Why did early stock look so damn ugly?

[30907]

One thing that's long puzzled me about the Southern EMUs is why one group of them, the prewar 6-PAN, 6-CIT and 6-PUL, had considerably fewer jumper cables dangling on the driving ends compared to the other Southern electrics of that time (some pictures here). This gave them a much cleaner appearance.

I presume the jumpers were normally duplicated?
Why the 6-sets were the exception I know not, unless it was thought that they would be uncoupled less often in normal service, but not having an end gangway also helped - compare the 4-Cor etc fleet!
Better answers below, ignore me!

 

[JohnElliott]

One thing that's long puzzled me about the Southern EMUs is why one group of them, the prewar 6-PAN, 6-CIT and 6-PUL, had considerably fewer jumper cables dangling on the driving ends compared to the other Southern electrics of that time (some pictures here). This gave them a much cleaner appearance.

The original 3-car SUBs started out with one cable on each side (power bus and an 8-wire connector for motor control). Then they found they needed some more wires for lighting control, and since there weren't any spares in the existing cables they had to add a new jumper and put it in the middle. All the subsequent suburban stock (NOLs, BILs, HALs etc.) was designed to be compatible with them, and so had the same three connectors.

The PULs, PANs and CITs were the first major upgrade to the basic Southern EMU platform, with a motor generator meaning the lighting and control circuits could be run at 70v rather than line voltage. Since this made them incompatible with the suburban stock there wasn't any need to keep the same cable connections, so it was possible to design them with a single control cable.

 

[DustyBin]

In terms of slam door stock, I actually prefer the plain, utilitarian look of SUB's, EPB's, 302's, 501's etc. over early 'styled' units such as the 304's, 309's (sorry!), 310's and 312's. It's all subjective but in my opinion these early styling excersies werent entirely successful, although they did do a decent job with the 303's and 311's. I may be in the minority, but I think the SR's efforts with the CIG's, VEP's etc. were more succesful, still plain admittedly but tidied up a bit.

 

[AM9]

In terms of slam door stock, I actually prefer the plain, utilitarian look of SUB's, EPB's, 302's, 501's etc. over early 'styled' units such as the 304's, 309's (sorry!),

Sacrilege! Anyway, that was streamlining - the CEPs weren't as fast.

 

[Journeyman]

One thing that's long puzzled me about the Southern EMUs is why one group of them, the prewar 6-PAN, 6-CIT and 6-PUL, had considerably fewer jumper cables dangling on the driving ends compared to the other Southern electrics of that time (some pictures here). This gave them a much cleaner appearance.

The Southern's suburban and semi-fast EMUs were all backwards compatible with the very first LSWR electric units of 1914, which used a very basic control system. It was subsequently slightly upgraded with the addition of an extra wire on the cab front (the one in the middle).

The express EMUs of the 1930s incorporated rather more advanced electrical systems, with significantly tidied jumper cable arrangements, but this came at the price of not being able to couple them to suburban and semi-fast units.

 

[Dr_Paul]

Thanks for the information about the 6-PAN, etc, sets. I didn't know that they were incompatible with some of the other Southern EMUs. Thinking about, I've not seen any pictures in which they are coupled to other types of EMUs.

 

[DustyBin]

Sacrilege! Anyway, that was streamlining - the CEPs weren't as fast.

I know I'm sorry haha...

The CEP's weren't but the REP's were... Ok, they were actually only 90mph units but I'd back one in a drag race! (Maybe not with a pair of 4-TC's in tow though).

 

[AM9]

I know I'm sorry haha...

The CEP's weren't but the REP's were... Ok, they were actually only 90mph units but I'd back one in a drag race! (Maybe not with a pair of 4-TC's in tow though).

A solitary 4-REP is the equivalent of a pair of class 73/1s pulling half of a pacer, - hardly a match for a class309/1, especially when the 750VDC drops below 600V, whilst the 25kV sits there at 24.9kV!

 

[DustyBin]

A solitary 4-REP is the equivalent of a pair of class 73/1s pulling half of a pacer, - hardly a match for a class309/1, especially when the 750VDC drops below 600V, whilst the 25kV sits there at 24.9kV!

 

[Irascible]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned one of the best looking D.M.Us that we ever had in this country. The blue Pullman, but not with the jumper cables on the front end.

Also the GWR DMUs ( admittedly mostly singles ) - given how most of the contemporary experiments were turning out, they came out wonderfully. The old LNWR Watford units looked nice in LNWR paint, not so much in anything else - but anything of that vintage has interesting details.