EXPERIMENTAL EMUS

Britain’s Only Double-Deck Trains

Just like today, the Southern Railway’s suburban electric routes suffered from chronic overcrowding at peak times. Extending platforms to accommodate longer trains is hugely expensive in built-up areas, particularly in central London. Faced with an estimated £10m bill to extend platforms on the lines from Charing Cross/Cannon Street to Dartford, SR Chief Mechanical Engineer O.V.S. Bulleid suggested double-deck trains to increase capacity without lengthening trains.

Full scale wooden mock-ups were built under conditions of strict secrecy at Lancing Works in 1948/49 to test Bulleid’s design. Two prototype sets, Nos. 4001 and 4002, were built