What is Project 483?

How This All Began...

It was a Sunny afternoon at Stamford Brook and three of us were standing on the platform photographing the district 150 Specials in 2019. Somehow the conversations turned into "what was going to happen with the 483's when there withdrawn in 2-3 years, And so Daniel Nash (Our current Secretary) sent a email to South Western Railway asking that very question. A few months later after some negotiating we had been guaranteed 483006. 483008 as also later added to our selection due to it being in a better condition than 4803009, which we were offered as additional unit for our battery plans. Then on the 3rd of January 2021 the units were withdrawn, 006 Left Ryde St johns Road Depot on the 20th of October, Being the last 483 stabled there. it then left the island on the 21st of October and arrived at its new home on the 22nd. 

483008 meanwhile was stored in the siding at Sandown until the last of the new 484's arrived, Eventually moving to wales on the 17th of February 2022 making it the last of the 483's unit to leave Island Line rails. 

The Present...

As of 17/02/22 we have taken ownership of 483006 and 483008 and we a beginning to prepare car 226 from 006 into a museum space while we get 483008 back into a fit condition to run under batteries. We also plan in the interim to set up 483006 to be moved on special events at the L&MMR in passenger service.

We have also Started doing the first phase of work to sure up both units condition and are starting to prepare 006 to contain a exhibit on electrification of suburban railways.

The Future...


The long term plan for Project 483 is to use one of the Island Line Class 483 Trains to help tell the story of the years that the units spent as part of the London Underground and to celebrate the London Transport heritage of the Class 483s, introducing their history to a new audience and providing a unique experience in railway preservation.
In order to achieve this we have secured two serviceable Class 483 units for preservation, 483006 and 483008. We are not proposing to use these units as hauled coaching stock, but to work with Clayton Equipment Ltd to convert one of them into a sustainable Battery Electric Multiple Unit. In this way we will be able to provide the experience of travelling by electric tube train in as authentic a manner as is possible in the absence of conductor rails.
This innovative railway heritage project hopes to not only provide Heritage railways with an operational train of appropriate and sympathetically restored tube stock in the future, but to set a precedent which owning-groups of other heritage EMUs may be able to follow. This could open up electric train preservation in a manner hitherto unseen in the UK.



If you wish to support us in achieving our goals please take a look at our Donation page or think about becoming a member and if you have any queries feel free to get in touch though our contact us page