
British Rail Class 376 The Class 376 Suburban Electrostar is an electric multiple-unit passenger train manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. It is part of the Electrostar family, which are the most common EMUs introduced since the privatisation of British Rail.
British Rail Class 377 The Class 377 Electrostar electric multiple units were built by Bombardier Transportation (previously ADtranz) at their Derby Works, from 2001 to 2005. The Electrostar family, which also includes Classes 357, 375 and 376, is the most numerous type of EMU built in the post-privatisation period of Britain's railways.
British Rail Class 390 The British Class 390 "Pendolino" electric multiple units are tilting trains built by Alstom utilising Fiat tilt systems. Fifty-three 9-car units were built for Virgin Trains from 2001 to 2004, and were introduced on the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
British Rail Class 395 Class 395 is the designationof new EMUs] being built for [[Southeastern (train operating company)|Southeastern to operate new high speed domestic services on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL-DS) and the Olympic Javelin shuttle services to the 2012 Summer Olympics.
British Rail Class 401 The Southern Railway (SR) gave the designation 2Bil to the 750V DC third rail electric multiple units built during the 1930s to work long-distance semi-fast services on the newly electrified lines from London to Eastbourne, Portsmouth and Reading. This type of unit survived long enough in British Rail ownership to be allocated TOPS Class 401.
British Rail Class 402 The Southern Railway (SR) gave the designation 2Hal to the electric multiple units built during the late 1930s to work long-distance semi-fast services on the newly electrified lines from London to Maidstone and Gillingham (Kent). This type of unit survived long enough in British Rail ownership to be allocated TOPS Class 402.
British Rail Class 403 The Southern Railway (SR) gave the designation 5Bel to the 5-car all-Pullman electric multiple units built to work the prestigious Brighton Belle trains between London Victoria and Brighton. These units survived long enough in British Rail ownership to be allocated TOPS Class 403.
British Rail Class 404 The Southern Railway (SR) gave the designations 4Cor, 4Res, 4Buf and 4Gri to the different types of electric multiple unit built to work the route between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour. The 4Cor type units survived long enough in British Rail ownership to be allocated TOPS Class 404.
British Rail Class 405 The Southern Railway (SR) gave the designation Sub to the wide variety of electric multiple units that were used on inner-suburban workings in the South London area. Originally these units were formed as three-car units, but in the 1940s, all surviving units were increased to four cars by the addition of an 'Augmentation' trailer.
British Rail Class 41 (HST) The British Rail Class 41 was the original classification for the power cars of the prototype High Speed Train. However, the train was later re-classified as a diesel-electric multiple unit, and the whole set became Class 252.
British Rail Class 41 (Warship Class) The British Railways Class 41 diesel-hydraulic locomotives were built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow during 1957 and 1958. The "Class 41" description was never officially applied to these locomotives as they were all withdrawn prior to this numeric system (TOPS) being introduced.
British Rail Class 411 The British Rail Class 411 (or 4Cep) electrical multiple units were built at Eastleigh works from 1956-63 for the newly electrified main lines in Kent. These units were based on the earlier Southern Railway 4Cor design, built in 1937.
British Rail Class 413 The British Rail Class 413 (or 4Cap) units were formed in 1982 by permanently coupling two Class 414 2Hap units together. The cabs in the centre of the unit were decommissioned, thus reducing the weight of the units.
British Rail Class 414 The British Rail Class 414 (or 2Hap) electric multiple units were built between 1956 and 1963. The 2Hap stood for 2-car Half-lavatory with EPB equipment, and were a development on the earlier 2Bil and 2Hal units.
British Rail Class 415 British Rail Class 415 (or 4EPB) was a suburban 750V DC third rail electric multiple unit commissioned by the Southern Region of British Railways. Built between 1951 and 1957, it became the most numerous class on the region after the withdrawal of the 4Subs.

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