photograph by Colin Duff

During late 1983 and early 1984 Eastleigh works converted nine former BR design 2 Hap driving motor coaches to class 489 Guards Luggage Vans (GLV) to provide one driving end of the then new push-and-pull Gatwick Express units. The body sides were extensively rebuilt to provide three pairs of double doors equally spaced along the side. The sides were also extended below solebar level to match the Mk2 profile of the class 488 conversions. A guard's compartment and corridor connection were installed at the non driving end and the passenger interior removed to provide a large luggage space. The existing motor bogie was retained and it provides 500hp of traction to the unit. At the other (inner end) of the GLVs the existing un-powered Mk4 bogie (with external dampers) was swapped with a leading un-powered bogie off a scrapped 2 Hap driving trailer to provide a pick up at this end of the car and also the correct internal damping for a pick up bogie. New 1963 type control desks were fitted to the cabs in order to provide remote control over the electro-diesel's (EDL) engine starting and pick up raising mechanisms though the existing brake controller was retained. There is no connection of traction current between the GLV and EDL (other than via the third rail!) but the GLV does provide traction current to the class 488 trailers for conversion by a motor alternator to provide air conditioning and lighting, etc, supplies.

The first GLV to be delivered was 489101 (68500) and this was significantly behind the delivery of the early 488 trailer units. GLVs were delivered in the then current Intercity "Executive" livery with the yellow cab fronts being extended around the cab sides as far as the driver's door. A black BR emblem was carried on the yellow panel below the driver's side window.

From 1987 with the introduction of high intensity headlamps, HMRI relaxed the requirement for the whole of the outer ends of the MLVs to be yellow, and so it was decided to confine the yellow warning panel to the area below the driver's windows. Above upper cab ends were painted black with overhead line electrification flashes either side of the route code window. Above the windows there was a OHL orange warning line, and the unit numbers above this were now in white. The yellow colour was no longer wrapped round the sides of the unit and BR double arrows were absent. The horizontal handrails under the driver's cab windows were now white or polished, before they had been painted black. Conversely, the "Private" marking on the driver's door was now black, instead of white. The OHL warning line on the front extended along the gutter, but only as far as the driver's door. The sides of the MLVs matched the livery of the coaches but "INTERCITY" branding was not applied. Data panels now appeared on these units to the rear of the driver's door.  Note that this was only applied on one side of the unit, and not all units had one. (9105 and 9106, at least did not.) There were some further variations: 9106 had the inside of the warning horns painted yellow, and ran without the OHL warning flashes and see our picture of 9110 which carried a hybrid livery until its headlight was fitted.

photograph by John Lewis

photograph by John Lewis

photograph by John Lewis