Powered cars are built at the Siemens Duewag factory in Dusseldorf, the trailers at their SGP plant in Vienna. Units are assembled at Siemens' test facility at Wildenrath. This 35 hectare site is a former RAF base not far from Dusseldorf and also the border with Holland. Here units are endurance tested at up to 100mph on a circular test track. They must pass 1000 km of trouble free running before acceptance. To test SWT's order Siemens first had to undertake £10 million worth of work on their prized test facility. Traditional SR third rail at 750 volts DC was installed on a test loop. To ensure that real track and power conditions from the south of England were reproduced accurately SWT Vep 3810 was fitted out with test and recording equipment and run around the SWT system. The results were analysed and used to simulate real SR network conditions in the German countryside. In what was must be one of the most remarkable, albeit temporary, rolling stock exports, 3810 was then split into individual vehicles at Fratton on 9 January 2002 and transported by road and ship to Wildenrath to check the testing conditions. To see a venerable Vep working alongside not only Desiro units but also some of the most advance rolling stock in Europe, such as diesel ICE units, must have been a remarkable sight. It arrived back (without displaying the "GB" plates speculated about by enthusiasts) on 28 August and re-entered service on 6 September.

photograph by John Lewis

As part of the contract Siemens are responsible for all maintenance on the SWT Desiro fleet. To service this requirement Fitzpatrick Rail built a 6415 square metre double ended depot on the site of Northam Yard, Southampton. Construction started in July 2001 and a steelwork completion ceremony was held on 14 March 2002. Rail access to this facility is from the down lines in three locations into a reception road. The depot building itself has four 10 car roads powered from an overhead trolley system and is entered from the Southampton end. Road 4 has a wheel/bogie table (a bogie change only takes two hours) and a jacking area. Outside are four 12-16 car stabling sidings. Train cleaning facilities within the depot responsibly use water recycling methods. Northam Depot was opened on 2 July 2003. Siemens are also using Strawberry Hill depot as a commissioning facility and intend using the Shepperton branch for proving runs. However commissioning of early units has been done at SWT's Bournemouth depot with static testing taking place overnight between Wareham and Weymouth. In a welcome return to Crompton working in this area (albeit not 33/1s) Siemens are using Fragonset's 33013 and 33202 as tractor units. Later deliveries saw units going initially to Strawberry Hill for commissioning thence straight into service.

photograph by Paul Ferbrache

In October 2002 thirty nine finished sets were at the Wildenrath test facility. By then units 001-008 had appeared in the Rolling Stock Library and units 009-015 had officially been added to stock. The first SWT Desiro to arrive in the UK - 450012 - did so by road and ship during November 2002. It was delivered to the MoD facility at Shoeburyness for fitter training. 47765 was used as a load bank. This combination was moved by road on 8/9 February to Ropley on the Mid Hants Railway for more fitter training on weekdays. Later Desiro deliveries have been via the Channel Tunnel and Wembley. Of early deliveries, 450007 travelled through the Channel Tunnel overnight 14/15 December 2002 and arrived at Bournemouth depot on the evening of 16 December. 450008 arrived at Bournemouth on 31 December 2002 and 45010 7 February 2003. The whole of the first batch was completed in August 2003.

photograph by Paul Ferbrache

The class was introduced to traffic during October 2003, the first public service being between Bournemouth and Weymouth on 5 0ctober, then Waterloo-Basingstoke services from 13 October. 450s started working to Alton from 25 November. The first (test) trip over the Portsmouth Direct Line was on 13 September 2003 (travelling from Bournemouth to Woking via Portsmouth) using units 450019 and 450026. During late 2003 power restrictions, pending the Network Rail upgrade) meant a maximum of 45 Desiros in service, plus any class 458s working. However by the end of February 2004 only 22 units were in service. This had increased rapidly to 44 by the middle of March by which time all Waterloo-Alton and Guildford-Ascot services had been diagrammed for 450s. It is believed the power upgrade to the South West Trains system will be complete by the end of 2004 allowing full introduction of Desiros.

photograph by Paul Ferbrache