 Southern Railway publicity photograph photograph: Glen Woods collection |
| When building the stock for the Medway electrification
of the lines from Gravesend to Gillingham, from Strood to Maidstone West and
from Otford to Maidstone East the Southern produced the very basic, utilitarian
2 Hal which was in considerable contrast to the comfortable 2 Bil, 2 Nol and
4 Lav stock that preceeded them. In place of
deep comfortable cushions the 2Hals had firm, thinly padded bench type seats in
a dull brown and fawn pattern, many of them in six-a-side non-corridor motor
brake thirds. In complete contrast, however, the first class had well-padded
lift-out cushions trimmed in an oriental patterned tapestry! In place of the
normal Victorian style teak and mahogany interior woodwork, wooden surfaces
were painted cream or grey, with the panelling trimmed in a cotton fabric.
The body was, however, constructed differently in that it had a wooden frame, galvanised steel sheet sides and boarded, canvas-covered roof as previously, but with new plywood partitions and a welded steel cab. Some 76 were built for the Medway scheme, the largest batch of main line semi-fast stock that the Southern Railway ever built. |
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2 Hal 2634 leading three other 2 Hal sets hurries through
Raynes Park on the main line tracks on a train from Waterloo to Alton.
photograph by Keith Harwood |
| The next 16 units, built during November and December
1939, were virtually the same as the Medway units but with more cheerful
upholstery in the third class compartments. By June 1940 all these units were
working Brighton to Ore and Seaford to Horsted Keynes services but then, from
autumn 1941, they were moved to the Waterloo to Aldershot services enabling
Reading/Aldershot trains to be strengthened to eight coaches to deal with the
huge amount of military traffic to and from the Aldershot area.
No Hals were lost during WWII, but a number of other units were, so an order was placed for five Hals in the autumn of 1944 to replace these units. No sooner did that happen than another 2 Bil was lost (to a V2 rocket) so the order was amended to five main line and two suburban units, then amended to seven main line units. These were eventually completed towards the end of 1948 and went to work on the eastern section, later transferring to the Victoria-Littlehampton service, detaching one portion at Gatwick. These post-war Hals were of all steel construction, which earnt them the nick-name of "Tin Hals". The last, and most weird, 2 Hal was 2700, which had a suburban saloon for its motor brake third, taken from 4 Sub 4590. The Hals remained in service (with the odd loss through accident) until withdrawals started in 1969, their replacements being the new 4 Vep units. The last three Hal units went during July 1971. |
| 2662 at Horsted Keynes, 1962, on a Seaford train.
photograph by John Edgington and reproduced from the book 'A Southern Electric Album', by Michael Welch, by kind permission of Capital Transport Publishing. |
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On a wet winter Sunday 2 Hal Nº2681 passes Fishersgate
Halt with a Brighton to Portsmouth Harbour semi-fast service.
photograph by Keith Harwood |
| 2 Hal unit 2666 at a snowy Ascot, with 2 Bil unit 2108 behind.
photograph by Chris Ralls |
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| The Builds: 2601-76 built 1939 for the Medway electrification scheme 2677-92 built later in 1939 and eventually used for lengthening of Reading trains 2693-99 built 1948 as replacements for war losses, all steel "Tin Can" stock allocated to eastern section, then Gatwick/ Littlehampton services. 2700 formed February 1950 with a motor coach from 4 Sub 4590 and a driving trailer built as a war loss replacement. Coach Numbers: Diagram Numbers: Driving Trailers: |
| Once their life in passenger service was completed several of
the motor coaches were converted for departmental use: Stores Units: 022 comprised ADS70315 & ADS70318, cars originally 10731 (unit 2613) & 10787 (unit 2669) 023 comprised ADS70316 & ADS70317, cars originally 10742 (unit 2624) & 10760 (unit 2642) De-Icers: 001 contained DS70268, car originally 10726 (unit 2608) which was later ADB977365 002 contained DS70269, car originally 10764 (originally unit 2646, transferred to 4 Lav unit 2926 in 1948 to replace the motor coach lost at South Croydon). |
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Unit Nº2653 photographed at Fratton Yard and ex-Eastleigh
works c1968 was one of the all-steel (or 'Tin Hals') built after the
war. This has obviously been the subject of renumbering as the original 2653
was a pre-war unit, as seen at the beginning of these pages. The photographer
remembers well the strong smell of paint as it sat in the yard (non
electrified) prior to re-entering service.
photograph by Terry Bye |
| Life after death! On 6 April 1976. 2 Hal Stores unit 023 on its
regular Saturday trip to Lovers Walk passes through the now closed Nº4
platform at Preston Park.
photograph by Glen Woods |
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This page was last updated 28 April 2009
