Why electric trains were towed from a Leeds factory into storage

The futuristic new Class 323 trains were destined for rail electrification schemes in town major cities. But they were going nowhere in February 1993.

They were being towed from a south Leeds factory production line straight into storage because of mechanical faults.

Gearbox and high speed vibration problems meant they could not be used - and they were being stockpiled at a vandal proof Ministry of Defence railway yard 200 miles away in Oxfordshire.

Train builder Hunslet TPL in Jack Lane, Hunslet, was completing 43 of the trains at a cost of around £2.2 million each. The order was worth more than £90 million.

DID YOU HELP BUILD THE TRAINS? Share your memories with Andrew Hutchinson via email at: [email protected] or tweet him - @AndyHutchYPN***************************

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