Northern 769450 at Springs Branch - 11th December 2024

Northern Trains Class 769 biomode unit is seen arriving into and shunting around Springs Branch Depot south of Wigan on the afternoon of Wednesday 11th December 2024.

The 769 I imagine had returned from running some services. We see her using what's known as the old Bickershaw shunt line.

The Class 769 Flex is a type of bi or tri-mode multiple unit (BMU/TMU) which is currently being converted by Brush Traction. The train is a conversion of the existing Class 319 electric multiple unit (EMU), a conventional unit type that had become surplus to requirements during the 2010s.

The conversion process was carried out by a partnership between the rolling stock leasing company Porterbrook and train manufacturer Wabtec Brush. The conversion principally involves the addition of a pair of MAN diesel engines under each driving trailer vehicle, the output of which is fed into ABB-provided alternators to power the existing electric traction systems. According to Porterbrook, the Class 769’s performance under diesel power is either equal or superior to that of a Class 150 Sprinter diesel multiple units (DMU), and that the switchover between EMU and DMU modes can be carried out while the train is in motion.

66109 appears in the background having dragged r MPV units down from Scotland that video is linked below.
https://youtu.be/8GHcgPKVx6c


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Filmed at Springs Branch
Filmed Wednesday 11th December 2024

#northerntrains #class769 #wcml