SHAME No one saved a Class 310 unit (unseen footage by me) 

Love the hiss and click before they pulled off.

Those super bouncy seats what wonderful memories

Thank you so much for sharing this footage. Back in 1983 when I was 10 and living in Aylesbury, I used to get taken to Tring station and left there for a couple of hours' trainspotting. 310s were the staple and I managed to spot every single one... bar one. I haven't been a trainspotter for years but it still sticks in my craw that I never saw them all 😁 I miss those days of eclectic, interesting locos and (relatively) early multiple units.

I loved the 310s back in the day. Northampton to Brum. Then a 304 to Walsall. However I think that the 312 units were better. As they had WSP when built and a 90mph top speed. There are 2 Cl312 vehicles currently preserved at the Colne Valley. Sadly only at Driving Trailer and the TS. But better than nothing.

I miss the sound of that motor and the clicking and hiss of the compressor, Its such a shame they were never taken care of properly, i remember the days when you could see the 310s and 312s were coming to the end of their lives, They were becoming very dirty very rusty very squeaky and had been trashed/run to the ground, I was there to say my final farewell in 2004 when the last one was being taken off the line for good, Still though they got me to college when i was a youth and to London many times and will always appreciate and be grateful for the memories these machines imprinted on me forever, Thank you for the footage it brought good memories flooding back

I miss them. In the latter days on local trains around the West Midlands Proper Trains.

Great units! mega acceleration too. Miss these days!!!

I liked these units. Used to ride in the cab between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, Manningtree and Harwich Town and Colchester and Walton-on-Naze, with 312s (and 310s on the LTS). Also managed to ride in the cab of a 312 from Liverpool Street to Clacton.

Fantastic Units, I remember them down at Birmingham International and travelled on them many times from New St to Walsall whilst visiting my Nan! I really miss the good old days back in the '80's!

Wonderful to see these again Mike, remind me so much of my early spotting days at Marston Green. Great memories.

good looking units...this I found.... "Vehicles 78037 and 71205 from unit 312792 have been preserved and were at Electric Railway Museum, Warwickshire. Following the closure of the ERM, both vehicles moved to the Colne Valley Railway, Essex in March 2018, taking them back to their native operating area.

Thanks for the memories, my fave EMU's/

The am10,s as they were known have wonderful spring seats very comfortable ....good film that of there last days

The best emus ever.

Cov to Brum was my staple journey as a kid. Loved these units, full of character. Incidentally Mike, I am hearing rumours the HST fleet on EMR has been given an extension until May 2022, but I need to confirm, unless anyone else can?

There should be an elctric heritage railway.

Just remember they had a odd smell when breaking like cabbage cooking always remember that smell when they came in to the station

hello Mike, thanks for the memory as Hubert Gregg would say on radio 2,used to travel on these units to Basildon from Liverpool st station and to Benfleet, loved the compressors rattling away, At least a 302unit have been saved and is at Manggaps farm museum in essex,,its a shame also that no 6pul units were saved they were wonderful

It is obvious. The company did not want to keep or save them. They never cared enough about railway enthusiasts but only about their own pleasure. If they really did care, they would have preserved a few units from the Class 302, Class 305 and Class 308 fleet as well as the Class 310 fleet.

Lovely footage. I remember the AM10's as they were called and an improvement on the AM4's. Extremely successful and yes a shame none preserved.

These were one of my preferred trains into London of choice as a kid. Used to ask my parents to get the Semi-fast WCML service from Harrow & Wealdstone to Euston many times. I remember they had extremely comfortable bench type seats. I think they lost a bit of their identity when they were transferred to C2C services as they originally had wrap-around front windscreens. Without them, they look identical to the 312's. I still remember hearing about the destruction of one of these units in the 80's... The Wembley crash with a freight train.

I remember bashing the semi fast 310s from Birmingham new street to Coventry chasing the class 50 back to brum and vice versa back end of the 80s

Something only a mother could save 😍

I miss the 310's, lots of journey's on those as a child

Fabulous units. 312's were a little bit better as you could walk through all four coaches. Well done 🤓 stay safe 💙

I know how do you feel being sad of Class 310s couldn't saved. Also these are two coaches belong to 312 (driving cab and tailor) been saved. Now I understand idenfity between 310 and 312 - window wipers. 310 has 2 wipers and 312 has one wiper, like Class 315. I remember travelled between Basildon and Upminster aftee my college. Also sometimes catch 310 for fast to London - better than Southern slam doors trains except Southern trains has good smell than Essex trains. I missed slam doors trains.

The units at 1.30 & 3.35 were 312s, not 310s. Very subtle visual difference but you can tell by the lack of cowling at the top of the MU hoses & the lack of a 3rd door for the guard next to the luggage compartment

Really nice units went on them a couple of times to Southend and shoeburyness, also when they were on the Cambridge line for a short spell, I’m sure they’d still be going strong today with the proper maintenance

They were such nice units.

Shame none of these were preserved. Some of my earliest memories were these at Marston Green back in the early 1980s. A nice compilation of them of the LT&S. I don’t think I’ve been to Fenchurch St station since the class 302’s finished.

I remember them well, travelled many times on them between Birmingham NS & Walsall. I could really do with a couple of sets in 00 Gauge for my West Mids based layout.

great footage!

Hey Mike, electrified blast from the past. Were these the last slam door sets in general use? They must have covered a few million miles. Thanks for the memories!

Real shame none were saved, had such zip!!

Very nice to see Mike :)

That’s interesting, I didn’t know the ex-West Mids sets found further work on the LTS route.

The AM10s/ 310s were groundbreaking for 1965: first MU to be based on MkII coach, first all-disc-braked British train, first with silicon-arc instead of mercury-arc rectifiers, first with self-ventilated (without blowers) motors. When in good maintenance they rode smoothly and (with enough windows shut) quietly, had comfy seats and decent acceleration. They had some distinctive sounds: the 'psss-haaair' brake release, the high-pitched buzz of the strip lighting units and 'click-clock' rhythm of tapchanger run-up from under the motor coach. Per other posts, their brakes stank - and in the early years the pads included asbestos. Some might remember the fleet being grounded after brake calliper sets started falling off(!), with the awful AM4s drafted in from the North to cover.... Wheel slip/ slide protection was primitive by today's standards; some drivers starting away on slippery rail were a bit impatient and reapplied too much power, with the tapchanger cutting out then running up again several times before the wheels would 'bite'. When braking in those conditions the distinctive 'f-chuff f'chuff' sound of the blowdown valves wasn't very effective in preventing wheel-flats, and especially during autumn the 310s often ran very rough, as if the wheels had 50p coin profiles! It's a tribute to the 310s that BR decided ten years later to build an updated version for Gt Northern Outer Suburban, and I think the 312s had the 310s worst gremlins designed out. I remember as a young boy these brand-new blue units taking over the Euston outer suburbans from class 24s hauling LMS stock. They seemed to halve the journey time to London! Views out front by kneeling up on the bench seat behind the driver's vestibule - until getting told off by my parents! Later became daily transport for my first jobs until I moved far far away. Happy days 😊

I didn't know these were a thing they look nice

Evening Mike. Oh yes a good old 310 EMU 🤣 I worked at Timperly station back in the 70s under BR on the Cheshire lines committee line. I got friendly with a driver called Allen Lamb. I had lots of cab rides in 304 units and 310s between Altrincham Crew 2H63 2K64 head codes I think 🤔 He often let me drive them lol 😆 Ok in a 304 as they had head boards so we pulled the blinds down in the 310s 😂 Happy days 😆 I only wish I’d of stayed working on BR but I was chasing money then so I moved jobs for more wages 😩 Anyway I have happy memories of my time working on the railway. Cheers Stevie 😎

Remember them well on cross city line new street early 90s

Not one saved that’s bad ,they were one of only two classes to be based on the Mk2 coach and when new had wrap around cab windows ,one thing o wonder why they never had sliding doors instead of the slam door layout and the 4VEPS built for the Bournemouth electrification was based on the older Mk1 design instead of this and looking at the cab from it looks like it could of had a corridor connection I loved these 310s flying through Willesden Junction in all over blue when I was a nipper

I love the Class 310

The good old slam doors happy memories

It's the same with the 305 not sure anyone preserved them.

excellent shots 310s 👍do know what happened to them 🤔

Those units get away fast, should of kept some of them. Cheers.

Fantastic video! I really enjoyed this :)

If you stood that close now, you'd probably end up being reported and a welfare visit / escorted away. Excellent historic record

Well, everything can't be saved just because it's old ! And who has the infrastructure to operate one? We are in danger of burdening the preservation movement with too many projects.

...or the helfire Class 309 'Clacton Express' units

310 & 312 EMUs the best ever made.

Great classic video with some good horn action mike

sadly riddled with asbestos